Some big names in the channel were out to play in September, so you’ll see them take a major role in this month’s top 12 countdown.

For instance, CenturyLink’s CEO talked about a big opportunity for partners in SMB sales thanks to the Level 3 integration being mostly complete. Our write-up from AT&T’s presentation on the 5G opportunity also struck gold with our readers.

Updates on the channel impact of bankruptcies at Windstream and Fusion Connect also were on our audience’s mind, and M&A is a theme, with AppSmart-Telegration leading the way.

Those are just four of the stories that land in our countdown for September, compiled from those that get the most traffic on our website and their performance in our weekly newsletters. We would encourage you to sign up for the newsletter to stay in tune with all the hottest happenings in the channel.

In the gallery below, you’ll also learn about a big pact between Avaya and IBM, and some speculation surrounding the sale of Symantec’s consumer business. What was No. 1?

Missed the previous month’s top stories? Click here to see our most-read posts in August.

Follow executive editor @Craig_Galbraith on Twitter.