Eatel Corp., a one-time small local telephone company that has been expanding rapidly, said Thursday that it has stopped aggressively marketing itself as a local service alternative to BellSouth Corp.

The action, which resulted in the layoffs of 35 of the 574 employees of Gonzalez-based Eatel, was taken because of uncertainty dealing with the «Baby Bells» — such as BellSouth — providing access to their local networks, said Eatel President Dan Ahern.

Ahern said the company would continue to accept orders for its basic telephone service and would continue to service the 50,000 subscribers it had signed up, mostly in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette — along with its traditional base of customers in Ascension and Livingston parishes.

[ read more ]

CONCORD, N.C., CT Communications, Inc. (CTC) announced its enhanced broadband product strategy today as part of its newly announced $9 million broadband investment initiative to be rolled out in its ILEC territory by year-end 2005.

The new product strategy will create additional choices to address the growing demands of broadband customers. CTC will continue to offer an entry- level broadband product as an excellent value for those who appreciate the convenience and functionality of DSL service, but don’t require the highest speeds. The next level of DSL service will upgrade the company’s current product offering to deliver speeds up to 3 megabits per second (Mbps). Finally, a premium broadband service option will be introduced, offering speeds in the 6 to 10 Mbps range, well beyond the current capabilities of competing broadband providers.
By the end of 2005, the new product set will be generally available throughout the current CTC QuickClick DSL service area, with more than half of the rollout scheduled for completion during 2004. Business customers will also have access to enhanced product offerings as a result of this broadband investment initiative.

[ read more ]

foreThought.net CEO Jawaid Bazyar announced today a strategic partnership with Liberty Bell Telecom ([ >>> ] Under this agreement, Liberty Bell Telecom will market and sell foreThought.net’s PerfectFone business communications solution.

(PRWEB) PerfectFone, which combines flawless local telephone service, high-speed Internet access, and competitive long-distance pricing all on one digital circuit, is a revolutionary solution for small and medium-sized businesses (SMB).

«Working with foreThought.net rounds out Liberty Bell Telecom and positions us to provide a full spectrum of services to businesses -- big and small,» said Troubleshooter Tom Martino.

„We are very proud to partner with Liberty Bell Telecom,“ said Mr. Bazyar. „Liberty Bell’s reputation for high-quality service, backed by Troubleshooter Tom Martino’s commitment to fair and honest dealing fits our business model exactly. With the advantages of the technology behind PerefectFone, we can control the network from end to end and guarantee the quality of service Liberty Bell customers demand at lower prices than traditional telephone and broadband offerings“

[ read more ]