Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Comcast buys NGT

In the this-is-funny category, Comcast buys New Global Telecom (NGT). Some companies I spoke with at ITEXPO East in Miami were thinking about using NGT as their hosted PBX vendor. I wondered why, because NGT has had at least 3 different business plans. Wholesale VoIP then Partitioned Softswitch, then some Retail, then back to Wholesale. Schizophrenia runs wild in telecom.

After Windstream bought Nuvox to chase the B2B marketplace out-of-region, this deal must be making the RBOC's nervous. Comcast already has a handle on the CLEC market and business voice service. [Comcast bought Cimco, a medium sized regional B2B CLEC last year.]Moreover, Comcast just acquired NBC Universal, which will give it content, a move that makes them more than a dumb pipe provider.

With the current cellular price wars, Clearwire finally rolling out WiMax with devices, and MSO's doing wireless, the heat is on the Big 2 cellcos. They will spend billions to move to 4G and/or LTE, while losing landline revenues. Interesting to watch this Tipping Point for the monopolies.

NGT is a Broadsoft shop.

How Big is Comcast?

From DSLReports: "Comcast, which recently passed AT&T as the biggest broadband carrier in the United States, is also now the third largest phone company. Once they merge with NBC Universal, the company will be getting even more powerful. ... The company posted revenues of $9.07 billion [4Q2009], and $35.7 billion for 2009 -- with $955 million net income for last quarter. Comcast now has 47.1 million broadband, voice and TV customers, and is poised to grow further with a push into Mobile WiMax and Internet video during 2010."

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