Vodafone deal brings mobility to Cogent

Becoming a Vodafone dealer will round-out customer offerings by adding voice and data options, says Stephan Goodburn, general manager of Onesource division Cogent Communications.

Vodafone has signed Cogent, which has 13 locations nationwide, to join its value added reseller channel. Goodburn says the agreement allows it to offer a range of new services, such as mobile data and attaching handsets to PBX (private branch exchange) systems.

“We’re looking at such a converged space in our industry and this brings a strong offering to market. Joining forces with the biggest supplier of mobility was always a smart move for us,” says Goodburn, adding that the deal has been in development for some time.

Business sales general manager at Vodafone, Steve Rieger, says his company wanted a leader in the small and medium business telephony market.

“We’d done quite a number in the corporate space ourselves but in the mid- to high-end SME market for PBX integration, Cogent is the best person.”

Cogent’s nationwide service network was also “extremely important” in clinching the deal, says Rieger.

The exclusive agreement is set to take effect on October 1.