As of January 12, 2011
Due to a significant backlog of orders at Verizon, all Firm Order Commitment (FOC) dates requested within the Verizon territory will experience significantly extended intervals.
This situation affects all CLEC’s, wholesale carriers and retail customers with orders through Verizon. The normal FOC interval duration for orders is now expected to be at least four weeks, pushing FOC dates into February and possibly March.
In order to reduce the number of backlog order currently in its system, Verizon is taking the following actions:
· No expedites will be accepted until the backlog is resolved
· Orders in the backlog will be Verizon’s singular focus, resulting in new CLEC or Verizon orders getting FOC dates in February and possibly March
· Exceptions can only be approved by Verizon at the SVP level.
Verizon’s target for resolving this issue and being back to normal operations is April 1.
Please factor this information into timelines dependant upon Verizon or CLEC T-1 connectivity. Moves, adds and changes may also be impacted.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Merger and Acquisition Activity in the Telecom Arena
The CenturyLink-Qwest Communications deal passed a key regulatory hurdle this week, gaining support from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office and after the companies agreed to invest at least $80 million in broadband infrastructure in Washington over the next five years, as well as freeze basic residential telephone prices for three years.
One Communications has been purchased by Earth Link. The merger has not completed as of this date.
Paetec has successfully purchased Cavalier Telecom. They deal was finalized at the final quarter of 2010.
One Communications has been purchased by Earth Link. The merger has not completed as of this date.
Paetec has successfully purchased Cavalier Telecom. They deal was finalized at the final quarter of 2010.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
CLEC One Communications for Sale
As reported in Phone + Magazine, PAETEC and EarthLink Inc. both are rumored to want to buy CLEC One Communications Corp., which put itself up for sale in September.
Reuters reports, though, that EarthLink is officially in the running. Bids for the Massachusetts-based One were due yesterday and pricing could fall between $500 million and $1 billion. The news service quoted anonymous sources not authorized to speak on behalf of the companies involved.
About three months ago, One Communications put itself up for sale as it risked breaching debt covenants. Since that time, PAETEC has been considered a leading contender for the rival CLEC; the purchase would expand PAETEC’s reach in the northeastern United States, although PAETEC wouldn’t get much in the way of fiber assets. One Communications just sold those holdings to NTELOS.
A One Communications takeover also makes sense for EarthLink. As the dial-up ISP distances itself from a dying business model, another CLEC purchase would form a solid strategy, Current Analysis research director Brian Washburn said. If EarthLink combined its New Edge Networks and DeltaCom businesses with another competitive provider’s resources, the resulting company starts to look like “a very large, super-regional CLEC."
One Communications formed in 2006 after three CLECs merged. But earlier this fall, the economy, debt and other problems pushed the CLEC to hire private equity firm Blackstone Group LP to explore “strategic alternatives" that could include M&A.
One Communications could not comment on the reported sale plans.
Reuters reports, though, that EarthLink is officially in the running. Bids for the Massachusetts-based One were due yesterday and pricing could fall between $500 million and $1 billion. The news service quoted anonymous sources not authorized to speak on behalf of the companies involved.
About three months ago, One Communications put itself up for sale as it risked breaching debt covenants. Since that time, PAETEC has been considered a leading contender for the rival CLEC; the purchase would expand PAETEC’s reach in the northeastern United States, although PAETEC wouldn’t get much in the way of fiber assets. One Communications just sold those holdings to NTELOS.
A One Communications takeover also makes sense for EarthLink. As the dial-up ISP distances itself from a dying business model, another CLEC purchase would form a solid strategy, Current Analysis research director Brian Washburn said. If EarthLink combined its New Edge Networks and DeltaCom businesses with another competitive provider’s resources, the resulting company starts to look like “a very large, super-regional CLEC."
One Communications formed in 2006 after three CLECs merged. But earlier this fall, the economy, debt and other problems pushed the CLEC to hire private equity firm Blackstone Group LP to explore “strategic alternatives" that could include M&A.
One Communications could not comment on the reported sale plans.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Is Hosted PBX (VOIP) right for your business?
Hosted PBX, or Hosted VoIP (Voice over IP), represents the latest wave in phone system technology. With Hosted PBX, the phone system server resides in the provider's data center instead of your office. Voice and data traffic is routed over the public switched telephone network, or PSTN, to the hosted system. Since the system itself is offsite, Hosted PBXs offer Web-based access to configure the system, define how you want calls to flow, view call detail records and billing information, listen to and delete voice mail, and more.
