CCOOMMMMSS N NEEWWSS
Glide - Sold
Glide was recently sold to Alinda Capital Partners
for a rumoured £200m. Here, Dan Alvarez, Head of
Wholesale at Glide spoke to Comms Business about
the deal
CBM: Why is this a good deal
for Glide, your partners and
end customers?
DA: Alinda buy infrastructurebased
business and rather
than wanting a return over
2 years they want it over 10.
at allows us to work on our
paybacks, our installation fees
and price points generally.
Essentially, we can put more
bre in the ground with their
deep pockets behind us and
they are going to help get us
to hard to reach areas in the
UK. at means our reseller
community will have more
opportunity to sell stu they
haven’t been able to sell before.
e longer term payback
makes a big dierence,
it enables us to be more
competitive. We are already
very competitive in the FTTP
space, but our FTTC portfolio
will become more competitive
from now on for sure.
ere are 4,000 ‘not spots’
in the UK and we already have
650 of them wrapped up, so it
is now about going after the
rest of them and providing
connectivity to businesses.
CBM: Where else is Glide
making progress right now?
DA: Part of our business is in
the student sector and we are
the largest supplier of Ruckus
equipment in Europe. We have
over 700,000 Ruckus Access
Points which are dispersed
throughout the student
accommodations over Europe
and the UK. We are looking at
how we productise that, along
with a few other propositions,
and move it over to the
wholesale department.
CBM: How has COVID impacted
trading?
DA: April was quiet as people
went to remote working
rather than installing new
connections. As that settled
sales are now on the increase.
We are seeing a lot of people
want more bandwidth in the
oce now so that remote
workers can actually get onto
the VPNs and all the tools they
need. ose businesses that
were saying an 80/20 FTTC
circuit was ok for them are now
looking at full bre or gigabit
connectivity.
EXTREME ACADEMY
EXTREME NETWORKS IS partnering with colleges and universities
around the world to deliver Extreme Academy, an academic
curriculum designed to educate aspiring IT professionals on
networking, security, and cloud fundamentals, as well as machine
learning and artificial intelligence. Students who complete the
courses can earn an Extreme Networks Associate level qualification,
giving them a head start in the high-growth technology industry and
arming them with real-world skillsets to drive digital transformation in
the jobs of tomorrow.
Dan Dulac, Vice President of Solutions Strategy, Extreme Networks
commented “Today’s students are facing an uncertain future, with
graduates entering the workforce at a uniquely challenging time.
Extreme is committed to reducing this challenge by investing in the
technologists and innovators of the future. Through Extreme
Academy, students receive more than just educational courses. The
program offers students hands-on practical exercises, connections
with technology professionals, and the opportunity to earn industry
certifications — all of which will help them stand out from peers and
position them well to jump into their careers.”
Maintel offers ICON
opportunity to partners
MAINTEL IS OFFERING channel partners the opportunity to take its
ICON solutions to market in the UK and internationally. ICON cloud and
managed services make it easier and more cost effective for channel
partners to offer the latest transformational communications
technologies, without capital investment or risk.
ICON services include a broad portfolio of tailored cloud services
which include: Remote Working Solutions, Unified Communications as
a Service, Contact Centre as a Service, Managed Network Services,
Mobile Device and Application Management and a Security as a
Service solution.
Chris Bain, Partner Services Director at Maintel, said “At Maintel, we
understand that your customers need to see the value
from your proposition, not a conduit to a vendor.
“We are looking to work closely with our partners and help them
deliver, ensuring that they can leverage our expertise and solutions to
create services that plug gaps in their offerings,
differentiatethemselves from their competitors and increase share
of wallet. Potential partners are encouraged to get in touch so that we
can start conversations and begin building a truly unique offering.”
16 | Comms Business Magazine | July 2020 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
/www.commsbusiness.co.uk