The great telecom meltdown / Fred R. Goldstein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goldstein, Fred R.

Series:

Artech House telecommunications library.

Artech House telecommunications library

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Telecommunication.

Telecommunication--Finance.

Internet.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (211 p.)

polychrome.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Boston : Artech House, c2005.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

data file

Summary:

In today's telecom business environment, a thorough and accurate understanding of past mistakes goes a long way in ensuring future success. Providing you with an authoritative account of what contributed to the "Great Telecom Crash", this insightful resource explores the roots of the perfect storm that buffeted telecom and Internet companies and investors. You get a detailed insider's look at how the crash was caused by a complex combination of risk and regulatory factors in an increasingly competitive environment, originally fueled by the break up of AT & T. Publisher abstract.

Contents:

The Great Telecom Meltdown

Contents v

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

1 Ma Bell and Her "Natural Monopoly," 1876-1969 1

Natural and Unnatural Monopoly 1

Western Union 2

Patent Protection 3

The Kingsbury Commitment 4

The Slow Pace of Progress 5

The Smith Decision and Universal Service 6

The Final Judgment 7

Hushaphone and the First Cracks in the Monopoly 7

The Disruptive Transistor 8

Endnotes 10

2 The Rebirth of Competition 11

Carterfone Made the Network More Valuable 11

MCI's Shared Microwave Opened New Doors 20

Endnotes 25.

3 Divestiture: Equal Access and Chinese Walls 27

Vertical Integration 27

AT & T Kept Out of the Computer Industry 28

The Money's in Long Distance, Right? 32

The Centrex Revival 39

Digital Switching Becomes the Norm 40

Digitization of the Transmission Network 43

ISDN Fails to Make a Dent 46

Endnotes 53

4 The Internet Boom and the Limits to Growth 57

The ARPAnet Was a Seminal Research Network 57

OSI, the Big Committee That Couldn't 62

Commercialization at Last 65

Internet Traffic Explodes as the Public Joins 69

ISP Pricing Creates Permanent Losses 74.

Dotcoms Create a Demand Bubble 76

Carrier Hotels Created Too Much Room at the Inn 80

The Bubble Bursts in Equipment Manufacturers' Faces 81

Endnotes 83

5 The Deuteronomy Networks 85

The Short-Term Bandwidth Crunch Invited More Suppliers 86

Kiewit Sells MFS, Creates Level 3 88

Williams Sold Wiltel, Created Another One 90

Metromedia Sold Cellular and Long-Haul, Created MFN 91

XO Communications Recycles Cellular Profits 92

Undersea, Undersea, Under Beautiful Sea 93

How Much Bandwidth Was Available? 94

Endnotes 96.

6 Losing by Winning: Wireless License Auctions 97

Original License Lotteries Led to Farcical Resale 99

The Top Cellular Networks Grew to Profitability 100

Networks Go Digital 101

The PCS Auction Was a Success 103

"3G" Combined the Allure of Both Internet and Wireless 105

Many Large Incumbents Were Left With Huge Debt 109

Endnotes 109

7 Competitive Access Providers, the Costly Way to Local Competition 111

RBOC Prices to Large Customers Were Out of Line 111

States Supported RBOC Monopolies More Than the FCC Did 113

Teleport Cracks the NYNEX Monopoly 114.

Competitors Outrace RBOCs to Provide Local Fiber-Optic Connections 115

The Telecom Act Opens Local Service Competition 117

Fixed Wireless as an Alternative to Fiber? 119

Hybrid Fiber-Coax (HFC) Gave Cable Providers an Advantage on "Triple Play" 122

Endnotes 130

8 DLECs and ELECs: An Exercise in Oversupply 133

DSL First Failed as a Video Offering 134

The Telecom Act Invites Novel Use of Unbundled Loops 134

Capital Poisoning Led DLECs to Overexpand 136

Ethernet LECs Were Data CAPs 140

Endnotes 142

9 CLECs' Winning Strategies Are Met by Rule Changes 145.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-58053-940-8

OCLC:

70740527