In search of the right VoIP business model

Once upon a time, many businesses bought telecom gear through someone called an interconnect, a contractor who sold PBXes and key systems and sometimes resold bulk telecom services. Other businesses liked getting all their service from The Phone Company--Centrex service. Those models still exist in the VoIP world, to an extent; interconnects became VARs ("value-added resellers") and Centrex became "hosted services." But too many SMBs who have taken the VoIP plunge are still stuck on consumer-level services, which is why we're seeing things like Endeavor Telecom acting as a Vonage interconnect, and Whaleback Systems with a business model that looks an awful lot like leasing key systems from an interconnect. If you're a carrier, you've got to wonder: Do you want to encourage interconnects to resell commodity minutes, or do you want to be the one to add value? And, if the latter, do you truly have the structure to do that?

For more information about Endeavor Telecom:
- see this press release

For more information about Whaleback Systems:
- see this press release