Comcast, which traditionally has focused on residential customers, is poised for an aggressive push into the $15 billion small-business market.

Comcast on Tuesday announced the opening of a Centennial call center that's one of two facilities nationwide dedicated to the company's small- business clientele. The center initially will be staffed by 100 employees and has room to expand to 400.

The Centennial office will play an integral part in the nation's largest cable company's plans to offer a bundle of phone, Internet and video services to the estimated 5 million small businesses in its territory. Comcast already offers Internet and pay TV to businesses but will ramp up efforts when it launches phone service later this year, said Jim Erickson, Comcast's vice president of business services for the west division.

"The companies that serve the small-to-medium business market have taken them for granted, and these people are looking for a choice," Erickson said.

Comcast is conducting a "very small trial" of its phone service for businesses in the Denver market and hasn't set an official launch date, he said. Nationwide, the company plans to spend $250 million this year and $3 billion over the next five years to build out its commercial phone network.

In going after the business market, Comcast is looking to replicate the success it has had since launching Internet-based phone service for residential customers. Some two years after launching its service, Comcast has more than 2 million subscribers nationwide.

Other cable companies, including Cablevision and Cox, also are eyeing business as the next growth engine after residential voice service.

Telecom companies sell all business customers about $115 billion in services each year, but Comcast is focusing on businesses with fewer than 75 employees with an emphasis on workplaces with fewer than 20.

Qwest Communications, which had 2.87 million business land lines last year, says it's ready for the challenge. More than a year ago, the Denver-based telco switched its customer service structure to offer businesses a dedicated person for their accounts rather than regular call center support and has a specialized call center targeting Hispanic businesses.

Qwest also emphasizes that it can offer services to businesses throughout the country, not only in its 14-state local phone territory.

davisj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2514