The ISP Q&A Series: Primus Telecom

The ISP Q&A Series is a look at the opportunities Australian ISPs have for resellers. It also profiles their views on some of the more contentious issues affecting the industry. In the second part of this ARN series, Primus Telecom marketing and products manager, Andrew Sims, answers questions on plans for resellers, the NBN and Internet filtering.

1. What is your company's background?

Primus Telecom introduced real competition into the Australia communications market in 1997 when it was granted the first telecommunications licence after operating as a reseller since 1994. Since then we have been at the forefront of driving the cost of communicating down for Australian businesses and consumers.

Since then, Primus has grown into one of Australia’s largest communications providers for businesses and consumers offering great value data, broadband, phone and mobile services.

During this time, Primus has constructed one of the largest voice and data networks in Australia, which ensures we do not rely on reselling other companies products and services.

2. Please explain the opportunities you have for resellers.

Being a facilities-based carrier with our own extensive infrastructure, Primus has a selection of products that our partners use to bring together total communications solutions for businesses, including data, voice, mobile, datacentre and managed services products.

In the near future, resellers and channels can expect to gain access to new products from Primus such as hosted PBX VoIP solutions, SIP trunking and IP video conferencing.

3. What additional opportunities do you see for resellers who want to use your products?

We see our partners using multiple products to deliver a complete solution to the customer, bringing the best of Primus’ product set, along with innovative hardware and industry knowledge to make the solution work harder for the individual customer. We would expect partners to leverage their experience and our infrastructure to create customer applications.

4. What are some of the challenges they should be aware of?

Primarily, resellers should be aware of customer needs and understand that it is not a ‘one product fits all’ environment. Each customer faces different challenges and barriers within business and it is our partner’s job, in conjunction with Primus to help remove those barriers for customers. It is very important to create customised solutions.

5. What is your prediction for the ISP market in the next 12 months - do you forecast any big changes?

The global financial crisis has pushed customers to think about lowering their communications costs while maintaining a high standard of quality with their service. We see this trend continuing for a little while yet and it is pushing companies to think about how they can achieve more with new technology. This will drive companies like Primus and its partners to continue developing total business solutions that push the boundaries of business and give our customers the edge.

6. What is your stance on ISP content filtering?

Ultimately, it should be up to customers to decide. Some customers will find the ISP content filtering a useful service, while others might not. The challenge, if the government does decide to go down the path of an opt-in service is to ensure customers find it as simple as possible to gain access to.

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