Tellumat partners with Vodacom on SME Business Bundle

All-out success continues for all-in-one Sigma communications platform

Tellumat’s success with the Sigma communications platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continues, as Vodacom Business signed to include the device in its SME Business Bundle.

Distributed in sub-Saharan Africa by Tellumat Telecoms, the Sigma has enjoyed critical as well as popular acclaim, notes Bennie Langenhoven, managing executive for Tellumat’s Telecoms and Technology Group business units.

In the UK, it has been used by BT to spearhead its SOHO (Small Office Home Office) broadband push. Locally, major network operators and broadband providers including Vox Telecom and iBurst have all agreed to market it to their customer bases.

And Gadget magazine (gadget.co.za) endorses the Sigma as putting small businesses on an equal footing with big companies, given the sheer wealth of converged communication functionality it gives them, affordably and with consummate ease of implementation and use.

Converged services in a box

Ermano Quartero, managing executive of Vodacom Business, says the role of the relatively new business unit within the mobile operator is to take it beyond mobile network services and into full converged telco service provision. It offers a full range of solutions ranging from customer equipment, last-mile fibre access to hosted applications, for SMEs right up to enterprises.

“The Tellumat association is key for us,” he continues. “They supply us with a platform that is vital to our mission, as regards SMEs.”

The Sigma will be re-branded as the Vodacom Business PBX and forms the core PABX and Internet gateway component of Vodacom’s SME Office Bundle, which will also include last-mile Internet access, phone handsets and application hosting.

Rigorous tender

Quartero says Vodacom went through a rigorous tender process. “We chose Tellumat for its credibility in the market, its local support, and of course this device. Everything Tellumat stands for and offers conformed to our requirements. We are pleased to note that their device is also the choice of our parent company in the UK, Vodafone.”

He adds the value of the Tellumat platform goes beyond the product-specific plaudits it has attracted. “Bundling allows us to offer easy monthly subscriptions, ranging from R1500 per month for a basic package to R3000 for the high-end package.”

The basic package includes 5GB of high-speed ADSL or WiMAX data access, Hosted Exchange and SharePoint Portal Services, a router and analogue as well as IP voice. The high-end subscription offers 10GB of data and more handsets.

A winner

“We know it is a winner and are hoping for an enduring relationship,” Quartero adds. “Based on how successful it is exactly, we may offer bigger SME packages based on the same hardware, or other hardware from Tellumat.”

He says Vodacom Business may further extend the bundle to smaller business customers or the home office market segment. “And as soon as we have traction in South Africa, we may take similar bundles to selected African markets, customised for local conditions.”

Langenhoven says the Sigma has spurred continued success for Tellumat, despite the recession. “Our aim is to continue to find the most enabling technologies at the best price for our customers and partners, contributing to the success of all concerned.”