This week in the ICT Channel

Every friday morning, Comms Dealer magazine rounds up the top channel news that broke during the week.

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In this week's news...

Gamma boosts voice services play with Coolwave deal

Gamma has acquired Coolwave Communications Ltd to bolster its global presence and enhance its voice services portfolio.

The deal will underpin Gamma’s SIP, Microsoft Direct Routing and Operator Connect propositions as it continues to expand.

Mike Mills , Director of Service Providers at Gamma, said: "This move enhances our competitive position and empowers us to offer even more innovative solutions."

Ronan Higgins , Commercial Director of Coolwave, added: "We are thrilled to join forces with Gamma; it is a great move for Coolwave. This partnership allows us to combine our strengths, technology, and customer relationships with Gamma's resources, size, brand, and energy.”

Together, the organisations deliver a range of internationally available services to over 400 existing customers.

Daryl Pile , MD of Gamma Business, added: "This will enable us to expand existing relationships and drive new ones, accelerating growth in the global voice services market."

Upcoming ICT channel event....

Distributors in the ICT channel play a crucial role in the ICT channel by acting as intermediaries between vendors and partners and maintaining the channel enterprise. The Channel Champions awards process represents the perfect opportunity to reward all the hardworking teams in your distribution business.

For details on how to enter your top teams, contact Jennifer Norman for entry forms or for sponsorship enquiries or details on how to attend our fabulous ICT channel garden party, contact Heather Miles.

TD Synnex names new European lead

Miriam Murphy has joined TD SYNNEX as the company’s new president for Europe, leading the distributor's Executive Board in the region.

She will lead the distributor’s 7,000-strong European workforce, driving business strategy and operational execution.

Murphy returns to TD SYNNEX following two years as Europe CEO at NTT, where she held responsibility for the strategy and P&L for 14 countries.

COO Patrick Zammit said: "Miriam returns reinforced by her experiences outside the company and will bring fresh perspectives on end-market and customer requirements.”

In her previous stint at TD SYNNEX, Murphy helped establish and advance the company's inclusion programs in Europe, supporting the creation of co-worker resource groups.

TalkTalk’s Night of Ambition returns for 2024

TalkTalk is hosting its annual fundraiser, Night of Ambition, on Wednesday 27th March 2024?at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

The annual gala supports national charity Ambitious about Autism , which stands with autistic children, young people and their families to champion rights, campaign for change and create better opportunities.

During the event, guests will enjoy live entertainment, a silent auction and a luxury dining experience. TalkTalk is expecting over 400 guests to attend the event.

Last year’s Night of Ambition raised ￡401,000 to support the roll out of the charity’s internship programme, Employ Autism, which helps to get autistic young people into paid experiences of work.

This year’s event will raise money for the charity’s assistive technology programme, which helps autistic young people to express themselves, manage their emotions and become more independent.?

Tom O'Hagan said: “This years’ event will be particularly special as it will be our 15th Night of Ambition celebration, taking place just ahead of World Autism Acceptance Month.

“Through the support of suppliers, partners and colleagues, we have raised more than ￡4.9 million for the charity since 2006.”

Vodafone UK hits 1.3m broadband customers

Vodafone UK added 39,000 fixed line customers in Q3 2024, taking its total its total broadband base to 1.3m.

Through partnerships with CityFibre and Openreach it can now reach over 14.5 million premises with full fibre broadband

In mobile, its contract customer base increased by 18,000 and sub brand VOXI added 26,000 customers.

Vodafone Business service revenue increased by 5.8% (Q2: 3.2%) during the quarter, to ￡1,400m as growth in the Consumer and Business segments was partly offset by lower fixed wholesale revenue.

Margherita Della Valle , Vodafone CEO, said: “We maintained good service revenue momentum in the third quarter across both Europe and Africa, supported by a further acceleration of Vodafone Business, with our Cloud and Internet of Things services growing over 20%.

“We’ve made good strategic progress in the first nine months of the year, with improving customer satisfaction and three consecutive quarters of service revenue growth in Europe.”

Evolve IP preps partners for upcoming PCI changes

Evolve IP has launched a BroadSource-powered solution to address the PCI changes coming in March, requiring businesses to have an evidence-based process for card payments, particularly over the phone, with sanctions and fines for those who don’t comply.

The company’s UK Solutions Director, Scott Rixon said: “From Spring, businesses will need to prove their innocence by providing real-life data and proof of their compliancy, rather than simply verbally defending any guilt that has been implied.”

Evolve IP’s Anywhere Secure Call solution provides proof of active adherence by ensuring customer payment card details are not stored within recorded voice communications.

It directs all transactional voice calls to a designated, PCI-compliant segment of its network automatically. In the event of a PCI audit, businesses need only prove the compliance of this specific component, simplifying the overall process.

Thanks for reading, and we hope to see you back here next friday for the latest news update. Be sure to subscribe at the top of this newsletter to get your copy.