Alianza – Fiber Broadband Association

2021 Fiber VoIP Opportunities for Service Providers

FBA — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 04:00:00 +0000

The expansion of fiber networks has exploded in the past few years, fueled by customer demand for more bandwidth, government funding (RDOF, CAF II, Rural Connect, and state grants programs), and new ISP entrants. And VoIP is a natural and smart service add-on for ISPs to maximize their revenue and enhance the customer experience.

While other broadband technologies, including fixed wireless and satellite, will also play key roles in bridging the digital divide and connecting increasing more homes and businesses, fiber has been a dominant force by offering higher speeds, easy upgrades, and lower latency. In fact, the number of U.S. homes passed by all-fiber networks now exceeds 50.6 million; with more than 22.5 million homes connected to all-fiber networks for at least one service (internet, television, or telephone). The 2021 North American forecast predicts a U.S. fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) investment of more than $60 billion in the next five years!

As we emerge from a year of lockdowns and isolation, Alianza is excited to hit the road again for a conference dedicated to helping accelerate the deployment of fiber broadband. Join us at Fiber Connect 2021 next week. We have new customers to announce, new full-stack cloud communication solutions to share, and data to how service provides can providers roll out residential and business VoIP services quickly, easily, and profitably — while maintaining full control over network usage, branding, pricing, and customer relationships.

Alianza Accelerates Network Monetization for Fiber Broadband Service Providers

Despite a lack of travel and events, 2020 was one of Alianza’s strongest years for adding new customers, many who sought an established cloud communications provider to partner with in order to expand their customer base and grow beyond what rural broadband builds are capable of.

By cloud sourcing VoIP services, providers can accelerate time-to market, avoid lopsided business models with high upfront costs and long paybacks, and free up valuable resources to focus on strategic endeavors.

Unlike conventional wholesale VoIP solutions, our full-stack cloud communications platform leverages the latest virtualization technology, bringing all the benefits of the cloud — web scalability, unrivaled service agility, and a pay-as-you-grow model — to your network. All the VoIP network elements that your business would normally need to buy, build and operate are virtualized, securely hosted in the cloud, and managed by Alianza.

As we prepare for Fiber Connect 2021 next week, we are announcing six new fiber broadband ISPs as customers including electric cooperatives, a municipality, and community owned network:

Beacon Broadband. A wholly owned subsidiary of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative in Oregon is launching broadband, TV, and phone service to communities on the southern Oregon coast. They specialize in delivering High Speed Wireless broadband to homes and businesses to areas that have little or no broadband access.
Ciello. The ISP powered by San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative has been delivering a broadband portfolio, including phone services, to the Valley’s rural communities since 2015.
DE Fastlink. Launched this year, the ISP division of Dixie Electric in Mississippi is bringing broadband and phone to more than 30,000 homes and businesses in its seven-county service area in Mississippi.
GigabitNow. With fiber broadband in communities in California, Oregon, Arizona, Washington, and Massachusetts, this ISP ditched its switch and upgraded their VoIP solution with our cloud to deliver a full communications suite to its residential and business customers. GigabitNow offers unique customized fiber internet solutions for cities, communities, multi-tenant buildings, and businesses of all sizes.
Hood River Electric Cooperative. Serving its members in Oregon with fixed wireless and fiber broadband for nearly two decades, the co-op is now adding VoIP services.
TCLPfiber. Traverse City Light & Power’s ISP launch last year with broadband and phone services and is building out to more areas of the city in the next few years.

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Alianza Launches Business Cloud Communications for Service Providers

Alianza — Thu, 20 May 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Pleasant Grove, Utah — May 17, 2021 — Alianza, Inc., the full-stack cloud communications platform for service providers, has launched its new Business Cloud Communications solution. The solution addresses a clear market need in the service provider product portfolio to expand cloud PBX services by offering business mobility, messaging, and video conferencing. In a 2021 study done by Independence Research, nearly half of businesses surveyed stated they would prefer to add collaboration services to their existing voice solution, and 87% indicated they would prefer to purchase a combined solution from their broadband provider[1].

