Cable Companies

Sound Off - Industry players discuss the Sprint/Clearwire WiMAX deal

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:49:32 -0400

On May 7 Sprint and Clearwire announced plans to combine their WiMax businesses and create a new company (called Clearwire) with a $3.2 billion investment from Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and others. Here's what members of the wireless industry are saying about the deal. If you would like to weigh in on this deal, answer our poll question here.

"The biggest challenge is getting all these companies that are important participants to agree on the essential value proposition, both from a marketing and distribution standpoint. How will this relate to Sprint, if Sprint remains a standalone wireless company? If Sprint continues to be standalone wireless company as it is today, how do they promote the value proposition of the new WiMAX entity vis-a-vis their own cellular network? What is the value proposition for Sprint if there is Clearwire? That's a key issue. Another issue is defining the essential value proposition of this network, which will essentially be a 4G network built form scratch. If its value proposition is data, this is the first time in the history of the U.S. since Metricom, that we will have a network that is solely for data. Will it be sustainable as a data-only network? I presume you will be able to run VOIP but what does that mean to the Sprint's cellular network? What does that mean for the cable companies that are already offering essentially VOIP service? --Mark Lowenstein, managing director, Mobile Ecosystem.
"This is a big day for WiMAX, and it lends a lot of credibility for us to build our business model. We have always talked about the business model first. We are talking about broadening the chipset system, getting WiMAX into consumer electronics, eliminating subsidies and instituting at-home provisioning so customers don't have to stand in line. Those are all part in parcel to really change the mobile broadband experience in a way it ought to be." --Atish Gude, senior vice president of mobile broadband operations with Xohm.
"The new Clearwire will have a substantial time-to-market advantage over others who just acquired spectrum. Clearwire will have a solid foundation for next-generation products and services. It's the largest spectrum position held by a company in America. It will provide high-capacity services at a low cost." --Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint, during a conference call about the new venture.
"This will dramatically advance WiMAX. Our expanded relationship with Intel and Google will help fulfill the vision of an open network. We will resell wireless through wholesale arrangements and bring in new wholesale revenue streams." --Ben Wolff, CEO of Clearwire, during a conference call about the new venture.
"The New Clearwire announcement is a much-needed good news story for the WiMAX industry after months of delays, uncertainty and speculation. This is important news not only in the U.S., but internationally. Many greenfield and 2G operators worldwide are closely watching the development (or lack of development) of WiMAX in the U.S. as an indication of the real prospects for 802.16e. Although I don't believe the new Clearwire deployment will reach 100 million POPs as quickly as 2010 (as stated by Clearwire), it will provide the much-needed volumes to the emerging device and application ecosystem upon which WiMAX hopes to distance itself from LTE. It remains to be seen how these diverse players will learn to work together and what will happen to Sprint's 3G + network." --Adlane Fellah, CEO & Founder, MARAVEDIS Inc.
"TBR believes Sprint and Clearwire's May 7 announcement--that the two companies will combine their WiMAX businesses into a single entity--has the potential to establish a significant competitor to the traditional U.S. wireless operators, one with a time-to-market advantage for 4G services. Moreover, the affiliation with cable operators, particularly the nations' two largest cable operators Comcast and Time Warner Cable, helps address questions regarding the business model supporting WiMAX deployment. From an equipment perspective, the announcement provides a vehicle for a number of firms seeking a presence in the next-generation mobile business, firms that had to take a back seat to larger, more established incumbents in 3G deployments. "The deal will provide efficiencies--and funding--to expedite the rollout of the network, providing the new company with a time-to-market advantage by launching a 4G network well before Verizon Wireless' and AT&T's planned LTE launches between 2010 and 2012. TBR expects the combined WiMAX assets of Sprint and Clearwire to produce significant synergies, allowing the companies to provide a nationwide network at a lower cost." --Kate Price, analyst, Technology Business Research.

