They cannot rely solely on technology to be a success. They must offer more than technology, because every two years a new company can come along and buy all new systems that are faster and less expensive, quickly threatening to erase technology advantages. Martin warns that technologies will disrupt this the service provider industry at a faster and faster pace. As a result, he is concerned that companies that rely heavily on vendor financing will be under dangerous pressure to make future purchasing decisions based on their financing relationships instead of choosing future systems that offer the best technology. Martin said that Williams has invested many billions in the last few years to create their data network, illustrating the high capital costs that face service providers.
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