Covad, TalkSwitch Team on SMB Communications Package

Covad Communications Group and TalkSwitch announced Dec. 7 that they are offering a voice and broadband communications package for SMBs.

The package uses Covad ClearEdge Integrated Access, a high-speed voice and data line, with the TalkSwitch 280vs telephone system. The companies said the package will offer small and midsize businesses a way to scale to support from eight to 32 phone users at a single location, so that businesses can buy the equipment and service that they need.

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"The Covad-TalkSwitch bundle enables small businesses to enjoy the benefits and reliability of a big business solution without the complexity or high cost," Eric Weiss, Covads chief marketing officer, said in a news release from the company, in San Jose, Calif.

Covad and TalkSwitch said businesses will be able to install the bundle themselves, reducing the cost and the amount of time needed to set up voice and broadband service, and thereby increasing productivity.

John Macario, president of Savatar, a strategy technology consulting firm that focuses on the SMB market, said he agreed that SMBs would rather focus on getting work done than having to worry about when their voice and broadband services will start working.

"Small businesses dont have time to worry about their phone systems," Macario said. "They simply want a service that works reliably and will easily grow with their businesses, and because most of these businesses do not have an in-house IT expert, the self-installable feature of the Covad-TalkSwitch solution is a key differentiator."

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Covad, a provider of voice and data communications for SMBs, will also offer fully hosted voice platforms such as Covad ClearEdge Office, designed to meet the needs of businesses with fewer than 20 employees, as well as Covad ClearEdge Pro, which can serve up to 250 employees, the company said.

"Covads national network enables our 1,500 channel partners to serve small businesses throughout the U.S., resulting in better local service and support for customers, and an ongoing source of new business for our channel partners," Jan Scheeren, president and CEO of TalkSwitch, based in Ottawa, Ontario, said in the release.

The Covad-TalkSwitch bundle is available immediately with a starting price of $459.00 per month for a 25-person office.

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