What's Inside

1. Thanks to You, Our AireSpring Channel Partners
2. Runaway M&A -- Squeezing the Channel in 2017
3. AireSpring Receives 2017 Unified Communications Excellence Award
4. NEW! eSign Capabilities Added to Popular QuoteSpring Tool
5. January Promo
6. Partner Training Webinar
7. Visit AireSpring at These Events

Thanks to You, Our AireSpring Channel Partners

As we reflect back on 2017, we have much to be grateful for, and you, our Channel Partners, top the list. We feel fortunate to have the support of each one of you and we firmly believe that your success is our success. The past year has seen tremendous growth for AireSpring-growing partnerships, growing staff and growing sales.

As a result, we are celebrating our year-end success in a beautiful, new and expanded headquarters building, with more room to grow as we continue adding new members to our dedicated team of telecom professionals.

The AireSpring lineup of advanced products and services has grown as well, with the release of an enhanced Platinum SD-WAN package powered by VeloCloud, the addition of a new Cloud Hosted Key System, enhanced AirePBX and AireCare solutions, multiple new top-tier carriers and updates to popular tools like our online real-time quoting platform, QuoteSpring. Throughout the year we strive to serve your needs as we continue to bring award-winning, nationwide communications solutions to your customers. Thanks to you, our Awesome AireSpring Channel Partners! We look forward to growing together with you in 2018.


Runaway M&A -- Squeezing the Channel in 2017

Recent large-scale mergers and acquisitions are so numerous and dramatic that 2017 could well be called "The Year of the Greatest Telecom Mergers and Acquisitions in History." This year's changes in the telecommunications industry represent a level of transformation not seen since the 1980s. In fact, if you are not concerned about your channel business, perhaps you should be. History has shown us that the merger of large telecom companies does not usually work out well for the channel.

Every merger and each acquisition brings greater rewards and more control for the larger-than-ever companies. At the same time, the channel gets squeezed, as the mega-carriers enjoy economies of scale, reduce operating expenses and redundancy, expand their direct sales initiatives, increase their stock price and squeeze margins-your margins. The whole process directly impacts the lives and livelihoods of those further down the food chain and in the channel.

How have all the changes affected your business and what can you anticipate in 2018 dealing with old and new partners as we enter the year after The Year of the Greatest Telecom Mergers and Acquisitions in History? Here, we have tried to provide some insights that may help you map out your plans for success in 2018.
How to Preserve Your Channel Business
Step one is to be aware-know what has changed in relation to your business, so you will be better equipped to build your defenses. 
  • Customers subject to the limitations and extreme automation of mega-carriers need a buffer, a connector who will maintain a personal relationship. The channel agent or partner is that connector. The best agents will recognize opportunities in the built-in weaknesses of an oversized conglomerate.
  • Working with AireSpring, a nationwide network operator and managed services provider that offers White Glove customer service, channel partners can bridge the gap between customer and giant telecom provider.
  • Offer your clients options. AireSpring offers access to a wide range of carriers, a broad line of products and services, expert technical advice, pre-sale customized engineering and design and superior competitive pricing options. We work to suit our partner's and the customer's needs. We make it easy to compete with a direct sales force that would push through a predetermined overpriced package, that they would bundle with unnecessary products and services.
  • Particularly if you are a mid-market enterprise, responsive, personalized customer care matters most and it is a scarce commodity in the post-merger  environment.

If you think your business won't be affected, guess again. Take a look back at some of the most significant acquisition events as you assess their impact on your channel business.

