ADVANTAGES AND BUSINESS MODELS

The advantages of POP Depot can be separated into two different categories - advantages of presence, and advantages of agility. Using POP Depot, your ISP can establish a nationwide and international presence without using expensive nationwide networks or undertaking the monumental task of creating such a network. POP Depot also allows for certain agility as it removes the bind between customer and hardware. Thus, an ISP that has many customers or the means to get many customers, but does not have the adequate hardware to serve them, could could use the numbers and connectivity from the POP Depot. On the other hand, an ISP that has sufficient hardware, yet cannot get enough customers to use this hardware efficiently, could allow other ISPs to use its hardware and thus acquire accounts without having to spend marketing funds.

The above mentioned advantages could suggest some business plans.

The most conventional way for an ISP to use POP Depot is to allow their regional ISP to go national (and international). This ISP would be able to offer its customers connectivity and acquire subscriptions in all 3000 POPs. Usually such ISP would make its own POPs available with POP Depot so it can offset the fees of using extra POPs. Thus, the fees of using other POPs will be offset by the credit received for providing connectivity to other ISPs. At the end of the month such an ISP would see a check, a bill or a statement that it broke even. And don't forget the extra benefit of having satisfied customers.

Another business model POP Depot allows for is that of a virtual ISP. A virtual ISP is one with customers but without phone lines and connectivity. There are many people and organizations that have an opportunity to use POP Depot to start a successful virtual ISP. Those are the people that are good at marketing, have an easy access to customers or want to center on customer relationships, yet do not have or do not want to deal with phone lines and connectivity. Such people and organizations may include owners of popular websites, cellular service providers, non-profit organizations, clubs, societies, churches, or anyone that is good at marketing. A virtual ISP, would exclusively use POP Depot's POPs. It should be noted here that POP Depot provides only phone numbers and connectivity and not things like email and customer support.

Yet a third business model seemingly opposite from the above, is still called a virtual ISP. It would be suitable for an ISP who is able to efficiently provide connectivity, yet unwilling to undertake expensive marketing or customer relations efforts. Such an ISP would pool its POPs with the POP Depot and allow other ISPs to use them. Such an ISP would be able to capitalize on busy markets, without investing in uncertain marketing efforts.

POP Depot is very efficient. It is automated and does not require a significant amount of extra labor. ISPs that wish to include their POPs in POP Depot require RODOPI billing software. ISPs that only use POP Depot's POPs only need a RADIUS server.