In 1999, the telecom channel was mainly agents and inter-connects, primarily selling voice. When I went to Orlando for BellSouth product training on Orange Avenue, most agets weren’t interested in Frame Relay or ATM or DIA.

Today, it is a hot mix of partners selling a broad spectrum of products. There are still grey haired T1 slingers at the shows, but there are new partners in the mix (which have been labeled “Born in the Cloud”).

The Portfolio of the CLEC or business communications provider has changed significantly in just the last 3 to 4 years. If the portfolio has changed, if the product push has changed, have you?

As a channel manager, have you developed any new skills, techniques to go with these new times?

Several channel managers have been received promotions into new organizations. New positions require new skills. What are you reading?

Taking an MBA course today is very different from when I started my MBA at Sacred Heart University in 1989. Today, it is shortened (Executive MBA), specialized and virtual. Big change from four semesters in a classroom setting.

The way we communicate, the way we lead, the way buyers buy and sellers sell (as well as what is bought and sold) has all changed significantly in just a short time span.

My suggestions for channel execs is to read a lot (books and blogs); online classes (like the Personal Branding one by Gary Vee or the Leadership one by Seth Godin on Udemy), and/or coaching. Why coaching? For the external perspective that someone can give you. Look at any athlete – whether it is Ronda Rousey or a tennis player or the NFL Combine – athletes hire or work with different coaches to improve, gain skills, hone techniques and become the best they can be.

It is hard to see all of this while in the grind, in the rut that is daily life. We can barely lift our heads up, but a little improvement here or there would make a vast difference.

Things have changed, have you?

Tags: channel managers, channel partners, coaching, sellecom, selling
Related tags: changed significantly, changed, channel, today, skills

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TelePacific announced the acquisition of DSCI yesterday. This move provides many benefits to the service provider.

For one, it gives TPAC a national presence. TPAC’s business (and network) is in Cali, Nevada and Texas. DSCI is mainly East Coast, but DSCI’s MPLS and Metro Ethernet networks will strengthen TPAC’s current network and give it a coast-to-coast reach. The combined company will now have data centers on each coast.

Another benefit is this gives TelePacific its own Broadsoft platform and control over its UC&C product line at a time in the market when flexibility may be required.

It adds Managed IT to TelePacific continuity, cloud and connectivity portfolio. “This acquisition is a significant milestone in TelePacific’s successful transformation from a market-leading regional business telecommunications provider to a major player in the rapidly consolidating and evolving managed services universe. With the addition of DSCI, TelePacific will have nearly 50% of its business in the fast-growing managed services segment and a complete set of products, including over-the-top Unified Communications and managed IT services.” [PR]

Telecom Ramblings remarks, “It’s a foot in the door that isn’t all that different from the one they started with in Texas with the Telwest deal, and it suggests further in-depth market development over the next few years. DSCI will be operating as a subsidiary on the east coast under its current brand with its current management team intact.”Leaving DSCI as a subsidiary allows for some entrepreneurial ventures within the TPAC organization.

That takes another BSFT player off the board. More of that is in the pipeline.

On another note, Cisco is buying CliQr for $260M to expand its hybrid cloud management solutions.

Tags: broadsoft, hosted pbx, managed it, mergers, telepacific
Related tags: managed services, telepacific, coast, managed, another, business

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Sponsored by Apex Technology Services, a leading IT Services company

ANPI announced that it was launching a residential package. That will be hard to do on a Broadsoft platform, because the licensing is deemed too expensive. One telecom exec mentioned that ANPI was following the Vonage model. I disagree. I think that many of the 100 partners that ANPI signed up to resell its white-label service have more resi customer than business.

ANPI’s model is more like Momentum (pre-acquisition of Alteva) but in reverse, because Momentum was delivering white-label VoIP to tier 2 and tier 3 cable companies. With the TDM transition, there has to be RLECs and cablecos who are unprepared to deliver VoIP – or at least ANPI is hoping so.

Fonality put out a press release that says it is valued at $45M. The exact wording I received from the 11-year old company was as follows: “The $45 million business phone system provider continues to see its growth accelerating into 2016 and beyond.” If you take it as a valuation, that means that there is a for sale sign on Fonality. Possible buyers in my eyes: 8×8, Voxox and Digium. 8×8 would want them because both target Allstate insurance agencies and Fonality is “Surpassing 2,000 customers in the insurance sector, the company’s largest vertical.”

Other things from Fonality: “Fonality just announced the latest updates to its Heads Up Display (HUD), which include greater functionality for the company’s existing Video Collaboration offering. …The new features include instant screen share and the ability to schedule and manage recordings,among others, but the best part about Fonality’s Video Collaboration is its seamless integration within HUD Web.” The company also stated that in 2015 it sold 22,000 new seats.

Last month, a jury awarded GENBAND an $8M judgement against Metaswitch for infringing on 8 patents. This is far from over as Metaswitch is suing GENBAND on patent infringement as well. GENBAND is sitting on the old Nortel patents. Someone explained to me last week that this all started over merger talks that went sideways. Does Metaswitch have $8M in cash to pay a judgement?

There are so many patents out there for VoIP, everyone is likely infringing!

Anyone recall magicjack? Well, they are entering the SMB market next quarter via a subsidiary company. That should be fun to watch.

Tags: metaswitch, numbers, patent, reseller, smb, voip
Related tags: white label, video collaboration, fonality, company, genband, because

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In the news, Windstream on its trek up-market is plowing through a field of customers and partners.

