Across The Telecom Spectrum: 6 Moves That Made Waves In The Channel In September

Turning Over A New Leaf

The telecom industry saw a flurry of activity in September between new executive appointments and channel leadership changes, brand-new offerings, and more merger rumblings.

Here are six newsworthy items that happened in the telecom industry last month that solution providers should know about.

Vonage Crowns New Channel Chief

Telecom service provider Vonage has named channel veteran Bob Crissman as its new senior vice president and channel chief.

Crissman, in his new role, will work with Vonage's master agent, sub agent, ISV, and VAR partners and help them fulfill their end customer's cloud communications needs, according to the Holmdel, N.J.-based provider.

Prior to his role with Vonage, Crissman was vice president of global channel sales and channel chief for Alfresco Software, where he built out a new partner program for the company. He also has held senior channel leadership positions at Microsoft and VMware.

Sprint, T-Mobile Merger Speculation Revived

Reports once again surfaced around a potential tie-up between the third and fourth largest wireless providers in the country, Sprint and T-Mobile.

While this speculation isn't new -- the two carriers have reportedly been in talks since April -- CNBC and Bloomberg in September reported that Sprint and T-Mobile were in "active talks" about an all-stock deal and that T-Mobile CEO John Legere is expected to lead the "likely" to be combined company.

T-Mobile Buys The Rest of Iowa Wireless From Midwest Solution Provider

T-Mobile had a busy September. The third largest wireless provider in the U.S. expanded its Midwest footprint by buying out the rest of Iowa Wireless from solution provider Aureon.

The purchase gives T-Mobile 103 retail stores and authorized dealers serving about 75,000 customers in Iowa, western Illinois and eastern Nebraska. The carrier said it will expand its LTE coverage in Iowa during 2017, and build out its 600 MHz coverage in this region.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

RapidScale Brings On New National Partner Director

Cloud service provider RapidScale has hired Tim Peterson as its national partner director.

Peterson is no stranger to the channel, with more than two decades of sales and management experience in the business communications industry under his belt. Peterson most recently served as national channel manager for cloud service provider Navisite.

Peterson, in his new role with Irvine, Calif.-based RapidScale, will primarily be responsible for managing its relationship with master agent Avant and its partner community.

Cloud Provider OnRamp Unveils New Virtual Private Cloud Offering

Hybrid cloud hosting provider OnRamp Access, LLC has formally launched its Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRRUST)–certified Virtual Private Cloud offering that is built on OpenStack technology that CRN first reported on in August.

The latest on-demand cloud offering can help organizations control costs, remain agile, and improve their compliance posture, according to the Austin, Texas-based provider.

Alongside the product launch, OnRamp achieved its HITRUST certification which lets the provider deliver HITRUST-certified services.

TPx Communications Adds Two Channel Veterans To Support Central Region

Telecommunications service provider TPx Communications, formally known as TelePacific, has brought on Michael Masini as channel director for the central region and Keith Tomlin as regional channel manager, Chicago.

Prior to his role with TPx, Masini held senior channel management positions at Nitel, Impact Telecom, Cbeyond and Windstream. Tomlin, who reports to Masini, has held channel management positions with the likes of Nextiva, Windstream, and XO Communications.