Over the next 3 weeks, companies across the communications sector will begin reporting third quarter (3Q17) results. Watch for telco progress The world has never been so reliant on secure communications, but the underlying market is in a bit of...read more
If you follow telecom closely yet haven’t heard of Comtech, that’s no surprise. Acquisition of TCS in 2016 doubled the company’s size Comtech Telecommunications Corp. is far smaller than the biggest vendors in the market (Huawei, Ericss...read more
Buying opportunities During the 2008-9 financial crisis, some wondered (including me) if the relatively flush Chinese operators would use the downturn as a buying opportunity into overseas telco markets. China Mobile seemed promising, given its (n...read more
Tata Group is looking for a clean break Tata Teleservices (TTSL) has family ties to one of India’s biggest industry groups, but that hasn’t helped it escape the “Jio effect” in recent years. With just 8.7 million subscribers and a (uni...read more
A little accounting background: To expense or capitalize R&D There’s an ongoing debate in accounting circles (yes, they argue) about whether R&D spending should be expensed or capitalized. Under US GAAP, R&D is expensed. Another s...read more
Mobile operator AIS to consolidate ownership in CS Loxinfo Thailand’s largest mobile operator AIS announced this month it would spend $79M to buy a 56% stake in CS Loxinfo, an enterprise-focused fixed line operator. AIS is picking up 42% from ...read more
Background For several years, the telecom industry has faced a slow-growth climate. Telcos have adapted, cutting short-term costs as they position for longer-term cost reduction with efforts virtualization & software-defined networks. Most tel...read more
Over the last few years, the independent tower sector has grown dramatically. Much of the growth has come from asset spin-offs: a mobile operator sells some portion of its towers to a specialist, in exchange for cash and a commitment to lease the tow...read more
In the late 1990s, some telcos began wondering if buying cable companies might be a shortcut to deploying fixed broadband. That has happened in many countries, including Japan, Germany, Korea, and Spain. In most cases, a new entrant or second tier pr...read more