BUSINESS PHONE NEWS

How Broadband Internet Aggregation Helps Your Multi-Location Business (explained in just 90 seconds...)

By Dan Baldwin, Editor
951-251-5155 email 

Owners and IT managers of multi-location businesses know two things for sure:

First, every employee in every location blames their slow Internet connection for productivity losses, and

Second, there's not a single nationwide company that provides Internet service that's high in quality, low in cost and available everywhere.

So what's a multi-location business owner or IT manager to do to improve their employee's Internet speeds, morale and productivity without creating an in-house telecom department to manage and pay all the different Internet phone bills from all the different low-cost Internet service providers for all their different locations?

Broadband Internet Aggregation...

But how does that work and who's got a successful track record of doing that? We do, of course!

Invest the next 90 seconds of your life watching the following video that explains how "broadband Internet aggregation" can solve your multi-location Internet connections headache and then give us a call to discuss what we can do for you.

 

Are you drowning in any of the following terms and acronyms? Cable, fiber, DSL, 3G, 4G, LTE, T1, WAN, MPLS, metro Ethernet, wide area network, Cox, Time Warner Cable, Comcast?  Call us. We're independent telecom agents and channel sales partners who know the "inside secrets" to help your business get the best Internet connectivity from the highest quality but lowest cost providers.

We are also your local authorized distributor for Bandwave Systems' broadband aggregation solutions. We've helped many businesses aggregate their multi-location Internet challenges and we look forward to helping you as well!

Where's the Love? New AT&T Small Business Phone System Panned by 10 out of 10 Online Reviewers

By Dan Baldwin, Editor
951-251-5155 email

Has AT&T created an "Edsel" with its new small business phone system dubbed MS2085?

You'd think so by reading the one star (out of five) reviews the new 4-line system is getting on multiple online review websites including Amazon, BestBuy, Staples and Office Depot. 

We're not trying to create or jump on an anti-AT&T business phone system bandwagon. In fact there are some AT&T phone systems we like such as their SynJ^® SB67138 line that we did a mini-review of on this post. 

If you watch the AT&T promotional video we've shared below, the MS2085 would seem to be an easy answer for small branch offices that can get by with four phone lines or less.  

But as you can see from some of the review quotes below (we found 10 bad reviews out of 10 on 4/23/13) small business owners that purchased the system trying to save money did not save money and only earned a headache for their trouble in addition to the frustration of having to return the phones.

 

Sample Quotes from Online Reviews

"I never write reviews, but couldn't go past this one. Very disappointed to return this phone. I've searched for a new phones for my business for such a long time, and now I am still stuck in a middle of nowhere. Well..."

"This phone might seem good at first but once it's in use you will soon realize that it is about as useful as a paper holder. We are always loosing calls from our customers. We will go to answer the phone and it will hang up on them. Some customers will try and call 4 times before they will finally get through."

"This phone is a pile of discounted garbage. You can't get a clear line on it, hold a 3 way conversation, pull phone numbers and redial easily. You have degraded a great phone line. This was our 7th AT&T Phone. Now, we have to start shopping other lines. We are returning it. Each day becomes another issue. Tech support is a joke. Your manual is confusing and online support doesn't exist."

I could post more reviews but reading them proved too painful for someone like me that consults and sells business phone systems for a living.

 

How Do You Find a Phone System You'll Love?  Call Us!

We're not against buying cheap business phone systems from a big box warehouse distributor as evidenced on this post. We've helped hundreds of business customers of every size choose the right system for their budget and their unique requirements. 

You don't need to buy the most expensive system to get good quality. You don't even need to buy a new system as there are plenty of great deals to be had from buying a used phone system.

Give us a call. In just a couple minutes on the phone we can let you know if the phone system you're looking at is the right deal at the right price or a headache waiting to happen.

 

Overview Video of the AT&T MS2085 Phone System for Small Businesses

  

Bullets, Barns and Bandwidth (Prepare your business for the next asteroid)

By Dan Baldwin, Editor
951-251-5155 email

So let's say you're an interstellar asteroid bent on doing whatever is required to interrupt the non-stop internet broadcasting of cute kitten videos from the planet Earth.

What do you aim for? One of the communications satellites spinning around the Earth (kind of like hitting a bullet with a bullet) or do aim for the Earth (kind of like hitting a barn).

I'm not sure asteroids actually give wanton destruction of internet kitten videos this much thought, but if they did, I'm betting that they aim for the barn over the bullet.