Sprint, Clearwire WiMAX Merger Timeline

Mike Dolan — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:25:13 -0400

Timeline of Sprint, Clearwire, WiMAX

5-6-08 - Report: Sprint considers Nextel spin-off

5-6-08 - Qwest drops Sprint, taps Verizon for wireless

5-5-08 - T-Mobile USA to merge with Sprint Nextel?

5-2-08 - Sprint appoints Brust as CFO

4-24-08 - Cable companies exit Pivot JV with Sprint

4-4-08 - Backhaul bottleneck reason for Xohm's woes?

4-3-08 - Sprint's Xohm has been delayed

3-26-08 - Report:Cable MSOs to invest in Sprint-Clearwire

3-19-08 - Analyst: Intel unlikely to invest $2B in WiMAX

3-18-08 - Sprint round-up: Board exits; lawsuit; unlimited ad

3-12-08 - SPOTLIGHT: Sprint shares near 20 year low

3-10-08 - Sprint, it's time to take the money

3-6-08 - Sprint's troubles inspire rumor mill

3-4-08 - Clearwire adds 47,000 subscribers

2-29-08 - SPOTLIGHT: Sprint should not have bought Nextel

2-28-08 - Hesse: Sprint's issues more difficult than expected

2-22-08 - Sprint: We'll make Xohm SDK available

2-15-08 - Rumor Mill: Intel investing $2B in Sprint/Clearwire

2-6-08 - Report: Kuwaiti firm eyes Sprint, Clearwire

2-4-08 - SPOTLIGHT: Is Sprint worth saving?

1-31-08 - Clearwire confirms deal talks with Sprint

1-30-08 - Sprint commits to iDEN, revives Clearwire talks

1-24-08 - Sprint cuts CFO, CMO and sales head

1-3-08 - Analyst predicts Sprint's Q4 will be ugly

12-18-07 - Hesse to take helm at Sprint

12-12-07 - Sprint soft launches WiMAX in three markets

11-30-07 - Sprint rejects SK Telecom's $5B investment

11-28-07 - Analyst: Sprint and Clearwire to reunite?

11-12-07 - Rumor Mill: Google buying Sprint?

11-9-07 - Sprint and Clearwire call off WiMAX JV

11-2-07 - Sprint's about-face on Pivot

11-2-07 - Sprint mulls WiMAX spin-off again?

11-1-07 - Sprint's net income plummets 77 percent in Q3

10-10-07 - Post-Forsee, Sprint faces pressure over WiMAX

10-9-07 - Sprint CEO Gary Forsee is out

10-5-07 - Report: Sprint's board wants new CEO by Dec.

10-4-07 - Investors lose confidence in Sprint CEO

9-24-07 - SPOTLIGHT: Chicago gets WiMAX preview

8-27-07 - Samsung gets Sprint's NY WiMAX market, too

8-24-07 - Can Sprint keep WiMAX expectations in check?

8-17-07 - Xohm Steals the Spotlight

8-17-07 - Sprint may triple backhaul assets for WiMAX

8-16-07 - Sprint outlines "Xohm" WiMAX plans

8-7-07 - Clearwire reveals more on Sprint partnership

8-1-07 - FiberTower inks backhaul deal for Sprint's WiMAX

7-26-07 - Sprint inks deal with Google for WiMAX network

7-19-07 - Sprint and Clearwire merge WiMAX networks

7-19-07 - Sprint and Clearwire pool WiMAX networks

7-18-07 - Sprint taps ZTE for WiMAX data cards

3-27-07 - Sprint expands WiMAX markets, devices

2-8-07 - SPOTLIGHT: Sprint taps Samsung for DC WiMAX

1-2-07 The WiMAX hype will continue

Is Comcast planning a wireless network?

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 06:59:59 -0400

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Is Comcast planning a wireless network?Ã‚Â

GigaOM reported yesterday that cable giant Comcast has hired industry veteran Dave Williams as senior vice president of wireless and technology strategy. Williams, former CTO of Telefonica O2 Europe and former vice president for strategic planning at Cingular Wireless, is a cellular network guy. I can't imagine he would be hired to head up a wireless initiative that doesn't include a network.

