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Analysts need to change to be really useful

I don’t think analysts are delivering sufficient value to their clients on the big stuff. The forecasts and quotes for press releases and so forth are all very useful, but we as an industry should be providing more big and bold suggestions to our clients on things that can make a real difference. There is very little incentive to think laterally, really weighing up what’s important to the organisation and pursuing that. Simply put it’s because the advice tends to be both very specific on a topic as well as generic across the sector, e.g. mobile operators should do X. The reality is that the smartest move is almost always something specific to company Y, or at the very least adapted to their needs, and related to that company’s position and capabilities. I’ll give you a great example. When I worked at 3UK I’m sure analyst recommendations to a struggling greenfield 3G operator would have revolved around focusing on data products, pricing, the inevitable “don’t get disintermediated in ...

The 4G discussion...it's a bit like Appletise(r)

I've been watching the whole "what is 4G" argument from afar for a little while. The announcement (or rather dribbling out of the information) that HSPA+ etc would henceforth be included in the definition of 4G was astounding. Using my overdeveloped analogy skills, hard-earned through years as an analyst I was put in mind of...Appletise. Back in the 80s there was a drink called Appletise. Not Appletise r , Appletise. But most people seemed to be incapable of calling it by its real name and called it Appletiser. I would characterise these people as idiots. Unfortunately, such was the wilful ignorance of the British public that Appletiser became the name used in common parlance. What did the company do? Did they stand up and say to the British public "stop, the name of our product is Appletise, please refer to it as such"? No they didn't. The company showed eel-like backbone and changed the name to Appletise r . This might not be exactly what went on in the b...

Time to face up to a UK recession

As the UK seems to be on the brink of a recession, surely it's time for network operators to take a long hard look at how they'll adapt. Why? Because if they don't they may not survive. If revenue falls substantially, consolidation is inevitable. I've heard a few people claim that mobile is recession-proof. In my opinion no consumer product or service is entirely recession proof. Admittedly few people will give up their mobiles altogether, but usage may change, most notably by users being unwilling to stump up cash for handsets or sign up to contracts. Prepay is probably recession-proof, contract ain't. The handset market is particularly vulnerable: expensive consumer electronics is one of the first costs to be dumped when the belts are being tightened. Admittedly most people don't currently pay for handsets, but with a dwindling interest in signing up for new contracts, the number of bundled handsets will fall. In fact, contract and handset sales have been decl...

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