 

Do What Today to Avoid Bandwidth Interruption Tomorrow? Think Satellites & Cloud

Whether it's a "Superstorm Sandy", a 150-foot asteroid named DA12 or just 30-inches of snow falling on a Monday morning, it's obvious that both Mother Nature and Divine providence don't really care whether our phones work, our employees can get to work or if our internet is connected. But you do.

As a business owner or a telecom and technology systems manager, your job is to keep your employees productive and connected no matter where they are stuck.  To do this you need to move your data and applications to "the cloud" and be able to get an internet connection from a satellite.

Since most disasters that a business can plan for are regional in nature, it's best to plan NOT TO HAVE all your critical business data and applications in just one region.  

Watch the CenturyLink video below for a short tutorial of how "the cloud" puts your business critical data and applications into hardened, dispersed and secure data centers around the country and immune to a disaster that affects just one region of the country.

But what's the point of having your data and applications survive if you can't connect to them?  That's where a business continuity Internet connection for a company like X2nSat comes in. Even large regional disasters don't take out orbiting satellites.

 

Call Us Today to Get a Business Continuity Plan Customized for Your Business

CenturyLink and X2nSat are just two of dozens of business continuity and disaster backup telecom and technology vendors that an independent technology sales partner can integrate into a solution that's customized for your business.

Which combination of vendors is right for you?  Call us and let us help you pick the right ones. 

 

How the Cloud Protects Your Business Data & Applications

 

 

Nationwide, Mid-Sized Businesses Look Past Owning Multiple PBXs in Favor of Hosted Unified Communications

By Dan Baldwin, Editor
951-251-5155 email

"The cloud is for telephones too!"

When I run into an IT professional at almost any business cocktail party we inevitably seem to fall into a conversation the nationwide cloud strategy they've designed and how they're virtualizing all their desktops or moving their business critical apps into their own private cloud.

At some point in the conversation I'll ask, "What about your phones?" and if they start telling me about all the problems they're having with all their PBX vendors I try to gently suggest,

"The cloud is for telephones too!"

I was reminded about this cocktail conversation this week when I received notice that Telesphere, one of the many telecommunication and broadband network service providers I represent recently hired two new mangers Josh Redick and Rob McCarthy out of New York City and San Francisco respectively.

I was glad to learn about this because it's these sorts of professionals that help telecom consultants like me explain to mid-sized businesses how "the cloud" can deliver all the same benefits to their unified communications or "UC" strategy as they're receiving by pushing their data applications into the cloud.

 

What Do These Industry Hires Signal About Changes in the Telecom Marketplace?

I've spoken with many of my peers over the past several months and we all seem to be thinking along the same lines when it comes to deciding which telecom carriers, equipment vendors or unified communications providers we're going to bring into one customer project or another.

Following are my thoughts. 

1. Telesphere should be considered for mid-market UC deals.

Over the past year, whenever I've spoken to mid-market and multi-location agent partner peers about which carriers they pitch in larger UC deals when they're up against PBX box vendors like Avaya or NEC, many like Smoothstone/West IP if it's a large "rip & replace" deal or Vocal IP if the deal requires a customized voice integration with existing systems and equipment.

Telesphere has always branded itself as a "unified communications" company just as Smoothstone always has but because Telesphere rolled itself out city-by-city (much in the same way Cbeyond did) many agents have always seen Telesphere as a regional powerhouse in especially in the Southwest and Mountain states.

Telesphere's biggest agent over the past 8 years, Concierge Communications, is also based in Arizona.  But just as Concierge is seen by many in the industry as an integrated solution provider that can service mid-sized, nationwide clients, so too is Telesphere beginning to be seen as a nationwide UC provider.

For the longest time the best mid-market and enterprise UC customers have been locked up by the PBX box vendors combined with AT&T, Verizon or Level3 networks.  As credible UC/cloud integrators like Concierge bring Telesphere into bigger deals, mid-market PBX VARs are seeing they will either need to bring the likes of Telesphere and other hosted UC providers into their proposals or find themselves competing against the likes of Clark Atwood.

 

2. Telesphere should be considered for nationwide Broadsoft deals.

I've spent quite some time over the past couple years trying to divine the differences among all the hosted VoIP and "unified communications" service providers in the marketplace. The best way I've found to separate one from another seems to be by these four categories: underlying platform, network coverage, integrated applications and pricing.

Regarding underlying platform, Telesphere is in the Broadsoft camp which means all their "communications magic" comes out of a proprietary Broadsoft platform. (Broadsoft also powers Vocal IP, MegaPath, Alteva, SimpleSignal and other providers wanting to claim credibility in mid-market deals.) In my humble opinion, Broadsoft has established itself as the "carrier grade" universal standard against which all others VoIP switch manufacturers are measured.