Now that Comcast has ended its relationship with Sprint and the Pivot joint venture, perhaps the company is ready to make a serious wireless play. It was rumored earlier this year that Comcast and Time Warner might be contemplating a strategic investment in Sprint's WiMAX network Xohm but so far that hasn't come to fruition and I doubt this type of arrangement would be any more successful than Pivot. We know from history that having multiple companies involved in a venture usually ends up being a train wreck.

As part of the SpectrumCo joint venture (which consists of Comcast, Cox, Time Warner and others), Comcast has access to $2.37 billion of AWS spectrum.

I suspect that now that the cable companies have stopped selling Pivot service, Comcast is getting serious about using that AWS spectrum. And it may even be contemplating buying more spectrum. In yesterday's FierceWireless poll, 28 percent of respondents said that they thought Comcast would make a bid for NextWave's spectrum (click here to see the results).Ã‚Â NextWave announced yesterday that it was putting its U.S. spectrum holdings, which include licenses and lease rights for a total of 4.7 billion MHz/pops of spectrum, on the block.

Ian Olgierson, senior analyst at SNL Kagan, says that he thinks Comcast's hiring of Williams is an indication that the cable industry not only knows that it needs a wireless component but that it also needs to control the economics of that component. Olgierson says that the cable company CTOs used to be upfront about the importance of owning the wireless network. Recently they have been more cagey about that philosophy; however Olgierson suspects that may be less of a policy shift and more of a strategic decision. In other words, they don't want to reveal their wireless plans for competitive reasons.

I suspect Comcast is tired of putting its wireless future in the hands of other operators like Sprint. Perhaps it's concluded that the only way to succeed at wireless is to build a network.Ã‚Â -Sue

Timeline - Sprint's Ill-fated Pivot

Mike Dolan — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:15:43 -0400

Sprint's Pivot has had a long history of troubles. Below is a timeline of this ill-fated joint venture between the cable companies and a wireless carrier:

Nov. 1, 2005 - Four cable companies team with Sprint in $200M JV

Nov. 13, 2006 - Sprint-Cable JV to launch Wireless

Feb. 22, 2007 - Sprint-Cable JV Quietly Making Strides Toward Quad-play

April 3, 2007 - FCC privacy rules could block Sprint's Pivot

April 15, 2007 - Comcast CEO on killer apps for Pivot

April 30, 2007 - Time Warner announces Pivot details

May 18, 2007 - Waiting for Pivot's Mobile DVR

June 14, 2007 - Sprint may spin off WiMAX unit

Aug. 2, 2007 - Sprint drops out of SpectrumCo cable consortium

Nov. 2, 2007 - Sprint's about-face on Pivot

Nov. 8, 2007 - Time Warner says Pivot demand "tepid"

Nov. 9, 2007 - Sprint, Clearwire cancel WiMAX pairing, rethinks Pivot

Nov. 15, 2007 - Report: Pivot's cable companies to go it alone

Dec. 4, 2007 - Cox, Google to bid; Time Warner, Comcast won't

Mar. 28, 2008 - Cable's love affair with wireless

Cable companies exit Pivot JV with Sprint

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have ended their joint venture, branded Pivot, with beleaguered mobile carrier Sprint Nextel. Current Pivot subscribers will have the option of switching over to Sprint's regular services with comparable minutes and pricing. Comcast told MultiChannel News that it stopped selling Pivot services as of Tuesday. Cox and Time Warner both plan to start notifying subscribers about their options post haste.

Recent rumors, however, suggested the cable companies might be looking to work with Sprint in a different capacity: Comcast and Time Warner are reportedly mulling a $1.5 billion investment in a WiMAX wireless venture along with Sprint, Clearwire, Google, Intel and possibly others. Several analysts have discounted this deal, saying that there are a lot of hurdles to overcome and that they don't see this deal being any more viable than Pivot, which, apparently, has proven to not be viable at all.

