Strategy

What’s Going On, 3Com?

• August 9, 2006

Scott Murray, we hardly knew ya! Six months after 3Com named Murray to succeed Bruce Claflin as CEO, Murray has resigned because he was “not able to commit to the extended time in China.” 3Com replaced Murray with Redline veteran Edgar Masri. Alas, 3Com reminds me of Novell: A once proud company that defined and […]

Welcome to Breakaway

• August 1, 2006

PAETEC PINNACLE Targets Vertical Markets

• August 1, 2006

    PORTFOLIO Posted: 08/2006 PAETEC PINNACLE Targets Vertical Markets PAETEC Communications Inc.s PINNACLE software helps users which include the companys target verticals of education, health care, government and finance manage large voice, data and video networks. The platform offers Web portals that users can customize to display the information they need. It performs functions […]

US Conferencing Debuts Channel Program

• August 1, 2006

US Conferencing Inc. is launching its first partner program for sales of its integrated audio and Web conference services this month at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Washington, D.C. The new program will include a traditional agent program and a private-label reseller option. Uniquely, both offer partners buy rates they can mark up; […]

New Excel Counts on Channel for Comeback

• July 31, 2006

As it emerges from reorganization, VarTec Telecom Inc. is counting on new owners, new money, new managers, a new distribution strategy and a familiar, but controversial, brand to put it back on track. In early June, Comtel Telcom Assets LP completed its asset acquisition of VarTec Telecom Inc., including its VarTec Solutions subsidiary formerly known […]

SOAP BOX

• July 31, 2006

LAST YEAR, WE ALL WONDERED what was going to be the impact of the big megamergers: Sprint Corp. with Nextel, followed by MCI with Verizon Communications Inc., followed by AT&T Corp. with SBC Communications Inc. and then BellSouth Corp. thrown in on top. Surely, this was going to be bad for those of us building […]

EDITOR’S LETTER

• July 31, 2006

EDITOR’S LETTER Posted: 08/2006 The Sky is Falling THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION lately has been on the impact of industry consolidation. PHONE+ devoted its cover story to it yet again last month. While this issue does not contain an article specifically on market consolidation, it informs everything our editors are writing about namely how to […]

Telcombrokers Floats Franchise Model

• July 31, 2006

As agent programs go, there are many variations on the theme, but one company is borrowing a model from the retail industry and creating a franchise option for agents. Telcombrokers, a Santa Ana, Calif.-based agency, has had an informal franchise model for several years with a few agents that otherwise would have been subagents. Now, […]

ROUND TABLE

• July 31, 2006

… On the FCCs interim measure requiring VoIP providers to pay into the Universal Service Fund once DSL providers stop contributing in August … These interim measures … ensure that the fund remains solvent for the near term, and serve as an important first step toward broadening the funds contribution base to ensure equitable and […]

Partners to Profit from Print on Demand

• July 31, 2006

WOULDNT IT BE GREAT if you could print directions, boarding passes or receipts from your cell phone? Now you can with the help of a specialized mobile printer developed by AirPrint Networks Inc. After nearly three years spent perfecting its technology, AirPrint Networks is ready to go to market with the device, which it plans […]

Clock Ticks on Telecom Reform

• July 31, 2006

MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER Congress set out to update the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the likelihood that a new law will emerge this Congressional session is in doubt. Efforts at reform have been spearheaded on both the House and Senate, with the House first to pass a bill the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement (COPE) […]

Agents Get Their IPTV

• July 31, 2006

IPTV IS HOT. ANYONE who has ventured onto a trade show floor in the last year can attest to that. Worldwide IPTV service revenue will skyrocket to more than $44 billion in 2009, according to one estimate from Infonetics Research Inc. But what most people think of as IPTV is basically a cable TV or […]

Verizon Wholesale Turns On DIRECTV

• July 31, 2006

VERIZON PARTNER SOLUTIONS , the wholesale arm of Verizon Communications Inc., is helping its former UNE-P resellers offer the triple play to residential customers in an effort to stave off competition from cablecos. In what is an industry first, the company announced in early June an agreement with DIRECTV Inc. that will add digital satellite […]

Mobile Payment Processing Gives New Meaning to COD

• July 31, 2006

AS BUSINESSES BECOME wireless-enabled, the resulting changes to their service-delivery models are creating even more opportunities for wireless dealers beyond selling phones and connectivity. One of these changes is that the point of sale oftentimes has moved to the field. This means mobile workers must be able to accept credit and debit card payments away […]

The Once and Future King

• July 31, 2006

ONCE UPON A TIME , resellers were singleline businesses, rebilling long-distance, say, or local services. Customer service and price were the differentiators. Now, this market segment has branched out to take on new services, both to mitigate the risk of being a one-trick pony, but also to compete for customers who increasingly want enhanced, bundled […]