By contrast, Smoothstone/WestIP and Broadview Networks, two other well known solution providers are "non-Broadsoft".  The only real knock that I've heard repeated about non-Broadsoft switch technology is that "it doesn't scale past 10,000 seats" or "what happens if their programmers quit?"  The top argument for non-Broadsoft switches are the fact that the code is highly customizable for mid-market customers that need specialized code written to integrate critical business applications.

Without trying to end the "Broadsoft vs. non-Broadsoft" argument, suffice it to say that Telesphere is in the Broadsoft camp and many mid-market customers and their telephony consultants will only consider Broadsoft solutions.

The second major UC/hosted VoIP differentiation category is network coverage and in this category Telesphere appears to be as big as they come in the Broadsoft category meaning "nationwide for all practical purposes".

In the old TDM/Class 5 "hard switch" days, phone carriers bragged about all their 5ESS or DMS500 switches like Jay Leno brags about all his cars. In today's "soft switch" world where carrier switches are defined by software, measuring "who's the biggest" is a bit more difficult. I've been told that Broadsoft switches actually come in "pairs" such that one switch can cover two separate cities.

For regional businesses this only matters if you're considering doing business with a company that appears to have their switches in a distant land. For instance, TelePacific is a classic business phone company in California that totally dominates the California marketplace. When they roll out a hosted VoIP solution later this year they will put a serious hurt on non-California based hosted VoIP carriers trying to compete in California.

But as great as Telepacific is in California, few businesses in New York would think to ask TelePacific for a phone system quote (but they would ask for one from Broadview Networks, a classic business phone company based in New York that has since rolled out a nationwide hosted VoIP phone solution.)

But what's a true nationwide multi-location business to do for nationwide business phone service? If most of your locations are in New York you'd start with Broadview and if most of your locations are in California you'd start with TelePacific. But if your locations are evenly spread over the whole country you need to call on a unified communications provider that can do the whole country.  Telesphere is positioning itself for credible consideration in this category.

The other "nationwide voice carriers" are XO, PAETEC/Windstream, CenturyLink, Level3, AT&T and Verizon but they are not known for their expertise in integrating voice applications which is the foundation of "unified communications".  This is where the big PBX box vendors dominate. They tell customers, "Buy lots of our voice boxes and then put them on your nationwide data network and you're done." 

But what if a nationwide customer wants a single-vendor unified communications solution without having to buy dozens or hundreds of PBXs?"  That's when I bring in Telesphere and Telesphere's mid-market "hosted UC" competitors.

How does Telesphere fair on the third and fourth differentiators of integrated applications and price? I'm not totally sure yet, one peer I talked to really liked Telesphere's CRM (customer relationship management - e.g. Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics) and collaboration (chat, IM, conferencing) integrations but readily admitted he did not have a rich frame of reference with regard to Telesphere's competitors.

As Telesphere is Broadsoft based, it's reasonably safe to assume that their application integrations are bullet-proof (Broadsoft dosn't roll stuff out that doesn't work) and probably feel alot like what other Broadsoft based providers offer.

Regarding price, when carriers get into the mid-market they're going to price any deal based on both their hard and soft costs to get the deal. Broadsoft based providers are generally higher priced than non-Broadsoft providers due to the extra Broadsoft licensing they have to pay for. But since the dominant hosted UC player in the industry (Smoothstone/WestIP) is known for their high prices even though they're  non-Broadsoft based, I'd look to Telesphere to be trading some margin for market share especially as they try to pick up deals in New York City and the California Bay Area.

 

Should You Trade in Your PBXs Today for Hosted Unified Communications?

It depends. My last PBX consulting client was a CPA firm who really wanted to integrate their billing and CRM applications into their next phone system but when it was decision time they opted to stick with a new PBX even after I explained all the unified communications options. They decided to do without the integrated applications after adding up all the extra costs. 

But larger multi-location businesses have different cost models. I've talked to peers who've had mid-market customers who've spent $100,000 integrating complex applications into both hosted and PBX-based UC phone system solutions. They were abel to justify it because the $100,000 development cost was retired in less than two years by improved productivity of their employees.

Click here to download our 2013 "Should You Buy or Rent a Phone System?" Checklist.  It's specifically designed to help end-users sort our the pros and cons of hosted VoIP for their particular business.