Take a stroll down memory lane with these Pivot-related stories from years passed:

Nov. 1, 2005 - Four cable companies team with Sprint in $200M JV
Nov. 13, 2006 - More details on the Sprint-Cable JV finally emerge
Feb. 22, 2007 - Sprint-Cable JV quietly making strides toward quad-play
April 3, 2007 - FCC privacy rules could block Sprint's Pivot
April 15, 2007 - Comcast CEO on killer apps for Pivot
April 30, 2007 - Time Warner announces Pivot details
Nov. 2, 2007 - Sprint's about-face on Pivot
Nov. 8, 2007 - Time Warner says Pivot demand "tepid"
Nov. 15, 2007 - Report: Pivot's cable companies to go it alone
Mar. 28, 2008 - Editorial: Cable's love affair with wireless

For the full backstory:
- check out the entire timeline of Sprint's ill-fated Pivot
- read this report from MultiChannel News

Cable's love affair with wireless

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:59:59 -0400

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Cable's love affair with wireless

I'm amazed at the cable industry's never-ending fascination with wireless. Over the years there have been many attempts by cable companies to get a foothold in wireless and build the elusive quad-play offering-cable, wireless, wireline and Internet. So far none of these attempts have succeeded.Ã‚Â Ã‚Â

The most recent rumor circulating is that Comcast and Time Warner will invest $1.5 billion in a WiMAX wireless venture along with Sprint, Clearwire, Google, Intel and possibly others. Several analysts have discounted this deal, saying that there are a lot of hurdles to overcome and that they don't see this deal being any more viable than Pivot.

As you may recall, Pivot was the $200 million joint venture between Sprint and cable companies Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Advance/Newhouse Communications formed back in November 2005.Ã‚Â

In its early stages, I heard rumblings about how Pivot would be much more than a wireless resale deal. There was speculation that the cable companies would leverage their programming deals to deliver content over the mobile phone. And there was lots of talk about a shared mobile DVR service that would let cable customers program their DVR on their mobile phone. Based upon what I heard, it sounded as if the cable operators would control the video content delivered to Sprint subscriber's phones.

But that vision never came to fruition. Pivot ended up being strictly a wireless voice play that didn't get much traction with cable consumers. In November Sprint announced that Pivot was plagued with provisioning problems and it had no intention of expanding it beyond the 20 markets where the service is currently offered.Ã‚Â

If the Pivot joint venture couldn't iron out all the provisioning issues, I don't see how this potential WiMAX wireless venture will be able to do it. Wireless is a complex business and provisioning customers on the network isn't an easy task.Ã‚Â Plus any sort of venture formed with so many different companies seems like a train wreck waiting to happen. How can you possibly balance all the various interests of such powerful players as Comcast, Time Warner, Sprint, lntel and Google?Ã‚Â -Sue

DEALS: Cable MSOs to fund WiMAX?

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:59:52 -0400

DEALS
WHO	WITH	WHAT	SCOOP
Nortel	U.S. Cellular	Nortel inked a five year deal with U.S. Cellular.	The network expansion deal builds on an existing deal between the vendor and the CDMA carrier.
Comcast, Google, Time Warner	Sprint, Clearwire	Reports indicate that cable companies and Google are teaming up to fund a WiMAX JV with Sprint and Clearwire.	Many observers believe WiMAX can save Sprint if the required investment doesn't kill it first.

Korean cable companies following Pivot's lead?

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 06:59:55 -0500

According to a report in the Korea Times, the Korean Cable TV Association said some of its members are planning on adding wireless services to their bundles by reselling handsets and services from existing carriers. The cable companies are looking to partner with SK Telecom, KTF and LG Telecom for the joint venture. The move should be a familiar one to the U.S. wireless and cable industries--Sprint inked deals with Comcast, Cox, Advance/Newhouse and Time Warner in a joint venture later marketed under the brand Pivot. The JV never really took off, however, and Sprint has slowly ramped down its involvement with the cable firms.

