Primus VoIP Expansion Broadens Canadian Coverage

Being the first company in any market can be a great opportunity to lay groundwork, make inroads, and get customers so used to a product or service that changing becomes inconvenient and thus an entrenched market is established. Primus was the first business voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) provider in Canada, and while that market has expanded since, so too has Primus expanded its own reach, taking its service to another 400,000 users.

Recently, Primus took steps into smaller communities throughout a fairly large swath of Canada, including Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and even Quebec. That expansion represented the aforementioned 400,000 users, and gave Primus an impressive new foothold in the market.

Naturally, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are prime beneficiaries of this move, as firms that formerly couldn't afford such high-end service through standard phone service are now discovering the increased feature set and lowered costs often associated with VoIP service. These firms will now have access to such powerful tools as auto attendant mechanisms, find-me-follow-me systems, and even complete call center operations, all available from a hosted private branch exchange (PBX) operation that brings high-end services at low-end prices.

That's a major move in its own right, but Primus won't stop there. Primus also offers support for residential users, including the Digital Home Phone service. Boasting such features as unlimited local calling, inexpensive long distance, and unlimited calling to other Primus Digital Home Phone customers regardless of location, there's a lot to like for the home user. Plus, the Digital Home Phone service offers Telemarketing Guard, which much as the name implies, protects users from receiving unwanted telemarketing calls which blocks certain originating numbers from calling in.

Recipient of the Consumer Choice Award a total of seven times throughout Canada—a measure of business excellence in the country—Primus' service has delivered a lot of value for users already. It's likely to continue doing so now that more customer s have access to the service, a point that may have limited Primus' overall ability to compete in the field. Now, with almost half a million Canadians able to get in on the action, Primus will have a great case to make to these users thanks to the home and business use aspects as well as the awards it's won previously.

It's not easy to break into a market like VoIP, and expansions don't often come without problems. The good news here, though, is that Primus has not only survived the early going, but it's built a name for itself sufficient to sell upon as it proceeds forward.

Edited by Maurice Nagle