by Chuck Morris

Contributing Editor - WIIE

I have always advocated remaining open to opportunities, and still feel that everyone’s right to evaluate opportunities while working with an organization is a given. For over 25 years, I have consulted with senior executives recruiting and placing them in the cable, competitive telephony, wireless and now the digital media industries. During this time I have experienced numerous growth spurts and then consolidations with Cable TV Operators, Programming Services, Competitive Telephone ventures, Wireless Operators and related technology and software ventures. The technology ventures serving each of these sectors tend to be impacted like the tail of the beast, but are also excellent indicators for future potential.

As we stop and look around, the state of the economy is not exactly healthy. Our leading companies are closing shop, going into bankruptcy, cutting back, closing down divisions and in some cases thousands of people are being tossed out on the streets. Unemployment levels are at their highest point ever, in some states they can’t afford to cover costs for benefits. Some people are completely caught off-guard, and others may have seen it coming for weeks, months, or even longer in the case of an acquisition. The streets are crowded, and opportunities are not as prevalent as they have been in the past.

Our leading industry players on the Fortune 100 list include AT&T, Cisco, Comcast, Disney, Microsoft, Motorola, News Corp, Sprint-Nextel, Time Warner and Verizon all highly integrated organizations with tens of thousands of employees. The pyramid factor has narrowed the growth opportunities for many great folks who established and built these companies. Through organizational shifts, executives have been forced to either reinvent themselves or to accept more narrowly focused positions in order to survive. The General Managers of old, who were responsible for all operational aspects of a service provider, are now department heads, or have segued out of the industry. Yes, they are typically now in larger operations that have been rolled-up or merged following the acquisition. Of course, some if these former GM’s are now the Division leaders or serve in corporate staff roles.

by John Perry

Contributing Editor - WIIE

Introduction

The prospect – or specter – of a potential merger with another company has impacted many in the telecommunications industry. Sadly, the track record for telecom leadership is not a good one in that regard. The results of the below-indicated 2008 Maritz poll measuring telecom employee satisfaction (contrasting those who had experienced a merger versus those who had not), are arresting: telecom employees who had undergone a merger are more deeply disenfranchised and mistrustful of management than their non-merged counterparts. Generally, as can be seen in the table below, merged employees under-indexed 11%-13% in their answers regarding basic work needs being met compared to those telecom employees without merger experience. This data suggests that telecom companies are less than fully successful in dealing with vital people and culture issues.

by Andy Livingston

Contributing Editor - WIIE

Are the carriers ready for the inauguration? Are they ready for up to 4 million people who are going to flood the Mall for this historic occasion?

If there is an incident, will WPS (Wireless Priority System) that was implemented after 9/11 work the way it should? A tremendous amount of expense has gone into the development of this from the carrier side to be in compliance.. For you folks who are new public safety and wireless, WPS as defined by Wikipedia is:

“The Nationwide Wireless Priority Service (WPS) is a system in the United States that allows high-priority emergency telephone calls to avoid congestion on wireless telephone networks. This complements the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS), which allows such calls to avoid congestion on landline networks. The service is overseen by the Federal Communications Commission and administered by the National Communications System in the Department of Homeland Security. “

by Todd Gibson

Co-Founder and Co-Editor - WIIE

As I reflect on 2008 on the wireless telecommunications industry in the United States, this was the year of “Build it and they will come!” All of us can agree that the large wireless telecommunication carriers were all struggling with the exorbitant capital required for their nationwide deployment and regional expansions to improve network services, deepen broadband capabilities and improve customer perceptions. All of their publicly and market activities can give us insight into their planning for 2009 but I will give my outlook at the end of this article.

Let's reflect together on 2008, I can easily quantify several high level verticals where the carriers gave public insight into their struggles and long term plans. As I analyze the activities, I am drawn back to Newton's 3^rd Law of Motion - “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” You are probably wondering, what does physics have to do with wireless telecommunications industry? In my opinion, there are four real reasons that companies will make significant changes to their service offerings. The four drivers are: high operating expenditures reducing EBIDTA, increase revenue per user, network capacity peaked, and tackle rising competitiveness from competing companies. As I reflect back on the significant activities for 2008, I attempt to understand which category this new product, new service or change falls into. With that said, let's take a look at the activities that come to my mind.

3G Networks Finally Unleashed

Starting in 2007, Verizon completed their network upgrade from EV-DO to EV-DO rev A. At the end of 2007, Sprint followed suit with a EV-DO rev A network upgrade. During 2008, both AT&T and T-Mobile completed their network enhancements from GSM to UMTS. AT&T and T-Mobile reacted quickly in their marketing to hamper Sprint's and Verizon's onslaught of advertising touting their 3G networks. At the end of 2008, all of the major carriers were finishing up large network upgrades both nationally and regionally where coverage density was not adequate for a customer to acquire 3G speeds.

Globally, 3G voice and data services have proliferated several years before the U.S. markets demanded or required. With the U.S. market reaching 80+ percent penetration in wireless services, the demands reached a pinnacle requiring the carriers to enhance their networks to support the large number of people utilizing the wireless networks more frequently.

In regards to 3G in 2008, I feel that the carriers were working feverishly to deploy and deliver 3G services due to network capacity constraints, increase revenue per user and to tackle the rising tide of competitiveness to reduce churn by creating loyalty.