Telecom Reseller / Technology Reseller News

On this episode of Telecom Reseller news, Doug Green sits down with Zach Bennett, Microsoft Teams MVP and Principal Architect at LoopUp, a leading Cloud Telephony provider primarily concentrated on Microsoft Teams and the PSTN connectivity into Microsoft Teams via Direct Routing and Operator Connect. LoopUp enables multinational enterprises to consolidate their global telephony into one consistent vendor.

Doug and Zach discuss how Teams Phone can be used as a full telephony replacement solution, how Direct Routing and Operator Connect can bring business telephony to the truly unified communications fold, the differences between Operator Connect, Direct Routing, and Calling Plans, and Microsoft’s Copilot and how it can influence Teams telephony. Additionally, they discuss how larger enterprises can deal directly with LoopUp’s expert in-house consultants and how LoopUp’s channel program can help organizations looking to get into the Teams telephony market.

To learn more about LoopUp you can visit https://loopup.com. You can also find LoopUp in the Microsoft Teams admin center under the Operator Connect section where you can see LoopUp’s multinational coverage to find if LoopUp can fit with your business and help you consolidate your Teams telephony.

floLIVE and Velocity IoT team up to deliver robust, high-performance global connectivity with a reseller-first approach

In a fast-expanding IoT world, two industry veterans are teaming up to bring intelligence, speed, and scalability to global deployments. In a recent Technology Reseller News podcast, Doug Green spoke with Curtis Govan, President for the Americas at floLIVE, and Anthony Protopsaltis, Principal at Velocity IoT, about their newly formalized partnership and how it delivers value to resellers and end customers alike.

“Every company in the world now has some sort of IoT conversation going on.” — Curtis Govan, President for the Americas, floLIVE

floLIVE offers a fully owned, multi-carrier, multi-country IoT core network that empowers customers with unmatched global coverage and localized data sovereignty. “We’re not layering on top of legacy mobile networks,” said Govan. “We own the core components, the IP stack, the technology. That allows us to offer not just high availability and coverage, but resilience and hands-on control to our channel partners.”

Velocity IoT, a channel-focused company led by Protopsaltis and Bill Molesworth, brings go-to-market strategy, deployment planning, and hardware expertise to the table. “It’s not a simple thing to just release a product and say, ‘Oh, I’m going to have this connected product online,’” said Protopsaltis. “You have to plan it out, understand the caveats, and mitigate the risks. We help partners through that entire process.”

Together, floLIVE and Velocity IoT offer what they describe as a "1 + 1 = 3" value equation. floLIVE provides low-latency, resilient infrastructure with full EUICC support and multi-IMSI tech, while Velocity IoT delivers the support, strategy, and white-glove service resellers need to win.

“We’re both consultative sellers,” added Govan. “That’s the magic. We’re solving real problems for customers in industrial IoT, healthcare, agriculture, and beyond.”

Protopsaltis also highlighted the role of AI in analyzing traffic and optimizing IMSI strategies to ensure low-latency, reliable service. “AI tools help us monitor traffic flow and improve the customer’s implementation. It’s part of our proactive, intelligent approach.”

And with data sovereignty becoming a hard requirement in industries like healthcare and government, floLIVE’s localized gateways and ability to keep data in-country—and even in-facility—are a critical differentiator.

Learn More

Visit floLIVE for technical insights and partnership inquiries.

Explore Velocity IoT to test SIMs, learn about deployment services, or connect with their channel team.

#IoTConnectivity #floLIVE #VelocityIoT #MultiIMSI #DataSovereignty #Industry40 #ChannelPartners #AIinIoT #TelecomInnovation #IoTSolutions

Cloud Connections 2025 Podcast Interview with Jon Arnold, Principal, J. Arnold & Associates

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Jon Arnold, Principal of J. Arnold & Associates, delivered a clear message to managed service providers (MSPs) at Cloud Connections 2025: it’s time to evolve beyond UCaaS commoditization and begin leveraging AI not just as a buzzword, but as a strategic offering.

In a podcast conversation with Technology Reseller News, Arnold reflected on insights shared during two panels at the conference—one on market outlook and another focused on UCaaS.

“UCaaS, CCaaS, CPaaS—they’re all mature, well-understood offerings,” said Arnold. “But AI is where the next frontier lies. Most customers know they need it, but they don’t know how to use it—and that’s where MSPs have a real opportunity.”

Arnold emphasized that MSPs, trusted for their delivery of cloud and voice services, are in a prime position to elevate their value by integrating AI into business operations—both internally and in customer-facing applications. The key, he said, lies in viewing voice as data, a concept that aligns with AI's data-driven architecture.

