PXC (PlatformX Communications) is the UK’s fastest growing wholesale provider of connectivity, voice, cloud and security solutions. Created by combining TalkTalk’s wholesale business and Virtual1, PXC offers solutions that give its partners — including resellers, carriers, systems integrators, altnets and service providers — the best opportunities to serve their end-customers and grow their business.
Enhancing network reach and resilience
PXC operates an extensive, resilient and high-availability network, backed by compelling SLAs. It works with suppliers like Colt to both expand its reach beyond its core footprint and enhance resilience by backhauling to multiple exchanges. This allows for rapid rerouting of network traffic in the event of an issue to minimise any impact on end-customers.
“Having relationships with suppliers like Colt lets us act as a one-stop shop for our partners. So they don’t have to approach multiple providers to get the reach and resilience they need to meet their customers’ requirements,” says Louisa Clark, Product Director at PXC.
Meeting demand for higher bandwidth
Working with Colt helps PXC keep pace with the rapidly evolving wholesale market, in which partners are requesting higher-bandwidth connectivity to support their customers’ data-hungry apps, cloud-based services and hybrid working models.
“Working with Colt gives us a broader footprint, helping us reach international locations with the high-speed connectivity businesses depend on today,” says Louisa. Additionally, partners are keen to futureproof their connectivity propositions by leaving legacy copper infrastructure behind in favour of full IP. PXC offers a range of Ethernet services to connect sites of different sizes — from smaller offices whose needs can be met by FTTP (a shared Ethernet service), right up to data centres, head offices and other major sites that need dedicated 10Gbps Ethernet connections.
“Offering all these connectivity options means we can help our partners meet more complex customer requirements and so win more business,” says Louisa.
With demand for circuits of 10Gbps and above steadily increasing, PXC decided to get ahead of the game
and procure a 100Gbps NNI from Colt. “Beyond network reach and reliability, Colt has a great reputation at PXC,” says Louisa. “Our interactions are positive and collaborative at all levels, we’re well supported by our Colt account manager, and our two companies have shared goals and values.”
Faster quotes help seal the deal
PXC’s partners use the company’s award-winning 1Portal to request quotes, place orders and manage their services. The portal interconnects with Colt’s systems via an API to make quoting and ordering as automated and seamless as possible. “Speeding up the front end of the process in this way helps partners capture orders more quickly and seal the deal with their customers,” explains Louisa.
With most wholesale providers, orders for 10Gbps circuits typically involve bespoke quotes that can take months. “Listing the Colt 10Gbps service on
1Portal will get things off to a much faster start for our partners, with quotes turned around in days rather than months,” says Louisa.
Bandwidth on the Colt service can be flexed to meet end-customers’ changing requirements. That may be to meet a short-term need, such as scaling up to support peak season or other major event and scaling back down once it’s over; or to support a growing business with a more permanent bandwidth increase. These soft upgrades — managed using 1Portal — will make it quick and easy for partners to deliver the right bandwidth to their end-customers without the potential disruption of a physical site visit or other intervention.
“Colt’s international coverage, our excellent working relationship, and the preference for Colt’s Ethernet services expressed by some of our partners, convinced us that implementing the Colt 100Gbps NNI was the right decision,” says Louisa. “Adding Colt 10Gbps Ethernet services to 1Portal will make it quicker and easier for our partners to address additional customer opportunities in the competitive telecoms market.”