Telephony's Inside Telecom Live:
Winning the Rural Network Battle

The rural telecom market and the independent operating companies that serve it became interesting to a lot more people in 2007, mostly investors and competitors. That interest, especially from competitors, will only increase in the coming year. Cable providers and wireless operators providing fixed and mobile broadband have grown covetous of both the high-value rural subscriber and the federal funding associated with building out in rural markets.

Competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) have begun to fulfill their regional and national dreams and have encroached on the territory of independents. All this interest has transformed the competitive landscapes in rural markets. The IOCs themselves have begun branching out in several directions and in several ways. Whether it's building fiber rings in neighboring communities through their own CLEC arms, replacing aging plant or joining with other carriers to build state and regional networks, they, too, have changed the competitive landscape.

So far this expansion and encroachment has been hard to measure and predict and thus has been hard to compete with. It is important to know who your potential competitor is and what their strengths and weaknesses are. It is important to know what services they can provide and how yours stacks up against theirs.

This webcast, featuring analysis from Bernie Arnason, managing partner at Pivot Media, will examine the changes in the competitive landscape of rural telecommunications.

Arnason will provide real data behind:

• Identifying the real competitors in your market
• Penetration rates for various competitors
• The percent of companies facing competition today
• Which markets are the next to face competition
• The types of network your competitor will deploy
• The type of network you may have to deploy
• Finding differentiation in your network