Independent insight

Welcome to the first edition of The Independent, a quarterly supplement to Telephony dedicated to information for independent telcos. The idea for this publication has been in the incubation stage for several years. However, it only recently was fully developed, in part because of the widening gulf of interests of the former Bell companies and the 1200-plus local incumbent carriers that serve more than 40% of the land mass in the U.S.

In this issue, we take a look at what has become one of the most discussed topics in the investment world this year — high-dividend paying IPOs among independent telcos. While hot IPOs are nothing new to telecom, most involved vendors or competitive carriers that were years away from paying dividends back to investors. A handful of carriers, including Iowa Telecom, however, have adopted this unique model, and the market has responded with overwhelming approval. This month's cover story delves into the impact the new model is having on investors' views of telcos and whether others could implement the same.

The Independent also will provide in-depth technology coverage using real examples of carriers deploying the latest equipment in unique and interesting ways. Included in this quarter's issue is a story from Carol Wilson on how the Apache Mescalero Indian Tribe acquired 950 New Mexico access lines (and not much else) from GTE and turned it into a self-contained telco that other tribes may emulate. Also, Tim McElligott takes a look at the success of SaskTel in deploying video over its copper network and what U.S. carriers can learn.

In addition to the print version of The Independent, we also have launched a companion e-mail newsletter, Telephony's Independent Monthly E-News, to bring you the latest updates on contracts, deployments and regulatory developments impacting the independent telco market.

Finally, The Independent is designed not just as an information resource, but also as a publication to highlight the best and brightest people and companies in a market filled with rich and colorful stories. If you have a story that needs to be told, let us know.