ILECs / RLECs / PTTs / CLECs Expertise

Virtually every market is home to a number of newer competitive carriers (CLECs) who compete for residential and business customers with (typically) a mix of leased and owned network facilities and infrastructure. We have supported traditional communications players and new entrants through every phase of this transition. Our work has ranged from assessments of major network investments (fiber and wireless for example), key acquisitions (e.g., of companies or spectrum), to product roadmaps, offer portfolios, and operations. Our analysis and recommendations have influenced ILECs / RLECs / PTTs / CLECs board-level strategy discussions of macro industry trends, to defining competitive offer portfolios, and to identifying best practices and gaps with respect to tactical aspects of the user experience.
Moving forward, all players will continue to face a range of challenges as they continue to manage the transition to new paradigm of video, broadband, and services markets:

• How to manage the all-too-common reality of intensifying share loss in many developed markets? Retain stable revenues? Or return invest for growth?
• Where and how to invest in network expansions and upgrades given the strain on current networks from broadband, video and other bandwidth intensive services?
• How to assess the impact of new competitive entry into a service territory? From both a defensive and offensive posture?
• Where can nextgen fiber be profitability deployed?
• What strategies are appropriate to deploy in order to counter over-the-top video and voice service providers?
• What mix of services and products should be deployed to enable new growth –unified communications, security, IT services, backhaul to wireless towers?
• How to rationalize existing operations to drive profitability?

Client Successes
We have provided broad and deep support for ILECs / RLECs / PTTs / CLECs. Some recent examples of work are…

• For a major traditional fixed network operator with significant fiber and wireless assets, we developed their cross-platform video strategy, leveraging broad range of content, assessing trends, diverse delivery approaches, business models, and anticipated returns.
• For a European PTT acquiring a mobile operator, we developed a post-merger strategy for an integrated fixed and mobile business model. The team devised a unique business model and brand strategy to leverage the strength of the fixed incumbent while allowing the acquired mobile operator flexibility to continue exploiting its current growth strategy. We developed product offers, a new network sourcing and management approach, a handset sourcing plan, a sale and marketing approach, and a distribution strategy for the new integrated business unit.
• For a rural ILEC, We created a set of data packages and linked them appropriately to existing voice plans. The goal was to drive customers toward single-service data packages and from there to larger multi-service packages. We developed a model to assess the potential revenue uplift for this initiative, as well as the plans themselves.
• We have assisted numerous CLECs during the deployment of their networks. We created the go-to-market structure of many new entrants, analyzing specific markets to enter and establishing investment timing and levels. We optimized the impact of investment dollars by prioritizing individual cities and submarkets, supporting our client’s decisions with detailed quantitative analysis. We then combined our quantitative modeling with strategic considerations in the light of vertical segments targeted, networking efficiency, and competitive challenges.
• For a large CLEC, we evaluated their sales organization and identified ways to improve its underperforming sales team. More specifically, we were asked to benchmark our client against competitor CLECs, elicit internal feedback by interviewing sales and sales support employees, and recommend initiatives that the company could implement to improve sales processes and performance.