Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    Unforeseen Events

    Written by

    eWEEK EDITORS
    Published June 4, 2001
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Changes in telecommunications are happening so quickly that navigating the market is beginning to feel a bit like driving through a small town on the interstate: If you blink, youll miss it.

      Interactive Week set out to get a lay of the service provider land back in February. The idea was to figure out who the biggest carriers were in 10 categories and then ask network managers how each company rated in terms of service reliability. We considered which categories to include: Building local exchange carriers (BLECs) are dead, we said; broadband fixed wireless is the next great thing. There arent enough last-mile providers to come up with a reasonable sample, we opined.

      Now, four months later, the BLECs turn out to be more tenacious than we thought, and two of the fixed wireless companies have marched into bankruptcy. Last-mile providers are more important than ever as the DSL companies tumble into the market morass.

      How could we have missed it?

      Well, we were probably standing slack-jawed in the office watching AT&T, British Telecommunications and WorldCom unwind themselves.

      Say, wasnt it just a couple of years ago that we were watching C. Michael Armstrong, Amos Hostetter and John Malone use stunning sums of money to nail together the biggest communications conglomerate on earth? Watching Bernie Ebbers make takeovers of companies way bigger than his own hang together? Seeing BT seed our continent and Europe with investments?

      Or maybe we were too busy being dead sure that NTT DoCoMo would have its feature-studded third-generation wireless network up and running this month, and were mulling its implications for the U.S. market. Perhaps we were blinded by the certainty that Hughes Electronics was going to let its profitable daughter — DirecTV — wed Rupert Murdochs News Corp., without interference from that troublemaking suitor and competitor EchoStar Communications.

      Im encouraged by hints of developments slowly emerging from this cycle of corporate reinvention and market uncertainty. That AT&T bought the assets of a failed DSL company and swept up a DSL-expert executive to run its consumer services division may mean a few more choices on the telecom menu. That the assets of one bankrupt broadband fixed wireless carrier and a bankrupt competitive carrier are being commingled could signal the emergence of a new last-mile provider. But who really knows?

      What I am certain of, though, is that for the last half of the year, my eyes will be wide open.

      Communications Editor Dana Coffield knows a little about a lot of things, ranging from house moving to optical networking. She joined Interactive Week from the Rocky Mountain News, where she spent three years on the business desk, primarily shepherding award-winning telecommunications and technology coverage. She can be reached at dana_coffield@ziffdavis.com.

      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWeek editors publish top thought leaders and leading experts in emerging technology across a wide variety of Enterprise B2B sectors. Our focus is providing actionable information for today’s technology decision makers.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×