Lucent appoints Siltek as master distributor

Lucent Technologies' Business Communications Systems today announced it has appointed Siltek Communications as its Australian master distributor.

The move comes hot on the heels of Siltek Communications' parent company Siltek Asia-Pacific's recent acquisition of Prion and signals the first real attempt by Lucent to restructure its channel since it merged with Ascend in January.

It also signals a significant step forward in Siltek's relationship with Lucent which has been in place since April this year.

Siltek Asia-Pacific's managing director, Hugh Evans, told ARN this morning the move is an important step in capturing a slice of the SME telecommunications equipment market he believes is worth over $400 million a year.

Siltek Communications will provide value-added resellers with dedicated support, including training, accreditation and expertise to sell Lucent BCS products to its customers.

Training in particular will be a key focus due to the complexity of the telecommunications systems, Evans said. "It's not like plugging in a PC."

Lucent reports its BCS division is determined to build a stronger indirect sales force in the SME market to supplement its existing direct sales force, which targets the large enterprise marketplace.

Siltek Communications will work primarily with Nomad Telecommunications, NSC North Shore Connections, and Perth-based ACS. Lucent also announced today all three dealers have joined its BusinessPartner Program, working directly with BCS.

Today's announcement did not offer any indications about Lucent's plans for the data networking market, a space hotly contested by competitors such as Nortel Networks, Cisco and Alcatel.

"The data network side of the business will come," Evans said, indicating that Siltek is hopeful it will look after that side of the business once further discussions are complete.

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More about Alcatel-LucentAscendAustralian Computer SocietyBaptist Community Services NSW & ACTCommunications SystemsLucentLucent TechnologiesNomad TelecommunicationsNortel NetworksNorth Shore ConnectionsNSC GroupPrionSiltek

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