Following Alianza’s acquisition of CounterPath in March 2021, the combined teams have rapidly integrated their next-generation cloud PBX platform with softphones, cloud meetings, and mobile UCaaS solution – creating an easy-to-manage upgrade path for business customers. The combination of technologies showcases the best of both companies and supports service providers in addressing the 67% of organizations who are moving significant portions of their Unified Communications solutions to the cloud[2].

Business Cloud Communications enables service providers to quickly add a voice-first unified communications solution to their product portfolio. The solution not only meets the needs of technology workers in remote, in-office, or hybrid work environments, but also addresses the growing market of frontline workers needing advanced solutions to communicate more effectively in the digital age.

“Alianza is set to position Xplornet Enterprise Solutions as a leader in Canada’s business VoIP solutions market,” said Robbie Zetariuk, Vice President, Xplornet Enterprise Solutions. “Like Enterprise Solutions, Alianza recognizes that each business is unique with different requirements. The scalable, customizable, and easy-to-use features of Business Cloud Communications will allow us to deliver another valuable solution to our enterprise customers.”

“Business Cloud Communications enables service providers to evolve and upgrade their business communications portfolio,” said Justin Cooper, EVP of Product and Customer Success at Alianza. “By providing different service tiers within the solution, it is easy to customize and offer flexibility and scalability, allowing service providers to create packages that map to their business customers’ needs.”

Powered by the agile, easy-to-use Alianza Cloud Communications Platform, Business Cloud Communications expands on an already robust set of commercial services offerings for service providers including POTS replacement Business Lines, Cloud PBX, SIP Trunking, and Business Text Messaging. The cloud communications platform helps service providers quickly realize the massive opportunity for growth in the next-generation communications market.

[1] Independence Research, 2021 Small and Medium Cloud Communications Survey

[2] GetVoIP, The State of Unified Communications in 2020

Additional Resources

About Alianza

Alianza connects people with a full-stack cloud communications platform that empowers service providers to rapidly create and deploy high-value communications offerings. With exceptional quality and always-on availability, service providers leverage our product suite to innovate and address the evolving market demands of business and residential customers with an easy to manage, easy to consume, and highly profitable platform. Cloud communication products include voice, video conferencing, and text messaging for businesses, residential phone service, and standalone UC softphones. Our team of experts has a passion for transforming communications delivery and ensuring first-rate customer experiences. Alianza serves more than 600 satisfied customers across 60 countries. Learn more about our solutions at alianza.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Alianza Adds Video Conferencing and Mobile Applications with Acquisition of CounterPath

Alianza — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Pleasant Grove, Utah — March 1, 2021 — Alianza, Inc., the full stack cloud communications platform for service providers, announced today the closing of its acquisition of CounterPath Corporation, a Vancouver-based provider of softphones, cloud meetings, and mobile UCaaS solutions. The combination with CounterPath strengthens Alianza’s ability to deliver the best end-to-end cloud communications platform for service providers. Service providers are now better positioned to win in the rapidly growing and evolving communications market.

Highlights of the combination include:

Service providers now have access to modern cloud voice, video conferencing, and text messaging for businesses, in addition to cost-effective residential phone services from a single provider.
Accelerates service providers’ ability to innovate and keep pace with the ever-changing business cloud communications market while seamlessly integrating with back-office and customer experience workflows.
Unmatched expertise in cloud technology, unified communications, and mobile applications extends R&D capabilities for service providers seeking to elevate their go to market strategies.

“We are on a mission to help service providers grow market presence and revenue with a one-stop-shop to cloud-source all their communications offerings,” said Brian Beutler, CEO, and Founder of Alianza. “By adding CounterPath products, Alianza’s customers are able to future-proof their solutions and compete with vertical market players by adding modern messaging, video conferencing, and collaboration tools.”

