Dicker Data has established a telco division unit to provide telecommunication solutions, including mobile, fixed connectivity (fibre), unified communications, datacentre and satellite, to partners.
This includes business-grade data services from Vocus, which the distributor has begun offering.
Dicker Data executive director and COO, Vlad Mitnovetski, claimed the "traditionally high barriers partners have faced when selling telecommunications services in Australia are a thing of the past".
"Through the launch of this new business unit, and a number of new strategic partnerships which will be announced in the coming months, Dicker Data is making telco services accessible, easy and relevant for our partners," he said.
Keith Masterton, Vocus GM of channel and alliances, claimed the partnership represented a shift in how telecommunications services reach Australian businesses
"Partners want less red tape and the ability to move quickly," he said.
"We're removing the barriers that have historically made telco difficult – no exclusivity requirements, no inch-thick contracts, just straightforward access to enterprise-grade services."
Dicker Data’s GM of telco services, Jason Hall, said access to telco services in Australia has changed significantly in the past decade.
"As we look ahead, we’re committed to delivering a suite of telco services from trusted brands with solutions that not only deliver exceptional technical quality but also redefine the decades old models of how telco services have been traditionally delivered through the channel," he said.
"With Vocus as our launch vendor, we are ready to assist mid-market and enterprise partners in capturing the untapped Telco opportunity inside of their existing end-customers.”
Last month, Dicker Data reported that its gross sales were $1.1 billion in the first four months of the 2025 calendar year, a 17.4 per cent increase on the same period in 2024.
"Telco-to-TechCo"
Peter Barta, executive advisor at Australian ICT and digital advisory company IBRS, said Dicker Data's new venture made strategic sense.
"The partnership appears to align with recent analysis by KPMG and McKinsey on the emerging Telco-to-TechCo business models, potentially positioning [Dicker] at the nexus of industry convergence," he told techpartner.news.
"A 'single pane of glass' approach to integrated IT and telecommunications solutions holds promises for reducing vendor sprawl and operational complexity, representing strategic positioning rather than mere service expansion."
"Leveraging their established IT channel relationships should enable rapid market penetration against pre-qualified customers, by addressing latent demand and with significantly reduced time-to-market compared to building new telco channels," he added.
In Barta's view, the deal aligned with "substantial" future market growth prospects for unified communications, data centre services and satellite connectivity.
"The emerging national interest issue of technology sovereignty will likely add to market demand, momentum and trajectory for Australian providers," Barta predicted.
"Systemic market dysfunction"
The IBRS analyst backed up Dicker Data's view of telco partners' pain points, noting "systemic market dysfunction rather than isolated complaints".
There is a "trust crisis" in the telco channel, acording to the analyst.
"ACCAN reports that over 40 percent of consumers have limited faith in their telco to act in their best interest, with widespread complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman about misleading sales practices and poor service delivery, particularly in regional areas," Barta noted.
"It’s widely commentated that users experience frustrations with complex processes, lengthy complaint handling, and lack of transparency when dealing with traditional telcos," he added.
"The ACCC has imposed millions in fines in the past five years alone for misleading practices, including a record $50m penalty for unconscionable sales practices towards indigenous customers," Barta pointed out.
He also described "operational dysfunction" in the telco channel, with partners dealing with "systemic inefficiencies" including manual processes, complex contracts, and terms that create scalability issues and rising operational and compliance costs.
The IBRS analyst added that telco processes create over-reliance on specific vendors and complex processes that are time-consuming, error-prone, and lead to partner disengagement.
"Channel partners face systemic inefficiencies including manual processes, complex contracts, and with terms that create scalability issues and rising operational and compliance costs." - Peter Barta, IBRS
NBN's multi-technology mix creates operational complexity, according to Barta, and a "paucity of legacy documentation about what's under the ground", last-mile infrastructure limitations and customer premises equipment compatibility issues compound service delivery challenges.
Despite "high customer revenue", traditional telco business models face margin squeeze, according to the analyst. He saw this forcing transformation toward integrated IT-telco solutions.
"This creates both disruption and opportunity for channel evolution," Barta told techpartner.news.
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