Nortel Builds VoIP Bundles for Newbies

Nortel Networks this week revamped its popular IPT 1-2-3 program to add product bundles aimed at bringing new customers into the VoIP fold.

The IPT 1-2-3 program, which first launched last June, initially focused on helping North American channel partners roll out pre-configured voice and data product packages to existing Nortel customers who had not yet migrated to IP telephony. Now Nortel is extending the program with nine new packages ranging from 100 to approximately 700 lines that were built for new customers, said Pat Patterson, director of North American IP telephony marketing at Nortel, Toronto.

"The majority of the enterprises out there have played around with IP telephony but have not fully rolled it out," Patterson said. That means there are plenty of opportunities for channel partners to bring Nortel VoIP solutions to new customers, he said.

By expanding the program to focus on new business, Nortel is also opening it up to newer partners that don't have a broad base of legacy Nortel customers to target for VoIP upgrades, Patterson said.

The packages are based on Nortel's Communication Server (CS) 1000 and include the hardware, software and phones required to deploy a full-featured VoIP system. Nortel also tapped into its partnership with Microsoft as it built the bundles by including a "starter kit" that enables easy rollout of unified communications services for customers using Microsoft's Live Communication Server, Patterson said.

The product bundles are priced to provide cost savings of up to 30 percent over buying the products individually.

For channel partners, Nortel has rolled out new configuration tools and a simplified ordering process.

"It takes less than two minutes to go into the system and say, 'I want this package with these phones,' " Patterson said.

The vendor is also offering training to educate partners on how to target the packages at new customers.

Approximately 100 Nortel partners are certified to sell the CS 1000 product line.

Nortel Networks this week revamped its popular IPT 1-2-3 program to add product bundles aimed at bringing new customers into the VoIP fold.

The IPT 1-2-3 program, which first launched last June, initially focused on helping North American channel partners roll out pre-configured voice and data product packages to existing Nortel customers who had not yet migrated to IP telephony. Now Nortel is extending the program with nine new packages ranging from 100 to approximately 700 lines that were built for new customers, said Pat Patterson, director of North American IP telephony marketing at Nortel, Toronto.

"The majority of the enterprises out there have played around with IP telephony but have not fully rolled it out," Patterson said. That means there are plenty of opportunities for channel partners to bring Nortel VoIP solutions to new customers, he said.

By expanding the program to focus on new business, Nortel is also opening it up to newer partners that don't have a broad base of legacy Nortel customers to target for VoIP upgrades, Patterson said.

The packages are based on Nortel's Communication Server (CS) 1000 and include the hardware, software and phones required to deploy a full-featured VoIP system. Nortel also tapped into its partnership with Microsoft as it built the bundles by including a "starter kit" that enables easy rollout of unified communications services for customers using Microsoft's Live Communication Server, Patterson said.

The product bundles are priced to provide cost savings of up to 30 percent over buying the products individually.

For channel partners, Nortel has rolled out new configuration tools and a simplified ordering process.

"It takes less than two minutes to go into the system and say, 'I want this package with these phones,' " Patterson said.

The vendor is also offering training to educate partners on how to target the packages at new customers.

Approximately 100 Nortel partners are certified to sell the CS 1000 product line.

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