The best way to know is to give us a call and let us screen your unified communications needs.

 

How to Inexpensively Increase Internet Bandwidth by Bonding Low Cost Coax Cable and DSL Circuits

By Dan Baldwin, Editor
951-251-5155 email  

Helping large multi-location business customers save money on their primary and/or backup data networks by cobbling together the lowest-cost Internet access provider in any particular region in the country is good business for Bandwave Systems.

For over a decade, Bandwave Systems has taken a solution that any IT systems manager might think "this should work" (bonding DSL, 4G/LTE and cable Internet together) and making it work the way it should by ironing out all the kinks. 

To learn how inexpensively increase Internet bandwidth bonding coax cable and or DSL circuits we recently interviewed Adil Zaidi, Operations Manager of Bandwave Systems.

Click here to download a PDF copy of the white paper created from this interview.

To listen to the interview, click here to download the MP3 recording.

You can also listen now with your computer speakers by clicking the player below and then follow along by reading the transcript below. 

 

Interview Audio

Click the player above to listen to the interview now.

 

Interview Transcript

Dan Baldwin:  Intro: Today I'm speaking with Adil Zaidi, Operations Manager of Bandwave Systems, a nationwide business broadband provider that integrates and aggregates all carriers and cable operators and technologies (DSL, T-1, Cable, Fiber Ethernet, Wireless) so that businesses with multiple locations are provided a complete nationwide network solution with just a single point of contact. Adil thanks for speaking with our audience today.

 

Question #1:  Adil, many telecom companies have long told business customers that low cost "best effort" bandwidth services like DSL or coax cable were "residential grade" products that where not comparable in quality to higher cost T-1 level solutions and above. What is Bandwidth System's experience with having your business customers successfully use DSL and cable for business solutions?

Well Dan, we’ve actually had a lot of success with our customers using dsl and cable for business solutions.  T1 technology is a high cost, low speed product.  We’re able to bring in a 10meg by 1meg next gen dsl or a 50meg by 10meg cable circuit for under 200 dollars per month.  We have metrics on both dsl and cable and we see two solid reliable products that have low latency and high bandwidth for the fraction of the cost of a T1 circuit.   

How to Use Cable Aggregation as an Alternative or a Replacement for Your MPLS Network

By Dan Baldwin, Editor
951-251-5155 email  

Can cable aggregated wide area data network ("WAN") really replace an MPLS network for a multi-location business? Yes...

For years the business phone companies have been telling business owners and IT directors that using any sort of cable Internet solution in a business environment is a bad idea because cable does not have any quality of service ("QoS") and is an inherently "shared" resource meaning a business would never get the data throughput they were promised.

Well that argument is certainly still being waived around by the telcos but after experiencing the successful use of cable Internet in their homes, few business owners or IT directors have a problem with the idea of taking a serious look at replacing their expensive MPLS data network with a professionally aggregated mix of coax cable providers.

But since all the cable companies have different service areas across the country, most businesses are hesitant to try an aggregated cable dat network solution because of the problem of having to do all the aggregation in-house and then keeping track of individual cable company invoices.

Fortunately there are cable aggregation companies available to businesses that want to try an aggregated cable solution to replace their expensive MPLS wide area network or "WAN". Of all the cable aggregation companies to choose from, few have the "one stop shop" success that has been found by Bandwave Systems out of Philadelphia. 

To learn just how a coax cable solution works when backing up or aggregating an MPLS network we recently interviewed Tom Azelby, Managing Director of Bandwave.

Click here to download a PDF copy of the white paper created from this interview.

To listen to the interview, click here to download the MP3 recording.

You can also listen now with your computer speakers by clicking the player below and then follow along by reading the transcript below. 

 

Interview Audio

Click the player above to listen to the interview now.

 

Interview Transcript

Dan Baldwin:  Today I'm speaking with Tom Azelby, the founder and managing partner of Bandwave Systems, a nationwide business broadband provider that integrates and aggregates all carriers and cable operators and technologies, DSL, T-1, cable, fiber, Ethernet, wireless and so on, so that businesses with multiple locations are provided a complete nationwide network solution with just a single point of contact. Tom, thanks for speaking with our audience today.

Tom Azelby:  Thanks for having me, Dan.

DB:  Tom, IT directors for multi-location businesses are looking for alternatives to the classic MPLS network because they need to save money, get more bandwidth for the money they're spending or other reasons.  When typing "MPLS Alternative" into their favorite search engine, IT directors are finding Bandwave Systems. 