  • February 2017: Verizon finalizes acquisition of XO Communications, gaining XO's fiber-based Ethernet and IP network assets.
  • February 2017: Windstream merges with EarthLink for an expanded national fiber footprint. 
  • March 2017: Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. acquired Electric Lightwave (formerly Integra Telecom), adding their long-haul fiber route miles and dense metro fiber in many Western markets.
  • September 2017: Mitel completes acquisition of ShoreTel, for greater access to cloud communications solutions. 
  • September 2017: Spectrum is the marketed brand name for Charter Communications which acquired both Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable in 2016.
  • September -- October 2017: In September, GTT Communications, Inc. completes its acquisition of Global Capacity, adding their client base in application service provider, healthcare, retail and carrier markets. Then, in October , GTT announces its acquisition of Transbeam, to expand its client base and network footprint throughout the Northeast Corridor.
  • November 2017: Century Link and Level 3 complete their merger, expanding worldwide route miles and connecting additional fiber lit buildings. 
  • November 2017: Crown Castle International Corp. concludes its acquisition of LTS Group Holdings LLC ("Lightower"), adding route miles of fiber in major Northeastern metro markets. 

Deals Not Done (Yet)-

  • November 2017 -- a merger that didn't happen: Sprint & T-Mobile called it off.
  • December 2017 -- the Department of Justice is mounting a possible lawsuit to block the proposed merger of AT&T with Time Warner.

AireSpring's answer to the wave of mergers and acquisitions? We continue to build on our strength as a privately owned, 100% channel-focused, debt-free carrier, creating a One-Stop-Shopping ecosystem that provides partners and agents with White Glove Service, evergreen commissions, plus multiple connectivity options and real-time quotes in 60 seconds for any address in the USA.

Meanwhile, we at AireSpring are wrapping up a year of steady, consistent growth, thanks to the outsized efforts of our channel partners and our committed, professional staff. We have both benefited from and contributed to the economic health of a changing telecom industry, navigating its many changes throughout the year and looking forward to another year of growth with our valued Channel Partners.


AireSpring Receives 2017 Unified Communications Excellence Award

The prestigious 2017 Unified Communications Excellence Award has been presented to AireSpring by TMC and Internet Telephony magazine. The award recognizes companies that have developed exceptional unified communications hardware, software and services that are leading the way in this field.

AireSpring is proud to be recognized for our signature AirePBX Cloud Phone System, known for delivering professional Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) capabilities with enterprise class features while reducing communication costs for businesses of all sizes. According to Rich Tehrani, CEO of TMC, AireSpring is among the "...true innovators in the UC marketplace...delivering quality solutions that improve their customers' businesses."

AirePBX is a full-featured UCaaS, powered by AireSpring's single nationwide, managed IP Network. It leverages no fewer than 20 carriers and guarantees AireSpring's end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS). All the in-demand features users rely on are included, plus these special, unique features:

  • White Glove managed installation with on-site technician who will configure, install and test routers, switches and telephones on each desk.
  • Easily and transparently integrates with AireSpring's SD-WAN appliances for enhanced voice quality and sub-second failover, atop any combination of public/private circuits (internet broadband, fiber, LTE, T1/T3, MPLS).
  • Free advanced IP desk phones. 
  • AirePBX Call Center version now available, with features like monitor, whisper, barge, live wall board and ACD.

Today's AirePBX is engineered to fit three different settings. AirePBX Business offers a fully featured cloud phone system for a dynamic workforce. AirePBX Enterprise offers all the same advanced features plus a mobile app and a dedicated fax line option. AirePBX Call Center is a hosted PBX version that provides your cloud phone system with the capabilities of an inbound call center at a fraction of the price.

AireSpring COO Daniel Lonstein stated, "We are extremely proud to receive this award for AirePBX, a solution that has come to represent our professional commitment and dedication to serving the channel and the changing needs of businesses that demand reliable Unified Communications and next-generation communications solutions."


NEW! eSign Capabilities Added to Our Popular QuoteSpringTM Tool

AireSpring has added fully automated eSign capabilities within QuoteSpring, the popular real-time, online proposal creation and quoting tool. Relied on by AireSpring partners throughout the Channel, eSign allows users to automatically generate and distribute eSignable order forms, in addition to manual order forms, which have always been available. 

