Consolidation only the first step

The telecom industry has been ripe for consolidation for some time, so there is little reason to bemoan the rapid pace at which bigger service providers have been swallowing smaller service providers for the past 18 months.

But there is reason to be cautious about each individual merger and the impact it will have on customers, employees and competition.

On the upside, consolidation is one factor in what is generally agreed to be a more stable pricing picture. As Qwest Chairman and CEO Richard Notebaert said in announcing his company's most positive quarter in years, prices have stabilized and are becoming more rational.

If the economies of scale promised in consolidation actually play out, then consolidation will also create a more stable telecom industry, able to capitalize on the benefits of IP technology, to the good of its customer base. A more efficient, more automated and fully integrated network service platform can deliver reliable, flexible and fairly priced services with more features and functionality.

But the spectre still looms of consolidation gone awry, of integration that never really happened and of customers left to suffer. And yes, I'll say the word: WorldCom.

Outside the telecom industry, that company is reviled for its financial shenanigans, but inside telecom, it's also known for never having delivered on the promise of so many acquisitions — and having let numerous customers, investors and employees down in the process.

Change is traumatic; it's also good, if it accomplishes the intended goals. The success of the massive change under way today within the telecom industry is going to hinge on the thousands of small details that determine successful integration. Hardest among those details may be the process of tying together operations and network systems. But just as important will be the processes of tying together the human machine that will enable these bigger companies to succeed.