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Peter
| Peter Radizeski of RAD-INFO, Inc. talking telecom, Cloud, VoIP, CLEC, and The Channel.

CLEC

Winstream's Blunder Customers, Agents Are Paying For

February 22, 2016

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.

Telecom Tidbits #2429

February 17, 2016

PRIVACY

First up is Apple versus the FBI over end-to-end encryption on the iPhone. For privacy nerds, Barry Eisler's new book, God's Eye View, was a scary realization that the NSA has too much reach -- and very little oversight.

Over at AVC, there is a discussion about privacy - or rather whether you think Apple should bother - or if all info will be hacked, why not just let it out to stop terrorists and child porn??

20 Years and what?

February 10, 2016

So we are at the 20 year anniversary of the Telecom Act of 1996. So many companies have come and gone. So many billions have been invested. And yet the largest telecom providers are Comcast, AT&T and Verizon.

A Big Deal in the Works?

February 3, 2016

The rumors are swirling about a couple of big deals in the works. I think many folks would like to see Comcast buy T-Mobile.

I don't think anyone wants to buy Sprint, whose wireline - the old Pin Drop fiber Network - is only bringing in $581 million in revenue these days. That won't help offset the $33.8 Billion in debt that is hanging over them.

A Shift from CLEC

January 27, 2016

The CLECs have always been channel friendly. It was a mutual love fest because they both needed each other and were being pushed around by the ILECs. Today, the CLECs look ill. All of them are a rag tag collection of acquisitions and mangled integrations.

Sprint wireline business annual "Revenues were $581M, dropping another $18M sequentially" over the total annual revenue of $8.1 Billion.

Uh Oh, Microsoft is Closing the Gaps

January 15, 2016

Some folks think I am picking on the VoIP space (see this post). Maybe I am. Hosted PBX started for me in 2003 when Broadsoft's second customer rolled out its platform and signed me up as their first agent. It has been a struggle ever since.

Telco Troubles, Clec Version

January 6, 2016

You forget how many CLECs there are in the US until you check a PUC list like Texas.

The big names in the channel are Birch, Level3, Zayo, EarthLink, TelePacific, XO, WIND, Integra, Mettel, Granite, Bullseye, C-Link, AireSpring, Broadview, GTT. Lot of varying business models in that list alone.

The copper retirement issue is front and center for CLECs (see this Fierce piece).

End of Year Summary (Tidbits part 2426)

December 31, 2015

Lots of lists and best of posts out there. I am just going to run through the tidbits that I thought were interesting.

Citrix bought the auto-attendant in the cloud company, Grasshopper, earlier this year for about $161.5 M per 10Q filing. Grasshopper revenue was about $50M if you consider ARPU of $11 and about 350K users.

The Commission Revenue Spiral

December 16, 2015

I received an email today about the channel strategy for 2016 for Windstream: WIND is NOT paying agents for any new order under $1500. I wrote about this when I first heard in October. No idea how this will work out, but train wreck comes to mind.

Windstream as a whole has had some much change - acquisitions, people, spin-offs - that I imagine there are no silly ideas in the conference room.

Non-competitive Broadband

December 8, 2015

The FCC defines broadband at 25 Mbps by 3 Mbps. At that speed, most Americans have one choice: cable!

How funny is it that telcos had DSL in the Lab in the late 1960s and didn't roll it out until Covad, Northpoint and Rhythms basically forced their hand. They then pushed all 3 into bankruptcy to be the sole high speed Internet providers -- except for a smattering of independent ISPs that they would kill off later.

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