Across The Telecom Spectrum: 6 Moves That Made Waves In The Channel

Growing The Network

Telecommunications service providers big and small broadened their horizons in February by expanding the reach of their networks into new geographies. Service providers also were busy building out their product portfolios with next-gen networking and more managed services offerings.

Here are six newsworthy items that happened in the telecom industry last month that solution providers should know.

Comcast Expands Ethernet Footprint

Cable giant Comcast expanded Comcast Business Ethernet Services in the Kansas City area, specifically in eastern Kansas City, Mo., and suburban Kansas areas, including Olathe. Businesses in these areas also have access to hosted phone applications from Comcast through SIP trunking services.

In the same month, the Philadelphia-based carrier also revealed plans to invest $25 million to expand fiber-based Ethernet services throughout areas of Boston -- including the financial district -- and Cambridge, Mass.

CenturyLink Consolidates Ethernet Services

In an effort to simplify its portfolio, telecom provider CenturyLink said it would be consolidating its Ethernet offerings into one common product that can be delivered across all 35 of its service markets in the U.S.

The Monroe, La.- based provider said during its fourth-quarter 2016 earnings call that it plans to reduce its three current Ethernet offerings that run on multiple platforms to a single offering using Carrier Ethernet 2.0-compliant Ethernet technology.

CenturyLink also hired Jason Seibel as vice president of operations integration in February. Seibel will oversee the carrier's federal solutions teams responsible for product design, government services and network operations, according to the company.

Level 3 Expands Ethernet Service To Asia-Pacific

Telecommunications provider Level 3 is expanding its Ethernet service, Metro 2.0, to the Asia-Pacific region, opening six access points in the area, the Broomfield, Colo.-based company said. The new points of contact that business customers can use will be located in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.

Business customers in the Asia-Pacific area will have access to VPN, managed services, unified communications, content delivery networks and security solutions, in addition to Ethernet services.

CenturyLink's acquisition of Level 3 is expected to close in third-quarter 2017.

Intelisys Hires Cloud Evangelist, Channel Manager

Master agent Intelisys has brought on Brandon Knight as cloud evangelist. In the new role, Knight will connect with sales partners and play a large role in the development of Intelisys' Cloud Services University. Knight is reporting to Andrew Pryfogle, senior vice president of cloud transformation.

The Petaluma, Calif.-based master agent, which is now owned by IT distributor ScanSource, also hired Justin Noller as channel manager for its Northeast region in February. Noller will support partners in New York and New Jersey and is reporting to Justin Marano, director of partner sales for the Northeast region.

Dimension Data Unveils Managed Services For Microsoft Cloud Products

Dimension Data launched a set of cloud-based managed services for Microsoft products. The new managed cloud services support Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, Skype for Business and Office 365, for business customers, regardless of whether they are deployed in the public cloud, private cloud, on-premise or as a hybrid model, the company said. The Managed Cloud Services for Microsoft, can be combined with Dimension Data's planning and deployment services, and can meet customers' specific security and compliance requirements.

MegaPath Partners With VeloCloud, Expands SD-WAN Portfolio

Telecom service provider MegaPath has partnered with SD-WAN provider VeloCloud to expand its SD-WAN portfolio for small to midsize businesses and enterprise customers.

According to Pleasanton, Calif.-based MegaPath, the company's new SD-WAN offerings, SD-WAN Pro and SD-WAN Enterprise, give businesses the flexibility to meet their business need, size and budget.

Several carriers also have partnered with VeloCloud for their SD-WAN offerings, including AT&T, Sprint and EarthLink, now a part of Windstream.