You and your clients can now take advantage of this new feature to easily sign and submit order forms and proposals, while at the same time retaining the familiar quoting process you are accustomed to using. The feature saves processing time and avoids the chance of issues resulting from poor handwriting, low quality scans, skipped pages, unapproved changes and other obstacles. The eSign function is easily accessed under the Quotes tab on the AireSpring agent portal, agentStar, where you can also download new rates and commissions.  

The new eSign function is just the latest advance in QuoteSpring 4.0, designed to trim down the sales cycle and simplify the entire quoting process. It retains the features that have made the platform so successful, including the ability to select a wide array of connectivity options, partnered with any of AireSpring's cloud communications solutions. QuoteSpring still provides sophisticated tools for generating massive multi-location quotes with the click of a button. It further integrates with AireSpring's vast database of lit buildings, ranging from numerous top-tier, fiber-competitive access providers and cable MSOs, as well as providing access to the company's powerful MPLS MESH network.

For more information about the new eSign feature, test drive it on QuoteSpring, send an email to sales@airespring.com or contact your AireSpring Channel Manager.


Follow Your Dreams to Amazing SPIFFS & Commissions in 2018!

Contact your AireSpring Channel Manager for more details.

It's 2018, time for a whole new you!

Why not Follow Your Dreams with AireSpring's January Promo? Start the new year right, earning some of the best evergreen commissions in the industry--just what you need to support your favorite hobby.   

Connect your customers to the benefits of AireSpring's Managed Connectivity, with one bill, one point of contact and FREE 24/7 network monitoring. They'll thank you for introducing them to AireSpring's Platinum SD-WAN solution and nationwide IP network that leverages over 20 carriers.

You could be dancing off with these SPIFFs above and beyond your commissions:

  • 6X MRC on Voice/Cloud Services
  • 1.5X MRC on Connectivity Services
  • 1X MRC on SD-WAN
  • $800 Cash Bonus on Long Distance Services

As always, you can count on our 5% Extra Bonus Residual Commission on AireSpring Network LD & SIP LD.


Learn about AireSpring's DAX Order Tracking and Status Reporting Program.

Many AireSpring Channel Partners are familiar with our real-time, online quoting tool, QuoteSpringTM, the major component of our innovative agentStar back office portal. However, agentStar also provides our partners with a sophisticated, 24x7, real-time order tracking and status program called DAX. DAX offers a wealth of information, including:

  • FOC dates
  • Circuit info tracking
  • Order status
  • Order notes
  • Contact information for AireSpring Project Coordinators (PC) and Implementation Engineers (IE)
  • Visibility of emails sent and received on each order

and much more!

AireSpring Channel Manager Chris Abbott will conduct an in-depth overview of what DAX can do for registered AireSpring Channel Partners, including a live demo of the system.

Join us Janury 25, 2018 to discover the wealth of information that is waiting for you in DAX. See how the program can give you the edge you need to offer excellent service to your clients and stand out from the crowd.

Start off 2018 fully prepared to win.

WHAT: DAX Order Tracking and Status Program
PRESENTER: Chris Abbott, Channel Manager
WHEN: Thurs., Jan. 25, 2018 | 1:00-1:45 PM PST

Complete our brief survey at the end for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card!


Visit AireSpring at These Events

ITEXPO
Co-located with the SD-WAN Expo
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
February 14 - 16, 2018

Get a FREE Expo Hall Pass Compliments of AireSpring

Visit Us at Booth #512

SD-WAN EXPO
Co-located with the ITEXPO
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
February 14 - 16, 2018

Get a FREE Expo Hall Pass Compliments of AireSpring

Visit Us at Booth #512

AireSpring is an award-winning provider of Managed Connectivity and Cloud Communications solutions providing fully managed and connected end-to-end, next-generation solutions for multi-location enterprise customers, including:

AireSpring's services are delivered over its revolutionary nationwide MPLS Mesh Network, providing customers a fully integrated, end-to-end solution from a single vendor.

sales@airespring.com | 888.389.2899 | www.airespring.com