2025 DIRECTORY | CHANNELVISION 51 more bandwidth. Technology advisors: Your customers need more bandwidth. Internet access is the thing we in our channel do so well, and it’s what your customers rely on you to deliver. Our channel has never had more access options with higher bandwidth at cheaper rates than now. For example, symmetrical 1Gbps cable broadband will extensively be available nationwide in 2025. TAs and technology solutions distributors (TSDs) should anticipate new higher bandwidth and lower rates across every type of internet access from FWA, fiber DIA, G-PON, cable broadband, local exchange carriers (LECs) and regional fiber providers. Underlying carriers such as cable providers and LECs are looking to leverage their network assets by offering both multi-gig fiber in a variety of flavors and potentially dark fiber. TAs: Make it a point to contact your customers with out-of-term internet access during the first quarter of 2025 and look to upgrade them to higher speeds. It may only require a network equipment change and a nominal rate increase. Plus, it will give you an opportunity to upsell other solutions your customers may need. At NHC, we offer every type of internet access solution, specified, quoted, project-managed, billed and serviced by our 24x7x365 team. Wireless Internet Access 5G: My predictions of 5G’s rollout from last year fell a bit short. Yes, the hype for the potential is still there, and upstream carriers are now offering unlimited 5G FWA, but availability for use as a replacement to wired internet is spotty at best. At the close of 2024, our experience shows that about three in 10 business locations can have access to 5G FWA nationally. Based on what the upstream 5G providers are socializing, if we put the penetration of 4G availability at the 100 percent mark, 50 percent of businesses should have access to 5G by the end of 2025. Several research firms predict 50 percent to 70 percent CAGR for 5G FWA during the decade. Private 5G networks for campus environments such as hospitals and schools will see much more acceptance in 2025. 4G: It’s not fading away. Expect new lower speeds for pooled backup and IoT. Prices will continue to drop in 2025. As 5G expands with FWA solutions, 4G spectrum will be freed up to offer more options for backup and IoT. 4G’s ubiquity and low cost for light data use is ideal for IoT applications. Low Earth Orbiting Satellite (LEO): LEO is unlikely to ever be cheaper than 5G FWA, and it’s not as well-suited for dense urban areas, but it’s a great solution for emergency backup because it does not rely upon local wireline service for backhaul like 4G and 5G. It can also reach tens of thousands of locations that fiber, 5G and broadband cannot reach. SD-WAN and Secure Edge Solutions Our channel is THE supplier of network access for businesses, and when it’s time to manage all that access into multiple locations and ensure secure quality of service then it’s time for SDWAN. Leading market forecasters predict an extremely healthy 35 percent to 40 percent CAGR during the next 10 years for SD-WAN sales, and even more when SD-WAN is combined with a secure access service edge (SASE) solution. Our channel has been selling SD-WAN solutions for more than 10 years, and three things are certain in 2025. First, end-customers of every size want this service. Second, a one size, one vendor solution does not fit all customer requirements. You need options. For example, some customers need a fully managed SASE solution, while others already have a security solution and require the management and control features of SD-WAN. And third, security is the most strategic customer retentive service you can sell. This holds true whether you’re selling a basic SD-WAN platform or a fully managed solution with network. Choose a supplier such as NHC that offers multiple solutions along with any type of access under one team of network engineers and project managers. We have a 10-year track record of designing, installing and maintaining SDWAN installations coast-to-coast. POTS and TDM Migrations There are millions of POTS lines still in use for business applications in the U.S. There are also thousands of T1s and PRIs still in use despite their excessive cost. In 2025, expect underlying carriers to continue to raise rates or decommission these services. We cannot expect underlying carriers to maintain the equipment and operations needed to provide them forever. End-customers will have to be migrated away from these old services. As one of the nation’s largest valueadded resellers of access services, NHC has tremendous experience working with customers to migrate away from expensive and unreliable TDM services. We have multiple solutions for both POTS and TDM that can reduce costs, add functionality and improve the overall reliability of the solution. Use the first quarter of the year to reach out to your customers that have these older services and offer them better alternatives. UCaaS Grandview Research predicts a 19.8 percent CAGR for UCaaS sales through the end of the decade. VoIP and UCaaS may seem dull in comparison to other solutions you offer, but it’s another strategic and customer retentive solution that every TA should specify. The death of the office communications system is greatly exaggerated thanks to the evolving trend of returning to the office and the need to communicate in multiple ways with customers, employees and suppliers. TAs should look for customers that are unhappy with their current solutions provider or need to add locations for quick opportunities. Accessorize With all the TDM and POTS migrations likely to take place in 2025, you will be talking with your installed base of customers to a greater extent than in the past. Take the opportunity to upsell with some simple, inexpensive accessory solutions such as 1G wireless pooled backup, which is currently at a much lower rate than in the past. In 2024, NHC introduced STACKguard SG-1 that is a managed aggregation solution featuring independent proactive network monitoring, automated event notification and resolution with NHC provided or customer BYOB access – all for just $9.95 per month. o Glen Nelson is a 40-year veteran of the telecommunications industry and is cofounder, VP marketing & business development at NHC, The Communications Stack Provider and one of the largest partner-exclusive network resellers in North America.
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