Level3 Communications (LVLT) has put their foot forward, joining other VoIP pioneers like Jeff Pulver of Free World DialUp in asking the FCC for decisions on the whole idea of Access and Termination charges related to VoIP and PSTN calls.
In making the request to the FCC, Level3 has basically said–we’re getting ready to play big time in this space and before we unleash what we have been building towards over the past five or so years, we want to know what it is going to cost, so we can price the product lines accordingly.
Level3 has an investment war chest of dollars, plus loads of intellectual property. Over the past few years they have built their own applications and software to create a softswitch architecture. They also have one of the largest banks of modems deployed nationwide, and tons of fiber, both that is lit and dark. While some technology professionals can quibble about their network, their product’s QoS and issues, their sheer might in sales, marketing and visibility makes them a viable threat to SBC, AT&T and Verizon in this space.
As an underlying carrier, they already handle millions of VoIP minutes. Now, that they have the market is ready Level3 can actually began going after enterprise telephony, calling on the customers they already have as customers for their data business. What’s more, their relationships with ISP’s means they can turn them into resellers of VoIP products and services, and market with them to the Small and Medium size customers also.
The last mile was the issue with broadband. With sales it’s the last few feet. Level3 with their well honed sales force, loads of capacity, services and a customer base means they are poised to get into the game in a big way.
Stay Connected,
Andy Abramson