Alestra dominates SMB VoIP market in Mexico

SALT LAKE CITY: Alianza, Inc., a leading provider of hosted voice over WiMAX solutions, has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with Alestra, Inc. wherein Alestra has acquired the entire business line of GetFon, LLC, a provider of IP telephony services in Latin America and subsidiary of Alianza. Alestra, jointly owned by Grupo ALFA and AT&T, Inc., is one of the largest telecommunications providers in Mexico.

In addition to the announcement of the agreement, Alianza and Alestra are jointly announcing the successful migration of all GetFon customers to Alestra’s full service and handling. As the terms of the acquisition include a long-term license agreement between the companies, GetFon customers will enjoy uninterrupted service with improved quality. Alestra will license Alianza’s hosted platform, the same platform that has serviced GetFon customers for years. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

After reviewing the core technology of the Alianza platform, Alestra elected to maintain the Alianza network rather than have GetFon customers migrate to a different VoIP platform.

“We were initially concerned about the hosted nature of Alianza’s platform, but after an evaluation by our technical team, we are duly impressed with the breadth and depth of their platform. We have full confidence in Alianza and look forward to adding further customers and services based on their platform,” said Bernardo García, VP of residential and small businesses division for Alestra.

GetFon, LLC was founded in 2003 by Alianza and offers a wide range of IP telephony solutions, including the virtual PBX, interconnection of remote offices, extension-to-extension dialing, automated Interactive Voice Response (IVR), GoFone (PC phone), customer support 24/7, and many others, all manageable from a user-friendly Web interface. Since it was established, the company has grown to more than 6,000 customers primarily in the small and medium business (SMB) market.

GetFon’s recent growth of customers and channel partners in this market segment captured the imagination of Alestra, who has strategic designs to bring a higher value proposition to the SMB marketplace.

“GetFon has created a unique value for small businesses, and equally important, for the channel partners who service them. By combining their momentum with our continuous improvement in quality processes, innovation and customer support for voice services that we provide to our customers, we are confident that we will make tremendous gains in the marketplace,” continued García.

Customers and Partners to benefit

GetFon customers will benefit tremendously from their new relationship with Alestra. Because of Alestra’s extensive network and carrier relationships, the quality of experience (QoE) for GetFon users will dramatically improve. Customers will continue to track their activities online and will now be eligible for other Alestra services, including enhanced access to local numbers and local dialing plans. They can also expect a single invoice and a unified support experience.

Highly trained channel partners support the majority of GetFon customers. These partners will benefit from adding additional Alestra products and services to their portfolio.

“We’ve always been committed to GetFon because of its unique value for our customers. They are committed to more than sales. Their marketing, training, and joint efforts are the best in the industry. Now we get to add a stronger suite of products and services from Alestra to our portfolio. It’s going to be a tremendous opportunity for us in the coming year,” said Ing., Héctor Muñoz Herrera, general manager of Ecoefecto, S de RL de CV., a certified GetFon channel partner.

"Since we founded GetFon, it has grown to become one of the most advanced IP telephony services in Latin America. With Alestra’s great marketing presence and services offerings, it is the perfect match to support GetFon’s customers and dramatically grow the business,” said Brian Beutler, CEO of Alianza.” Our new partnership with Alestra is a powerful validation of our vision and technology. We are very committed to Alestra’s ongoing success, and we will continue to demonstrate our value through our partnering efforts.”