Major carriers score high on network performance, but billing woes and installation delays open the door for second-tier providers.

By Robin Gareiss, Principal Research Officer, Nemertes Research
Network World, 07/19/04

Customers think highly of the reliability and performance of carrier networks, but aren't so thrilled with the level of customer service, especially when it comes to billing and management tools. That leaves the door open for second-tier service providers such as Broadwing, Masergy Communications, Savvis Communications and XO Communications, according to a Nemertes Research survey of about 100 major U.S. and global companies.

While companies are trying to reduce the number of carriers they deal with because managing those relationships is time-consuming, 26% of respondents say they still use between 10 and 20 carriers. In some cases, they use different carriers for different services to leverage better pricing or features; in others, they must use multiple carriers to cover all their locations.

AT&T is the most-frequently used carrier, followed by MCI, Sprint and Qwest, according to survey respondents.

To read the full article, please visit http://www.nwfusion.com/research/2004/071904carriers.html [1]