For more on Korea's Pivot:
- read this article from the Korea Times

Related Articles:
Pivot's cable companies to go it alone Article
Time Warner: Pivot demand "tepid" Article
Sprint's about face on Pivot Article

Cox, Google to bid; Time Warner, Comcast won't

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:59:54 -0500

The applications for potential bidders in the upcoming 700 MHz auction this January came to pass at 6 p.m. EST yesterday and at least two bidders announced their intent before applying: Google and Cox. AT&T and Frontline Wireless have also more or less confirmed their status as bidders and we can only assume that Verizon Wireless is going to participate given the fight they put up over the open access rules a few months ago.

Two cable companies, however, have come out and said they will not participate in the auction: Time Warner and Comcast. Sprint has also indicated it has no plans to participate. Now that the application deadline has come to pass, however, none of the assumed bidders can say whether or not they will be participating in the auction until the FCC announces the bidders just before the auction.

"Comcast Corporation has decided not to bid in the 700 MHz wireless auction," said Comcast SVP D'Arcy Rudnay. "The 20 MHz of spectrum acquired in the wireless auction last year with our cable partners in SpectrumCo provides us with significant long-term flexibility and many strategic options. We will continue to explore how wireless can complement our services through various partnerships and consumer trials."

For more on the 700 MHz auction:
- read this article from CNET
- read this press release from Comcast
- keep up-to-date with the latest 700 Mhz Auction news here

Report: Pivot's cable companies to go it alone

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

According to a report from the Associated Press, the cable providers within the Pivot joint venture may break away and launch their own mobile service. Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communications and Advance/Newhouse Communications are recruiting people to run wireless business strategy and manage a portfolio of handsets, according to the report. The cable companies are also tapping consultants with expertise in wireless business strategy. The maneuvers are likely to be linked to Sprint's recent about-face on the Pivot joint venture.

During Sprint's third quarter earnings call earlier this month, it was quietly revealed by CFO Paul Saleh that Pivot is plagued by provisioning issues and Sprint has decided to not expand the service into other markets or offer it in more retail stores. Saleh said that Sprint is focusing on simplifying its business and therefore has decided not to expand Pivot. He added that Pivot is difficult to provision and deliver to customers in a timely and simple manner. However, he added that the company's relationship with the cable joint venture is still strong and that they are looking at ways to simplify the offering.

For more on Pivot's fate:
- read this article from the AP

Sprint's about-face on Pivot

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:59:59 -0400

Sprint's about-face on Pivot

Pivot--the much-hailed $200 million joint venture between Sprint and cable companies Comcast, Time Warner, Cable, Cox Communications and Brighthouse Networks-appears to be in trouble. The joint venture-which had aspirations to offer consumers the elusive quad-play by providing them with a combination of wireless, fixed, video and Internet services from one provider with one bill-is currently offered in 33 markets and can be purchased in about 20 percent of Sprint's retail stores. But don't expect to see it grow beyond its current coverage area or achieve broader distribution any time soon.

During Sprint's third quarter earnings call yesterday, it was quietly revealed by CFO Paul Saleh that Pivot is plagued by provisioning issues and Sprint has decided to not expand the service into other markets or offer it in more retail stores.

Specifically, Saleh said that Sprint is focusing on simplifying its business and therefore has decided not to expand Pivot. He added that Pivot is difficult to provision and deliver to customers in a timely and simple manner. However, he added that the company's relationship with the cable joint venture is still strong and that they are looking at ways to simplify the offering.

I'm not surprised that Sprint and the cable joint venture have had difficulty provisioning this offering. When I spoke with the Pivot executives over a year ago, they talked about how difficult it was to integrate the different billing systems, particularly since cable and wireless bills have different types of details.

And Pivot has yet to live up to its aspirations. When it was first conceived by the various partners, the vision was to have this hybrid offering that not only merged billing and customer care but also incorporated entertainment services such as video and DVR services. That certainly hasn't happened.

Several analysts have also questioned Pivot's potential conflict with Sprint's WiMAX network rollout. By going after residential broadband customers with its WiMAX high-speed offering, Xohm will likely go head-to-head with its Pivot partners.

