The future of telecom: next-generation technology, next-generation business models.

The telecom industry faces non-stop change: new technologies, new business models, new competitive environments, and changing regulation. Now, one of the industry\'s most respected experts presents a systematic guide to the "New Telephony": where telecom has come from, where it stands now, and where it\'s headed. Telcordia principal and fellow Stephen M. Walters offers exceptional insight into today\'s telecommunications "battlefield," comparing the strengths, weaknesses, and business models of traditional and Internet-focused service providers. Walters identifies and thoroughly evaluates the key factors that will drive—or prevent—success in tomorrow\'s radically new telecom environment:

• Financial muscle: Revenues, margins, market cap, credit rating, cash, scope, and size
• Assets and liabilities: Customers, equipment, right-of-way, systems, processes, values, and human resources that promote or deter competitiveness
• Inertia: Corporate mindset and level of commitment to legacy products and services
• Responsiveness: Skill in introducing new products and entrepreneurial ideas, methods, and procedures
• Regulatory environment: Regulatory burden, compared with competitors
• Economic environment: Current economic environment—and likely scenarios for change