Canadian group Rogers has built a nationwide high-bandwidth network with SIP gateways to stimulate the group of international voice services. Co-sponsored feature: Rogers Communications
The Rogers network crosses nine Canadian provinces with 26,000 route kilometres of backbone fibre
In today’s fast-paced society, Rogers is an innovative company with a proud history in Canadian communications for over five decades with assets encompassing cable, internet, wireless and wireline technologies that give it a unique quadruple play of communications business interests in North America.
Rogers’ goal is to make its customers’ lives easier and more convenient through advanced technologies and innovative solutions, often integrated in novel, distinctly Canadian ways.
Rogers Cable Communications is one of Canada’s largest providers of cable television, cable telephony and high-speed internet access, and is also a facilities-based telecommunications alternative to the traditional telephone companies.
Midway through the 2009, Rogers Cable Communications comprised 2.3 million basic cable subscribers, and it currently provides cable high speed internet services to approximately 1.6 million households, and has seen revenues grow by 4% even in these tough economic times.
Additionally, Rogers offers local telephone and long-distance services to over a million residential subscriber lines through Rogers Home Phone.
Rogers Business Solutions and Rogers Carrier Alliances
Rogers Carrier Alliances is a division of Rogers Business Solutions, which is itself an operating group of Rogers Cable Communications.
This year, Rogers Business Solutions renewed its business strategy in the international carrier space with an expanded team, new tools and technology, and the message that Rogers is the carrier of choice for anyone wanting to do business in Canada.
This message has been delivered to the global telecommunications business community through high profile sponsorships, keynote speeches and presentations at conferences such as PTC’09, Capacity events, ITW and the Canadian Telecoms Summit.
In addition to participating in these events, Rogers Business Solutions is playing its part in the development of new product standards through its role in influential industry groups such as the i3 Forum, the World Telecoms Council and the Metro Ethernet Forum.
In June, Rogers Business Solutions’ marketing team was awarded a prize in the prestigious Meridian Awards 2009 in the communications category for the innovative solution used to improve its business marketing. The geospatial tool, MapNet, enables the Rogers’ business development and sales teams to visually combine product and account information in real time, from fixed or mobile devices, and convert it into meaningful customer-based information to affect marketing decisions.
The result of Rogers Business Solutions’ strategic focus on medium- to large-enterprise solutions as well as carrier solutions is reflected in the group’s performance. RBS continues to perform well against industry measures, despite the tough economic climate.
“The backbone of the business is built on the strong and loyal customer base of over 20,000 unique customer relationships, and over 65,000 end-points as well as our customer-friendly staff,” says Michael Cheong, RBS’s vice-president and general manager, business planning and management.
“Contract renewals with existing large customers are for a three-year term on average, and customer lifecycles are an impressive eight to 10 years,” says Cheong. “This is the result of the hard work that has gone into building excellent customer relationships and a positive customer experience over the years. The focus on the customer experience provides RBS with a strong foundation as we build towards the future.”
One of most exciting new product developments stems from Rogers’ drive to deliver high bandwidth services on a wholesale basis. Launching a new international gateway switch supported by new and more efficient tools for managing the growth of the international voice business has enabled the launch of SIP-based services between Rogers and Comcast, the largest cable provider in the US.
This is another important step for Rogers in providing high-quality voice and data network solutions across Canada with strategic connections into the US designed for the most demanding commercial enterprises.
“A major first for our two companies doing business together: SIP technology is the new way of delivering voice services in the most cost-efficient manner,” says Cheong.
The carrier alliances team finished a successful first half of the year by augmenting its international profile, by consolidating its existing partnerships, and by signing many new agreements with global tier one carriers — thereby delivering an impressive high-double digit growth year-on-year to date.
The company’s late founder Ted Rogers’ motto was always “the best is yet to come” and Rogers Carrier Alliances conducts its business from the perspective of building towards the future.
These points of view are absolutely reflected in Rogers Business Solutions approach to the second half of 2009 and beyond — by being a strong and viable carrier which makes complex business easy, an active industry advocate, and a global brand name. GTB
www.rogers.com