Telecom Ramblings

Nearly all the fourth quarter data is in now, so it’s time to take another look at some of the metrics for companies in the sector side by side.  I have added fourth quarter data for two additional companies to the usual competitive mix: newly independent Lumos Networks (NASDAQ:LMOS, news, filings) and the increasingly hybridized ILEC/CLEC Windstream (NYSE:WIN, news, filings) (pro forma).  Today let’s look at a plot of ebitda margin trends over time: [Read more →]

Ciena (NASDAQ:CIEN, news, filings) opened up a new front in the neverending battle for DWDM pre-eminence today by introducing a software-programmable coherent technology that scales all the way to 400Gbps. The new generation of silicon chips, which goes by the name WaveLogic 3, is about more than speed despite the big number. [Read more →]

One of the most obvious applications of cloud computing has always been what some call ‘big science’, in which vast piles of data must be processed in order to advance the latest research. By pooling resources and using computing on demand, research groups can more easily scale their infrastructure. Today a consortium of 18 European organizations teamed up to do just that with the launch of a common cloud computing platform called Helix Nebula – the Science Cloud. [Read more →]

According to reports this morning, Tata Communications (news, filings) says it is evaluating a potential all-cash bid for Cable & Wireles Worldwide. While discussions are at an early stage, the Indian telecommunications conglomerate would need to [Read more →]

Several interesting items from the submarine cable industry yesterday that are worth a mention. [Read more →]

The last big network neutrality battle was a domestic one, but the next one appears to be kicking off in Europe. And this time it won’t be limited to words and hypotheticals. According to a Light Reading report from MWC, Teliasonera has apparently gone ahead with a new pricing policy: you can use VoIP on their LTE network, but you have to pay for it. [Read more →]

This article was authored by John C. Tanner, and was originally posted on telecomasia.net.

“Mobile cloud” was the topic du jour for the second round of morning keynotes at the Mobile World Congress Tuesday, but C-level executives spent much of their stage time talking less about the cloud itself and more about the havoc cloud is wreaking on the telecoms sector and the changes it’s undergoing as a result. [Read more →]

Here are some Leap Day quick-takes on news related to the growing interconnectivity needs in the telecom and internet infrastructure sector, both for bits and for more general B2B relationships: [Read more →]

As expected, much of the industry saved up news to release today. Let’s take a quick look at a few from the network operator side of things: [Read more →]

Independent European metro fiber operator euNetworks (news) had a very busy fourth quarter, as detailed in their earnings release this morning.  After two acquisitions in 2012 (Lambdanet and TeraGate) that doubled the company’s size, they have been actively working through the integration yet still managed to greatly accelerate the buildout of their footprint.  Here’s a quick table of the company’s fourth quarter in some context: [Read more →]

National metro operator telecom reported its fourth quarter earnings this morning, turning in its usual solid growth.  Revenues were slightly above both estimates and the high end of guidance, while earnings per share easily beat analyst expectations.  Here’s a quick summary in context: [Read more →]

The news cup runneth over, with MWC still going on, MetroConnect kicking off today, and few earnings reports coming out too,  So let’s first catch up on some of the other news out recently: [Read more →]

According to reports over the weekend, Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S, news, filings) was all set to buy MetroPCS (NYSE:PCS, news, filings) last week, but walked away at the last minute when the transaction was nixed by Sprint’s board of directors. The deal was said to be worth about $8B, giving MetroPCS shareholders a [Read more →]

Digital Realty Trust (NYSE:DLR, news, filings) is betting big on Dallas. The data center REIT has purchased the 819,000 square foot Convergence Business Park in the suburb of Lewisville for $123.0M. The property as currently built out is already 99% leased, with 35% of that [Read more →]

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC, news, filings) is getting into the data center business. Today at MWC in Barcelona they launched both a new service for building and optimizing data centers and a platform for network-enabled clouds to take advantage of them. Telecom operators worldwide have been maneuvering to leverage the cloud to boost their enterprise business, and Ericsson is clearly looking to grow its service business by riding that trend. [Read more →]

Another job was posted to the  Telecom Ramblings Jobs Board this week.  The success of the jobs board is something I hope to build on when I unveil the next version of it in a few weeks.  This week’s  job posting is from northeastern fiber operator sidera, which has been maintaining a steady stream of job listings here for a while now. [Read more →]

Earlier this week in the discussion following my article a few days ago on CenturyLink’s possible interest in Level 3 Communications (NYSE:LVLT, news, filings) I said that the math for Level 3 doesn’t require heroic assumptions to get to positive earnings and substantial free cash flow next spring.  In fact, the math is so favorable that my model suggests that even if they materially miss guidance throughout 2012, [Read more →]

This article was authored by Don Sambandaraksa, and was originally posted on telecomasia.net.

Ovum’s recent report on how social messaging has cost operators $13.9 billion in lost revenue has been making the headlines. But the fact of the matter is, while SMS is on the decline, data is on the rise and this shift is as much an opportunity as it is a threat. [Read more →]

Internap Network Services (NASDAQ:INAP, news, filings) is finally starting to see the benefits of its shift in focus toward its datacenter business, and finished the year on a profitable Q4 note.  Both revenue and earnings came in ahead of expectations, and the stock market responded favorably after hours.  Here’s a quick table of their results in context: [Read more →]

The Metro Ethernet Forum has unveiled its next generation of Ethernet standardization, with none other than Bob Metcalfe doing the honors.  Carrier Ethernet 2.0 has arrived. [Read more →]

One of the lesser known fiber assets in the mid-Atlantic region has a new owner.  24/7 Fiber Network has been purchased by Baltimore’s GRI Fund, and is re-launching today as 24/7 Mid-Atlantic Network. [Read more →]

This spectrum crunch thing may be about to get ugly quickly. T-Mobile USA, fresh off the death of the planned merger with AT&T, is looking more aggressive every day. [Read more →]

A pair of giant new data center buildouts feature in this week’s news from the world of colocation and the cloud: [Read more →]