April 02, 2007
VoIP Provider SunRocket Amasses 200,000 Subscribers

By Erik Linask
Associate Editor,
Internet Telephony magazine

Each day, new subscribers are signing on with VoIP providers, and those providers are all introducing new features and services to attract even more new customers. Those include major service additions like IPTV and FMC (fixed/mobile convergence), or they may mean expansion of service offerings as a whole into new territories, or it may mean the availability of new hardware, like a new wireless router. Regardless, each of these service enhancements is drawing the attention of new subscribers. In addition, subscriber numbers are being boosted by consumers tiring of paying exorbitant rates to their cable MSOs and local telcos and are switching at least some services to lower cost ISPs.
 
The bottom line is that the VoIP industry and ISPs are experiencing continued growth — as predicted. The continued success of the IP Communications industry, of course, is underscored by a certain amount of consolidation, which is often a sign of growth. SunRocket (News - Alert), one of the fastest growing ISPs, is making the most of the opportunity presented, and has now passed the 200,000 subscriber mark. 
 
Among SunRocket’s planned enhancements, the company says it will continue to focus on providing what it believes is a more “home-centric” offering than its competition, which now includes all the usual telephony features, as well as a SimRing. SimRing is SunRocket’s simultaneous ringing feature, which allows subscribers to define up to three distinct phone numbers at once, so friends, family, and colleagues need only dial a single number to reach you, wherever you are.
 
SunRocket also employs QoS monitoring and metrics to ensure it is delivering high quality communications services. It also has entered into VoIP Peering (News - Alert) relationships with a number of key partners, as it pushes for the open exchange of Internet voice traffic to provide enhanced service quality. 
 
SunRocket has also taken very seriously E911 regulations ordered by the FCC (News - Alert), and claims it is the only residential VoIP provider to “fully account for E911 from the beginning.”  With its emergency services partnerships in place, SunRocket says it will continue to hold its subscribers’ safety in the highest regard.
 
Despite its growth, SunRocket acknowledges it has only managed to scratch the surface, and is hardly content to rest on its laurels. Its immediate plans include continued growth of its subscriber base, which will only be aided by its recently expanded service area. The company’s service availability footprint now includes much of Florida, California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, as well as metropolitan centers in many other states. With this expansion, SunRocket’s services now pass millions more homes — more than 50 million, according to the company, many of whom are most likely in the market for a (new) ISP — or at least soon will be.
 
“Mainstream consumers continue to demonstrate a strong appetite for Internet phone service; in fact the VoIP market is twice as big as it was a year ago and we predict continued strong growth going forward,” said Stephan Beckert, director of research at Telegeography. “Internet phone service providers that offer compelling prices, products and features are continuing to gain landline converts.”
 
Erik Linask is Associate Editor of INTERNET TELEPHONY, IMS Magazine, and SIP Magazine. Prior to joining TMC (News - Alert), he was Managing Editor at Global Custodian, an international securities services publication. To see more of his articles, please visit Erik Linask’s columnist page.
 
Don't forget to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users.

Today’s Featured title, ApplianX IP Gateway as a VoIP Enabled Programmable Switch is brought to you by Aculab (News - Alert).