The telecommunications industry remains one of the fastest-paced in terms of advancement. As the demand for faster, smoother, and more stable global connectivity rises, telecom companies face the challenge of constantly maintaining and scaling services. Larger tier 1 companies with ample budgets have taken on this challenge, searching for ways to embrace faster connections via wireless or optical fiber solutions.
While these cutting-edge options are poised to become the majority of active telecom infrastructure, companies relying on legacy assets may feel left behind. Copper-based services, while outmoded compared to newly-developed telecom equipment, still serve an essential purpose across businesses that leveraged them in their prime.
Legacy assets, like any aging ecosystem, require ongoing support from carriers to provide the services clients need daily. However, a helping hand from tier 1 companies is no longer a guaranteed safety net; since August 2022, significant players in the telecom space have had no obligation to service copper networks. As customer support for networks utilizing copper assets begins to diminish, businesses can’t help but feel abandoned and pushed toward choosing either costly and time-consuming infrastructure updates or complete obsolescence.
Here at Sakon, we understand the reality companies face: immediately changing to fully wireless or fiber optic assets simply isn’t viable. With a mission of supporting all modern telecom networks, our team set out to develop a method of aiding legacy telecom services for years to come. The result? A telecom-oriented Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) purpose-built to connect companies dependent on a legacy network, with vendors ready to provide help at a moment’s notice.
By breaking down the unforeseen drawbacks of decreased support from tier 1 providers, we’ll outline how our first GPO will make an immediate positive impact on members and what our collective plans to develop for businesses.
Transitioning to a fully wireless or fiber-optic infrastructure is more than just costly. The upgrade process inevitably leads to downtime for implementation, decreased customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, the bottom line.
Putting temporary shutdowns aside, the learning curve for IT staff to adapt to new systems leads to decreased productivity. When the need for troubleshooting goes beyond an internal team's expertise, assistance from carriers moving on to new assets can't be counted on. The investment required for an upgrade is steep, and the monetary benefits won't be immediate. Delayed returns pose a considerable risk, especially for businesses already operating on tight margins.
Even if a company-wide upgrade is possible, there’s no guarantee that the current wave of fiber and wireless technologies is the final frontier of telecom innovation. Another more efficient — and likely more expensive — technology could emerge sooner than expected. This possibility makes the prospect of investing heavily in new infrastructure daunting; businesses could find themselves in the same position a few years down the line, facing another round of expensive changes.
This uncertainty leads to a difficult position, but the need to stay competitive is a powerful force for change. In reality, the solution lies not in completely overhauling systems but in finding ways to maintain and optimize active legacy assets for as long as possible. This is where Sakon’s Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) comes into play.
For those unfamiliar with GPOs, the potential impact on legacy telecom services may be hard to grasp. In essence, we have embarked on an initiative that harnesses our legacy as a trusted leader in the telecommunications space and the power of collective buying to secure discounted rates on services from partners that meet our high standard for quality.
Our GPO is designed with a singular focus: to provide unmatched customer support and savings for businesses that rely on legacy telecom services. Pooling the purchasing power of each member leads to better rates and terms with vendors at discounts that would be impossible for individual companies to secure on their own. Building a growing network ensures enterprise customers retain access to top-tier support and services at competitive prices, supporting the day-to-day use of legacy assets without requiring costly upgrades.
GPOs have long been necessary in various sectors, from construction and manufacturing to education. In each case, the arduous process of sourcing crucial goods and services has been eased thanks to well-negotiated contracts from collective bargaining. That said, telecommunications is far from a simple comparison to other industries — how does a GPO directly improve your business?
The most common disadvantage companies face using legacy assets is the price of continued support. In rare cases where tier 1 carriers still offer limited servicing, costs for equipment or new circuits compatible with a copper-based ecosystem can soar as fewer resources are allocated to a declining client base.
At the end of the day, avoiding communication breakdowns and unnecessary expenditures is the goal of any company with aspirations to grow. Combining the purchasing power of multiple businesses, our GPO negotiates more favorable terms with third-party vendors. An interconnected approach significantly reduces overall telecom expenses, making it easier to manage spending while still accessing high-quality services.
Along with reduced budget strain, our members will benefit from ongoing pricing stability. Long-term contracts negotiated through our GPO protect from sudden price hikes, offering financial predictability and helping manage budgets effectively.
Whether your business is only beginning to feel the strain of working with a legacy network or has wrestled through endless IT assistance, finding the right solutions provider becomes more pressing by the day. Selecting the right telecom provider is challenging, and collaborating with those who lack in-depth industry knowledge does more harm than good.
Sakon’s GPO is primed to take on this responsibility, rigorously vetting vendors to ensure they meet our high standards for service quality, reliability, and support. Working with a GPO that only collaborates with outstanding partners lets businesses rest assured as they enjoy immediate access to specialists who have a proven track record of supporting legacy systems.
Group purchasing may sound like a method of cutting costs by opting for limited boilerplate solutions packaged for companies of a limited size. This assumption couldn’t be further from the truth — a well-planned GPO builds relationships and contracts with continuous expansion in mind.
Whether a company is scaling operations or addressing specific components of its telecom infrastructure before growing, our GPO provides the flexibility to scale services up or down.
Adaptability is vital; having the resources needed to adjust services in response to new opportunities or challenges creates a strong competitive edge. Our GPO’s scalable offerings enable members to keep pace with market demands without unnecessary disruptions or costs.
To kick off our venture, Sakon has partnered with Granite Telecommunications. We selected Granite for their exceptional ability to support legacy telecom services and their commitment to delivering cost savings on dependable support. Through this new partnership, all GPO members receive Granite’s platinum-level customer support, including a 24/7 helpdesk, a rapid response time of 30 seconds or less, and access to a dedicated representative — regardless of an individual member's spend level.
Granite’s services extend nationwide, providing businesses with reliable coverage and assistance in a field that often disregards the role legacy assets play in communications. Our new partnership also promises substantial financial benefits, with GPO members seeing an average savings of 30% to 50% across an array of telecom services.
The collection of benefits cannot be overstated, with 30% savings on analog phone lines, 38% on phone line cellular replacements, and 36% on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services — all available to members the day they join.
While Granite is the first provider to join Sakon’s GPO, it is far from the last. Our team is actively building a roster of partners to offer a broad range of services and support. As the GPO grows, so too do the advantages available to its members, culminating in an ever-improving ecosystem for managing legacy telecom services.
Adding new, relevant, and valuable vendors provides members with the resources they need to thrive. Whether businesses need to keep their current infrastructure, explore the latest technologies, or optimize telecom spend, our collective provides the support required.
Becoming part of our group purchasing organization is the easiest way to stay informed about new partners and a growing list of perks. As more vendor announcements are scheduled soon, the value of your early membership will only increase.
By joining, your enterprise gains a strategic resource to ease the hardships of managing legacy telecom services. With access to top-tier vendors, unparalleled customer support, and lower costs, an infrastructure overhaul can be sidestepped altogether.
Contact us or reach out to your Sakon Client Services Manager today to learn more about getting started and scheduling your free line-level services audit. Sakon’s GPO is ready to keep your business connected, supported, and prepared for whatever the future of telecom may bring.