Telecommunications Blog

Global IPTV Set-Top-Box Market Approaches Maturity Phase
Posted by Lane Cooper Nov 19, 2008

Hard to believe, but IPTV set-top-box (STB) market is racing past its high-growth phase and is rapidly maturing, as residential adoption around the world hits a saturation point.

Even in Tough Economy, Eco-Sustainability Strong Market Driver in Telecom
Posted by Lane Cooper Nov 14, 2008

We have reached an interesting point in our industrial evolution in telecom, as a growing consensus reveals the false choice of pursuing eco-sustainable initiatives at the expense of profitability. This old way of thinking is joining other aging concepts in the dustbin of history.

Amid Ad Budget Contractions, Mobile Marketing Surges
Posted by Lane Cooper Nov 12, 2008

It seems that marketing is always the first discipline to get slammed when the call to reduce costs is sounded. But here is some very good news for service providers active in multimedia mobile content. While there is evidence of contracting advertising and promotional budgets, one area appears to be poised for growth despite the current economic conditions: mobile marketing.

Obama Telecom Policy: Pro Intervention, Pro Competition
Posted by Lane Cooper Nov 7, 2008

With the national election now decided, the technology and communications industries are scrambling to understand the impact that the new administration will have on their space. While the picture is not entirely clear, one thing is certain. Change is coming to the regulatory environment. Where you stand in the industry will determine if it is change you can believe in.

Texting Out the Vote: Communications Tech Plays Central Role in National Election
Posted by Lane Cooper Nov 4, 2008

I promise I am not going to get political. But it is worth pointing out that beyond breaking the race barrier, cracking the glass ceiling of gender bias, and blowing through an estimated billion dollars in campaign spending, this political season will be remembered for the dominant role that communications technology played in getting the messages out and bringing the voters in.

Cable Edging Out DSL, But Mobile Emerging as Long-term Broadband Winner
Posted by Lane Cooper Oct 31, 2008

As telcos duke it out with cable providers to win the hearts and minds of residential broadband users, the competition is fierce. The clear frontrunners at this point are the cable providers. But before communications service providers start waving any white flags, they should notice that mobile broadband is probably the next meaningful field of battle.

Security Investments to Remain Steady…But is Risk Reduced?
Posted by Lane Cooper Oct 29, 2008

So here is some good news if you are in the risk management and data protection arena in a telco. It looks the financial crisis is not prompting many cuts in security budgets. The bad news, however, is that despite steady investments in information assurance initiatives, risk may actually be rising. The reason: people…lots of them…often ignore security policies.

Managed And Hosted Services Surge Globally
Posted by Lane Cooper Oct 24, 2008

While it is tempting – and often appropriate – to focus on how next- generation services are going to generate future revenues for service providers, it is easy to forget that traditional offerings will for the foreseeable future be responsible for meeting expectations. Many telcos are finding that pursuing managed and hosted services offerings are a great way to leverage their traditional connectivity and traffic management expertise in a new way.

Speech Recognition and Media Conversion Hit Their Stride
Posted by Lane Cooper Oct 21, 2008

Ever since Stanley Kubrick introduced us to HAL 40 years ago in his 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey – people have wondered – perhaps apprehensively – when we would be able to talk to our computers to get things done. The theme was recently resurrected in this year’s Eagle Eye…and like HAL…the ability to talk to machines carried with it more FUD than promise. Science fiction paranoia aside, however, it appears that we are finally seeing some practical…and profitable applications of speech recognition and media conversion.

OSS BSS Software To Play Critical Role in Transformation
Posted by Lane Cooper Oct 20, 2008

Before service providers collect their first dollar, euro, rupee or ruble from investments in new multimedia subscription services and advertising platforms, they will have to figure out how they will provision, collect, and account for a stream of revenue that bears very little resemblance to their current pay-per-minute business models.

Service Providers Shares Struggle, But is There a Silver Lining?
Posted by Lane Cooper Oct 14, 2008

While the past month has been no picnic for any investor, it has been particularly tough in the global telecom service provider sector. Sprint, Telecom Italia, and Quest saw extremely large dips in share price since September 15th, as frightened investors headed for the exits. A credit and liquidity squeeze, many reason, will certainly affect consumer and enterprise communication systems budgets. But at least one analyst thinks the most pessimistic projections are a little overblown.

Global IPTV Subscriptions Generating $4.5 Billion, Yet Some Service Providers Still Wonder...
Posted by Lane Cooper Oct 9, 2008

Internet protocol television (IPTV) may represent the most dramatic transformational opportunity for traditional service providers around the world. But while the potential upside of replacing traditional connectivity revenues with content delivery and advertising fees is great, so is the investment of time, money and intellectual elbow grease that telecom carriers will have to apply to be successful.

Will Rising Bandwidth Consumption Tide Raise Prospects for WiMAX?
Posted by Lane Cooper Oct 6, 2008

Remember the old joke: I have good news…and bad news. Which do you want to hear first? Whether or not the answer is funny really depends on where you are in the marketplace. The industry must reconcile the fact that bandwidth consumption will drive overall communications revenues along at a respectable 10 percent annual clip, while landline revenues drop like a rock.

