For a long time, voice wholesalers have had a significant presence in the telecom industry, handling global traffic and interconnectivity for telecom operators. In the past few years, though, many of them have started exploring more direct opportunities with enterprise customers, striving to diversify their offerings beyond the low-margin, high-volume sector they traditionally operate in.
However, as business communications increasingly default to cloud-based solutions like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, many such wholesalers find themselves struggling to catch up with their lack of necessary IT and UC expertise and direct enterprise relationships. That’s where solutions like Cataleya‘s Orchid Collab and Link2Teams come in.
In a recent chat, Andreas Hipp, CEO and Co-Founder of Cataleya, shared insights into the role their solutions play in transforming the landscape for voice wholesalers, enabling them to explore new markets and serve enterprises more effectively.
Meeting the Needs of Voice Wholesalers
“While some data-driven initiatives have emerged in the industry, addressing connectivity with major platforms like Teams and Zoom remains challenging, as these platforms require deep IT knowledge for integration and automation,” Hipp notes.
Voice wholesalers lack this IT-centric approach and often don’t possess the specific knowledge related to PBX, UC, or contact center solutions.
Cataleya offers two solutions, Orchid Collab and Link2Teams, designed to empower voice wholesalers with the tools they need to address these challenges and expand their reach.
“These two solutions not only allow wholesalers to reach enterprises directly but also approach resellers and channel partners who sell to small and medium-sized enterprises with a complete, ready-made product,” Hipp explains.
So, what are Orchid Collab and Link2Teams, and how do they differ?
Let’s have a look.
Orchid Collab: Empowering Wholesalers to Automate
Orchid Collab is a versatile service automation tool meant to simplify the integration of Zoom and Microsoft Teams with voice carrier services.
“Orchid Collab can be deployed by the operators themselves in their own environment, controlling it and branding it as they please, which is best suited for the larger voice wholesalers,” Hipp says.
Collab offers several key benefits such as automated provisioning of new users on Zoom and Teams, easy configuration of Direct Routing and Premise Peering, connecting existing BSS/OSS platforms to Zoom and Teams through API integrations, and useful reporting capabilities.
Link2Teams: A Managed Service for Multitenant Connectivity
Link2Teams offers the same features as its counterpart, only as a managed service connecting Zoom and Teams users to PBXs and SIP trunks via the Orchid Cloud SBCaaS, available in multiple locations worldwide.
“It’s the same platform as Orchid Collab, only as a hosted service,” Hipp clarifies.
In addition to the features it shares with the Collab solution, Link2Teams offers geo-redundancy, routing calls through up to 7 SBC nodes to ensure continuous service even in case of a failure. It also boasts a flexible pricing method, enabling enterprises to subscribe to the cloud service with user-based monthly pricing.
“This option is ideal for small and medium-sized operators due to its hosted and subscription-based format,” Hipp adds.
Expanding Wholesalers’ Reach
By utilizing Cataleya’s solutions, voice wholesalers can empower themselves with the necessary IT knowledge and tools for integration with modern communication platforms. They can directly reach out to enterprises and tap into the reseller and channel partner market.
“Our goal is to help bridge the gap between traditional voice wholesalers and the dynamic demands of the modern communication landscape, so they can freely expand their services and explore new markets,” Hipp concludes.