February 27th, 2010
By Sudeep Gupta
While watching TV last night, my son and I saw the movie preview for Tim Burton’s much-anticipated revival of Alice in Wonderland. It got me thinking about my favorite idea from this classic called the Red Queen’s Race. In Wonderland, running a race doesn’t actually get you anywhere, as the Queen explains to Alice. In Wonderland, “…it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place.” It occurred to me that wireless operators have been running the Red Queen’s Race for quite some time.
Keeping up with swiftly evolving technology— not to mention the public’s voracious appetite for the next course of mobile capabilities— keeps operators on the run just to stay in the race. Ten years ago it was all about voice communication; today, it’s a data-driven marketplace. Services have increased exponentially and operators continually invest billions in their networks to make sure of that. Yet operators’ ARPU (average revenue per user) has stayed about the same – about $50 to 60 per user. In other words, operators are running as fast as they can to keep in the same place.
At our end of the rabbit hole, the customer may be “queen,” but the reality in the wireless industry is that something’s got to give. And that something is operating costs. Operators are universally taking a second look at their expenses and trying to figure out how to keep up in an increasingly competitive market.
In the story of the wireless industry, I guess Md7 would be the Caterpillar who advises operators how to cope with the difficulties they encounter. Like Alice was instructed how to adapt her size to her changing environment, Md7 is helping wireless operators to do the same.
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February 12th, 2010
By Tom Leddo
At some point in their career, most professionals join an industry association, lured by the hope of finding worthwhile networking or professional development opportunities. In all honesty, many of these experiences amount to all talk and no action. One notable exception has been my involvement with CommNexus San Diego.
In the early years of Md7, I attended informative presentations that I found to be a great source of networking within San Diego’s telecom and communications communities. The high point of our involvement was last year when Md7 decided to become a Mentor Sponsor of CommNexus and our CEO, Michael Gianni, joined the Board of Directors. As Md7 has grown from an entrepreneurial idea into an industry leading financial and operations services company, CommNexus has provided us with growth-oriented opportunities every step of the way.
There are not many places I know of where CEOs of the biggest telecom companies engage in meaningful conversations with smart guys working out of their garage. Because in our industry, you never know where the next big idea will come from and CommNexus recognizes that. They’ve developed a unique collection of programs that put people together in fascinating environments. Some of my favorites are EvoNexus, (an incubator for early stage tech companies in San Diego), Market Link, (designed to connect San Diego area companies with multinational corporations), the SIGs, (Special Interest Groups which occur around San Diego to discuss specific industry issues among key players), and, of course, the Headliner events which are a great opportunity to network and hear speakers of national and international interest.
As an individual, I am proud to be involved with an association that is helping the San Diego community by facilitating growth in the technology and communications industries – and arena near and dear to my heart. Not to mention, that these industries also impact our community through growth in the number of good paying jobs. As an employee of Md7, I am proud of my company for giving back to an organization that contributes so much time and talent. Since the inception of the company, Md7 has always been committed to engaging in community involvement, whether it be for the benefit of an individual, family, small or large community. Our involvement with CommNexus is consistent with that core value.
Tags: CommNexus
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January 20th, 2010
By Michael Gianni
Md7 received a letter from a cell site landlord who recently negotiated a cell site lease prepayment with us. I’m happy to say that we often get letters praising us for our high level of customer service, but something this gentleman wrote stuck with me. He said, “You did what you said you would do… thank you very much.” How sobering it is to realize that something so obvious deserves recognition these days. It used to be that your word and a handshake were enough to assure that you’d follow through. That you’d keep your promise. Things have certainly gotten more complicated and a lot more unpredictable.
At Md7, we deal with cell site contracts every day, and we fully appreciate their value and necessity. But it’s always good to be reminded that a contract alone isn’t enough when it comes to doing good business. After all, people do business with people. And no relationship will ever thrive on broken promises.
Tags: Md7, Values
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