Mark,

Two areas that interest me are FTTP and Wi-Fi, but it's difficult to make a choice without fully understanding the options.

The instances you suggest would presumably be promoted by the main suppliers, and I would have thought many big companies - cable manufacturers and service providers - would be keen to promote peripheral businesses, but how does one make contact? As in any market, I need to start talking to people who are already established to find out what is worth getting into.

I will also need to match opportunities to my own circumstances and strengths: I have technical experience of telecoms and entrepreneurial experience of retailing.

Do you have any more information on opportunities I can investigate - the ones you mention and others?

Hello Adam

In terms of reselling numbers and carrier services, a lot of companys advertise on their web pages for agent or affiliates.

A lot of people do this now and don't make much money, but if you have an existing business it adds an extra dimension to a package you are putting together.

Some people really go to town, advertise in yellow pages, market and advertise the services and use and learn what they are all about - but there is a lot of competition.

Some trawl forums like this one and advertise their reslling service to every single thread on anything remotely to do with telecoms, even if the thread ended over 6 months ago - on a personal level I do not think this does their reputation any good.

In terms of peripheral business with service providers, the smaller carrers are far more approachable then the big ones such as BT and Cale & Wireless etc but do not tend to take much notice of non-directed emails or quick phone calls to their freephone support departments etc.

There are lots of options available though from reselling phone systems, phone numbers, remote services/diverts/facilities and even BT line installations etc.

I know of some companies who have a website and phone numbers and rarely leave their house to see a real customer, they sell all sorts of things from online catologue of phones and equipment to line installation and 0800 numbers etc and it is all reselling other service provider services - marketed in the right way, they do very well without every owning a warehouse or employing a single engineer or coming near a telephone exchange.

Regards

Simon