CLEC

Competing CLECs Join Forces

Bernie — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:50:31 -0500

Atlantic Metro Communications, a managed Internet Service Provider (ISP) offering colocation, metro transport, dark fiber, IP bandwidth, managed hosting & voice solutions, and Rainbow Broadband, the leading provider of broadband connectivity to the New York business community, announced today that they have partnered to provide New York City businesses a fully-meshed, diverse and redundant business-class broadband service that rivals any competitor in the New York market. Read More...

XO Launches Carrier Grade MPLS

Bernie — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:18:39 -0500

XO Communications (OTCBB: XOHO) today announced the launch of XO Carrier MPLS IP-VPN, a wide area networking service engineered to meet the needs of current and future carrier customers. Designed to deliver secure, multi-point IP transport of VoIP, video, data applications and "in the cloud" computing services over one network, Read More...

Covad Makes New Integrated Phone and Internet Available to Channel Partners

Bernie — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:35:16 -0500

San Jose, Calif. – November 17, 2008 – Covad Communications Company, a leading national provider of voice and data communications, today launched into its indirect sales channel the new Covad Integrated Access service with an innovative
online quote and order system that streamlines pre-qualifications and speeds the sales process. Read More ...

XO Communications Marks 15,000 Business VoIP Customers

Bernie — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:01:17 -0400

HERNDON, VA - October 20, 2008 - XO Communications announced that its industry-leading business voice over IP services bundle, XO IP Flex, has been deployed by more than 15,000 businesses and supports more than 475,000 customer employees. Read More ...

Cbeyond Launches Small Business Services in South Florida

Bernie — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:22:27 -0400

MIAMI, Oct 15, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cbeyond(R), Inc. (NASDAQ: CBEY), a leading IP-based managed services provider to small businesses, today announced it has expanded services into its 11th market, the South Florida metropolitan area, which includes Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Miramar, Hollywood, and BocaRaton.

"With South Florida's large entrepreneurial community, we are excited to grow our presence and deliver services that will benefit the local small business community," said Jim Geiger, chairman and CEO of Cbeyond. "We pride ourselves in providing productivity-enhancing communications solutions that help small businesses successfully run their companies, especially within a challenging economy." Read More ...

Competitors Still Have Access to Qwest

Bernie — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:02:07 -0400

Qwest recently told the FCC that there is plenty of competition in several of its major markets, so the FCC should let Qwest tell their competitors who want continued wholesale access to their last mile network to “go fly a kite.” Forgive my paraphrasing Qwest. The FCC respectfully denied the request. Qwest argued that sufficient competition existed from CLECs, cable companies, and wireless providers to warrant suspension of unbundling requirements for local loops and transport facilities. Qwest was hoping to repeat the forbearance relief (albeit partially) it received for Omaha, Nebraska in 2005 for its key markets of Denver, Phoenix, Minneapolis, and Seattle. The FCC disagreed, saying “…we find that the record evidence does not satisfy the section 10 forbearance standard with respect to any of the forbearance Qwest seeks, and, accordingly, we deny the requested relief in the four MSAs.” Ouch.

XO CEO: Bells Are a "Copper Cartel", Stifling Competition

Bernie — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:39:01 -0400

XO Communications CEO Carl J. Grivner testified before Congress, and labeled AT&T, Qwest, and Verizon a “copper cartel” that practices anti-competitive and anti-consumer tactics. Grivner testified before the U.S. House Telecommunications Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, stating that the “…competitive [telecom] industry has been a major source of billions of dollars in investment for broadband deployment and innovation. But we continually face incumbents’ efforts to restrict access to essential last mile links that are critical to competitive broadband offerings.” Grivner raised alarm about the “cartel’s” increasing tactic of removing or cutting copper lines to customer premises, a practice which Verizon has been accused of when converting customers to FiOS. Grivner also ridiculed the “cartel” for trying to duck competitive obligations through the use of the Telecom Act forbearance statute to “end-run pro-competitive wholesale pricing rules for last mile connections.”

Grivner has reason to be concerned. The traditional CLEC who relies on leased capacity from incumbents, can at times, seem like an “endangered species.” CLEC line counts, on average, are in decline, and the incumbents are leveraging their market dominance like never before. The competitive “mojo” has shifted to the cable industry, which owns their own last mile broadband network. Upstarts in the wireless industry including DigitalBridge and Open Range also hope to take up the competitive slack. While these cable and wireless alternatives are initially focusing on residential services, they too hope to capitalize on the lucrative SMB and enterprise market - the specialty of companies like XO. These “new” competitors can’t join the “copper cartel,” but they are adding even more competitive pressure to an already challenging scenario for XO and their CLEC brethren.

Telecom Competition Case to be Heard by U.S. Supreme Court

Bernie — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:32:40 -0400

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving AT&T and LinkLine Communications Inc. LinkLine is an ISP which buys wholesale broadband circuits from AT&T and then uses those circuits to compete with AT&T in some California markets. It’s a scenario played out all across the country with other incumbents and competing ISPs and CLECs. LinkLine sued AT&T, citing unfair and anti-competitive pricing for those wholesale broadband circuits. AT&T says it’s not obligated to provide wholesale circuits to competitors at favorable pricing. LinkLine obviously disagrees and so did the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, who ruled in LinkLine’s favor. So on to the Supreme Court for a case that will be closely watched by telecom’s competition interests.

Cavalier Telephone Offers Google Apps

Bernie — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:46:05 -0500

Cavalier Telephone, a Richmond, VA based CLEC, announced the availability of Google Apps to its high speed Internet subscribers. The Google application suite will be offered through a Cavalier web domain and will provide Gmail e-mail services, Google Calendar for shared scheduling, Google Product Search for shopping, Google Picasa for photos, and the Google Start Page feature which will allow subscribers to create a customizable home page. Cavalier claims to be the first company in the communications industry to launch these services.

RCN Launches VoIP Service

Bernie — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:43:23 -0500

RCN, a Virginia based CLEC, announced the launch of VoIP services, branded as Starpower Internet Phone Service. RCN will be using a hosted VoIP platform offered by deltathree for the service. They plan to target customers both inside and outside of their existing footprint. The service will start at $24.95/month for unlimited local and long distance calling. They will also offer an annual plan, with discounts off of the monthly plan pricing.