Service Providers That Don’t Transform Lose Capital Value
Posted by Lane Cooper Oct 3, 2008

Service providers will experience erosion in their capital value if they fail to transform their businesses to gain a sustainable market position. While a great deal of effort is underway to implement transformational initiatives, many carriers are so addicted and committed to existing revenues streams that they are having major trouble with the shift.

U.S. Lags In Global FTTH/Broadband Derby
Posted by Lane Cooper Sep 30, 2008

If broadband figures to play a large role in the future of our currently ailing economy, the United States might want to revisit its public infrastructure policies.

Revisiting Unified Communications: Adoption Rising, But Enterprises Still Take Tactical Approach
Posted by Lane Cooper Sep 26, 2008

UC is ready to take off…but in my opinion not too many enterprises are ready to take advantage of this super important technology. Earlier this month I promised to share some research that InformationWeek has produced on the topic of Unified Communications…which I believe illustrates the “disconnect” between the strategic and tactical perspectives of the IT community in general.

MVNOs in Mature Markets: Look to Mobile-Ad Revenue Supported Services
Posted by Lane Cooper Sep 24, 2008

Mobile network operators (MNOs) are moving into the next phase of their evolution.

Major Telecom Manufacturers Suffer Huge Summer Drops in Share Price
Posted by Lane Cooper Sep 18, 2008

Ugly does not even begin to describe what shareholders in top telecom manufacturing organizations saw happen to their positions over the past three months. And while the steepest declines have occurred in the last two weeks with the demise of Wall Street's most venerable institutions, the bulk of the companies monitored by the Transformation Enabler Telecom Stock Tracker were already headed for negative territory prior to the harshest manifestation of the overall financial crisis that is rocking the financial sector.

Beyond the Hype, Web 2.0 Gets Serious Look From Enterprises…$4.6 Billions-Worth
Posted by Lane Cooper Sep 16, 2008

Since we have exhausted ourselves writing and blogging about how Web 2.0, with its wikis… and social networks…and all that other stuff…is changing how young people (“Millennials”) live and play, the time has come to see where else Web 2.0 can perform its transformative magic. It would be easy to roll your eyes about how stodgy Global 2000 executives see this subversive category of technology. But there is growing evidence that they are, in fact, taking a serious look.

SOA’s Driver in Telecom: Automating Operations to Improve Customer Response
Posted by Lane Cooper Sep 12, 2008

As the race to integrate SOA principles into enterprise computing infrastructures gets underway, the telecom industry will be relieved to know that it is hanging in there with other key industries.

For Telecom to Tap Corporate Coffers, Here’s a Tip: Position for Security
Posted by Lane Cooper Sep 9, 2008

So here is an interesting stat to consider for those going after North American enterprise dollars. The good folks at Forrester Research last week reported that in today’s digital environment, security accounts for 10 percent of IT spend. And lest you think this is a regional anomaly, Gartner reports that Asia Pacific organizations spend an even a larger proportion of their IT budget on security than their North American and European counterparts. Key take home point: play up the security implications of your next enterprise pitch…no matter where you are pitching.

A Summer of Shareholder Discontent: Telecom Service Provider Stocks Wilt
Posted by Lane Cooper Sep 4, 2008

For most of the service providers in TransformationEnabler’s debuting Telecom Stock Tracker, summer could not end soon enough. From a share price perspective, six out of the nine major international carriers that I will be tracking for you on a monthly basis closed the season down.

Unified Communications Market Near $16 Billion Mark by 2012; Applications Set To Drive Growth
Posted by Lane Cooper Sep 2, 2008

I wrote my first article on Unified Communications (UC) back in 1996. I remember it so well because I found the concept so exciting. The idea that business people could use a single device to send and access e-mails, voice-mails and faxes just seemed like a no brainer for rapid adoption. And so I waited for it to catch on…and then waited some more.

Half Billion Mobile TV Viewers Add Up to $12 Billion Mobile Advertising and $8 Billion Mobile Tools Markets
Posted by Lane Cooper Aug 28, 2008

Convergence of consumer demand, innovative business models and cutting-edge tools is creating a perfect storm that will launch mobile multi-media into the stratosphere. The success and growth that is now being tracked and projected by the analyst community suggest that now is the time for service providers, content developers and advertisers to line up and establish an early position in this brand new sector.

Election 2008: Democratic Party Convention Shows How Telecom is Transforming Politics
Posted by Lane Cooper Aug 25, 2008

Between the contribution the Internet has made to breaking fundraising records, the use of SMS technologies to break news about key players on the ticket, and the further acceleration of the news cycle as people respond to charges with counter-charges in the political arena, the technologists of both major political parties have emerged as critical players influencing the outcomes of this historic national election.

• November 2008
• October 2008
• September 2008
• August 2008
• July 2008