USA Datanet Seeks Wholesale Partners

Business Weekly VoIP
By Tony Jones

SYRACUSE, NY, November 24, 2004 USA Datanet is looking for service provider, interconnect and value added reseller (VAR) channel partners for its residential VoIP and hosted Centrex products. "Data-savvy companies including interconnects and VARs are really desirable, as are independent telcos and competitive local exchange carriers looking to migrate a UNE-P customer base," says David Montanaro, company CEO.

The company might be particularly attractive for partners that want to start out with a Broadsoft suite of services, purchased on a wholesale basis, but later migrate those customers onto an owned platform. "The economics of getting your own license aren't favorable for a provider that only has 3,000 to 4,000 customers," Montanaro notes. "But we have a deal with Broadsoft that allows our customers to start wholesale, and then migrate back onto an owned platform in the future."

"It's a great way to cultivate a customer base now but convert to a licensed Broadsoft platform when you have volume," Montanaro notes.

The company also runs a testing laboratory for suppliers and vendors wanting to know whether their products and services are compatible with Broadsoft and Pactolus.

Ideal partners include companies that have both an existing customer base and technology capabilities. "We're really focusing on companies that have service technicians," Montanaro says. That includes interconnect companies, as well as VARs that work on local area networks and know how to configure virtual LANs and set router quality of service, for example.

"We don't have set in stone any 'take or pay' minimums," says Montanaro. "We're less concerned about the initial commitment than the strategic opportunity a partner brings us."

About 65 percent of its existing partners do their own first-level customer support, "but lots of people are interested in a turnkey offering where we take care of that, and we will do so," Montanaro says.

The Syracuse, N.Y. based company today sells to more than 480,000 residential and small business customers in 26 states and more than 3,000 rate centers, operating 30,000 trunks.

Wholesale residential services are available nationwide this fall. Commercial and wholesale VoIP network services are available now. In addition to turnkey VoIP services, the company also provides wholesale carrier services such as local access, signaling system 7 interconnection and peering.

USA Datanet's residential features include caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling, voicemail, voicemail-to-email notification, call forwarding, call hunting, call blocking, number portability, return call (*69), anonymous call rejection, call retrieve, call notify, call park, call transfer and selective call acceptance.

USA Datanet's retail residential customers have unlimited local and long distance calling for a flat rate of less than $25 per month. Emergency 911 services will be available to all subscribers.

The enhanced call control platform features Web portal management, Web based voicemail, voice portal, voice dialing and Personal Information Manager that integrates speech recognition capabilities over the Web.

Company partners include Sonus Networks, Pactolus Communications and BroadSoft, Intrado and voice recognition expert Terakeet.