Windstream (News - Alert) to Increase Rates

Some channel partners and small and medium businesses that use Windstream services can expect rate increases for accounts that are unprofitable or low margin for the carrier,  CRN reports. The company is providing the option for those customers to move to other carriers without penalty. As Peter Radizeski, founder and president of RAD-INFO (News - Alert) Inc. and a standing INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine columnist, commented, 2 percent of Windstream’s SMB business is underwater. But, as he also noted, it’s not the fault of these businesses that Windstream allowed its services to be sold to these SMBs at a loss.

Intelisys Goes Fish

Robert Fish has been named senior channel manager for the Southeast region at Intelisys. He will be based in Atlanta and will manage Intelisys Sales Partners in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Fish was previously channel manager for Windstream, at which he spent a decade.

TBI Likes SD-WAN

Master agent Telecom Brokerage (News - Alert) Inc. is pushing the idea of SD-WAN hard these days. This technology is the subject of both a March 2 blog on the company’s website and a paper titled “Start Talking SD-WAN” that the company asks visitors to download. SD-WAN was the subject of the January issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine, which discussed how 2016 is expected to be a big year for SD-WAN adoption. SD-WAN simplifies the delivery of high performance cloud, unified communications, and data center applications to remote offices using any combination of access technologies such as cable modem/HFC, DSL, LTE (News - Alert), or MPLS. As SimpleWAN CEO Erik Knight told INTERNET TELEPHONY “the idea behind SD-WAN is to be unloyal.” By that he means that this new technology enables businesses to leverage whatever connectivity type or service provider is under the hood, by aggregating and offering intelligence around whatever broadband is the best and most affordable choice at a given time.

NHC Allies with Master Agent

Speaking of TBI, the company in March announced a new partnership with New Horizon Communications. NHC, which owns a national network and provides support to its agents and customers, provides business data, Internet, hosted PBX, SIP trunking, and voice services, and provides some equipment.

Verizon Goes Platinum with eXemplify

eXemplify Group is now a Platinum Member in the Verizon Partner Program. “There are only a handful of Verizon Platinum Master Agents in the country and it’s an honor for eXemplify to be one of them,” said Robert Hayes, eXemplify Group founder and CEO. “Not only does working closely with Verizon mean we are able to offer more value, but it also gives our clients and sales partners a significant advantage over the competition.”

The Verizon relationship adds new offerings to the Sales Partner Triangle, an eXemplify Group program through which telecom agents, VARs, and MSPs can develop new IT skills and opportunities.

DataXoom Introduces Mobile App

DataXoom Corp., a value-added wholesale provider of mobile data services for businesses, has expanded its channel partner program, launching its Mobile-First initiative. This effort will feature a new sales-focused mobile application called DX Partner that is built specifically for DataXoom sales partners. The DX Partner application, which will be available on both Android (News - Alert) and iOS devices via Google Play and the Apple App Store, features an array of tools, including quote requests, training videos, a commission calculator, and deal registration. A News Wall in the DX Partner app will highlight product updates, industry news, webinars, and the latest DataXoom channel promotions.