Price Alert: No More Free Smartphone Upgrades From the Big 3; Is it Time for Wi-Fi First of Wi-Fi Only Cell Phones?

By Dan Baldwin, Editor
951-251-5155 email 

Verizon Wireless recently reported that they were following the lead of both AT&T and Sprint by charging their customers an extra fee to upgrade their mobile phones where in the past many mobile customers got a "free phone upgrade" every two years or so.

Following is the widely distributed Verizon statement: 

“On April 22, Verizon Wireless is implementing a $30 upgrade fee for existing customers purchasing new mobile equipment at a discounted price with a two-year contract.  This fee will help us continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect which includes Wireless Workshops, online educational tools, and consultations with experts who provide advice and guidance on devices that are more sophisticated than ever.  While the upgrade fee is not unique to Verizon Wireless, most devices can be traded in with our green friendly trade-in program at www.verizonwireless.com/tradein as a way to save money or potentially offset the fee completely.”

It's reported that Sprint and AT&T both are charging a similar $36 fee.

 

Time for "Wi-Fi First" or "Wi-Fi Only" Employee Cell Phones?

Now I'm no revolutionary. I understand that the CEO, the Chairman of the Board and your top salespeople (and your spouse) can have any damned expensive phone and usage plan they want and, as the company owner, you're (mostly) happy to pay for it.  

But what about all those other W-2 folks hanging around your office who claim they need "smartphone mobility" to remain a critical business asset of yours?  Do they all need an exensive monthly cellular data plan and the newest phones when they spend 90% of their waking hours inside a Wi-Fi network?

Probably not. (Time to get out the savings calculator and sharpen your pencils!)

 

What's a "Wi-Fi First" or "Wi-Fi Only" Cell Phone and Where Can You Get Them?

Well just as the name would imply, "Wi-Fi first" cell phones or smart phones use "free" Wi-Fi connectivity first over "expensive" 3G/4G cellular connectivity when trying to make a phone call or data app connection. "Wi-Fi only" phones only work for cell calls or data connections when connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Where do you get them? Let's just say that phone equipment makers are not exactly falling all over themselves to bring them to market. T-Mobile actually had a solution like this called HotSpot@Home that made smartphone calls over Wi-Fi but they discontinued the service back in 2010.

Eliminate Business Phone System Wiring Nightmares with New, Static-Free DECT 6.0 Wireless Technology

By Dan Baldwin, Editor
951-251-5155 email 

If your business empire includes locations that can operate with four total voice phone lines or less (this describes almost every small, customer-facing retail business on the planet) then there are new wireless business phone systems available that you should look at if you're in the market for a new phone system.

The best thing about these new business wireless phone systems is they operate just like regular phone systems with incoming phone lines in hunt or roll-over, have intercom, auto-attendant and voicemail but largely need almost no wiring.  Because labor to install phone wiring can be very expensive, wireless business phone systems can save business owners a great deal of money.

 

Removing Voice From Your Data Network Solves Expensive Problems

A decade ago every business had two separate wired communications networks in their office that they had to pay to maintain; a phone wire network for voice communications and a data wire network for computer communications. Then someone (I can't remember who exactly) had the great idea of eliminating the cost of the phone wire network by connecting their office phone system over the data network.

That was a good idea in theory but it really didn't save small businesses much money and actually created expensive problems. The biggest problem created was poor voice phone call quality for small businesses that could not afford QoS ("quality of service") upgrades to their data networks to ensure that phone calls always got priority of data transmissions.

 

New DECT "Static Free" Wireless Technology Reinvents Cordless Business Phones

Most everyone that still has a landline in their home accesses that landline dial-tone with a cordless phone and understands the shortcomings that older cordless phone technology can bring to a phone call. Static, disconnects, interference with WiFi devices and "dead-zones" are just a few of the problems associated with the older 2.4 gHz, 900mHz and 5.8gHz.

Business phone system manufacturers seem to have selected DECT over other wireless spectrum technologies as evidenced by the AT&T SynJ^® line built for small businesses and PolyCom's KIRK Wireless Solutions build for any sized business.

The DECT technology wins over older technologies due to increased range, call clarity and extended range when using DECT repeaters.

 

How Will Your Business Incorporate DECT Wireless Phones?

The technology is built to be a modularized solution that augments your existing PBX phone system or it can entirely replace it.  If you have an existing business phone system that you'd like to get a couple more years out of contact your equipment provider to see what cordless phone option they have to offer.

Is Your AT&T Phone Bill Paying for $107,000 Per Year Call Center Reps?

