| Topics covered include: | | | | well-placed to expand into Europe or the US." |
| • Telecommunications Industry Update | | | | On the optimistic side, Infonetics projects a 2% |
| • Communications Equipment Trends | | | | downturn in worldwide carrier capital expenditures |
| • Trends in Back-up Power | | | | in 2009, followed by a flat 2010 and a slow return |
| • Base Station Trends | | | | to growth in 2011. More pessimistically, UBS thinks |
| • Technology Trends | | | | capital expenditures could drop 10% to 20% in |
| • Trends in Power Systems | | | | 2009. Most service providers have clean balance |
| • Alternative Energy | | | | sheets, so they are entering the global crisis on |
| • New Business Models | | | | solid financial ground. They went through a |
| • Developments in Asia | | | | correction when the Internet/telecom bubble |
| • Rectifier and Power System Forecasts | | | | burst several years ago, although the current |
| Executive SummaryDepending on what you read, | | | | recession could further challenge them. |
| the overall telecommunications market is either on | | | | AT&T, the largest US telecom services |
| solid ground or has a tough road ahead. Both are | | | | provider, announced in December, 2008, that it |
| probably true, since the world will not shut down | | | | would cut 12,000 jobs and consider reducing the |
| even under the worst economic conditions. | | | | amount it spends on network upgrades in 2009. |
| Opinions differ as to where, if any, growth will | | | | North American carriers may slice spending on |
| take place. For makers of communications power | | | | landline and TV-related networks by 34%, to $23 |
| systems, the questions are spread over a | | | | billion. Ovum expects major carriers' spending on |
| number of different segments, from customer | | | | wireless networks to remain flat. |
| premises equipment, to wireless, to central | | | | The long-term outlook for wireless applications is |
| offices, to emerging data communications | | | | actually quite good. Although general spending will |
| technologies. | | | | go down in 2009, when they do make purchases, |
| Regional economic impacts will play a role, as well. | | | | large enterprises will spend more on wireless |
| The Economist's yearly industry assessment for | | | | infrastructure than on wired, according to Vanson |
| telecoms predicts that emerging economies will still | | | | Bourne. In Europe, 54% of IT directors had spent |
| invest heavily in network infrastructure, while | | | | a greater portion of their budget on wireless |
| recession-hit economies will delay upgrades. Falling | | | | rather than wired equipment. Part of the reason is |
| revenue will hit the big telecom companies in | | | | that the actual cost of wireless network is |
| slower-growth economies, while cash-rich telecom | | | | between one-fifth to one-tenth the cost of |
| groups in emerging markets will be "increasingly | | | | installing a wired network. |