MSPs Large and Small Selling Carrier Services

While many in the carrier services industry acknowledge that managed service provider ("MSP") firms would make fine carrier service partners or agents, the concern is that MSPs (like interconnects and phone systems dealers) will not aggressively sell carrier services.

While MSPs may not lead with carrier services, my own recent observations suggest that MSPs are selling carrier services aggressively enough to make them an important partner segment and a possible serious threat to classic carrier services agents that do not offer MSP services.



Sample MSPs Selling Carrier Services

As evidence that MSPs are already an important carrier services partner channel I offer the following examples:

CentrexIT

This is the San Diego based MSP that I cited in my previous post that my friend Clive works at. When I interviewed the owner of this MSP over the phone last month he was very serious about maximizing his carrier services revenue. He see carrier services residuals as a primary source of revenue - not "it's great if I get it but I'm not chasing it" afterthought revenue. When looking at CentrexIT's website you quickly assume that phone systems and services are 50% of this MSP's business.

Redshift Technologies

I met this guy at the Advoda "Agent Day" event last month. He has a smaller shop than CentrexIT's appears to be and did not suggest that his shop was "half phones" but he did say that he picks up voice and data from all new customers. He said he had not yet made the effort to go back and sell phone services to his embedded base but that was on his list of things to do in 2010.

Quest

I discovered this company while walking through the Sacramento airport after Intelisys' Napa event last month. Watch the short video below that I shot of Quest's airport display ad hanging on the wall by the main escalator. You can see why it caught my eye.

Quest's display ad in Sacramento airport October 2009

When I first checked out their website I figured they were too big to care about carrier services until I found their carrier services webpage.


Major Carriers in Pursuit of MSP Channel

I collected the following video from Craig Schlagbaum of Level 3 at the Intelisys event after discussing whether MSPs were a worthy carrier services channel. Click the video to see what he had to say.

Craig Schlagbaum of Level 3 on Managed Services

Craig has indicated that he'll be at the MSP World show in Las Vegas Nov. 12-13, 2009.


Register and Go to the MSP Show in Las Vegas Nov. 12-13, 2009

Click here to register for the show. TA will have a booth there. We'd love to see you there. Use code "TA09" when you register. It won't save you any money but it will give TA a media sponsorship at the show which will encourage the MSP attendees to take a closer look at Telecom Association.