When Wholesalers and ISPs are in Sync, Everyone Wins

November 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM EST

The relationship between a network wholesaler and a local Internet Service Provider (ISP) is crucial for a business customer's experience, as it directly impacts service quality, pricing, and support. Developing a close working relationship that’s based on open communication, trust, and a shared vision for the customer’s success can be complex yet intuitive. In this blog we’ll examine what it takes to cultivate a productive relationship that delivers constant value throughout the customer’s experience. 

 

Understanding and Meeting Expectations

 

Understanding what each party expects and needs is the first step in creating a successful partnership.  

A network wholesaler relies on local ISPs to act as its sales, marketing, and customer service channel to reach business customers in specific, local markets. The local ISP, in essence, is the wholesaler's partner on the ground: contacting and cultivating potential new business customers before the sale and handling direct customer interactions and front-line technical support after the sale. As the “account lead” the local ISP is expected to have a strong local presence and fluency in broadband technologies and services.   

The local ISP, on the other hand, relies on the wholesale provider for the network services and technical support the end-use customer needs. Critical requirements include the wholesaler’s existing and planned coverage areas, ability to maintain performance Service Level Agreements (SLAs), provide a diversity of services, and respond quickly to requests for project updates, price quotes, etc.

Another important characteristic, according to Steve Hearst, Wholesale Channel Manager for Glo Fiber Business, is an aggressive attitude toward innovation. “As broadband saturation increases, there’s an inclination to commoditize it. A good wholesaler leads through innovation and helps their local ISP partner stand out.”

Meanwhile, business customers expect reliable internet performance that meets the standards outlined in their ISP’s SLA, along with responsive, high-quality customer service. The business needs to know that their questions will be answered promptly and with full transparency, and that the ISP is committed to the customer’s success. Of course, the ISP’s ability to meet the customer’s expectations depends on a high-functioning and collaborative relationship with the wholesaler.

 

What’s Working Well and What Can be Improved

 

Roles and processes

Unless otherwise indicated, it is assumed that the local ISP owns the customer relationship and partners with the wholesaler. However, the ISP’s ability to respond to customer requests and questions depends on having a well-defined set of roles and responsibilities with the wholesale provider. This may involve creating specific processes and expectations when the ISP requests information from the wholesaler.

“Very often, a local ISP will simply send an address and ask if the network has service in that area. Other times, they need a price quote by the end of the day. Some just want to know the status of a project or request in process,” Hearst explained.

One way to think of roles and processes is as an SLA that outlines metrics and KPIs defining the wholesaler/ISP relationship; this is in addition to typical network performance SLA that guarantees network uptime, mean-time-to-resolution (MTTR), data speeds, etc. To monitor performance over time, the wholesaler and ISP should schedule regular reviews to discuss key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure both partners meet their obligations and maintain high business customer satisfaction.

 

Clear channels of communication

 

The ISP should have well-defined escalation paths, detailing how issues are reported to the wholesaler, the expected response time, and the procedure for escalating major service outages. Implementing a unified platform, such as a centralized portal or API, can facilitate interactions, track orders, check serviceability, and provide real-time updates for both partners. Additionally, the wholesaler should proactively inform the ISP of any planned maintenance or network issues, allowing the ISP to communicate with business customers before they are impacted. During customer onboarding, tight communication between ISP and wholesaler is essential to ensure the right circuits are deployed and configured properly and that we’re hitting the KPIs per the SLAs.

 

Agile account development

 

A third key to a successful wholesaler/ISP relationship is the ability to identify and proactively respond to the evolving needs of the local business market and those of individual businesses. This is where the combination of smaller community-focused ISPs and their agile wholesale partners hold a decisive edge over national tier-1 providers. Their local presence in the community keeps them informed of new business opportunities, demand for new services, and when service upgrades might help individual business customers manage growth.   

 

Big Enough to Deliver, Small Enough to Care

 

An interesting aspect of the wholesaler–ISP–customer relationship is the role of the wholesale provider who remains invisible to the business customer but can be invaluable to the ISP. Depending on the wholesaler’s approach to the relationship, their impact on the customer’s experience can be modest or profound. Some view their role as a utility provider who’s responsible for “keeping the lights on.” Others, however, see it differently, not as a purely transactional relationship, but much more as a strategic and collaborative partnership. By aligning on goals that go beyond a simple bulk purchase agreement, both parties can move away from a transactional relationship toward a collaborative one focused on long-term success.

As broadband Internet reaches saturation across the country, there is a tendency, especially from the customer, to commoditize the service. It is critical that wholesale providers and local ISPs push back against this idea by creating meaningful differentiators. On the wholesaler side, Glo Fiber Business has been very successful in this regard, offering atypical services and capabilities that enable their ISP partners to create significant value-added opportunities for their customers. One example is the provider’s efforts to maximize network security by providing DDoS protection for their Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) services at no extra charge.

“We’re not aware of any other wholesale providers who are offering this service (DDoS) free of charge, especially in the more rural areas that Glo Fiber Business and our ISP partners cover,” Hearst explained.

Including Arbor DD0S with every DIA circuit gives Glo Fiber Business’s local ISP partners one of several meaningful market differentiators. The wholesale provider also includes 24/7/365 local network monitoring and support from its full-service local Network Operations Centers. Meanwhile, during their ISP partners quarterly business reviews (QBRs) keep Glo Fiber Business and local ISP partners aligned on metrics pertaining to individual customer accounts. QBRs include all performance KPIs, customer calls, trouble tickets, alarm events, and SLA metrics. In addition, account representatives use the time to keep the ISP updated on planned or in-process network expansions in their area, scheduled security upgrades or new service rollouts.

 

The Secret Sauce is a Shared Vision

 

While these services and offerings aren’t unique among network wholesalers, they are rarely, if ever, made available to smaller ISPs and their customers. As Hearst likes to say, “We're big enough to deliver, small enough to care.” Having ISP partners with the same attitude may be at the heart of the company’s success.

When the wholesaler and ISP provider share a common vision of success and what is needed to achieve it, developing everything else necessary to support the customer’s business objectives — coordinated communications, complementary roles, and collaborative account development—fall into place. This alignment enables the wholesaler to receive more consistent and strategic business, while local ISP gains a reliable and invested partner who will work with them to adapt to market changes, ensure network quality, and support the ISP's growth. When both companies are pulling in the same direction, they can better serve their end customers and build a more robust and resilient network ecosystem.

To learn more about Glo Fiber Business’s Wholesaler network services, visit our Wholesale and Carrier Services webpage.