Pros:
Cost-effective way for smaller businesses to get rich VoIP functionality
Minimal IT involvement needed to install solution
Easy, online access to administer features, manage the system, and add/delete users
Scales easily in small businesses (Service-Only/Bundled) or larger businesses
Things to Consider:
System improvements and upgrades are performed on the provider's schedule and may not be available when you want or need them
Upfront costs can be substantial depending on level of VoIP infrastructure needed and phones that need to be purchased
Many providers are start ups, so you'll need to decide if you have concerns about whether they'll go out of business or consolidate with another vendor
Pros:
Cost-effective way for smaller businesses to get rich VoIP functionality
Minimal IT involvement needed to install solution
Easy, online access to administer features, manage the system, and add/delete users
Scales easily in small businesses (Service-Only/Bundled) or larger businesses
Things to Consider:
System improvements and upgrades are performed on the provider's schedule and may not be available when you want or need them
Upfront costs can be substantial depending on level of VoIP infrastructure needed and phones that need to be purchased
Many providers are start ups, so you'll need to decide if you have concerns about whether they'll go out of business or consolidate with another vendor
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Verizon Business rolls out bundled FiOS package
Verizon Solutions for Business Bundle-One Bill, One Term, Competitive pricing.
*Customer with 25 lines or less (comes with Caller ID and Voicemail)
*FIOS or HSI Internet from 3MB to 50MB
*Unlimited National Calling (local, regional and LD)
*Free Website powered by Intuit + Web Listings
*Online Backup and Sharing
*Internet Security Suite
Pricing Example:
FIOS:
5 Lines with Unlimited National Calling (local, regional and LD) w/ Caller ID and Voicemail
Free Website Advertising for a year
Free Web Listings for a year
25/25 Static FIOS
Internet Security Suite
Online Backup and Sharing
$240 a month!
*Customer with 25 lines or less (comes with Caller ID and Voicemail)
*FIOS or HSI Internet from 3MB to 50MB
*Unlimited National Calling (local, regional and LD)
*Free Website powered by Intuit + Web Listings
*Online Backup and Sharing
*Internet Security Suite
Pricing Example:
FIOS:
5 Lines with Unlimited National Calling (local, regional and LD) w/ Caller ID and Voicemail
Free Website Advertising for a year
Free Web Listings for a year
25/25 Static FIOS
Internet Security Suite
Online Backup and Sharing
$240 a month!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Don't fall victim to incorrect carrier billing!
The New Jersey state government has paid more than $3.2 million annually for more than 19,000 phone lines that had gone unused and were no longer needed, according to an audit released Wednesday by the Office of the State Comptroller.
In response to the audit's findings, state agencies have disconnected or suspended each of the lines.
The audit of the state's Office of Information Technology (OIT), also found the state has been renewing some of its major telecommunications contracts for more than a decade without opening the contracts up to competition as required by law.
Don't let this happen to you! Let TelecoWorks help review your current invoices and keep your carrier honest. Don't forget to alert current telecom providers not to auto renew at the end of the contract term. Give yourself the freedom to investigate new technologies and new lower priced providers.
In response to the audit's findings, state agencies have disconnected or suspended each of the lines.
The audit of the state's Office of Information Technology (OIT), also found the state has been renewing some of its major telecommunications contracts for more than a decade without opening the contracts up to competition as required by law.
Don't let this happen to you! Let TelecoWorks help review your current invoices and keep your carrier honest. Don't forget to alert current telecom providers not to auto renew at the end of the contract term. Give yourself the freedom to investigate new technologies and new lower priced providers.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Verizon Business lowers the price of Dedicated Internet Access and Provides Mobile Backup
• Competitive Pricing -T1 Rates as low as $377.50 with Free Adtran Router (available to approx. 75% of the business in the USA)
• Automatic Mobile Broadband Backup: Broadband backup over the Verizon Wireless network provides SMB customers with an attractive alternative to traditional wireline business continuity solutions, offering high speed at a low cost along with rapid deployment. The combined solution features two linked ADTRAN NetVanta 3200 routers - one connected to the primary T1 access source and the other featuring a 3G wireless Network Interface Module designed for use with the Verizon Wireless network. This dual-unit approach provides the flexibility to place the 3G NIM-equipped router wherever cellular coverage is strongest. The IDA circuit and Internet traffic are actively monitored so that the wireless link is activated only as needed.
• Verizon Business' Global IP Network Ranks No. 1 as Most Connected Public Internet Network, for the Tenth Consecutive Year
• Global availability on six continents and 150 countries.
• Quality of Service is available to support mission-critical communications
• 24x7 Monitoring
• Industry leading SLA's
• Automatic Mobile Broadband Backup: Broadband backup over the Verizon Wireless network provides SMB customers with an attractive alternative to traditional wireline business continuity solutions, offering high speed at a low cost along with rapid deployment. The combined solution features two linked ADTRAN NetVanta 3200 routers - one connected to the primary T1 access source and the other featuring a 3G wireless Network Interface Module designed for use with the Verizon Wireless network. This dual-unit approach provides the flexibility to place the 3G NIM-equipped router wherever cellular coverage is strongest. The IDA circuit and Internet traffic are actively monitored so that the wireless link is activated only as needed.
• Verizon Business' Global IP Network Ranks No. 1 as Most Connected Public Internet Network, for the Tenth Consecutive Year
• Global availability on six continents and 150 countries.
• Quality of Service is available to support mission-critical communications
• 24x7 Monitoring
• Industry leading SLA's
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
