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Sunday, March 25, 2001 edition of The Post and
Courier, Charleston Telecommunication Consulting
was named a one of “Charleston’s
Pacesetters” for the telecommunication
industry.
As Technology
Advances, Telephones Depend on Computers
CTC
Imagine picking up a telephone in Charleston and calling an office
colleague in San Francisco, simply by punching in his four-digit
extension.
It’s
a scenario that’s not too far off, says Pete Dieppe,
president and CEO of Charleston Telecommunications Consulting, a firm
that specializes in merging voice and data business systems using fiber
optic lines and computer control centers.
“You
could have consecutive extension numbers (i.e. 4001, 4002) clear across
the country,” says Dieppe.
Helping
companies make the leap from traditional voice telephones to
today’s computer and network-based phone system has helped
Charleston Telecommunication Consulting, or CTC, more than triple its
work force in just one year, swelling from seven employees to 25.
“What’s
happened is the voice and the data worlds are combining,”
says Dieppe, who founded the company in 1994 after a 22-year career
with AT&T and Southern Bell.
“Back
then all you had to do was make sure the phones worked and had dial
tones. Now that’s all changing. Voice and data are going
through this migration where they are combining efforts.”
CTC
has helped a number of area companies and governments make the switch
to modern systems, including municipalities Charleston and Mount
Pleasant, as well as several area entertainment venues, such as Joseph
P. Riley Jr. Ballpark and the North Charleston Performing Arts Center.
CTC
also wired the communications backboard for two area hospitals, East
Cooper Medical Center and Hilton Head Memorial.
A relationship with Canada-based Mitel has fueled most of the
company’s recent growth, Dieppe says.
CTC
is a Mitel dealer, meaning they buy, install and maintain Mitel systems.
One such Mitel product, a tracking system designed for the hospitality
industry, has helped CTC strike deals with several downtown hotels,
including the recently
renovated Holiday Inn on Calhoun Street.
The company also is a dealer of Avaya, AT&T and Samsung products.
Dieppe
says CTC’s one-stop-shopping approach makes his company
unique.
By
handling all aspects of their clients’ needs – from
consulting to installation and maintenance, CTC remains competitive
because many businesses looking to make high-tech upgrades prefer to
deal with a single firm, rather than several specialists.
“My
customer doesn’t care if it’s phone, wire or a
computer problem,” Dieppe says. “Our job is to get
the problem fixed.” And sometimes, fixing things
doesn’t even require a house call.
Most
of the telephone and computer networks CTC installs are maintained by
remote, Dieppe says, and troubleshooting usually can be done off-site,
at CTC’s Folly Road office or elsewhere.
“I can sit on my chair at home and fix a problem without
going there.”
BY
RON MENCHACA
Of
the Post and Courier Staff
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