Developing area needs fiber: Apply here
Developing area needs fiber: Apply here
Stephen M. Hardy
Editor in Chief
Vice presidents of business development constantly tell me that developing nations represent a prime marketing opportunity. Judging by the press releases that cross my desk every day, this certainly seems to be the case. Fiber-optic companies from Europe and the United States have poured millions of dollars into cracking such developing markets as the Far East and Latin America. (Of course, considering the trade surpluses enjoyed by such Asian countries as Japan and Korea, one wonders if the definition of "developing" needs to be reexamined.) A quick survey of this month`s "Industry Update" section reveals the results of these investments: A Swedish company has created a joint venture with a Chinese research institute to produce fiber-optic systems; an American firm will develop an undersea network for a Brazilian petroleum company; a French telecommunications giant has taken an active role in a consortium to build a submarine cable system for South America and the Caribbean.
All this attention on "developing areas" has given me an idea for solving a current personal dilemma: I`ve just moved into a new residential development, and I can`t get dial tone or cable TV.
Now, this is a rather embarrassing problem for the editor of a publication such as Lightwave. You would think that if anyone could leap gracefully over the telecommunications hurdles faced by mere mortals when they buy a new house, it would be a high-powered member of the communications trade press.
Uh...no.
Not even yours truly can avoid learning the hard way one of life`s primary lessons: Never be the first person to move into a brand-new housing development. But I`m not going to just sit here and stare at a blank TV screen with a dead phone in my hand. No, I`m taking bold, decisive action.
I`m declaring my little corner of Merrimack, NH, a developing market.
Trust me, my street is in need of development. With the exception of my house, most of the area consists of little more than trees, rocks, and large holes in the ground. It represents a perfect area for fiber companies looking to expand their customer base, as the developer tells me he plans to put 41 homes into the area. (Unless he figures on stacking them, I`m not sure how he`s going to do it--but we won`t go into that here.) We`re all going to need telephone infrastructure; we`ll all want cable TV. Undoubtedly, we`ll want Internet access as well.
Darn it, we`ll want fiber!
I`m talking burgeoning potential here, wildly expanding demand for bandwidth. Heck, as soon as I plug my computer into the Internet, I`ll have raised the area`s telecommunications traffic exponentially. (There was nothing but squirrels and mosquitoes before I arrived.) And when I get a neighbor, bandwidth demand will double! What other market have you seen that can match that kind of a growth curve?
Of course, as the first person in the neighborhood, I represent the primary trendsetter as far as the selection of communications infrastructure is concerned. Get me on your side, and you`ll likely have no problem capturing this hot new market. There fore, it would undoubtedly be worth your while to supply me with all the infrastructure I need at bargain basement rates. Free would be even better. Hey, I`m talking fiber-to-the-home here--really, how many customers can you honestly say you have in this market?
My street will be an international trade zone. I`ll welcome competitive bids from companies across the globe. And I`ll also be open to considering a wide variety of solutions. Cable modems? Send `em here. OC-192, dense wavelength-division multiplexing, leased wavelengths, Sonet rings--I`m not fussy. Want to wire my home with plastic fiber? I`ll happily be a beta site--although I must say I`ll be very uncomfortable if my house becomes smarter than I am.
In today`s hotly competitive world, your company can`t afford to ignore any opportunity to fatten up the old bottom line. You stand on the threshold of a new frontier. I eagerly await your response.
See--Lightwave really does deliver the buyers and specifiers our salesmen promise! q