TDS Telecom (NYSE: TDS) on Tuesday added South Carolina as the 17th state where it offers its managedIP hosted VoIP services--one of its fastest growing business products.
Now available to businesses in North, Norway and Williston, S.C., managedIP allows customers to integrate their voice and data connections onto one common solution.
Not to be confused with an over-the-top (OTT) VoIP offering like Skype or Vonage, TDS' managedIP Hosted product leverages its own private network to ensure that its customer traffic is not compromised by the unpredictability of the public Internet.
One of its main selling points is that, unlike a traditional on-premise PBX voice system, managedIP does not require a business to pay any upfront installation costs or upgrades, as those functions are handled by TDS.
Among the other features the product includes are a single phone number that can ring on multiple phones (i.e., office, wireless and home) and a way to conduct moves, adds and changes.
TDS Telecom has plans this year to expand its business customer base by expanding its managedIP portfolio and extending its hosted and managed services (HMS) to mid-market customers.
Like its fellow ILECs, particularly CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) and Windstream (Nasdaq: WIN), TDS has been enhancing its business services portfolio through targeted acquisitions, including ReliaCloud and Visi, both of which operate as components of its larger HMS portfolio.
managedIP has been a consistent revenue performer for TDS Telecom. In Q4 2012, managedIP stations (both CLEC and ILEC) rose 77 percent, or 41,000, to end the quarter with a total of 94,600 stations.
When it completes is pending acquisition of cable operator Baja Broadband for $267.5 million, TDS will have another outlet to deliver and grow its managedIP services over the cable operator's existing network to a host of growing small to medium businesses (SMBs) that have been typically underserved.
Having a strong set of business services is crucial for traditional wireline operators to grow revenue, as their long-standing cash cow--residential, and even business voice service revenues--continues to decline.
For more:
- see the release
Special report: The 10 hottest wireline technologies in 2013
Earnings roundup: Wireline telecom earnings in the fourth quarter of 2012
Related articles:
TDS turns on Microsoft Mediaroom for its fledgling IPTV service
UPDATED: TDS Telecom's wireline bundle efforts drive up revenues 5%
TDS Telecom sees Q2 gains in managedIP, triple play service adoption
TDS asks for bids for its NH broadband stimulus projects