BUSINESS INTERVIEW
www.comms-dealer.com
186k’s QoS enablement
EXCLUSIVE
Without a high speed, high quality broadband
connection business users are unable to function,
according to Dominic Marrocco, CEO of Leeds-
based 186k Group, who believes he has found
the key to maximum efficiency and economy.
he advent of BT’s 21CN deployment of hybrid PSTN/VoIP
T
means that for the first solutions that deliver savings and
time tangible upgrade functionality advantages. These
paths are possible, says include fax-to-email and follow-
Marrocco: “Working in partnership me call routing. Marrocco added:
with BT we have fully migrated “The essence of our proposition
our central infrastructure over to is that we offer a comprehensive
Wholesale Broadband Managed broadband wholesale network
Connect (WMBC) and IP Connect. including QoS, white label or
Many of our competitors still capacity based. Resellers can
appear to be struggling with manage both customers’ usage
migration which leads, of and quality of service by prioritising
course, to end-user hardship.” traffic types such as VoIP, web or
streaming. August saw us begin
He is particularly focused on trials with larger resellers of Fibre
the group’s work with resellers to the Cabinet (FTTC), otherwise
in deploying its innovative QoS known as VDSL technology. This
enablement. “This facilitates full currently permits a download
Dominic Marrocco
unrestricted access to end user throughput of up to 40 Mb and
profiles to ensure compliance with an upload of up to 5Mb. We range of telephony services based saying: “We completed the initial
fair usage policies without any also use the new ADSL 2+ service on BT Network interconnections phase with substantial funding
unpleasant surprises when usage with up to 24Mb download and mean that we offer customers a from HboS. We must have done
statistics are produced. The process up to 1Mb upload speeds.” single source solution for all their something right because we
uses Deep Packet inspection Internet and telephony needs. We repaid original bank funding three
with non-blocking intelligence to Marrocco stresses that colocation white label a virtual office and call years ahead of schedule. As often
manage different types of data. and other hosted solutions are manager service, including VoIP, happens, integrating acquisitions
This is not unusual in itself, but integral to 186k’s vision. Its Leeds and an advanced billing platform created a few problems but
what perhaps is unique is that location avoids space and cost supports our offering to the full.” with a great deal of hard work
our resellers can push end users issues that would be present in processes are working efficiently
into a semi Walled Garden state London and it is able to mitigate 186k’s origins go back to the to the standards we set.
to notify them of proximity to a the need for traffic across the merger of National Grid and
specified data limit. They can then Internet to connect to a remote Lattice in which the Lattice “In 2007 we acquired Netservices’
buy additional capacity to avoid VoIP, PBX or hosted website network capacity was relinquished. reseller base. In this case we
service disruption and additional at significant expense. “We’re Marrocco’s involvement saw had to transform a culture that
unplanned cost. Take up of the not alone. A growing number 186k launched in 2005, and he was complacent on billing. I’m
technology, which is exclusive of operators are finding major developed its corporate strategy satisfied that in the last 18 months,
to 186k has been enthusiastic, advantages with an out-of-London just as the broadband revolution in which we have rebuilt our
and we believe that it will be location. The hosting of domain was transforming the industry. network and billing platform, we
applied by 100 per cent of our names, websites, email and data He has consistently followed a are now delivering accurate billing
base by the end of the year.” back up, combined with the full strategic acquisition programme, information matched with Radius
and BT data. Our base has grown
Through its subsidiary InVade, 186k
O
by over 20 per cent in the last three
ur base has grown by
provides cutting edge telephony months and we are in final talks to
solutions worldwide. It recently acquire a large service provider. I over 20 per cent in three
began a VoIP rollout with Switch expect to announce completion
Call to provide non-geographic
months, and we are in final talks to
shortly and this will mean 100 per
numbers over a fully web-enabled cent annualised growth in the first
acquire a large service provider
IVR platform that allows the quarter of our next fiscal.”
n
Wholesale solutions designed for you...
Call: 0800 021 4432
email: wholesale@chesstelecom.com
36 COMMS DEALER OCTOBER 2009 www.comms-dealer.com
36 186.indd 1 30/9/09 15:59:09
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