Tuesday, September 12, 2006

CLECs Booking some Revenue

Rumors are flying about crazy rates (like $400 PRIs and $15 per MB IP). Add the fact taht some are raising fees, Are CLECs just booking revenue? Do the executives that run these company see that the ride is almost over? The RBOC mergers. Every day they lose access to potential customers (and in some cases cut-off from current customers). No access to fiber; hence no access to Enterprise customers who long for a Big Fat Pipe. What's a CLEC to do? Debt is not going down; but revenue is. M&A certainly takes care of the bankers, the lawyers, and the C-Level suite. But what does the future hold? I don't think too many execs at the Comptel CEO Council have a clue what to do. Not enough of them are trying WiMax or Hatteras or MDU or any other kind of strategy. These execs have been playing musical chairs in the CLEC C suite for 10 long years. And outside of the Integrated T1 what have they really offered their customers???

As long as I am ranting about telkecom - and how disappointed and pissed off I am at the people running these companies, let me turn my aim at Embarq and Valor/Alltel/Windstream. Here was an opportunity for 2 CEO's to brainstorm and come up with some cool ideas for their customers, And for their salespeople who must be tired of selling business lines bundled with all-you-can-eat LD and DSL. Do you want fries or satellite TV with that??

While I'm there, it isn't like the Account Execs at any company really get out and kill it any more. How many sell Managed Services? Or e-services? Hardly any. Some of it is lack of training; most of it is the path of ease to bonus.

And yet, right now, when the RBOCs are busy merging and fighting cable, only MSO's are having fun. CLEC employees aren't. ISP's aren't. In the midst of all this, it is a perfect time to grab some fruit.

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