One thing it’s easy to forget about the Internet is that it is still a network. We grow so accustomed to information whizzing around our heads via wireless signals that we forget that the information has to travel long, complicated routes before it ever arrives at our wireless router. And those routes are paid for and maintained by companies who are looking for every opportunity to make money off their routes.
When the Internet grew to provide us with VoIP capability, the service was sold to consumers as a true answer to the limitations of standard phone service. No more additional fees for things like call waiting and caller ID, unlimited long distance minutes, free computer to computer connections – it really was a great transition, especially for ultra-large businesses, which spent big money on phone systems, and even for small businesses, which got much more for their money. A few years in with VoIP now and the emergence of VoIP wholesalers serves to remind us that even VoIP service exists on a physical network. The service providers who invested in the infrastructure of the Internet may not want to get into the market of VoIP sales, but they can still capitalize on the bandwidth (and help underwrite their infrastructure costs) by selling that bandwidth to wholesalers.
Those wholesalers - often small companies - jumped at the chance, which was, in reality, a pretty big risk. They needed to learn and understand VoIP architecture, know how to speak VoIP and Internet sales language, and have some kind of backup systems to protect themselves and their downstream clients if there was ever a problem at the service provider. They’ve acted boldly and connected businesses large and small with cost-saving, business boosting services.
So, it’s nice to hear about new features designed to make life better for VoIP resellers. Indeed, Telepoint Global Hosting Services just announced the launch of their Neptune Voice Services Platform, a cloud based VoIP management platform that lets wholesalers buy and sell entirely virtually. A Web-based portal will allow resellers and carriers to use real-time monitoring, network visualization, customer rate management, invoicing, and more. As with all cloud applications, the system is scalable and efficient and will save further on infrastructure costs for wholesalers. The service is managed at physically redundant sites and gives VoIP providers the ability to manage business services as well as performance metrics.
When I first read about the new offering, I wondered why Telepoint Global was even dealing with creating this interface for intermediary providers; why not just go straight to consumers themselves? The simple fact is that’s not their business model. It’s an upscale kind of multi-level marketing designed to save them money on sales and customer management. And for their business model, it’s the right choice.
Edited by
Blaise McNamee
