VON: Nortel helps carriers target SMBs with VoIP

BOSTON--Nortel Networks today announced packaged bundles to make it easier for service providers to deliver voice-over-IP to small and medium business customers (SMBs).

Nortel delivered two solutions: one as a hosted option and a second targeting slightly larger enterprises that might prefer an on-site PBX combined with carrier-provided services.

“This is really all about choice and helping carriers figure out how to bundle and target VoIP for SMBs,” said Sita Lowman, director of core network marketing for Nortel. Lowman said Nortel’s SMB VoIP support extends to helping carriers with their inside sales and even drop-shipping all the VoIP customer premises equipment a user might need, an approach Nortel dubs “no-touch CPE.”

“There are a lot of cool SIP applications out there in the world,” Lowman said. “What we’re finding is that carriers need help bundling them and making it simple to target a specific customer demographic or market.”

The hosted option is an end-to-end VoIP Lines Solution in which carriers deliver IP Lines service from the Nortel Communication Server (CS) 2000 or Application Server (AS) 5200, or as a Nortel Hosted Solution. That bundle can also include Nortel SIP phones and PC soft clients as well as Nortel's Business Services Gateway.

The second is the IP PBX Interconnect Solution, for users preferring an on-site PBX. With this solution, carriers can host the connection between the telephone switching system and the public network from the Nortel CS2000, as well as sell or lease the Nortel BSG and SIP phones to the customer.

Nortel supports both bundles, Lowman said, by providing carriers with marketing and sales tools including SMB sales guides, end-user business cases, market pricing benchmarks and a CPE quote builder.