Real Telekom's On Demand Network Drives its Growth
In launching Real Telekom as a wholesale carrier to a global customer base, Kanto Kandasamy arrived at a crossroads: with 15 years of telecommunications experience to his credit, he was able to align a technical team and industry contacts to break into the competitive U.K. market. A steady stream of inquiries suggested a bright future for the startup, and he wanted to prepare for growth. But as a telecom veteran, Kanto knew better than to bet the company on the rosy forecasts of still untested customers. New routes and unpredictable adoption rates made it difficult to forecast demand. The constant change in communications technology made upfront investment a high-risk endeavor.

Real Telekom needed access to capacity on demand — a network that could complete the first customer call for a low initial cost and then scale to higher minute levels as the relationship grew. Starting as a switchless reseller offered one approach, but in order to innovate, Kanto needed to put his team in the driver’s seat. “We searched for a partner who would meet our immediate need for cutting-edge technology and then grow along with our business,” Kanto recalls. “Renting capacity through VoIP Logic offered an attractive alternative to a partition model as it offered us more control: we have dedicated equipment, which we can access and change 24 hours a day, and VoIP Logic’s carrier-neutral status means we maintain the freedom to interconnect with any customers and vendors we require.”

Real Telekom has built its network based on the Nextone Session Border Controller and Cisco gateways and has the flexibility to add capacity or integrate new network components as requirements change. “Real Telekom can access top-of-the-line network hardware and software for relatively short-term commitments,” says Kanto, “and the company has the option to swap in new equipment at any time. This degree of flexibility has proven essential in enabling us to keep a step ahead of our customers by adding capacity or new features according to market demand.”

VoIP Logic provides the critical first level of support on the entire infrastructure. Attentive service and fast problem-solving have defined the business partnership to date. As Kanto explains, “Complications inevitably arise in any new switching system. The competitive advantage comes in how quickly you can resolve them. VoIP Logic and Real Telekom have complementary technical teams that are able to devise effective solutions, often faster than Nextone or Cisco themselves can respond.”

Two years after its launch, Real Telekom is supporting 16 growing customers across several countries, minutes per day are growing at 15% percent per month, and the company is once again looking ahead to the next phase of growth. The company plans to launch a retail platform in the near future and is looking to partner with VoIP Logic to extend its network features and functionality.