By Bruce Christian
Rebranding can be a long, arduous and difficult process. INCOMPAS began its rebranding last October when it announced its new name during the fall show in San Francisco. So, six months later, what has been the result of these efforts?
“Our members have embraced this change wholeheartedly,” said INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering. “They understand the changing nature of our industry and see this evolution as a crucial and important next step in communicating what we stand for and who we represent.”
The association took the COMPTEL name in 1985. It stood for the Competitive Telecommunications Association. But the world is very different today.
“The technologies and platforms available for communications have evolved and expanded exponentially since then,” Pickering said. “So it seemed fitting that COMPTEL update its brand to more effectively represent the entire innovative and competitive communications industry.
“As INCOMPAS, the organization has continued to fiercely advocate for competition and innovation that benefits the entire communications marketplace, and provide business-building education and networking opportunities for our members and their partners,” he said.
And Pickering vowed the organization will continue to enhance and strengthen those offerings. At the same time, it will continue to expand its member base.
“We are confident that a bigger and more diverse organization will benefit the entire industry by strengthening the power of our voice and extending our experience,” Pickering said.
“We remain vigilant in our belief that that world-class communications networks and services are best achieved through a vibrant, competitive marketplace. We will continue to fight for issues like non-discriminatory last-mile access and IP interconnection that are critical to the success of core members,” he added.
Even newer platform and content providers, such as Google and Netflix, benefit from the initiatives INCOMPAS supports, so they also will be benefit by the same regulatory successes.
“Because they are well recognized in D.C., their support of INCOMPAS’ efforts can also help increase visibility for those issues,” Pickering said, noting that “everyone wins with a broader membership base.”
The organization’s CEO added that INCOMPAS remains committed to its educational and networking resources for the core member base – the companies that deliver voice telephony, broadband, mobile and fixed wireless, wholesale, backhaul, cloud services and other applications.
“ Supporting those members’ business growth and access to partners and customers will remain a top priority,” Pickering said.
