BellSouth and the Evolving ISP Industry
Though the Internet has existed since the late 60’s in one form or another, it has only flourished as the hottest new form of communications in the past six years. This fledgling industry is not only the fastest growing telecommunications market in history, but also has spawned entire technologies and redefined the way companies operate. The days of a government and scholastic network have given way to a commercial information highway that spans the globe.
The Internet Service Providers are very aware of the fast pace of the Internet. They are being driven to serve faster, serve more and serve smarter. This means not only providing access through network build-out, but also outsourcing where it makes business sense to do so. BellSouth is positioned to provide the latest access technologies that can help the ISPs maximize their customer reach and speed, while minimizing the capital costs and expenses.
The Contribution and Benefits of doing Business with BellSouthThe North American ISP markets are undergoing rapid change from simple narrow-band Internet access to a broadband-centric, integrated full service provider market. They look to BellSouth to assist them to make this transition in the most profitable manner. BellSouth does so, by focusing our efforts on enabling the ISPs to:
- Increase reach to their customers
- Compete in their ever-changing markets
- Drive operations and cost efficiencies with a reliable network infrastructure
Increasing
Speed and Reach for ISP customers
Both business and consumer Internet customers are demanding
greater speed from their ISP. Business customers are running
many mission-critical applications over the Internet and their
data networks. Many of the business end-users (employees) are
teleworking, not only requiring more speed, but also requiring
access be provided over geographically dispersed areas.
Consumers are also demanding fast and secure access for
applications such as e-purchasing and electronic bill payment.
These users are also located in various areas from large metropolitan
areas to rural America. This demand for speed and reach, forces
the Internet Service Provider to meet their customer demands or
potentially lose them to the competition.
Giving
ISPs the competitive edge
Predictions suggest ISPs will be focussing on higher margins and
profitability in the upcoming year. To achieve such profits they
will need to do more than just meet customer expectations for more
speed and greater reach. They will need to deliver value-add
services and premium customer service.
BellSouth empowers ISPs to offer these “next generation solutions” by providing reliable network access and management, backed by service level agreements.
Driving
operations and cost efficiencies with reliable network
infrastructure solutions
As ISPs position themselves to supply the speed, reach and
value-add services their customers' demands, they must do so
with their bottom lines in mind. BellSouth provides the ISPs
with a highly reliable network that they can bundle with their
own value-add services and sell to their customers. As mentioned
above, BellSouth also has developed services to enable ISPs to
gain operational and cost efficiencies.
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ISPs are being driven by the need to serve more, serve faster, serve smarter and ultimately grow profits. They turn to BellSouth as a leading regional provider of solutions as they serve their customers and run their day-to-day operations. By clicking on the product links below you can explore a summary of the products and their ISP applications.
Increasing
reach to serve a geographically dispersed customer base
As ISPs strive to reach more customers they look to BellSouth to
help them increase their market presence and coverage. Products, such
as those listed below help them accomplish this.
Primary Rate ISDN
Extended Reach PRI
Remote Access Services
Offer
speed to meet customer demand
In addition to the need to increase their market reach, ISPs'
customers are demanding faster, secure and reliable services
to help them run everything from critical business operations
to various levels of E-Commerce transactions. Providing the
speed is more than just a customer demand. It is also a critical
success factor in the competitive ISP market. Some of the
products that enable ISPs to offer speed include:
ADSL
ATM
Frame Relay
Building
Cost effective and efficient networks
In order to reach the ultimate goal of profitability, ISPs
must not only deliver speed and more reach; they must also
drive operational efficiencies and cost effectiveness into
their business models. Leading marketing analyst have
identified trends such as outsourcing as examples of ISPs
efforts to find cost effective means for serving their customers
without incurring large capital outlays. In addition, ISPs are
looking for effective ways to build out network infrastructure
when deemed necessary. As the ISPs migrate their business models
to reach long-term profitability, they are finding several
BellSouth services helpful. One such service is
Managed
Router Service
Superior
Customer Service
BellSouth's Data Customer Support Center serves as a strategic
resource for supporting every aspect of its data services operations
across the nine-state region. Supported functions include:
applications-level support; billing inquiry/dispute resolution;
customer billing; end-to-end testing; help desk operations;
maintenance/repair; monitoring; project management for new service
installs/upgrades; quality assurance validation; root cause analysis
for service improvements; and service inquiries, requests and orders.
By offering both large- and small-scale Internet solutions, BellSouth remains prepared to expand your service offerings as your needs evolve. As the ISP market continues to expand, it will become more difficult for ISPs to own and maintain their own network components and interconnecting POPs (Points of Presence).
Why not let the experts at BellSouth take care of the hassles while you concentrate on providing quality Internet services to your customers?
