Tips for selecting the best carrier - Trends

Communications News,  May, 2003  

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Today's telecom market can be difficult to navigate for even the most sophisticated companies. To help you through the rough seas, here is some advice from Alliance Group Services, a wholesale provider of network services to long-distance resellers and carriers:

Find out exactly how accounts are handled and the availability of the account-management team. Are they willing to come to your offices for the initial transition period? What resources are available?

During due diligence, request the following information: general service overview and any supporting documentation; escalation procedures; quality of service metrics; average service rates; call completion rates by state and country; maintenance schedules and notification procedures; emergency procedures; and service-level agreements (SLA).

Determine which SLA best applies to your business. Some carriers offer discounts for customers who opt for longer response times. If you have fail-over routing, then you may be able to save on price without jeopardizing your service to the customer by selecting a lower-level service plan.

Find out exactly what you are paying for. Does the price include value-adds? Will the company help you through or provide software systems and patches to help you provision? Weigh price and convenience.

If the carrier offers discounts based on volume, make sure the volume levels are reachable and that there are no penalties for not meeting set levels. Ask for a phased discount plan and audit the numbers provided to assure that you are being issued the adequate discount for your volumes.

Price changes are a given, so find out how much time you have after notification before new prices are in effect. Ask for historical data, as well as when they anticipate the next rate change.

Negotiate payment terms you can meet and determine which method of payment is best suited for your business. Make sure that your billing cycle with your customers coincides with the billing cycle you select from the carrier.

Does the carrier require a cash deposit? Will the carrier take a letter of credit instead of a cash deposit? Is this refundable or can it be applied to payments in the future? Do they have to notify you if they plan to apply the deposit to a payment?

Review all public financial records, press releases and news articles on the financial performance of carriers under consideration. For private firms, ask for a written statement of financial status and protections for customers.

Will traffic be riding on a quality tier 1 network that is regularly maintained and updated? Make sure the SLA supports the network. Find out if there are penalties on the carrier's side for loss of service or down time.

Does the carrier provide a complete product or does it require a lot of integration work on your side? Does the carrier provide call detail recording daily via FTP, other secure transfer or do you have to wait for a CD or tape? How does the company handle fraud?

Determine whether the billing system matches your own or if there will need to be modifications to your system. Make sure that billing data is delivered on a timely basis and that the format matches your system or can be easily integrated.

If things go bad, what do you have built into the agreement to protect you? If the carrier loses files or consistently over-bills, how are you to handle and resolve these problems? What rights does the carrier have to cancel the agreement?

For more information from Alliance Group Services: www.rsleads.com/305cn-260

EVENTS

[check] SUPERCOMM, June 1-5, Atlanta, the annual Telecommunications Industry Association event, features seminars, presentations and forums, as well as exhibits of hundreds of ways to leverage and grow communications and IT business. www.supercomm2003.com

[check] CeBit America. June 18-20, New York, is an international trade fair for information and communications technology, software and services. The event features exhibits, conference programs, special events and programs for enterprise managers, www.cebitamerica.com

[check] BICSI FBI12003. Aug. 18-21, Nashville, offers educational seminars on cabling installation, wireless, LAN and outside plant technologies, as well as technical demonstrations and exhibits, www.bicsi.org

SHORT TAKE

"Network-layer security mechanisms dominate current deployments, but are proving inadequate in the face of more frequent application-layer attacks. Vendors and users alike need to increase their focus on application-layer security controls in order to proactively protect networks from an increasing number of vulnerabilities."

--Mark Bouchard, META Group

COPYRIGHT 2003 Nelson Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group