AireSpring’s New President: Mega Carriers ‘Squeeze Out’ Partners

**Editor’s Note: Click here to see which channel people were on the move in February or here for our list of 20 top UCaaS providers offering products and services via channel partners.**

AireSpring, the cloud communications and managed connectivity provider, has promoted COO Daniel Lonstein to president and chief revenue officer.

Lonstein has been COO since 2006 and is one of the founding members of the organization. He has more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry.

Lonstein tells Channel Partners this change represents an increased focus and investment in AireSpring’s channel programs.

AireSpring’s Daniel Lonstein

“For example, we recently added Shane Speakman as our vice president of channel strategy, working under Ron McNab, our senior vice president of channel sales and channel chief,” he said. “We will continue to add both executive and front-line resources to expand our channel team and operations. Our SD-WAN offering has seen immediate uptake and we are currently working on numerous opportunities in the 500-1,500 site range. As a specialist in multilocation enterprises, we continue to see that this is the sweet spot for AireSpring and our partners.”

During Lonstein’s tenure as COO, AireSpring rapidly expanded its organization, revenues and product lines, advancing into new technologies while growing its lineup of managed services. In this new role, he will focus on leading AireSpring’s sales and marketing efforts with a mandate to rapidly grow revenue.

“As M&A continues in the telecom space, we expect that channel partners will continue to be squeezed out by the mega carriers in favor of their direct sales organizations,” he said. “Even where the larger carriers appear to embrace the channel, they still invariably restrict access to certain ‘protected accounts’ and verticals. We believe that we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this opportunity to provide the channel with a compelling alternative that does not restrict their sales efforts. With our extensive product line and interconnections to over 20 carriers and MSOs in the U.S., we provide a path for the channel that is unparalleled.”

“2017 was a fantastic year for Airespring, and we are strategically focused on growing our managed services business rapidly in 2018 and beyond,” said Avi Lonstein, AireSpring’s CEO. “Daniel is a most capable leader who can further ramp up the increased momentum we have been experiencing with our channel partners and overall sales growth. We are thrilled to have Daniel step into this new role. He has done an outstanding job as COO and is the logical choice to navigate AireSpring during this next period of expansion.”

Last month, AireSpring expanded its customer support by adding a UCaaS design manager.