Thomas Laboulle (Toku)
Singapore headquartered cloud communications provider Toku has inked a strategic collaboration deal with Zoom that sees it join the unified communications vendor’s Phone's Provider Exchange Program.
The program gives businesses the flexibility to easily bring their own public switched telephone network (PSTN) carriers directly into Zoom’s collaboration platform.
As part of the partnership, Toku will be listed in the Zoom Provider Exchange as an Enhanced Cloud Peering collaborator, allowing organisations to select the carrier for use with Zoom Phone's platform.
In simple terms, the deal gives Toku the ability to create connected and flexible remote working solutions for businesses across Asia Pacific (APAC).
"Toku is a great addition to Zoom's UCaaS [unified communications-as-a-service] ecosystem, especially with its strong local presence and extensive cloud connectivity across APAC," said Graeme Geddes, head of Zoom Phone and Rooms. "As more organisations see the potential of cloud communications, it is crucial we make their migration strategies as seamless as possible.
“Together with Toku, we look forward to strengthening our unified communications offering and enabling more businesses across APAC to enjoy high-quality cloud connectivity,” he added.
As a pre-integrated carrier, the deal means Toku will be able to deliver the underlying local connectivity needed for enterprise-grade remote working to organisations across Asia Pacific.
Given Toku’s position as a licensed telecom provider in Singapore, the company is able to offer full PSTN replacement in 15 countries throughout the region.
"This collaboration with Zoom marks another milestone in our mission to support businesses across APAC on their digital transformation journeys,” said Thomas Laboulle, founder and CEO of Toku. “We are very excited to bring our keen understanding of the industry's regional complexities and technical know-how in managing these regulatory challenges to the Zoom Phone ecosystem.
“Supplementing the platform's extensive collaboration capabilities, we provide businesses with an entry into more destinations throughout APAC with greater ease than ever,” he added.
In early September, Toku revealed it had successfully completed a US$5 million series A funding round, which it intends to put into enhancing its product capabilities and coverage.
The company has flagged that, over the next year, it expects to announce additional strategic partnerships and enhancements to its suite of product offerings.
More recently, on 16 September, Zoom announced the launch of a new partner program aimed at selling licences for its Zoom Phone bring your own carrier (BYOC) service, with the vendor launching a pilot program for selected resellers that “meet the requirements” for its Zoom Phone BYOC.
However, the company said it expects to “welcome a wider pool of resellers by the end of the year”. The company has yet to confirm whether Asia Pacific will be included in the pilot.
