ISupportISP offers nationwide dialup as well as a wide range of additional services, from content filtering to satellite access.

by Jeff Goldman [June 9, 2004]

ISupportISP, or ISI, was founded in 2001 specifically to target the nonprofit sector. "We saw that there were opportunities that weren't being capitalized on," says Stephan West, ISI's Chief Operations Officer. "We had the ability to put forth a product that would allow nonprofits to offer services to their members. Rather than simply writing a check as a gift, they could buy Internet service."

Once that platform was developed, it quickly became clear that other kinds of companies could also make use of it—so ISI began targeting the ISP industry as well. "We offer the traditional wholesale and turnkey, but we also have specialty offerings," West says. "All of our platforms are proprietary to us. They were all developed in house, giving us the ability to piecemeal out a particular aspect of our offering."

ISI (877) 667-2605 sales@isuppportisp.com

According to James Cobb, the company's Senior Vice President, that flexibility is key to the company's offering. "We can customize to our client's needs, whether it be a nonprofit, a prepaid company, a franchise situation, or even basic RADIUS proxy service," he says. "We can do a wide variety of things because we wrote the software, and we work with it every day."

Because ISI doesn't have to pay licensing fees for its software, West says, it's able to take on smaller ISPs than other providers can. "Usually, the first question out of a sales rep's mouth is, 'How many subscribers do you have—what kind of commitment can we write you down for,'" he says. "We don't have to dwell on those parameters to establish a profitable situation with our clients, and our clients appreciate that."

Ongoing improvements
ISI's network includes a wide range of nationwide carriers, regional carriers, and smaller providers. "We have just about the largest phone book that you can strap your hands on," West says. "There aren't many carriers out there, or many places on the map with carrier coverage, that we don't have access to. Coverage is not a problem for us—it never has been."

In addition to dialup, ISI offers wireless and satellite-based Internet connectivity, and a number of filtering and acceleration services. "Dialup's always going to be there, but we know that pieces of it are going to move," Cobb says. "They're going to move to the wireless market, or into new markets or new technologies, and we're constantly reaching out for those new technologies to better serve our clients."

If a client wants to provide something that ISI doesn't currently offer, Cobb says the company is usually happy to add it to their offering. "Some of the things that the larger companies do, we can do for minimal cost, or no cost at all, because it improves the overall system for everyone," he says. "We're constantly doing upgrades and integrations to our system."

ISI also offers back-end solutions ranging from database management to technical support. "We've structured this company so that no matter what you need, no matter how big or small, you can get it from us," West says. "We can provide it to you, and more likely than not, we can integrate it into your existing situation, so that whatever transition has to occur is going to be a seamless one."

Set and forget
A popular trend these days, Cobb says, is that more and more local ISPs are deciding to outsource in order to cut costs. "Local ISPs are either saying, 'I want to get rid of my equipment,' or 'I want to keep the POPs I have, but I want to be able to service my local people when they travel, and I don't want to build out any more,'" he says. "People are more mobile now, and they want that network footprint."

All pricing is customized individually for each client. Different combinations of access numbers and additional services result in different pricing for the service. "We don't give them some boilerplate price," West says. "We can quote them a price that is extraordinarily competitive, based on where they're located and what they need."

Steve Moody is the Manager of PlanetUSA, a nationwide ISP based in North Carolina. The key feature that attracted PlanetUSA to ISI, Moody says, was the company's back end. "It makes it so easy," he says. "Basically, it's 'set and forget.' A customer signs up online and everything's taken care of in the back room. You never have to do anything except at the end of the month for billing."

In addition, Moody says, the company's staff is extremely accessible. "If you have a problem, you pick up the phone and they're always right there for you," he says. "They know how to work with you, and they get things taken care of very quickly."

— End

Related articles:
	[Nov. 3, 2003]	Accurate Billing is a Value-Added Service
	[March 16, 2001]	Va-Va-VISP
	[Nov. 27, 2000]	How to Pick A Wholesale Access Provider

Online resource:
	Wholesale Dialup Directory