Zultys and Unipalm go their separate ways

Vendor Zultys is to “wind down” its distribution agreement with Unipalm and has signed a new deal with rival distributor equIP.

The move will see equIP and Siracom distribute Zultys’s range of voice over IP (VoIP) products in UK.

Rob Nash, director of e-business at Unipalm, said the agreement with Zultys “is in the wind down phase”.

“We [Unipalm and Zultys] had different objectives. Not all relationships work out, and it ended with mutual consent,” Nash said.

Justine Cross, director of EMEA business development at Zultys, said: “We have contact with Unipalm, but I’m unsure if it will continue. We are moving up to the next gear. We are now established in the UK market with a core of resellers.”

Cross added that Zultys aims to have the right balance of non-competing distributors that can sign the right mix of resellers.

“EquIP is the ideal distributor for us. It adds value, has a good core of VARs, a good brand name, it can wrap around services, and it is very proactive,” she said.

VoIP vendor VegaStream has also signed with equIP, which is adding new vendors to its recently formed voice division (CRN, 27 February).

Grahame Smee, managing director of equIP, said: “We are adding Zultys and VegaStream to work alongside Siemens, because both firms add something different. This will appeal to our resellers because we have signed two commercially strong brands.

“This is undoubtedly the year of IP telephony, and we have recognised the growth potential of VoIP. Zultys and VegaStream’s VoIP products will maximise the opportunity for our existing and future channel partners.”

Smee added that convergence is gathering pace, and that equIP has always been an IP-centric company. But the new vendors provide a more complete offering.

“We are going to look for one more IP vendor that can offer something different to Zultys and VegaStream. This will be announced over the next few weeks,” he said.

trevor_treharne@vnu.co.uk