“Together, Alianza and CounterPath will change the cloud communications landscape,” commented Todd Carothers, Chief Revenue Officer of CounterPath. “The companies share a commitment to empowering service providers with innovative communication products that have a meaningful impact on the bottom line and doing so with a focus on simplicity and high quality.”

“Alianza’s acquisition of CounterPath reflects the growing importance of video meetings and team messaging to the enterprise communications and collaboration landscape,” says Irwin Lazar, President and Principal Analyst at Metrigy. “Today, more than 60% of companies are now bundling those features into their calling licenses to better support remote work and customer engagement. Alianza’s broad offering enables service providers to bundle additional value-add capabilities with their existing network and telephony offerings.”

CounterPath brings award-winning softphones and collaboration tools to Alianza communications service providers

Communications service providers are looking to grow and add services that digitally transform their offerings to meet customer expectations for consolidated calling, messaging, meetings, and contact center solutions. With the rapid rise and need for remote work communications solutions and video conferencing, the ability to create user-intuitive solutions and rapidly deploy these products with cloud flexibility is a significant benefit to service providers.

By combining CounterPath award-winning Bria® softphones and Stretto services with the Alianza Cloud Communications Platform, the company will deliver industry-leading voice, video, messaging, and cloud meeting solutions from a single cloud-based technology provider.

Alianza platform enables CounterPath service providers, OEMs and value-added resellers

Communications service providers (CSPs) and managed service providers (MSPs) are no longer held back by obsolete and complex on-premises solutions. The combined solution provides existing CounterPath customers with the flexibility of a full turnkey platform or standalone cloud communications products to solve specific market requirements. By utilizing Alianza communications products and platform services, customers can go to market quickly with easy-to-use, easy-to-manage products, while focusing on their core business of customer delivery and experience.

Executive Team and Offices

Alianza CEO, Brian Beutler, welcomes CounterPath CRO, Todd Carothers, to the Alianza executive team as EVP of Corporate Strategy, joining Justin Cooper, EVP Customer Success & Product, Kevin Dundon, EVP Sales & Marketing, and Clint Peck, CTO.

The Alianza headquarters remains in Pleasant Grove, Utah. With the acquisition, Alianza will maintain a significant Vancouver, British Columbia presence.

Additional Resources

Read more about the Alianza’s full stack cloud communications platform on our blog.

Download the Alianza Company Fact Sheet.

About Alianza

Alianza connects people with a full stack cloud communications platform that empowers service providers to rapidly create and deploy high-value communications offerings. With exceptional quality and always-on availability, service providers leverage our product suite to innovate and address the evolving market demands of business and residential customers with an easy to manage, easy to consume, and highly profitable platform. Cloud communication products include voice, video conferencing, and text messaging for businesses, residential phone service, and standalone UC softphones. Our team of experts has a passion for transforming communications delivery and ensuring first-rate customer experiences. Alianza serves more than 600 satisfied customers across 60 countries. Learn more about our solutions at alianza.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Alianza and NISC Streamline Broadband VoIP Operations for Electric Cooperatives

Alianza — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Alianza has integrated with NISC’s iVUE Connect platform. iVUE Connect provides a suite of broadband billing, customer management and provisioning solutions for users. The move will simplify VoIP management, accelerate time to revenue and lower the cost of delivering cloud communications. According to Alianza, the joint solution is currently in use at Cumberland Connect as the ISP deploys its fiber-based broadband portfolio to members.

Alianza Acquires Message Hopper

Alianza — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Alianza has acquired Message Hopper, a software company that provides a cloud-native messaging application designed to help companies communicate with customers using SMS and MMS. Message Hopper’s Business Text Messaging includes two-way chat conversations, chatbot functionality and the ability to run marketing campaigns. The application makes it possible to communicate over an existing landline, VoIP or a toll-free telephone number. Alianza says it will integrate that application into its portfolio of business communication products.