October 31, 2006
Centennial Intros Aptus Broadband Telephony Service in Puerto Rico

By Johanne Torres
TMCnet Contributing Editor

Centennial Communications launched Aptus in Puerto Rico, an integrated broadband telephony service suite for enterprise and commercial customers. The telecom has been working on introducing products and services in the Caribbean island relating to this technology including a 1,300 route-mile fiber backbone connected to 1,800 buildings, an upgraded wireless network with Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), a soft-switch infrastructure, as well as mobile PBX telephony services it developed with BroadSoft (News - Alert) and Atreus.
 
"We're pleased to expand our comprehensive set of bandwidth and networking solutions for commercial customers with the launch of our Aptus service suite," said Centennial's chief executive officer Michael J. Small in a statement released on Tuesday. "We have an unparalleled terrestrial and undersea fiber network in Puerto Rico, which supports a superior competitive position. We've also realigned our sales and support organizations to serve business customers in a unified way, and the launch of this service is another important step that puts enterprises in control of their networks."
 
Aptus is a converged service, meaning that it enables a business to have control over all voice communications via a single, integrated VoIP platform. This feature allows the user to access the network via any broadband connection-accessible device, from anywhere in the world.
 
Aptus' service features Auto Attendant, Remote Office, Selective Acceptance, Sequential Ring and Simultaneous Ring. As an example of the service's flexibility and customization, Simultaneous Ring allows a user to program multiple telephone numbers (office telephone, wireless device, home telephone) to ring at the same time when any of these numbers are called.
 
"The Aptus service suite represents a significant product portfolio expansion for Centennial, allowing our business customers to more easily manage their communications infrastructure so that they can focus on growing their business," stated Alvaro Pilar, senior vice president of Centennial Business Solutions. "Supported by a well-trained sales and customer care organization, this new service reinforces our leadership with the business community on the island. We're launching a world-class service that demonstrates our ability to bring comprehensive solutions to sophisticated customers."
 
Centennial already secured business customers for its Aptus service in Puerto Rico. Indeed, the telecom announced that Empresas Pitusa, a major Puerto Rican department store with over 500 business lines, has signed on to receive VoIP services in its 150 retail locations throughout the island.
 
Expanding on the mobile PBX telephony services that Centenial developed with BroadSoft and Atreus in Puerto Rico, the telecom announced the availability of these services for businesses in the island earlier this month.
 
Specifically, Centennial used BroadSoft's BroadWorks VoIP application platform. The telecom had completed BroadSoft's QuickStart Express program with BroadSoft VoIP provisioning partner Atreus, in order to prepare for the launch of the mobile PBX (News - Alert) services.
 
According to the companies' news release, Centennial will be the first carrier in North America to offer BroadSoft's Mobile PBX application. The application features include remote office, selective call acceptance, call notify, auto attendant and simultaneous ringing—where any call to an office number will automatically ring any other number specified by the end-user.
 
Centennial de Puerto Rico
Aptus
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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit her columnist page.