Massachusetts Local Telephone Company, Inc.

Mission Statement

Massachusetts Local Telephone Company, Inc. (MassLocal) was established to develop systems to deliver high-performance telecommunications services designed to achieve the operational and security expectations of enterprise networks.  

MassLocal has grown by earning the trust of customers and clients, and it operates with a set of core values that guide every provisioning decision: 

• Integrity: MassLocal conducts business with transparency and accountability, ensuring full compliance and ethical practices.

• Accountability: MassLocal takes ownership of commitments, delivering on promises and ensuring every project is completed on time and to specifications.

• Mission First: MassLocal understands the critical importance of client solicitations.

Brief Developmental History 

Since 1997, MassLocal has progressed from reselling basic, incumbent-provided voice and early data services to provisioning integrated, cloud-based Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and managed IT services, presently. This evolution was driven by major shifts in technology and regulations: 

Initial Phase (1997 - Early 2000s)

• Service Offerings: MassLocal was established in 1997 as a provider of prepaid residential telephone services under a resale agreement with Bell Atlantic, now Verizon Communications, Inc. Primarily, the business resold voice communication services (local and long-distance) using the incumbent local exchange carrier’s infrastructure. The wire network was composed of traditional copper, analog telephone lines and TDM (time-division multiplexing) trunks. Residential telephone service became the company’s primary product, and MassLocal steadily expanded over several years, increasing in size and capacity.

• Early Acquisition: As a small company with an innovative prepaid product, MassLocal had difficulty reaching the entire potential market. Therefore, to accelerate market access, MassLocal acquired another provider of prepaid residential telephone services. As a result, the operating profit margin increased by an average of 2.5 percentage points more than at peer companies. 

• Regulatory Environment: Operations were heavily influenced by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which mandated that incumbents offer network elements and retail services for resale at wholesale rates to encourage competition. 

• Infrastructure: Reliance on legacy copper and coaxial cable infrastructure owned by larger carriers.  

Transitional Phase (Mid-2000s - Early 2010s)

• Technology Shift: The emergence and maturation of Internet Protocol (IP) networks led to the adoption of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) trunks.

• Service Expansion: MassLocal began offering data services alongside voice, moving toward providing bundled solutions. The focus shifted from pure "dial tone" resale to more sophisticated network services.

• Competition: Increased competition led to margin pressure, prompting the need for differentiation beyond price. 

• Unbundled Network Elements (UNE-P): In 2006, MassLocal extended its wholesale agreement with Verizon under new, commercially negotiated terms. The new agreement included what is known as UNE-P telecom services. UNE-P allowed MassLocal to offer broadband, inside wire services, voicemail and sophisticated blocking services. The commercial agreement solidified Masslocal’s position in the telecommunications industry and strengthened its commitment to increasing utilization of the Verizon network.  Under the agreement, MassLocal’s servers could directly interact with Verizon’s systems to automate transactions, resulting in faster and more accurate ordering and trouble reports. These efficiencies were passed on to our customers through cost savings, faster activations, and enhanced trouble reporting, which expedited service restorations.  

Modern Phase (Mid-2010s - Present)

• Digital Transformation: The business model transformed from offering copper-based and optical fiber-based access services to offering more complex, higher-margin, managed connectivity and routing services.

• Cloud Adoption: A major upgrade was the functionality to offer scalable, cloud-based solutions, including UCaaS platforms that integrate voice, video, messaging, and collaboration features.

• Strategic Shift: MassLocal moved from a pure resale model to an approach focusing on customer relationships, integrated solutions and ongoing service management.

• Focus Areas: Key opportunities and growth areas for MassLocal include leveraging advanced technologies like 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), automation for enhanced customer service experience and network management.