Penton Media’s Telephony magazine has named the winners of its first Telephony Innovation Awards. The awards recognize service providers who have developed unique or first-to-market offerings that utilize technology or address customer needs in a new way. The awards were presented at a special reception at Telephony LIVE - The 2007 Telecom Summit in Dallas on October 10.
- Most Innovative Customer Service - Bell Canada Accelerated Installation Service.
- Most Innovative Technology Deployment - LightEdge Solutions.
- Most Innovative Consumer Service - T-Mobile for Wi-Fi Hotspot at Home.
- Most Innovative Small to Mid-Sized Business Service - tie between XO Communications On-Demand Services and Verizon Merchant Services Powered by Chase Paymentech.
- Most Innovative Enterprise Service - BT INS Digital Surveillance Services.
“We established these awards to recognize innovation in the industry at a time when all service providers are trying to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive market,” said Mark Hickey, publisher of the magazine. “The award winners are companies who chose not to just follow the technology curve, but to bring their customers services that meet important needs in distinctive ways.”
Focused on five key categories, the award-winning innovations come in many forms, including design, delivery, pricing bundling, packaging or customer service, and address various market segments, including consumers, corporate enterprises and small-to-medium businesses. The award winners were:
Most Innovative Customer Service - Bell Canada Accelerated Installation Service
AIS is a premium installation service that offers customers better due dates using the same concepts as overnight shipping, in which customers pay for expedited and clearly defined levels of service.
Most Innovative Technology Deployment - LightEdge Solutions
LightEdge solutions deployed Ethernet-over-copper technology from Actelis Networks to offer bandwidth above standard T-1 rates to small and mid-sized businesses that are not presently served by fiber networks.
Most Innovative Consumer Service - T-Mobile
T-Mobiles’s HotSpot @Home uses Universal Mobile Access Technology from Kineto Wireless and allows consumers to transfer wireless calls seamlessly to any WiFi network so that customers using broadband-connected WiFi routers at home not only save wireless minutes but get improved wireless reception.
Most Innovative Small to Mid-Sized Business Service - XO Communications On-Demand Services and Verizon Merchant Services Powered by Chase Paymentech (tie)
XO Communications On-Demand Services, teaming with Jamcracker Service Delivery Network, is offering small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) on-demand collaboration, mobility and security software applications. This service allows SMBs affordable access to sophisticated applications that don’t require these businesses to invest in technology on their own.
Verizon teamed with Chase Paymentech to create Verizon Merchant Services which combines broadband services with payment processing to streamline the entire payment process for small businesses while providing the discounts received by larger enterprises.
Most Innovative Enterprise Service - BT INS Digital Surveillance Services
BT INS Digital Surveillance Service guides organizations through every phase of design, planning, implementation and operation of digital surveillance solutions. BT provides experienced consultants who help businesses assess their security risks and develop customized plans to provide surveillance and security to meet their corporate needs.
Telephony received more than 80 nominations for the program. Judging was done by members of the Telephony editorial staff and guest judges, Teresa Mastrangelo of Broadbandtrends.com and Cindy Whelan of Current Analysis.
Published 20 times a year, with its two bimonthly supplements, Wireless Review and The Independent, Telephony (www.telephonyonline.com) reaches over 71,000 executives, technical managers/staff and sales and marketing professionals at service provider organizations throughout North America. Telephony explores the issues, trends, products, technology and best practices that enable service provider professionals to succeed in today’s hyper-competitive communications market. Advertising information for Telephony’s magazine, Web site, events and custom products is available at http://telephonyonline.com/advertisers.
Penton Media, Inc. is the largest independent business-to-business media company in the U.S., serving more than six million business professionals every month. The company’s market-leading brands are focused on 30 industries and include 113 trade magazines, 145 Web sites, 150 industry trade shows and conferences, and more than 500 information data products. Headquartered in New York City, the privately held company is owned by MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP, and its co-investors. For additional information on the company and its businesses, visit www.penton.com.