Hardware distributor, IPL Communications, has struck an agreement with communication reseller, TSA Communication Solutions, as part of its push to secure a select band of national, VoIP-savvy partners.

Brisbane-based TSA will take on Avaya equipment from IPL, ending 13 years of being exclusively focused on NEC.

"We're not a 'big bang' company. We're taking on a new product set for the first time and will concentrate on that," CEO, David Asnicar, said. "We want to be very careful about who we hook into our product set."

He said the integrator had started down the VoIP path about five years ago.

Asnicar claimed it was handy to have a second vendor on its books. NEC and Avaya gear would duke it out in most TSA deployments, with the winner selected on a case-by-case basis.

"We've really seen VoIP hotting up in the past three years," he said. "Nine out of 10 businesses we deal with are going IP."

IPL director, Dean Joscelyne, said TSA represented the kind of mid-tier reseller the distributor continued to look for in selected markets.

"In the mid-tier, we've got Sydney and Melbourne covered pretty well. TSA adds to our Brisbane coverage," he said. "We're still looking at other capital cities, like Perth, for our next mid-tier reseller."

Joscelyne said the distributor was also searching for small business resellers in regional markets.