Verizon Adds Wholesale Wireless, Signs Lightyear

By Khali Henderson

As promised in February, Verizon is rolling out wholesale wireless services to its wireline resellers. Lightyear Network Solutions LLC has signed on as the first reseller for the Verizon Wholesale Mobility Solutions suite, which includes both voice and broadband services.

The Verizon Wholesale Mobility Solutions suite is available only to VPS wireline resellers. Pricing is based on the volume of mobile directory numbers.

Verizon Partner Solutions (VPS), the ILEC’s wholesale arm, has been working for some time to create a quad-play bundle for resellers of its voice, data and video services. The possible addition of wireless to the products available to resellers is a continuation of a bundling strategy begun two years ago when the organization was formed following the merger of Verizon with MCI. In December 2005, the unit added DSL to the bundle. In summer 2006, VPS announced the addition of video to the bundle via an agreement with DirecTV.

“The demand for bundled wireline and wireless services continues to grow across every segment of the communications marketplace,” said VPS President Michael Millegan. “The introduction of Verizon Wholesale Mobility Solutions enables us to offer our traditional wholesale wireline clients with new value-added wireless services to address that demand while, at the same time, expanding their business relationships with Verizon Partner Solutions.”

J. Sherman Henderson III, founder, president and CEO of Lightyear, agrees. “Single-source service bundles mean convenience, simplicity and value to both the business and residential customers that Lightyear Network Solutions serves nationwide,” he said. “Our agreement with Verizon Partner Solutions will enable us to deliver those benefits to our customers, backed by the power of the Verizon networks and the attentive customer care of Lightyear.”

Lightyear will be offering the wireless service through its indirect sales channels.

Verizon Wholesale Mobile Voice offers wireless calling plans with a choice of designated minutes of use allowances per month. Each plan includes call waiting, call forwarding, three-way calling, no answer/busy transfer, caller ID and basic voice mail at no additional monthly fee. Premium features, like enhanced voice mail, monthly mobile-to-mobile minutes and directory assistance, are each available at an additional monthly charge. In addition to voice plans, wholesale clients can offer text-messaging plans with a choice of designated message allowances per month to end-users that have also purchased wireless voice service. Optional international messaging and premium messaging packages are each available at an additional monthly charge.

Verizon Wholesale Mobile Broadband is high-speed wireless Internet access for laptop computers and can be sold stand-alone or as an addition to a voice calling plan.

To enable its resellers to sell wireless, VPS is offering a Web-based ordering platform for both service and equipment; “white label” wireless handsets, accessories and wireless modem cards; over-the-air service activation; direct shipment of gear to the reseller or its end-user; end-user billing information and call detail; and technical and equipment support.

“We’ve packaged Verizon Wholesale Mobility Solutions to allow our wholesale clients to plug these outstanding wireless services into their existing marketing, sales and customer service operations,” said Millegan. “Our intent is to enable our wholesale clients to get up-and-running as quickly as possible to leverage this exciting new business opportunity with seamless support.”

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