Teleunit SpA Deploys RAD VoIP System (RVS) to Attract SMB and Residential Customers

Teleunit SpA was established in 1997 as a switchless reseller offering fixed line telephony services in the Umbria region. Spurred by deregulation of the Italian telecommunications market, Teleunit acquired a national telecommunications operator’s license in September 2000 to expand throughout Italy and abroad. The company soon established a Wireless Local Loop network, enabling it to provide both wireless telephony and true broadband Internet access to business communities.

Looking to grow beyond traditional telephony services – and to benefit from its broadband user base – Teleunit made a strategic decision to branch out into VoIP services geared to small and medium-sized businesses and residential customers.

The initial efforts stalled, however, when VoIP units supplied by a well-known manufacturer did not meet reliability expectations. Convinced that VoIP services were a natural extension of their existing business model, Teleunit continued to search for VoIP technology that could be installed quickly with minimal maintenance costs and deliver business-class quality of service to its customers.

Teleunit turned to IBM Global Services, which was then contracted as the project integrator for the VoIP rollout. IBM Global Services recommended the RAD VoIP System (RVS), formerly the LEAD IP solution, for Teleunit’s new Voice over IP telephony service. “IBM Global Services was asked to design a low-cost, high-value solution for Teleunit’s small and medium-sized business customers,” explains Oded Tubias, RAD’s VoIP product line manager.

The RVS was a perfect match. “The system had everything required from IP telephony access services integrated within, allowing us to launch a pilot within days and go into the full commercial phase within months,” says Fransesco Cimica, Teleunit’s CEO.

Teleunit named the new broadband VoIP service Libera and geared it to the telephony and Internet needs of 800,000 SMBs in central Italy.

The offering of next-generation services via VoIP was also a part of company strategy to keep its churn rate low.

Teleunit’s RAD VoIP System consists of analog and digital CPEs and a centrally located SIP softswitch and with a RADview telephony provisioning and management system.

The features of the service include VPN, enterprise firewall, caller-ID, MSN, DDI, call-divert, encrypted phone/fax calls, voice mail, and unified messaging. Customers can transfer their previous telephone numbers to the new system and add additional phone lines quickly.

“One of the strengths of the RVS compared to competitive product suites is that it allows the service provider to remotely control, manage and configure the CPEs and even troubleshoot the ADSL connection,” says Tubias. “This greatly reduces the operational costs and cost of ownership of the network and also improves customer satisfaction.”

According to Cimica, the RAD VoIP System’s multi-tier architecture gives Teleunit the leverage to become a nationwide telephony service provider, since it allows the company to appoint resellers while maintaining remote provisioning, support and central billing capabilities.

The successful operation of the RAD VoIP system enabled Teleunit to move ahead with its business plan to target a wide market for VoIP service. The number of VoIP customers grew by 85 percent in 2006 in comparison with 2005, Cimica reported to shareholders in the 2006 annual report.