This morning Microsoft announced that they had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Metaswitch. Metaswitch CEO Martin Lund has also shared an announcement about the deal. There’s very little information available at this stage, and – to be clear – the deal has not yet closed, but I have some initial analysis. Why is… Continue Reading
Strategy
What financial risk does the coronavirus pose for telcos?
Compared to many industries, the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on independent telcos is relatively small. Restaurants are closed for dining. Hotels are empty. Flights are cancelled. Concerts and events are cancelled. We can and should be grateful that we work in an industry where our livelihood has not instantaneously vanished. But that doesn’t mean… Continue Reading
Prepare your network for 2020 in 6 steps
Do you have any plans for Labor Day weekend? Back in 2011 my plans were rudely interrupted. At the time I was managing the Metaswitch support team responsible for new customer installations, commissioning and migrations. This was a fun job, but mostly fairly predictable – after all we were working on multi-month projects which followed… Continue Reading
Is Hosted PBX + Managed IT a winning strategy?
Most businesses have a choice of voice providers – including one or more local telcos and innumerable over-the-top offerings. So why do your customers choose to do business with you? For many CLECs and independent telcos, the answer is customer service. We’ve all heard the horror stories about the customer service provided by Comcast, and… Continue Reading
Wanted: some good advice from… you
I read a book recently that has been challenging my thinking. Am I too conservative as a business owner? Am I constrained by the smallness of my vision? Since I can’t afford to hire an expensive management consultant to advise me, I figured instead I’d think out loud in this article, and seek the advice… Continue Reading
Rural Telcos: The 4 big ideas you need to succeed
In a world where wire-line subscriber numbers are declining, and big national carriers can offer service anywhere, how can a local independent telephone company survive and thrive?That’s the question being asked by telecoms executives across America, and in this article we identify four key concepts that will be crucial for your future success. These ideas… Continue Reading