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CLECs Target SMBs with Dynamic T1
Friday April 24, 2009,
05:27 pm ET
CEDAR MILLS, Minnesota, Apr. 24 /Richard Anderson/ --
Small businesses all over the country are discovering a whole new universe of broadband access.
As the price of commercial-grade telecommunication services continues to drop, more and more
enterprises are starting to drop their plain old telephone service lines in favor of all-digital
T1 trunks that deliver voice and data over the same connection. These new enhancements were
made possible by the increasing pace of consolidation in the telecommunication industry along
with the increasing value bigger phone companies can provide.
The irony of the new small business communications revolution is that it took so long
to gain traction. The whole idea of reclaiming inactive voice channels for data applications
is not new, and was introduced by many CLEC operators over five years ago. So why did
it take so long for SMB's to adopt the technology and make the change? One might argue
that the Internet bubble burst in 2000 shook many people's confidence in telecommunications,
one of the hardest hit industries. With so many telecoms going out of business, or merging
with other small players just to stay solvent, many customers took the "wait and see"
approach before making the decision to entrust their communications with a company not
associated with Ma Bell. Now that economic Darwinism has taken hold, the remaining companies
are attracting new customers who see the benefits of the new technology without the downside
risk of loosing service or not being able to get through to customer service in the pinch.
One might think that, given the cost - benefit analysis of the integrated T1 value
proposition, more businesses would be changing over to the new platform. However,
the rate of adaptation is rather slow. Rob Butler, head of the Telecommunications
Research Institute, thinks that "phone companies have a problem with trust amongst
their user base. For many years, customers have dealt with increasing rates, long
hold times, and frustration in general. Now, it appears, the ice is finally starting
to melt and customers are opening themselves up to new technology.
"I think the telecom industry in general has turned a corner" opined Jerry Gold of
Boston, Massachusetts. "They have finally developed products that are understandable
by the industry outsider and, thanks to competition, priced these services in a
range that most small businesses can afford. For over 20 years I dreaded dealing
with 'the phone company'. But now that I've switched over to One Communications,
my integrated T1 is doing everything I need it to, for under $450/month. One
actually answers their customer service calls and makes me feel like I'm part
of their family. It was a long time coming, but I'm finally able to end the
fight with the phone company so I can focus on my sports memorabilia store."
Once a forgotten segment of the business telecommunication landscape, small to medium
size businesses are finally being serviced with products (like the dynamic integrated
T1 line) at prices they can afford. Gone are the days when the Bells can shove TDM
services down the collective throats of SMB's at prices that resemble a mortgage rather
than a telephone service.
Expect innovation to continue on its upward spiral as the CLECs continue to expand
their footprints as well as their customer bases. Barring any funny stuff from the FCC,
the CLECs will be here to stay. Sorry Ma Bell.
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