I just got off the phone with Chuck Harris, VP of marketing at CopperCom who told me about their recently announced comprehensive transition program for CLECs faced with the need to migrate from UNE-P to a facilities–based model.

The program consists of a three major elements, including a rental program, which is essentially a “try before you buy” offering, allowing carriers to rent a CopperCom CSX softswitch, deploy it into their network, and eventually buy the CSX outright. Harris told me that in general, service providers stay in the rental program for about a year before making the decision to purchase the equipment.

The next element comprises CopperCom’s comprehensive operations consulting services, whereby trained personnel will help customers wade through the swamp of agreements and requirements and regulatory concerns as the carrier transitions to a new business model. Step three, closely related to consulting program entails CopperCom offering turnkey network services whereby they will take further steps to help their customers transition.

The program already boasts 20 or so customers that have taken advantage of various elements of the offering prior to the formalization of the program that CopperCom is announcing with this release.

Clint Wiley, president of New Frontiers Telecommunication, a Hagerstown, MD-based CLEC offered his comments, “CopperCom has been an instrumental partner to New Frontiers in our transition to a facilities-based operation. The guidance and flexibility of the CopperCom team, combined with the ability of the CopperCom softswitch, was critical to making our network deployment a success.”