Within an hour of its availability, partners were placing orders for the first ADSL2+ broadband connections available on Wholesale Broadband Connect (WBC). Entanet’s Marketing Manager, Darren Farnden, commented: “We expected the launch day to be very much an awareness raising event among partners, with our sales teams and marketing communications promoting the availability of Entanet 2Plus broadband. However, we were delighted to see orders coming through immediately, with customers modifying their existing ADSL connection to ADSL2+. What’s more, some of these customers were even live on ADSL2+ within a couple of hours.” (Modify orders are expected to typically complete in approximately 24 hours).
Launch day for Entanet’s new resale 2Plus broadband and wholesale Entanet Wholesale Carrier Services (EWCS) broadband services was a special one at its Shropshire headquarters, with all teams involved. “We wanted to involve every member of staff in launching these new services,” said Farnden. “On the day everyone shared in the official launch ceremony, wore branded clothing and had team photographs taken. Armed with information, they were able to promote the new services at every opportunity. Feedback was extremely positive, with partners eager to promote 2Plus broadband to their customers straight away.”
Entanet’s new 2Plus broadband portfolio gives resellers the ability to market 8 ADSL2+ broadband packages and 7 additional bandwidth top-up options. The monthly allowance packages range from 3GB up to 250GB per month*, while the bandwidth top-ups range from 10GB to 1TB (1000GB). These top-ups are only used once the monthly allowance is reached and, importantly, last until they are used up*. Meanwhile its managed EWCS broadband product gives wholesale partners the opportunity to deliver the features and benefits of ADSL2+ to their customers entirely under their own brand without having to invest significantly in WBC.
Entanet is the first communications provider (CP) to launch ADSL2+ broadband based on Wholesale Broadband Connect. To do so has required significant investment in extending its existing UK network to the 20 nodes that form BT’s 21C network; creating an entirely unique product portfolio; and developing its ordering and provisioning systems. “Taking WBC is a significant part of our strategy,” says Farnden “and puts us in an enviable position to launch both resale and wholesale ADSL2+ broadband to the market well ahead of CPs who are looking to offer services based on BT’s more restricted managed WBC platform.” Those relying on Wholesale Broadband Managed Connect (WBMC) are likely to have to wait until 2009 for the full service to be available.