I suspect this recent decision by Sprint to not expand its Pivot markets is a sign that Pivot's future and the joint venture with the cable companies may be doomed. -Sue

P.S. We have some excellent speakers and panels planned for our upcoming Wireless Voice conference in San Francisco Nov. 13-14. Don't miss out on keynotes from Tony Saigh, head of business development, mobile operators at Skype, Dave Hagan, president and CEO of Boingo and Greg Young, vice president, engineering & product management at Qualcomm QChat. Click here to see the full agenda.

Cable cooperative considering wireless

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:59:54 -0400

It sounds as if more cable companies may be contemplating a wireless offering from Sprint. The National Cable Television Cooperative said it held "exploratory discussions" with the Sprint Nextel and is trying to find a way to help small and midsized cable operators offer mobile-phone service to their customers.

According to Scott Abbott, executive vice president of the programming at NCTC, if a resale deal were to be reached with Sprint, the two sides would likely focus on markets where members had better footholds with households for their services than Sprint currently does. But Abbott cautioned that a deal "is not imminently forthcoming."

Sprint, of course, already has a relationship with four big cable providers. In 2005 Sprint partnered with Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Advance/Newhouse to offer wireless services along with the cable firm's cable TV, high-speed data service and landline telephony services.

For more on the potential deal:
- see this BroadcastNewsRoom article

Sprint-Cable JV to launch wireless

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 19:01:38 -0500

One year and a big spectrum auction later, the Sprint-Nextel joint venture with cable companies Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Advanced/Newhouse is set to add wireless services to the cable MSO's triple play offerings. Sprint CEO Gary Forsee says Comcast will launch its wireless services later this month in Boston and Portland, while Time Warner will roll them out at the same time in Austin and Raleigh, North Carolina. Time Warner expects a full roll out during the next few months. Subscribers to the cell phone service must subscribe to at least one other service in the quadruple play, too; however the companies have yet to announce pricing for the wireless service. "Unique" features include: recording cable programming directly to cell phones, easier to use mobile email, one voicemail box for both mobile and fixed, and more.

The cable companies hope to do to wireless what they did to fixed-telephony--namely, steal more telco marketshare. While it's difficult to call anything a defensive move anymore, it's worth noting that the big telcos, AT&T and Verizon are in the process of launching their IPTV services in various markets right now, too.

For more details on the cable companies' planned wireless offerings:
- read this article from USA Today

Editor's Corner

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 19:01:40 -0500

So, the rules have changed. They've added another base, and it's going to take four cable companies to cover them. Sprint Nextel's deal with Time Warner, Comcast, Cox and Advance/Newhouse ushers in the era of the quadruple play: bundled bills and mobility coupled with cable's unique content. But the time is not yet ripe for the offerings, as fixed-mobile convergence is still in its infancy and cable companies have long been the biggest threat to carriers. Things don't change overnight, folks. The word is that the cable-Sprint deal will not create another Sprint MVNO, but rather an integration of the cable companies' home-based triple play with Sprint's service. It's a triple play on wheels. The cable operators have much to do: analog TVs to convert, muni-WiFi plans to fight and VoIP services to launch. But the wheels are in motion. - Brian

Four cable companies team with Sprint in $200M JV

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 19:01:39 -0500

Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Advance/Newhouse have partnered with Sprint Nextel to offer wireless services along with their cable TV, high-speed data service and landline telephony services. The cable operators will put up a combined $100 million and Sprint will match the figure for the $200 million joint venture that is set to launch early next year. The venture will be mutually exclusive for three years and have a 20-year term. The project will focus on fixed mobile convergence offerings and MVNO-like branding as the cable companies resell Sprint's wireless service. The companies expect to reach 75 million US homes.

The wireless industry has expected the cable racket's quadruple play for some time now, and this coalition of four has been shopping all year for the last leg. As Verizon and SBC recently launched video services, Sprint and its cable cohorts' announcement is timely. But the MVNO-like offering seems to be aimed at the tech-savvy couch potato. A handset that doubles as a remote for your PVR? Bundled services bring a bundled bill, and that remains the quadruple play's secret sauce. Or maybe the whole thing is just an attempt by marketers to remove baseball allusions from the discussion?

