Business owned by BYU. students wins $59,000 in Business Plan Competition

Alianza routes calls in Mexico over Net, charges users less

PROVO — When Brian Beutler was selling prepaid calling cards in Mexico three years ago, he was unable to get the Mexican telecommunication goliath TelMex to work with him.

TelMex has a virtual stranglehold on Mexican business, which makes international calling 400 percent more expensive than in the United States, Beutler told an audience Friday at Brigham Young University’s 2005 Business Plan Competition.

Then, however, Voice over Internet Protocol was born — a telecommunications system that uses the same technology as the Internet.

So Beutler last year headed back to Mexico, armed with new technology. He targeted Mexican businesses as potential customers for his newly launched Alianza, a global communications services company based in Lindon and Orem.

Today, Beutler and his business partner, Scott Bell, lead the start-up company while still attending classes at BYU. And, yes, Beutler speaks Spanish.

"I’m attending three classes at night and working full-time during the day and on weekends on this business," he said, after winning first place and $50,000 in cash and services. He has targeted December for graduation.

By Rodger L. Hardy
Deseret Morning News

Full Story: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600123130,00.html