As one of today s most dynamic industries, the telecommunications business is undergoing change at a breathtaking pace. Welcoming new technologies and capabilities at an explosive rate, the industry is being driven by an unprecedented worldwide demand for data, video, voice and other communications products and services. A variety of forces are driving changes in the telecommunications industry. Business realignments, technological developments and regulatory changes are all playing a part in this industry evolution.
Mergers are frequent and ongoing, from the smallest to the largest industry players.
Other players are marrying telecom activities with high tech and media businesses, heralding a convergence of functionality that will be unprecedented even by today s standards. Together, all of this provides challenges for companies striving to meet and anticipate new, higher-level customer needs, expectations and demands. Together with these changes, the exponential growth of the telecommunications sector spells tremendous opportunity. Service providers and equipment makers can expand more quickly and to a greater degree than ever before. Transactional intermediaries like investment banks and LBO funds are provided with a wealth of investment choices, and emerging infrastructure players, such as utility and pipeline companies, as well as new entrants from other technology-driven sectors, are presented with opportunities so compelling that they are making fundamental changes to their business models.