In the first of several steps set to shake up the telecoms industry, Opal has made TalkTalk Business bundles available to its indirect channel partners. For the first time, B2B channel partners will be able to offer their customers unlimited minutes and free broadband bundles at a price competitive with network operators.
Customers will benefit from a line, calls and free broadband package delivered over Opal’s Next Generation Network (NGN) costing just £24.99 a month. The package is designed to fit customer’s needs, with the ability to select unlimited peak, unlimited off peak or 150 mobile minutes.
Reinforcing its commitment to the channel, Opal has also announced that it is offering partners upfront commissions of £100 for every new customer connected to a TalkTalk Business package.
Among the first partners to sign up to the new product offerings is Bob Sweetlove, business manager of Hugh Symons Communications, one of the largest mobile distributors in the UK.
He said: “At present we are only able to sell mobile airtime and hardware so the ability to offer a landline proposition will provide us with incremental sales and allow us to attract additional resellers to our broader product range. Offering upfront commission will allow us to speak the same language as the mobile dealers as it is a business model they are familiar with. This offering will make it easier, and more attractive, for them to add landline to their services.
“This is a bold innovation from Opal, I’m not aware of a competing product wrapped in this way. It is a big step along the road to a truly converged reseller channel.”
The innovative new propositions are made possible thanks to the economy and flexibility of Opal's fully unbundled NGN, the largest in the UK. In addition to value and new opportunities for increasing margin, channel partners have the peace of mind knowing they are backed up by the Group’s £200 million investment in a cutting edge, resilient IP network.
Opal’s director of wholesale channels, Nathan Stenson, said: “Our well supported NGN provides us with an excellent opportunity to bring together converging technologies and we can be intelligent in the way we price them for the benefit of the market. These latest offers are truly innovative within the marketplace and we expect channel partners to feel immediate benefits.”