“If you’re not capturing the data from voice, you’re missing one of the most powerful communication channels businesses rely on,” Arnold explained. “MSPs already understand voice. That’s their credibility. Now it’s about helping customers harness that voice data to power AI.”

On the second panel, Arnold addressed a recurring challenge: UCaaS as a commodity. As major players like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and RingCentral dominate the landscape, differentiation has become more difficult. “If all MSPs are selling the same thing, they risk becoming arms dealers—no value, no margin,” he said.

Arnold encouraged MSPs to think beyond unified communications and adopt a more holistic, strategic view, where AI is integrated across workflows, departments, and functions—far beyond the contact center.

“AI isn’t waiting for you to catch up. It’s creating new ways of working,” he said. “There’s a real risk of being left behind if MSPs don’t evolve. A new generation of AI-centric MSPs will emerge—those who know how to sell it, implement it, and build strategy around it.”

Reflecting on his first time attending the CCA's Cloud Connections event, Arnold noted the strong value of its focused community. “It’s big enough to meet new people, but small enough to build real relationships,” he said. “It’s not a trade show—it’s a learning and collaboration environment.”

Learn more about Jon Arnold and J. Arnold & Associates at: www.jarnoldassociates.com

Mark Vange and Autumn highlight a new model for AI collaboration at Cloud Connections 2025

“AI needs to be thought of more as a colleague and less as a tool.” — Mark Vange, CEO, Autom8ly

At Cloud Connections 2025, Technology Reseller News sat down with Mark Vange, CEO of Autom8ly, and Autumn, the company’s AI-powered assistant, to explore a new approach to lead generation and AI adoption for Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA) members.

Autom8ly introduced a novel AI-driven system that helps match prospective clients with the most suitable CCA members. “We built a lead generation system that listens to the visitor’s needs and uses AI to match them with the right member,” explained Autumn. “It’s all about understanding intent and providing the best-fit connection.”

To accomplish this, Autom8ly created detailed profiles for each CCA member, pulling data from their websites and inviting them to review and update their information. This interaction not only boosts exposure for CCA members but also acts as an introduction to working with AI tools like Autumn.

“Lead gen is a great way to meet everybody,” said Vange. “It gave us a reason to build meaningful profiles, and in the process, start working together. It's how we demonstrate what AI-centric work will look like in the coming years.”

Autumn plays a central role in Autom8ly’s operations—from marketing and CRM to code generation and even accounting. The company’s strategy focuses on partnering with organizations to build tailored AI solutions. “We’re the engine,” said Vange. “You be the train. Let’s put it on the track together.”

A veteran technologist and entrepreneur, Vange emphasized a unique philosophy: AI should be introduced gradually, much like a new employee. “We believe in building confidence through iteration,” he said. “You don’t just give AI a task and walk away. You start small, measure success, and grow trust over time.”

Autom8ly’s vision extends beyond the CCA. They're in talks with other associations to bring similar solutions to new industries, offering not a product, but a collaborative approach to AI integration.

Learn more: www.autom8ly.com

Branded identity and app-like messaging experiences take center stage in CTO Mike Tindall’s product preview

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - At Cloud Connections 2025, Mike Tindall, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Commio, introduced two forward-looking solutions aimed at transforming how businesses engage customers through voice and messaging.

Speaking with Doug Green of Technology Reseller News, Tindall discussed Signature Calling, Commio’s branded calling product developed within the BCID (Branded Caller ID) ecosystem. Designed to address the increasing problem of spoofed phone calls and diminished customer trust, Signature Calling provides end-to-end identity delivery that authenticates the brand, displays company logos, and optionally explains the reason for the call.

"Life is complicated. I like things that are easy." – Mike Tindall, Commio CTO

“Phone numbers are ephemeral,” said Tindall. “The real question is: how do you establish identity? That’s what BCID and Signature Calling solve for.”

Alongside this, Commio unveiled Instant App, a reimagined version of RCS (Rich Communication Services) designed to turn messages into rich, interactive brand experiences within a user’s native messaging app. “We call it Instant App because it functions like a complete mobile application, right inside the inbox,” explained Tindall. “It allows brands to offer real-time engagement—like coupons, appointment scheduling, or product offers—at the tap of a button.”

Both Signature Calling and Instant App are being soft-launched and will be made available to enterprise customers across a wide range of verticals. Tindall noted that channel partners and managed service providers (MSPs) will play a key role in bringing these solutions to market.

“These tools are especially powerful for industries like automotive, HVAC, and retail, where customer engagement and trust are key drivers of repeat business,” said Tindall. “We’re excited to empower our partners with this next generation of communications.”

To learn more, visit www.commio.com.

