The 2019 INCOMPAS Show, Day 1

« 1 0 » THE INCOMPAS SHOW I NOVEMBER 4 – 6, 2019 www.bekapublishing.com INDATEL Continues to Shine Light on Unique Fiber Networks in Rural America I NDATEL Services continues to transform how providers connect to client locations in rural America. An acronym for Inde- pendent Alliance of Telephone Companies, INDATEL was formed 14 years ago as a non- profit with a membership comprised of rural ILECs and statewide and independent regional networks that are the backbone of small-town America. When INDATEL initially formed, there were no INDATEL employees. It was simply an all-volunteer organization run by members sharing best practices and collec- tively marketing their unique fiber networks. In 2012, INDATEL became a member- owned, for-profit company with Max Huffman as CEO of the newly formed company. During the early years, the focus was getting contracts in place for members to provide cell-site back- haul to large carriers, as well as aggregating member services, primarily peering and IP transit. The members invested in equipment and space at 350 Cermak in Chicago, and it effectively became the newly formed compa- ny’s first point of presence (PoP). The model worked well, and INDATEL expanded into additional national PoPs. By 2016, however, market conditions started to change. The consumption of band- width had dramatically increased during those four years. Many of the original members simply outgrew the aggregation model for transit. Furthermore, peering and caching services were being offered at the edge and did not require going to large PoPs in “NFL cities” to obtain. After Huffman retired in 2016, Mel Wagner Jr. was promoted from vice president of operations into the role of CEO. His rich experience provided unique perspec- tive on the operational pieces involved with running INDATEL. As Eric Davis, director of engineering and operations at INDATEL, explained, “Mel was close to the members and understood INDATEL; where INDATEL had been and where we needed to grow.” With the market changes, INDATEL continued to evolve and create value for its members. In 2015, INDATEL began focusing on wholesale services outside of cell site backhaul, specifically helping carriers with large regional and national opportu- nities that needed help reaching critical sites in rural America. In March of 2016, INDATEL brought in Justin Forte, who had experience working for start-ups and an entrepreneurial spirit, to help develop a sales and marketing strategy around these efforts. Forte had daunting tasks: creating a new marketing message, developing a sales strategy, refining processes and getting members’ and owners’ buy-in to the changes to get the wholesale operation off the ground. “The INDATEL family is interfacing with more than 700 rural and independent providers through its member/owners,” said Forte. “Any changes made have ripple effects and require a large amount of teamwork with our members. “Thankfully, our members are wonderful,” he continued. “They understand the importance of what we are building and how we are helping shine a light on these incredible fiber assets that have gone overlooked for far too long on many national opportunities.” Forte’s first sales hire was Diana Dreyer. “Diana had extensive experience in the industry and specifically wholesale, having worked for a member/owner in the past and other regional operators,” said Forte. “Diana helped create the foundation that we are building on today. She continues to help us grow by managing several large clients INDATEL’s Coverage Map