INDUSTRY NEWS COMMENT: BUREAUCRACY BLUES Elsa Chen
ON 1ST APRIL new guidelines from the ASA/CAP came into force which govern the way broadband speeds and unlimited packages are advertised by providers. Broadband speeds can no longer be advertised based on the theoretical maximum the technology can support (eg, up to 40Mbps FTTC). Instead the headline speed must be calculated on the actual speed achieved by at least 10 per cent
of the providers’ customer base. The new guidelines are supposed to have been implemented to minimise confusion for end users who allegedly don’t understand the difference between theoretical and achievable maximum speeds. However, we believe the new guidelines are actually causing more confusion because comparable services that use the same technology but from different suppliers now appear to be completely different services. Additionally, the headline speed advertised is still only achieved by 10 per cent of the providers’ customer base, which means the end user’s speed expectations are still likely to differ considerably from the achievable speed. We think the ASA conceived these guidelines with the larger end user focused players in mind without considering the impact on the resale and wholesale channel. While these larger players have customer bases into the millions, many resellers have a few hundred connections at most which then makes their 10 per cent speed performance calculation look significantly poorer in comparison, especially if their customer base covers predominantly low speed areas and ‘not-spots’. We are compiling a body of evidence to present to the ASA/CAP about the impact of the new advertising guidelines within the channel. If you wish to share your views please contact us at
marketing@enta.net.
Elsa Chen, General Manager, Entanet International
Cloud opens for test drive
EASYNET has rolled out a solu- tion for businesses that want to dabble in the cloud before tak- ing the plunge. Called Virtual Private Server
and built on vSphere technol- ogy from VMware, the solution is aimed at firms wanting to provision extra IT capacity for seasonal business fluctuations, for a specific campaign or a cer- tain project in the cloud, or for those concerned about security implications of servers on-site. The full service offering is
wholly managed by Easynet and can be integrated with its MPLS networking service. Justin Fielder, CTO, Easynet Global Services, said: “After talking to 800 CIOs and IT directors across Europe about
Justin Fielder
the switch to cloud computing we realised that the vast major- ity were concerned about secu- rity, 37% were worried about uptime and 42% said their exec- utive boards did not fully grasp the cloud’s potential. “Easynet’s Virtual Private
Server lets these companies dip their toes in the water so they can experience the benefits of cloud for themselves.”
Sennheiser incentives
SENNHEISER Communica- tions has launched a series of incentives that include offers of free headsets as well as other accessories such as handset lifters and cabling when pur- chasing multiple headsets. The incentives run until 30th June. Included in the promo are multi-buy savings on Senn- heiser’s SH 230 and SC 230
headsets, plus its DW wireless headphone series which offers integration with UC telephony solutions such as Microsoft Lync 2010, IBM Sametime and Cisco Communicator.
Christian Bauers, Head of
Telecoms Sales and Marketing, said: “These incentives help our resellers increase their margins or pass on these savings.”
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SHORT CALLS
Aastra Technologies’ European subsidiary has acquired Comdasys. Based in Munich, Germany, Comdasys offers FMC solutions that enable smartphones to become full- featured PBX extensions with UC capabilities, allowing enterprises to leverage their existing infrastructure to implement mobile solutions.
Wick Hill is now shipping OpenText’s solution for managing the exchange of large files inside and outside enterprises. OpenText Managed File Transfer (MFT) integrates with Microsoft Outlook, helps reduce file attachment size and provides a platform for the secure and auditable exchange of rich digital content.
Westcon Group’s Comstor business unit scooped multiple Distributor of the Year honors at Cisco’s Partner Summit 2012. The company was honored for excellence six times across multiple geographies. Edison Peres, Senior VP, Worldwide Channels at Cisco, said: “The awards recognise Comstor’s outstanding achievement as a Cisco channel partner.”
10 COMMS DEALER MAY 2012
www.comms-dealer.com
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