Displaying 1–15 (of 2482)
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| Verizon Loses Latest Stage in ActiveVideo Patent Dispute
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Convergys: Call-Center Agents Still Critical to Customer Care
Summary
But the rapid growth of alternate channels means companies must excel at managing the customer experience across multiple platforms.
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Taking stock of 2011's top mergers & acquisitions
Summary
What were the most important mergers and acquisitions in 2011? This year was a wild ride for the wireline segment of the telecom industry, with carriers and service providers jockeying for position in the fast-expanding business services market. It made for some interesting and even surprising M&A moves.
Windstream's (Nasdaq: WIN) deal for PAETEC was certainly an attention-getter, a move that positions Windstream as a nationwide business services provider. But even more interesting was Level 3 Communications' (Nasdaq: LVLT) acquisition of Global Crossing, a move that gave Level 3--which provides transport for a number of companies including online video provider Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX)--direct reach into 50 countries and connections to over 70 countries.
It wasn't just the large carriers making acquisitions in 2011, either--smaller independent providers made buys as well, with most, just like the larger telcos, looking to bolster cloud and managed service portfolios to become more attractive to business customers.
Warwick Valley Telephone (Nasdaq: WWVY) and Twin Valley Telephone made strategic acquisitions in purchasing, respectively, Alteva and ISG. Both gained cloud and managed services assets that will help them bring in regional businesses and keep them competitive in the ever-shifting wireline market.
As it has in the past, consolidation became a watchword for 2011 among service providers. But unlike past M&A flurries, providers are making far more strategic moves, rather than consolidating just because their neighbors are doing so. Getting a piece of the cloud and managed services market isn't just a hot trend; it's becoming a must-have for providers of all sizes.
Paul Lidsky, CEO of Datalink (Nasdaq: DTLK), pointed out in a recent FierceTelecom interview that 2011 is the year that businesses are seriously looking at implementing cloud services.
"I think in 2011 you see a lot more implementation, or at least serious planning for it," he said.
That's a factor that telcos and service providers are looking to take advantage of, by becoming the go-to source for cloud services.
Take a look at our Most Important M&As of 2011 feature, and tell us in the comments: Which do you think were the most important? Are there any that you think we missed? Let us know.--Sam
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Towerstream bullish on Wi-Fi hotzones, but carriers aren't--yet
Summary
At the beginning of this year, WiMAX provider Towerstream announced it was getting into the Wi-Fi hotzone game with the aim of becoming a wholesale provider to operators desiring to offload heavy mobile data traffic. Today, Towerstream's Manhattan market is nearly complete with 1,000 access points. Moreover, Towerstream typically sees more than 100,000 unique devices on its network per day, and each hotspot is backhauled by a 400 Mbps radio, which can be programmed to jump to 800 Mbps, allowing Towerstream to offer nearly endless capacity. But Towerstream has yet to sign an offload deal with an operator. The company's case highlights a continuing issue for carriers: Do they build their own Wi-Fi-offload networks or partner with others? Special feature
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Oracle aims to flatten mobile silos, simplify billing
Summary
New solution creates a 'digital content retailing' that service providers can use to deliver and monetize an array of digital content
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New sampling machine can gauge your age and sex
Summary
A new product sampling machine that can determine if you're the right age or even the right sex to receive a sample.
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FCC asks PUCs to help it reduce fraud in Lifeline program
Summary
The FCC has sought the help of state Public Utility Commissioners (PUC) to weed out what it says is waste, fraud and abuse in its Lifeline program, which is focused on providing traditional wireline and wireless voice services to lower income families.
Genachowski
In an enforcement advisory given to state PUCs last week, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski wrote that the agency heard that a number of service providers were either not confirming to eligibility for the program or not providing adequate service. Although the regulator will look into those issues itself, the chairman wants states to be more proactive about weeding out program abuse. "I encourage all of you to join the FCC in our efforts to reform the Lifeline program by closely scrutinizing the requests for ETC designation pending before you, to be on guard for abuse by ETCs designated to provide Lifeline service in your states, and to take swift and strong action when necessary to protect the program," wrote FCC chairman Julius Genachowski in a letter to the state PUCs.
Following an initial discussion last March, Genachowski wrote in the letter that the agency plans to vote "soon" on its own plan to reform and modernize the Lifeline program.
Besides weeding out abusive tactics, the reform will include pilot programs that examine the role of broadband. The timing of incorporating broadband in the Lifeline program coincides with the agency's decision to migrate the Universal Service Fund (USF) from funding voice service to broadband.
For more:- Broadcasting & Cable has this article
Related articles:NTCA asks FCC to review its USF/ICC reform stance FCC goes public with its ambitious Connect America FundFCC's new USF Connect America fund draws different reactionsFor broadband stimulus winners, time is money as RUS extends deadlines
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Infonetics: Wireline broadband access equipment sales to reach peak in 2011
Summary
As more service providers expanded their respective VDSL and GPON-based networks this year, it drove strong spending in wireline broadband access network equipment.
