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BroadJump Inc. made another leap in its provisioning software business when it landed a contract with digital subscriber line giant SBC Communications Inc.
The Austin, Texas-based BroadJump has begun supplying its Virtual Truck Installer to the incumbent Bell operator. Rebranded "SBC Express," the installer automates much of the provisioning process for new customers.
The product has already been integrated into SBC's customer fulfillment systems and will be rolled out across the Baby Bell's sprawling 25-state region. SBC has been pushing its self-installation offering, claiming 70 percent of its new customers either buy a computer already configured for DSL service or install the software themselves.
"They are making an attempt to simplify the overall provisioning process, so we have to do a sort of blanket coverage," says BroadJump chief operating officer Kenny Van Zant.
Virtual Truck is the first item on a menu of BroadJump service management products. The company recently unveiled the ControlWorks Fulfillment Engine, which helps broadband service providers monitor modems, oversee billing and manage account information. Van Zant says SBC has opted for only the customer-side Virtual Truck product for now.
Although financial details of the contract were not disclosed, adding SBC to BroadJump's client list means the company now provides provisioning software to 50 percent of the residential broadband access market, with a mix of DSL and cable modem clients.
"No doubt it is a very big deal for BroadJump," says Kip McClanahan, BroadJump's president and CEO. "Certainly it is a great point of validation in the DSL space seeing as SBC is the largest DSL provider in the world."
BroadJump also supplies Virtual Truck to Sprint Communications Co., AT&T Broadband, Time Warner Cable and cable modem service RoadRunner, all of which see eliminating truck rolls for installations as a vital element to cutting subscriber acquisition costs.
Having a client roster weighted toward the top high-speed data providers will be a significant advantage for the company in a market that has seen its share of ups and downs, McClanahan says.
"That's a pretty significant milestone because those companies will continue to grow year to year," he says.
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