By Dan Baldwin, Editor
951-251-5155 email

When it comes to how business customers feel about having AT&T as their phone company -- it seems that they fall into one of two categories.

They either love AT&T or they hate AT&T.

In the news this past week I learned another reason it might be the "hate" category.  It seems that AT&T phone customers are supporting call center representatives that earn a total "wages and benefits" compensation package of over $107,000.

Network technicians, the folks who show up and install services on site at your business earn a compensation package eclipsing $133,000.

Wow! That's a lot of money. I've got friends with college degrees and every Microsoft and Cisco certification you can name who are unemployed and who would be happy to get a job earning half that.

 

Over Paying AT&T or Verizon for Phone, Internet and Data Service?

Now I'm not saying that people shouldn't get paid what they're worth but hey, business customers have choices.

When I fly, I fly economy, even though I know I could pay double (or more) to fly up front in the first class section. But after a five-hour flight coast-to-coast, the good folks flying in first class only get off the plane about four minutes before I do.

Solution Review: How Distributed Enterprise IT Directors Solve 3G/4G Fixed Wireless Connectivity Problems

By Dan Baldwin, Editor
951-251-5155 email

 What's an IT director for a quick service restaurant ("QSR") or similar distributed enterprise company to do when the wide area network ("WAN") solution he or she wants to implement using a low cost DSL landline solution can only reach 80% of the companies locations?

Throw a 3G cellular AirCard in a wireless router, right?  Wrong.

An aircard in a router is probably the best solution if the business location is actually a recreational vehicle - contantly on the move. AirCards are great for mobile wireless data needs be far from perfect in a fixed office environment.  So how does an IT director solve the 3G/4G connectivity problems when trying to implement a fixed wireless solution?

Call on Accel Networks, the wireless data company that "tunes in" your wireless data signals with their unique proprietary antennae like no other wireless or landline company can.

If you've tried fixed wireless using AirCards for your data network locations unreachable by DSL and couldn't solve the connectivity problem, don't give up without calling your authorized Accel Networks solution partner.

 

How and Why is Accel Networks Solution Better than Everyone Else?

How does Accel do it better than all their competitors including AT&T, Verizon and Sprint?

Listen to Jonathan Forest, VP of Accel networks explain it himself in the following short recorded interview.

 

Listen to Recording:  Click Here to Download MP3

 

 

Read Transcript:   Click Here to Download PDF

How Quick Service Restaurant & Other Distributed Enterprise IT Directors Solve 3G/4G Fixed Wireless Connectivity Problems:

Accel Network's New Cellular Broadband Antenna

February 2012A BusinessPhoneNews conversationwith Jonathan Forest, Vice President of AccelNetworks, about how their new Maestro cellular broadband antenna system is gaining traction with CIOs and IT directors of many quick service restaurant chains and other similar multi-location retail businesses.

 

  DB:  So let's get right to the problems that QSR (“quick service restaurant”) IT directors have. They want to power the broadband needs of their retail stores with affordable 3G or 4G fixed wireless, but they're getting killed by connectivity problems.   

Question #1.   Please describe the nature and prevalence of the connectivity problems.

  JF:   Yes.   Specifically we see in our market that broadband is certainly the desire of many of the QSR and retail customer since it's a lower cost option, and it really fits their needs; however, broadband, DSL and cable isn't really prevalent in all locations, and we see consistently approximately 10% to 20% of the market not being covered for these customers, and that's where we fit in. 

Accel provides a high-grade, premium wireless solution that provides broadband type of service at these 10% to 20% locations, and that's with 3G.

With 4G coming out, and we're launching that next month, 4G speeds will, in many ways, surpass DSL.   So, the 4G solution that customers will be experiencing will be right on par, or superior to what they are experiencing, and we fully expect the wireless services to continue expanding.

 

  DB:  Question #2.    Can you describe how does Accel's proprietary fixed wireless Maestro antenna address the problem? 

  JF:     Yes.   I would be glad to.  If you had to boil it down, Accel provides the cleanest wireless signal.  What does that mean?  What it really means is that we're trying to minimize the carrier noise, and optimize the signal.  The result is better performance.    

2:11  Accel comes from this perspective, the wireless perspective.    We do not come at this from a landline perspective.   This is crucial, and the reason is that in landline technologies, the transport, DSL, cable, T1, it's a commodity.  No matter whether provider A or provider B is offering the solution, the same result is going to happen.   DSL, the same distance from the CO (phone company “central office”), it's all the same, and with wireless it couldn't be any different.