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Optimum Lightpath Network-Hosted Voice Adds Slew of Voice Features
| Oct 4, 2011 | Voice and Unified Communications Services
| Analyst: Brian Washburn
Event Summary
September 30, 2011 – Optimum Lightpath releases its latest-generation of the Optimum Lightpath Hosted Voice service. The network-hosted service, sold as an add-on to the company's Internet Voice Bundle, adds numerous calling features; unified messaging, visual voicemail and softphone support; app support for mobile devices; and new audio/Web-based collaboration options. Optimum Lightpath handles customer LAN assessment/on-site installation, equipment maintenance and service monitoring.
Quick Take
Analytical Summary
• Current Perspective: Moderate on Optimum Lightpath's launch of its second-generation Hosted Voice service, because the company adds some management functionality and a round of new features to the service, available as a premium option for its Internet Voice Bundle (see “Optimum Lightpath Takes Network-Hosted VoIP Stage with All-Inclusive Converged Bundles,” January 23, 2009.) Customers can now offload network assessment, deployment and full ongoing management of the network-hosted VoIP, handsets and LAN gear to Optimum Lightpath. This latest iteration of Hosted Voice adds some useful features, and upgrades some functions to meet customers' expectations for their network-hosted VoIP services.
• Vendor Importance: Moderate to Optimum Lightpath, because this latest Hosted Voice service offloads more responsibility for deploying and maintaining the service, which is valuable for customers that just want a working telephone system/service that incorporates everything into a single, predictable flat monthly rate. Even though Optimum Lightpath does not call its newest features 'unified communications', Hosted Voice introduces some of these elements through unified messaging, softphone and mobile app support.
• Market Impact: Moderate to competitors doing business in the greater New York City metro area, because Optimum Lightpath is a major, facilities-based business competitor that connects buildings where its customers are located with its own fiber. Optimum Lightpath has a foundation of offering high speeds at low prices, and over time continues to build sophisticated value-added services and features into its network-hosted voice services, complete enough to satisfy most of the mid-sized and larger regional businesses the company targets.
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9/30/2011
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Optimum Lightpath Gives Customers A Voice In Developing Next-Generation Hosted Voice
Cloud-based phone service for mid-market and large businesses available now.
JERICHO, NY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 – Optimum Lightpath®, a market leader in Ethernet-based communication solutions for New York metropolitan area businesses, today announced the availability of its next-generation Optimum Lightpath Hosted Voice. The cloud-based phone service is designed for mid-market and large businesses and offers an array of new features, including capabilities to keep mobile workforces seamlessly connected on the go. It is based on flat-rate pricing, requires little or no upfront costs and runs over Optimum Lightpath’s 100 percent fiber network for high reliability.
Delivering A Comprehensive Feature Set
Optimum Lightpath Hosted Voice incorporates significant customer feedback and builds on Optimum Lightpath’s first generation hosted voice product announced in January 2009. The service is sold as an add-on to Optimum Lightpath’s popular Internet Voice Bundle. It includes additional Internet bandwidth to support phone calls and a range of phone minutes of use packages. The service also offers free calling to other Optimum Lightpath Hosted Voice customers and HD Voice. It is simple enough to be managed by non-technical staff and includes a comprehensive feature set tailored for end users, system administrators and receptionists, enabled by Metaswitch’s MetaSphere multimedia application server:
- Call Processing: Auto attendant, voicemail (urgent message to email or mobile), class of service (restrict long distance, toll or premium), authorization codes, abbreviated dialing, speed dial, one-touch transfer, call park, call forward, do not disturb, directed call pickup, selective call treatment, multiple station/bridged line appearances, music/message on hold, incoming fax server.
- Convergence: Unified messaging (voicemail to email and fax to email), soft phone integration, widgets, visual voicemail.
- Mobility: Find me/follow me, remote phone, app support for Android™, Apple® iOS™ and BlackBerry®.
- Collaboration: 3-party conferencing and Meet-Me audio conferencing, featuring web-based and Apple iOS support.
“For almost two years, Optimum Lightpath Hosted Voice has successfully delivered value, flexibility and control to mid-market and large businesses, while helping them reign in voice costs and eliminate phone management headaches,” said Julia McGrath, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Optimum Lightpath. “For our latest Hosted Voice offering, we spent considerable time learning more about what businesses wanted from our service, how they wanted to buy it and what features would help empower those using it. The result is our next-generation Optimum Lightpath Hosted Voice.”
Through extensive research, Optimum Lightpath confirmed that mid-market and large businesses have increasingly complex communications needs, but not always the necessary budget or dedicated IT staff required to operate the latest voice systems. Optimum Lightpath Hosted Voice was specifically designed to remove these critical barriers with a cost-effective, high-performing IP-PBX system that is devoid of typical heavy management requirements and upgrade costs. The service includes a powerful Web-based management portal that makes it simple for businesses to make real-time changes to the system from anywhere, also eliminating ongoing administrative fees. Optimum Lightpath will also provide, install, maintain and monitor new Cisco® IP phones and all other equipment necessary, such as Power over Ethernet switches, to run the service. All installations are backed by a thorough LAN assessment, certification and remediation to ensure quality of service.
“Businesses are eager to free themselves from the complexity involved with successfully installing and maintaining a dynamic voice service that supports the latest in collaboration, mobility and messaging,” said Elka Popova, Program Director of Information and Communications Technologies, Frost & Sullivan. “A hosted voice offering such as Optimum Lightpath’s that makes it easy to buy, use and manage advanced communications and collaboration applications is becoming the smart choice for more businesses. We expect to see the market for hosted communications continue to grow as customers increasingly acknowledge the value and efficiency such services deliver."
