From AI and APIs to converged networking and connectivity solutions, Verizon partners see growing opportunity in the carrier’s ecosystem. Now they’re pushing Verizon to continue streamlining the channel experience as it pursues market-share gains.
Verizon has spent the last three years working to unify its channel organization and consolidate resources for partners. Now the strategy is entering a new chapter.
The Basking Ridge, N.J.-based telecom giant’s new channel chief, John Constantino, says the focus is no longer about simply bringing channel resources together. Verizon is looking for partners that can fill distribution and solution-selling gaps. The carrier is leaning on its partners to expand its reach and help pursue market- share gains across wireless, wireline, AI and converged technology solutions. As businesses modernize their environments, Verizon, hand in hand with its partners, wants to be the carrier of choice.
Verizon partners, meanwhile, are excited about the collaboration and energy that Constantino, also vice president of indirect and partner sales, is already bringing to the carrier’s channel organization since he took over at the channel helm in August. Solution providers told CRN that they want Verizon to build on its existing momentum by continuing to simplify partner interactions and reduce barriers to doing business with the carrier.
[Related: Verizon Channel Chief On AI, SMBs And Convergence: Inside Verizon’s Partner Growth Strategy]
Connected Solutions Group (CSG), a Richmond, Va.-based elite Verizon partner, is praising Constantino’s willingness to change the game and remove unnecessary roadblocks for channel partners as the company continues its transformation.
“With John [Constantino] there’s a real willingness to break the mold, and I think it’s a combination of the executive leadership at Verizon all the way up to Dan [Schulman, Verizon’s CEO], looking at things differently and being willing to behave differently and not be scared to shake the apple tree in a good way,” said Michael Pittman, founder and CEO of CSG.
One way the company is rewriting the playbook is through a focus on convergence. Constantino argues that the biggest partner opportunity lies in owning more of the customer relationship and selling across Verizon’s portfolio, from fiber and fixed wireless access to security and SaaS services.
“I think the partners that are going to be solution-capable in selling, versus selling one individual product and moving on to the next, are going to be the most successful,” he said. “At times, we leave revenue on the table, both for Verizon and our partners, by being singularly focused on one product.”
Equipping partners to sell converged offerings is part of the next chapter under his guidance, Constantino said.
For CSG, convergence is a “huge focus,” Pittman said. Customer demand is shifting toward converged networking models that combine wireless and wired connectivity into a unified service. The approach can boost bandwidth, improve uptime through automatic failover capabilities and serve as a key growth opportunity for the channel, he added.
“We’re doubling down on it, and we are seeing customer demand and interest,” he said. “We’re absolutely driving that narrative every day.”
Verizon Partners Applaud Progress, Eye Next Steps
“Having been a Verizon partner for nearly 20 years, I believe the level of engagement and collaboration we’re experiencing today is very encouraging,” said John Scully, president and general manager of McKinney, Texas-based ConectUS Wireless, a family-owned technology service distributor that specializes in Verizon wireless.
Better collaboration, stronger technology and a heightened focus on partners are coming together to create meaningful change for Verizon’s channel ecosystem, Scully said.
Verizon leadership, according to channel chief Constantino, is “super invested” in working alongside partners. That alone has removed some of the channel conflict that used to exist, he said.
“We cut out a lot of the friction for partners, and the amount of teaming and work side by side with direct leaders that happens now within the channel community is the highest I’ve ever seen at Verizon,” Constantino told CRN.
Verizon should stay the course by continuing to remove friction from the partner experience and simplifying the way partners do business with the company, according to ConectUS’ Scully.
“We’ve made meaningful progress, but there are still opportunities to further simplify processes, eliminate manual steps and provide partners with greater visibility throughout the entire customer and order life cycle,” he said.
Two of those areas include the continued expansion of Verizon’s API capabilities, as well as the company’s AI investments.
“We’ve seen firsthand at ConectUS how even small integrations can make a meaningful difference,” Scully said. “I’m also excited about the potential for Verizon’s investment in AI to extend further into the partner ecosystem. Combining Verizon’s scale and capabilities with the technology and innovation being developed by partners could be incredibly powerful.”