Speaking from the floor of the Cloud Connections 2025 conference, Dino De Palma of True North Advisory emphasized the intersection of culture and innovation in the cloud communications sector during a roundtable he moderated on “Innovating at Scale: Creating Next-Gen Cloud Products.”

De Palma, a longtime industry leader and advisor, said the conversation focused on how companies can maintain culture and alignment while developing new technologies in hybrid or remote work environments.

“The key theme that emerged was balancing remote collaboration tools—like Zoom, Teams, and Webex—with the need for in-person connection,” said De Palma. “That offline conversation still matters. It can spark deeper, longer discussions that you can’t always fit into a back-to-back Teams schedule.”

True North Advisory, a boutique advisory firm, provides strategic consulting for cloud and communications companies, helping clients refine their product positioning, go-to-market strategies, and long-term relationship building. De Palma underscored that the firm emphasizes hands-on engagement and strategic fit between vendor and buyer.

De Palma also highlighted a comment from a participant that resonated with the group: “AI should be viewed as an augmentation of the team—not a replacement.” He noted that embracing AI in a way that enhances productivity, rather than replacing jobs, is essential to building trust and buy-in across teams.

He added that the conversation touched on the challenge of “over-communication,” where workers today juggle multiple channels—email, Teams, WhatsApp, SMS, and more—making alignment on company vision more difficult.

On the topic of emerging technologies and platform evolution, De Palma observed that small businesses now have greater access to tools traditionally reserved for large enterprises.

“We’re seeing companies like Clark Chat, Spanoco, and Kiwi delivering mobile-first, easy-to-use solutions that empower micro and small businesses,” he said. “At the end of the day, ease of use is the differentiator.”

De Palma is also scheduled to moderate a panel on cloud communications mergers, focusing on the Alianza-Metaswitch and XTM-Evolve IP deals. The session will explore cultural integration, operational challenges, and whether these transactions signal a broader shift in the sector.

“There’s a lot of M&A activity in the air,” said De Palma. “The question now is: what’s next?”

For more information on True North Advisory, visit truenorthadvisory.com.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - ICA (Intelligent Communication Assistant), a communications security and AI assistant platform, took center stage at the Cloud Communications Alliance’s Cloud Connections 2025 event with a solution aimed at eliminating robocalls, scams, and fragmented branded calling experiences.

Michael Gough, founder of ICA, presented during the event’s inaugural product showcase and outlined how the platform leverages artificial intelligence to identify unwanted or fraudulent communications in real time.

“There are more than 40 billion robocalls, 20 billion scam texts and a trillion phishing attempts annually,” said Gough. “We’re at an inflection point. ICA brings together voice, text, email and branded calling into one AI-powered framework.”

Gough explained that ICA works similarly to navigation apps like Waze, learning from user behavior across a distributed network. When a robocaller or scammer contacts one ICA user, the behavior is analyzed and logged so that future calls from the same entity can be blocked systemwide.

Unlike existing solutions such as STIR/SHAKEN, which Gough noted cannot cover all traffic types or legacy systems like TDM, ICA uses behavioral fingerprinting and network metadata to make real-time determinations about the legitimacy of a call or message. For calls from known and trusted sources such as a school or hospital, ICA allows communication to pass through without interruption.

Beyond fraud detection, ICA also serves as a digital assistant, with features such as calendar-aware call handling, automated appointment scheduling, and adaptive call routing based on user preferences.

Gough said ICA is currently available via licensing partnerships and is seeking additional partners, such as service providers, CPaaS platforms, and branded calling vendors. “We’re here to complement and enhance the systems they already have in place,” he said.

The company’s website, myica.ai, provides more details about its offerings and partner opportunities.

Tech pioneer previews the world’s first VCon-focused conference and the protocols reshaping AI, business conversations, and communications strategy

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - At Cloud Connections 2025, Jeff Pulver, internet telephony pioneer and CEO of the newly launched vCon Foundation, joined Technology Reseller News to preview the first-ever VCon Conference, taking place April 22–24 in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

Pulver described vCon—short for "virtualized conversation"—as a new file format standard, backed by the IETF, that captures and structures conversations across voice, chat, email, and messaging platforms. More than just a storage format, vCon is the key, he says, to unlocking insights, building memory into AI systems, and enabling truly intelligent, context-aware communications.

“For anyone trying to manage unstructured data, better understand support calls, or just improve customer engagement—this is it,” Pulver said. “If you’re asking yourself what you can actually do with AI in your business, the answer is two words: virtualized conversations.”