“In December, Windstream sent letters to 171 small-to-midsized business (SMB) customers and their partners explaining that negative or low-margin accounts would be subject to significant rate increases, or these customers were also given the option to move to another carrier without penalty. As part of an ongoing effort, more letters will be delivered to partners and customers in March.”

Is it the customers’ fault that WIND signed a contract to deliver services they couldn’t afford to?

Windstream quoted an MPLS network for me a few years ago. The underlying carrier was TWT, but WIND came in at a good chunk lower. I asked how that was possible. The channel manager’s reply was they WIND had great wholesale contract rates.

I just didn’t see how they could provide that service at that rate AND pay me my commission AND provide any kind of service. I explained it to the customer and they agreed with me.

How awful it must be to sell something then have the customer be told mid-contract that rates are increasing. Deltacom/EarthLink has done that a couple of times to one client of mine. It never goes over well. It seems like fraud. The client can’t walk away if he gets a better offer. Why does the carrier get to raise contracted rates? Seems lawyers will be involved.

According to the article, the SMB segment (under $1500 in monthly billing) is Windstream’s Windows XP. About 2% of the accounts were underwater! As Windstream’s CEO said, Cable owns the SMB space. CLECs can’t compete on reselling network alone. Apparently if you don’t understand margin, math and what good revenue is, you probably shouldn’t be running a CLEC.

Will partners stick with WIND as they go upstream? I don’t know. I am not even sure how they compete up-market. AT&T, Verizon, Level3, CenturyLink, TelePacific and even cable compete in the “Enterprise” space. Comcast just dropped $500M for an enterprise division. It will AGAIN be a price war for WIND – and a couple of years from now, these new customers will be getting a letter.

The only place that WIND can compete would be in-region as an ILEC or any location that they have fiber to the building (preferably fiber that they own). It would seem that Type II circuits for them will again become a problem.

What kind of bundling will they be offering the Enterprise?

There are are only 600K businesses with more than 20 employees in the US. There are over 5 million firms with less than 20 employees!

Windstream sold off its data center business for cash. They abandoned the Hosted UC platform they were using in lieu of going with Avaya and MITEL for UC. Those names are familiar to the enterprise space – and maybe to the channel partners who stay with WIND, although I would think they have their own contracts with those manufacturers.

Lesson to be learned here for partners, customers and the industry.

Tags: channel partners, clec, price war, smb, windstream
Related tags: customers partners, contract rates, partners customers, enterprise space, customers, partners

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In the news, Windstream on its trek up-market is plowing through a field of customers and partners.

“In December, Windstream sent letters to 171 small-to-midsized business (SMB) customers and their partners explaining that negative or low-margin accounts would be subject to significant rate increases, or these customers were also given the option to move to another carrier without penalty. As part of an ongoing effort, more letters will be delivered to partners and customers in March.”

Is it the customers’ fault that WIND signed a contract to deliver services they couldn’t afford to?

Windstream quoted an MPLS network for me a few years ago. The underlying carrier was TWT, but WIND came in at a good chunk lower. I asked how that was possible. The channel manager’s reply was they WIND had great wholesale contract rates.

I just didn’t see how they could provide that service at that rate AND pay me my commission AND provide any kind of service. I explained it to the customer and they agreed with me.

How awful it must be to sell something then have the customer be told mid-contract that rates are increasing. Deltacom/EarthLink has done that a couple of times to one client of mine. It never goes over well. It seems like fraud. The client can’t walk away if he gets a better offer. Why does the carrier get to raise contracted rates? Seems lawyers will be involved.

According to the article, the SMB segment (under $1500 in monthly billing) is Windstream’s Windows XP. About 2% of the accounts were underwater! As Windstream’s CEO said, Cable owns the SMB space. CLECs can’t compete on reselling network alone. Apparently if you don’t understand margin, math and what good revenue is, you probably shouldn’t be running a CLEC.

Will partners stick with WIND as they go upstream? I don’t know. I am not even sure how they compete up-market. AT&T, Verizon, Level3, CenturyLink, TelePacific and even cable compete in the “Enterprise” space. Comcast just dropped $500M for an enterprise division. It will AGAIN be a price war for WIND – and a couple of years from now, these new customers will be getting a letter.

The only place that WIND can compete would be in-region as an ILEC or any location that they have fiber to the building (preferably fiber that they own). It would seem that Type II circuits for them will again become a problem.

What kind of bundling will they be offering the Enterprise?

There are are only 600K businesses with more than 20 employees in the US. There are over 5 million firms with less than 20 employees!

Windstream sold off its data center business for cash. They abandoned the Hosted UC platform they were using in lieu of going with Avaya and MITEL for UC. Those names are familiar to the enterprise space – and maybe to the channel partners who stay with WIND, although I would think they have their own contracts with those manufacturers.

Lesson to be learned here for partners, customers and the industry.

Tags: channel partners, clec, price war, smb, windstream
Related tags: customers partners, contract rates, partners customers, enterprise space, customers, partners

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Telecom News Tidbits Part 2927 – Feb 27, 2015

By the Numbers – Feb 10, 2016

Momentum Trolls Windstream (Going Up-Market) – Feb 02, 2016

Channel Partner Take-aways from CVX – Jan 29, 2016

A Shift from CLEC – Jan 27, 2016

Uh Oh, Microsoft is Closing the Gaps – Jan 15, 2016

The Commission Revenue Spiral – Dec 16, 2015

Everyone Wants You to be an MSP – Nov 05, 2015

Where is the Channel Going? – Oct 26, 2015

The Cable Dominance Push – Sep 19, 2015

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