Hard Facts: April 8, 2002

Among the biggest gainers last month were larger players such as AT&T, Sprint and Cable and Wireless, as well as smaller companies such as Broadwing and Genuity.

>> Channel satisfaction with major service providers is on the uptick but still lag far behind hardware and software vendors, which is perhaps an indication of relatively new and untested channel programs.

Despite the increase, however, satisfaction levels generally remain below levels from late last year, according to the CRN Channel Satisfaction Survey.

In the case of Sprint, for example, 33 percent of solution providers expressed satisfaction with the carrier's channel programs, compared with 37 percent in December.

Moreover, the percentage of solution providers that are satisfied with service providers' programs, in general, are considerably below the figures for hardware and software vendors. Only AT&T and C&W have percentages that are comparable with those for hardware and software companies.

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In addition, the percentage of solution providers expressing dissatisfaction with service providers' channel programs is considerably higher than the figures for hardware and software companies; in some cases, even exceeding the percentages that are satisfied.

Given that service providers' channel programs are relatively new, it is not surprising that ratings lag behind other vendors. But the magnitude of the gap clearly demonstrates just how much work these providers have to get their programs up to speed.