How and why communications industry suppliers get squeezed out: now, and the next phase

TL;DR

This paper examines how communications industry suppliers face financial challenges due to technological evolution, open standards, and sourcing, and discusses their potential recovery in future cycles.

Contribution

It provides an equilibrium analysis of the financial survivability of communications suppliers amidst technological and organizational changes, highlighting factors influencing industry dynamics.

Findings

Suppliers face financial squeeze due to open standards and high R&D costs.

Higher product volumes and sourcing impact profitability.

Industries are expected to recover in later cycles.

Abstract

The communications systems, terminals, software and deployment service, industries, have undergone the past ten years a significant technological internal evolution and external revolution at customer end (such as Internet, Mobile networks and terminals, Broadband,..). Very little management research has studied their financial survivability irrespective of changes in demand volumes in the present technological /organizational cycle. This paper analyzes the implications of genuine open mandated communications standards, of higher product volumes, of very high R&D, of the larger use of sourced /purchased technologies, and of contract manufacturing. The methodology used is equilibrium analyses. Two specific areas will be mentioned as examples. The paper also shows how eventually those industries in a later cycle will bounce back.