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ISPhone Launches Whitelabel SMB VoIP Network |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Monday, 20 February 2006 |
The locally owned affiliate of a US-Based IP Telephony network provider has opened up shop in Australia. Though the company already has some runs on the board, ISPhone hopes to become the country's largest SMB VoIP provider through a channel strategy that offers high level of support for partners.
ISPhone Australasia is a privately owned affiliate of ISPhone Inc., which, founded in 1997 was one of the world's first VoIP telephony networks. The local operation Australasia began establishing its VoIP network in mid-2005, with a first commercial roll-out in October last year. The company has recently signed its 7th customer, Australian Satellite Services (ASCS) which has selected ISPhone to help it deliver a VoIP over Satellite service to remote Australian locations.
The new VoIP services will complement ASCS's data and fax service offering all over a single satellite connection resulting in cost-savings of as much as 90 per cent over traditional satellite phones services. Since the commercial release of its VoIP over satellite product in January, ASCS has already signed over 20 sites (totalling over 50 services) a number which it expects to double by March and continue growing rapidly. Its VoIP over satellite customers fall across a variety of industries including mining, exploration, power generation, and oil and gas.
Paul Fowler, Head of Sales and Marketing at ISPhone says the company was formed on the concept of putting together a package and a service which makes it easy for ISPs, IT resellers and systems integrators to take VoIP to their existing customer base.
While he admits the amount of assistance the company can provide resellers is proportional to the relationship's potential, the company has gone to the extent of supplying its partners with branded marketing collateral and a full sales pitch to make sure they go into the market "armed and dangerous".
The company has set out to distinguish itself from other VoIP providers who are offering a distinctly retail or enterprise-flavoured IP Telephony service, explained Fowler.
The idea behind ISPhone is to deliver a business-grade VoIP offering complete with a sophisticated multi-tiered billing platform, marketing and sales pitch. The company also deals in hardware and is able to supply its partners with Quintum IPBX's, a range of handsets and the like. The network is built to be totally agnostic so as to increase the range of customers and resellers it can support.
We are not asking people to invest a lot in this, said Fowler. "The commitment we are looking is nothing on the financial front, but [partners] have to get it, they have to recognise they can enhance their revenues and improve their relationship with their existing customer base.
"The channel has the strong relationship with the SME's we can service with a business-grade VoIP offering, so we are about delivering a whitelabel service at a wholesale price that let's the reseller set their margin and bundle calls any way they want."
Though competition in the provision of whitelabel VoIP network services is growing, Fowler points out the bulk of offerings are either targeting the enterprise or retail VOIP markets, there is still plenty of room in the SMB services space with only a couple of providers able to offer the QoS required for small business customers.
"We don't make our money signing up resellers" explains Fowler, "we make money delivering a service to SMEs," but the ability of ISPhone to deliver a complete package and then to show resellers how to sell it should set the company apart.
ISPhone
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