The upcoming VCon event will focus on three core themes:

Theory and Protocols – Understanding VCon and SCITT (Supply Chain Integrity, Transparency, and Trust)

Industry Activation – Product and service announcements from companies integrating the standard

Interop Testing – The first public interoperability event for VCon-compatible platforms

Pulver, who famously launched Free World Dialup and co-founded Vonage, emphasized the disruptive potential of this new standard: “We’ve never had a universal file format for conversations before. With VCon, any AI tool, from any vendor, can now understand and analyze that data.”

He also announced a related initiative called TAFI (Trust Agent Framework for AI), which incorporates VCon for memory and SCITT for trust—a new model for AI transparency and reliability.

Pulver, who now refers to himself as Chief Evangelist Officer of the vCon Foundation, promised attendees real value: “If you show up and don’t learn something new, I’ll refund your registration. That’s how confident I am.”

With rapid enterprise AI adoption underway, Pulver sees VCon as the missing link. “Conversations matter. Memory matters. And VCon brings them together.”

Learn more and register: www.vonevolution.com/spring25-vcon

St. Petersburg, FL - Phone.com, a leading provider of cloud-based communications solutions for small businesses, has announced the launch of ProSIM, a new service that enables users to make and receive calls and text messages from their business number using the native dialer of their mobile device. The announcement was made during a podcast interview at Cloud Connections 2025, held in St. Petersburg.

Developed in partnership with Tango Networks, ProSIM delivers a fully integrated business line over an eSIM—eliminating the need for a separate app. According to Ari Rabban, CEO of Phone.com, the new offering “revolutionizes mobile communications by bringing UCaaS capabilities to the native smartphone interface, offering simplicity, compliance, and reliability for workers on the move.”

Brian Cassano, Vice President of Channel Success (Americas) at Tango Networks, highlighted the opportunity for small business customers. “ProSIM lets businesses extend their UCaaS platform natively to mobile devices. It works seamlessly with features like Apple CarPlay, voice commands, contact integration, and text messaging, while delivering enterprise-grade compliance including HIPAA and SOC 2.”

ProSIM is immediately available to existing and new Phone.com customers. For current users, the feature can be activated from the customer dashboard by scanning a QR code to install the ProSIM eSIM. Once installed, users can maintain two lines on a single device—one personal and one business—without switching apps.

The companies noted that the product is especially valuable for “workers on the move,” including contractors, healthcare professionals, and frontline staff. By using the cellular network instead of relying on Wi-Fi or data for VoIP applications, ProSIM ensures consistent, high-quality communication without the common drawbacks of app-based calling.

“This isn’t just a technical advancement—it’s a workforce solution,” said Rabban. “Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or part of a mobile team, ProSIM makes it easy to separate business and personal communications while delivering the reliability small businesses need.”

Phone.com is actively seeking new channel partners who want to bring ProSIM to small business customers. More information is available at www.phone.com and www.tango-networks.com.

Cloud Connections 2025 Podcast Interview with Peter Eisengrein, SVP of Service, Delivery & Operations at XTIUM

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - A new managed services powerhouse has emerged. Speaking with Technology Reseller News at Cloud Connections 2025, Peter Eisengrein, Senior Vice President of Service, Delivery & Operations, introduced XTIUM—a new brand created from the merger of Evolve IP’s MSP business with ATSG.

“XTIUM is a fresh brand built from two strong companies,” said Eisengrein. “We’ve taken everything Evolve IP was known for—managed cloud, UCaaS, CCaaS, DaaS—and added a full suite of managed network, managed security, and managed operations services.”

The merger, announced just weeks earlier at Channel Partners, significantly expands the portfolio available to XTIUM’s channel partners. Of particular interest to the channel: Managed Detection and Response (MDR) security services, enterprise help desk outsourcing, and the ability to deliver turnkey network management alongside voice and compute.

“We’re hearing a lot of excitement around security and network services,” said Eisengrein. “It’s what customers are asking for—and what the channel didn’t always associate with us before.”

At the conference, Eisengrein also joined two merger-focused sessions to share lessons from XTIUM’s own experience. His message? M&A success takes time, careful planning, and clean financials. “You can’t rush it. Lenders move at their own pace, and you need to be prepared—especially when it comes to audited books and integration plans.”

For partners, the opportunity lies in XTIUM’s ability to meet customers where they are. “Most buyers are only in market for one service at a time,” said Eisengrein. “The key for channel partners is being able to pivot. If it’s not UC today, maybe it’s security, or help desk, or compute. Now, we can support all of it.”

XTIUM positions itself as a white-glove, customer-centric provider that integrates with, rather than displaces, enterprise IT. “We don’t just offer services,” said Eisengrein. “We solve problems. That’s our mission.”

Learn more at: www.xtium.com