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Head2Head
By: James E. Gaskin Special To Inter@ctive Week
October 12, 2000
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Arbinet-thexchange
Arbinet-thexchange's home page promises "A World of Capacity" on the trading site for telecommunications service providers. Unlike typical line leasing, which necessitates changes in configurations, Arbinet members physically connect, for a fee, to the company's hub in New York to buy, sell and deliver capacity. Members make deals without having to negotiate a separate contract with each partner. Arbinet helps track minutes used between partners, typically a complicated accounting procedure.
Features: Rates for each country in the world are shown, broken down by quality level. Want to sell prepaid phone cards to France? Save money by contracting for lower-quality lines. Price changes and line switching happen minute-by-minute if necessary, giving telecom providers flexibility nearly impossible without the centralized exchange.
Pros: The clean, functional site screams, "Business! All business!" and includes industry news and stock quotes on the home page. A handy world-time clock tracks to the second. Free registration gets you onto the online trading floor and puts you on the e-mail list.
Cons: The site is rather dull, compared to the dynamic trading action it offers.
TeleBright.com
TeleBright.com feeds the users of Arbinet-thexchange by linking small and midsized businesses to every communications service available. Need cheaper long-distance? TeleBright has it. Wireless? Ditto. Internet access? Ditto. Web hosting? Everything. TeleBright acts as a neutral sales agent for suppliers and service providers. Unlike its competitors, it doesn't take information and shop it around to vendors; it keeps a database of current prices and promotional plans and updates it weekly.
Features: Every service for small businesses ready and waiting. Confused? Buying tips, Frequently Asked Questions and a glossary await. If that's not enough, use the live chat feature or call the 800 number during business hours. All displayed prices include fees and any fine-print gotchas. There are special deals on bundled services; TeleBright's staff does the research for you.
Pros: The IntelliRate feature, proprietary to TeleBright, keeps all rates in a database for instant lookup, comparison and display. Small-business resources and the wide range of services are reasons to visit the site regularly.
Cons: Flamboyant colors comprise a jarring opening page - the name is Bright.
Arbinet-thexchange
Arbinet-thexchange - A
Execution: High-capacity site and telecom switch handle traffic. - A
E-commerce abilities: Guarantees payments to members because they're in the middle - A
B2B features: Highest-level transactions between telecom providers - A
Product depth: Narrow niche, but important - A
Value to small/midsized businesses: Only telecom providers need apply. - B
Enterprise integration: Top-end, dynamic exchange -A
TeleBright.com
TeleBright.com - A
Execution: Log on to a bright, cheerful site and save money all at once. - A
E-commerce abilities: Customer-service decisions are implemented immediately. - A
B2B features: Rate and compare any communication plan on one site. - A
Product depth: Local, long-distance, Internet, wireless and hosting services - A
Value to midsized businesses: One-stop shop - A
Enterprise integration: Finds services, compares them and helps you sign up - A
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