European Telecom has signed an exclusive distribution deal with Vonage, the pioneering Internet telephone company. VoIP services are attracting a lot of
attention from both business and consumers. This deal means resellers can now add the leading Internet telephony service to their offerings.
Unlike PC-based Internet telephony (VoIP) services, the Vonage service does not rely on a computer to make calls, but works like a conventional telephone service.
To take advantage of cheap calls and innovative features, customers simply plug a conventional handset into the broadband Ethernet modem through a router or telephone adaptor supplied by Vonage. With Vonage being so simple to set up and use, partners will be able to quickly meet their customers’ telephony needs.
Under the deal Vonage will supply product and marketing collateral, while European Telecom will manage their provision to partners and full administrative support. Sue Wheeler, director of channel sales for Vonage UK, noted that Vonage has been receiving a lot of enquiries from small independent resellers keen to offer a VoIP service.
“European Telecom’s expertise in managing the supply of telecoms products to UK resellers made them the ideal Vonage partner for an exclusive distribution deal.” Frank Masson, director of sales and marketing for European Telecom, described the deal as significant for its partners. “Being able to offer the Vonage VoIP service will strengthen the hand of any reseller involved in discussions with small businesses about their technology needs. Given the increasing consumer awareness of VoIP services, partners selling directly to the public also have a great commercial opportunity with the availability of Vonage technology.”
Orange is setting up a dedicated channel partner programme for the first time. The programme promises resellers easy access to Orange kit, training and product and marketing support. Orange is looking for resellers with proven experience, financial stability, a strong customer base, ability to provide customers with technical support and “a clear focus on mobility”.