For more on Sprint's deal with the cable companies:
- take a look at this piece from CNET

Trend: Wireless industry awaits re-write of 1996 Telecom Act

Thu, 28 Jul 2005 20:01:39 -0400

The wireless industry eagerly awaits a re-write of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Ak.) is expected introduce legislation minimizing regulatory interference in telecom markets. The Senator has publicly stated that limited regulation is best for telecom and supposedly shares this opinion with other senators. Another piece of telecom legislation hit Congress earlier this week. On Wednesday, Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) co-sponsored the Broadband Investment and Consumer Choice Act, which aims to level the playing field between telephone, cable, and satellite companies while opening the door for the delivery of new broadband services.

The 1996 Act is seen by many as outdated, especially given the current proliferation of wireless and VoIP, the emergence of cable companies as voice providers, and industry-wide changes caused by convergence.

For more on the coming changes in US telecom regulation:
- read this article from TMCnet

Trend: Quadruple play, wireless are big news at CTAM

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 20:01:39 -0400

At the annual meeting of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), the so-called quadruple play -- wireless, VoIP, broadband, and cable TV in one service bundle -- is the hot topic of discussion. Cable companies are talking about ways to work with wireless carriers to launch Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) services. While rumors have been speading that Sprint will sell wireless service to the cable companies, there is no evidence of traction beyond a few limited trials. Cable companies are also eager to add mobile content to their bundles, including mobile video on demand and remote access to digital cable boxes from cell phones.

For more on the wireless buzz at the CTAM show:
- read this article from Wired

Editor's Corner

Mon, 06 Jun 2005 20:01:40 -0400

I'm reporting today live from Supercomm in Chicago. This year's show is all about three themes: the emerging quadruple play (broadband, VoIP, digital TV, and cellular phone service in one service bundle), the coming impact of IPTV, and converged wireless.

The biggest of these three themes is the quadruple play, which in essence captures the other two issues. The quadruple play will revolutionize the telecom market, making cable companies and traditional telecoms the same. Thanks to VoIP and MVNO wireless partnerships, cable companies will turn into landline and wireless voice carriers while IPTV promises to convert incumbent telecoms into digital cable providers. The only real difference will be in the service providers respective core networks, but to consumers there will be no difference.

What will be the key differentiator for the quadruple play? I predict wireless service will be the deal maker for most. Consumers increasingly rely on their cell phones as their primary means of communication. The carrier or service provider which can give consumers reliable wireless service and afforable access to other services like cable TV will win. - Stephen

Sprint cuts its wires

Sun, 05 Jun 2005 20:01:39 -0400

Sprint has seen telephony's future, and it is wireless. The company, which began its corporate life more than a century ago as as the Brown Telephone Co. in Abilene, Kansas, will dump its traditional landline phone business and focus on wireless communications. The company also plans to align with cable companies to market communications and entertainment megabundles, including VoIP, TV, music and other services delivered on mobile devices. "If we're aligned with cable, we're definitely not aligned with the Bells," said CEO Gary D. Forsee in a recent interview.

For more on Sprint's new approach to communications:
- read this Washington Post article

ALSO: Sprint sells off conferencing assets. Article

SPOTLIGHT: Cable's Move to Wireless Will Be Difficult

Tue, 24 May 2005 20:01:25 -0400

While many industry insiders are abuzz with the idea that cable companies will soon be competitors in the wireless market, some analysts think this move will prove much harder than some have suggested. The first issue is network ownership. The MSOs will have to partner with an established carrier -- probably Sprint or T-Mobile. Cable companies will likely be stuck with MVNO deals that will restrict their ability to compete on price. The second issue is quality of service. Cable companies are hardly champions when it comes to customer satisfaction. Will they be able to overcome this to offer high-quality wireless service? Article