As I consult with CEOs and senior management of companies in wireless, telecom, pay TV, broadband and Wi-Fi, one of my key messages to them is the product or service they sell is going through a significant change-wave.
New tech and new competition are changing everything. They must meet this significant new challenge. They must ride this new growth wave. If not, this growth-wave will move forward without them. They will be left behind as the industry and your competitors move forward. That’s the risk and opportunity before them today.
Like it or not, these areas of the communications industry are going through massive transformation. A shift in the way things were to the way things will be. We are just in the middle of all this transformative chaos.
Traditional telephone or POTS and cable TV are losing market share
Let’s remember, around the year 2000, plain old telephone service and basic cable TV reached their peak. They have been losing market share ever since.
Today, traditional telephone service and cable television service continue to lose market share. Sooner or later, these services will totally fade away.
They are being replaced by new products, services and competitors in wireless, broadband and streaming television.
Investors are always looking for new areas of growth. Traditional wireless growth has slowed since nearly everyone already is already connected.
That’s why traditional wireless, broadband and streaming television need to continue to update.
In recent years the telephone companies like AT&T and Verizon took the very wrong turn and acquired DirecTV, WarnerMedia, CNN, Warner Brothers Studio as well as AOL and Yahoo.
After several years, this was proven to be a failure. Ever since, the industry has been searching for the next, big growth wave like how the iPhone and Android juiced up the wireless data with app market.
New growth sectors include private wireless and wireless broadband
Note, one good thing is, this shows the industry has guts to take on new areas for growth.
Private wireless was a sector which has recently started with many smaller players. This great idea was a spark in the imagination but was underfunded.
So, competitors are starting to either partner or merge with larger providers. Some are struggling or filing for bankruptcy.
This bumpy road does not mean the idea is flawed. It only means most primary competitors are small and underfunded.
HPE, Juniper Networks, Qualcomm, Nokia, Ericsson and others in private wireless
Over the past year we have seen some interesting partnerships and acquisitions start up. HPE is acquiring Juniper Networks.
Qualcomm wants in on private wireless and are partnering with some smaller companies as well.
I believe other competitors like Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, ZTE and others will also make their presence known in this field as well.
Expect this time of growth, and distress to continue for the next several years at least.
Is private wireless long-term solution or short-term fix?
Private wireless is still a new sector with plenty of upside growth potential.
One question being asked is this. Is private wireless a long-term solution or is it a temporary fix? Who knows for sure at this point.
However, private wireless is where lots of attention is being focused. So, we should be paying attention as well.
This means networks, smartphones, tablets, private wireless, wireless broadband, industrial wireless and in fact the entire industry.
FWA and DOCSIS wireless broadband from wireless and cable TV providers
Another new growth sector is wireless broadband using FWA technology.
To date, cable TV has been one of the leaders in the wireline broadband sector. In fact, cable TV is no longer the primary service of the cable TV competitors. It is broadband. High speed wire line broadband.
Looking for new areas of growth, the wireless industry is playing with FWA and creating a new service called wireless broadband.
This is a potential savior to competitors like AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. On the other hand, the business they win comes from the cable television wire line broadband.
Air5 and Air Wireless new DOCSIS wireless broadband for cable TV
So, wireless broadband offered by wireless carriers is a threat to cable TV providers. That’s why they need to come up with their own new competitive offering to battle this threat.
I have discovered at least two companies in the early stages of offering a DOCSIS wireless broadband technology. Air Wireless and Air5. They are small and in the testing stage. However, they both look very interesting.
This new competitive battle between the cable television providers and wireless carriers is just starting up.
New competitive battle between wireless and cable TV is just starting up
So, we will have to wait and see how this process progresses. Will both win or will it be a struggle as marketplace changes always are.
As I explain to senior management, like everything else, wireless broadband is a new potential growth opportunity, but it is also full of risk and challenge.
Senior level execs need to navigate this challenging time.
These two ideas, private wireless and wireless broadband still have to prove themselves. They are still early in their creation cycle.
Both private wireless and wireless broadband need to prove themselves
Fortunately, cable TV providers worldwide are testing right now. This is one reason that makes this marketplace attractive to investors for long-term growth.
So, let’s keep our eyes open for whatever is coming next in the wireless, telecom, cable TV, pay TV, FWA, DOCSIS, broadband, wireless broadband space, and beyond.
As an advisor, I tell senior executives of companies in all these sectors to understand the change wave and how it is rewriting your industry.
Your future is up to you. Tomorrow, will you be an early-adopter or a fast-follower? Will you continue to ride the change wave or growth wave, or will you let it pass you by?
Wireless, telecom, pay TV, wireless broadband, private wireless, Wi-Fi
As always, there will be companies who make it and those who do not. Even strong, brand name companies can zig when the marketplace zags.
Example, companies like Blackberry, Motorola and Palm lead the handset industry before the iPhone and Android entered the marketplace, changed customer expectations and lead the way today.
Things can and do change quickly. Make sure you stay with the change-wave
This kind of change-wave will continue to rewrite the communications industry in all its various segments. The real question is who will lead in your sector going forward? Will it be you or one of your competitors? The choice is up to you.