1) Great idea! One I’ve thought about for many years. In fact we would be interested in funding the project to develop a free open source TEM platform. In our view it’s not necessarily the software that’s the core asset, although obviously needed, what’s more important is the standardization of processes like invoice validation and auditing, as well as the inventorying of voice/data circuits, mobile devices, laptops etc. This is true whether you use Excel or some high dollar TEM software. Heck more telecom managers use Excel for TEM than any other software program.

Let’s get Open Source TEM going. Please contact me if you’d be interested in developing it.

2) Given that an average corporate wireless user runs $55 and the company cited above has 2,500 devices that would be roughly $1.7 million in annual spend. Saving them $326k would be about 20%. That would be about the industry average for a wireless TEM implementation.

Are they saying they’re having difficulty introducing the wireless TEM application to existing clients, warm leads or flat out cold calls? Getting an appointment with any corporate executive is challenging, but trying to explain (sell) TEM without some sort of warm relationship can sometimes elicit the same response as someone selling you life insurance at a cocktail party.

If it’s with warm relationships then perhaps it’s the upfront cost. One way we’ve overcome resistance is by providing a positive ROI or you don’t pay model. With that type of confidence you can generally at least get folks to give you a try. That way they have an upside, by saving the company money, and it eliminates the down side of being the champion of a costly failed initiative.

Agreed that the public microwave backhaul companies are going-concern challenged, but what about the carriers themselves purchasing and using the microwave equipment themselves?

Another question - is the backhaul service you are installing SONET/SDH, Ethernet, or a hybrid- using either EoS or circuit emulation for T1’s over Ethernet?

Your company’s business plan may fit you well, but that doesn’t mean it is the only correct plan. It’s like you started the blog as a pulpit to scream at the Industry. Everyone is wrong but you. It reminds me of listening to Cogent’s CEO at ISPCON. It’s great as CEO that you both are fanatical about your companies but sometimes that blinds you - and other times puts people off.

Considering that it is unlikely in my lifetime to have fiber to every business and home, there’s room for other plans.

I do notice when customers ask for quotes from me into or out of 56, it isn’t Cogent or AFS they ask for. And in my first dealing with Zayo, it has been a frustrating mess. KDL is worse to deal with than AT&T. So in 9 years of dealing with “fiber players”, I haven’t found your kin to be helpful or easy to use. You might want to talk about that.

- Peter