Strong PON spending by China's major service providers in addition to DSL growth in Central and Latin America and VDSL and GPON growth in EMEA created what Jeff Heynen, directing analyst for broadband access and video at Infonetics Research, said was "a perfect storm of spending this year."
While this uptick in spending certainly a nice near term boost for the vendor community, Heynen is quick to point out in its Q3 2011 PON, FTTH, and DSL Aggregation Equipment and Subscribers market share and forecast report that "with peaks come valleys." By 2015, Infonetics forecast that the broadband aggregation market will decline to $5.0 billion, from $7.9 billion in 2011.
On the vendor side, Huawei and ZTE hang onto their broadband aggregation equipment lead. However, Huawei's revenue slipped while ZTE's rose. Taking the third and fourth spots were Alcatel-Lucent and ADTRAN (Nasdaq: ADTN) with strong North America DSL sales.
From a broadband technology perspective, global spending on DSL equipment declined nine percent due to a slowdown in some major projects and the fact that the seasonal Q3 slowness. Alternatively, EPON optical line terminal (OLT) revenue in Japan was up 16 percent in Q3 2011 with incumbent telcos NTT and KDDI expanding their respective Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network spending to convert FTTB+VDSL subscribers to FTTH.
For more:- see the release
Special Report: Wireline in the third quarter 2011
Related articles:ADTRAN's stock takes a hit from lower than expected Q3 earnings, Q4 outlookService providers want lower priced next-gen FTTH technologies, says InfoneticsVerizon's Q3 wireline story driven by consumer, business gains
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Exclusive Report: Out with the old, in with the new mobile data plans
Summary
Connected Business Research, the new research arm of Connected Planet, has released the results of an exclusive survey exploring mobile operator plans to move beyond unlimited data plan pricing.
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Integra Telecom appoints Kevin O'Hara as new CEO
Summary
Integra Telecom did not have to look too far to find its new CEO as it has appointed former co-founder of Level 3 (Nasdaq: LVLT) and company board member Kevin O'Hara as its new CEO.
O'Hara takes over the reins from Tom Casey, who previously left Integra only after only seven months on the job to become the CEO of pigment manufacturer Tronox, where he served as that company's board chairman.
Since 2009, O'Hara has served as a member of Integra's board of directors with stints as director, chairman and most recently as executive chairman. He will retain his board director title in addition serving as the service provider's CEO.
Jim Huesgen, who joined Integra in 2000 and has served as president since 2002, will remain as Integra's president and will report directly to O'Hara.
Like many CLECs that serve business customers, Integra was not immune to the challenges of the recent recession. Last year, sales declined 3.6 percent to $616 million.
The appointment of O'Hara, an advocate of the fiber-based services that Integra has been building out in recent years to appeal to larger business and wholesale carriers customers, including wireless operators, will provide some level of consistency.
For more:- see the release - The Oregonian has this article
Related articles:Integra Telecom CEO Tom Casey leaves, enterprise business expansion continuesIntegra Telecom passes CEO torch to CLEC veteran Tom CaseyEschelon veteran Steve Wachter appointed Integra Telecom's new EVP and COOIntegra puts $11M into network in Midwest, Western regionsIntegra Telecom brings aboard Level 3 vet Joe Harding
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Cloud Adviser: Where's Your Data?
Summary
Be sure your contract specifies where your data can be located and requires notice of when your data has been disclosed to a third party.
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Forecasters Miss by Most in 9 Months on Improving Data: Economy
Summary
U.S. economic data are outperforming expectations by the most in nine months, a trend Federal Reserve officials may incorporate into their policy statement tomorrow.
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| Data Services and Consolidation Synergies Bolster Stability for US Telecom and Cable Sector
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| Fitch: Singapore Telcos Face Structural Changes, Lower Margins
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Verizon places data center management task in Terremark's hands
Summary
Now that it has almost a year under its belt as a working subsidiary of Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Terremark is going to soon overtake management of all of the telco's global data centers in addition to expanding its own data center reach.
Terremark's North American data centers
Initially, Terremark will begin management of two of Verizon's data centers in San Jose, with plans to make assessments of other facilities in Texas, Georgia, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.
"We're looking at the data center and saying, 'Okay, it's got X amount [of equipment], and if we wanted to take it to the next level, it would cost X amount of money.' Or do we just go ahead and ... build another data center?" David Layton, a senior VP for Terremark's West Region told Network Computing.
The transfer of data center management comes on the heels of Terremark's newly opened data center in Silicon Valley, a spot that is situated near major fiber routes from service providers such as AT&T (NYSE: T) and CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL).
For more:- Network Computing has this article
Related articles:UPDATED: Verizon adds CloudSwitch to its ever-growing cloud portfolioVerizon is bullish about the cloud services opportunity via TerremarkVerizon's Bailey: Cloud services will be a $150B market by 2020Terremark finds newfound growth by being a part of Verizon
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