Jeff Kagan; Telecom analyst

Analyst ~ Consultant ~ Speaker ~ Trend Watcher ~ Market researcher ~ Provocateur

Analysis, research and comment on the changing telecommunications industry since the mid 1980's

Kagan attends and speaks at a wide variety of meetings of all competitors, and at meetings of investors and investment groups, advertising and public relations groups, university and educational groups, and more . . .

Who is Jeff KAGAN ?

Jeff KAGAN is one America's best known and most often quoted telecom industry analysts

Jeff Kagan is a telecom industry analyst focusing on the changing wireless and wire-line telecommunications business. He examines the competitive technologies and the advertising and marketing issues and strategies these companies face as they compete. This includes technology trends, customer behavior, business models, and attitudes of both the customer and the competitors.

Kagan is not a stock analyst, however he watches the rise and fall of stock prices of competitors of the industry over the last twenty years. He examines their history, where they are now, and where they are expected to be in the months and years ahead and why.

He offers strategic vision and advice to those looking for his insight. He offers commentary to a variety of clients, competitors, investment groups, advertising and public relations agencies and a variety of other companies and groups through teleconferences, speeches, reports and meetings.

Kagan regularly meets with and talks with the competitors, compares their strategies, products, services, competitive actions and offers comments in speeches, articles, research and in conversations with the media.

There is a difference between investors and customers. The investment community wants improvements in stock price on a regular basis. Customers care about how the company is delivering and pricing services and how well those services work. These two areas can often be in opposition.

Kagan has tracked the companies as the industry evolves over the last twenty years, from local and long distance companies, to wireless, to internet and now to television.

He follows all the companies and is available to participate in their analyst relations programs.

His earnings are generated from a variety of fees including speaking fees and consulting fees.

He follows the news, announcements, competitive issues and trends of the industry and offers comment, analysis and opinion to the media, to companies and at industry meetings and conferences.

His comments and analysis have shown up in thousands of articles and news stories in all the major print and broadcast media including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Business Week, Fortune, CNN, CNBC, ABC, CBS, etc.

As a nationally recognized industry analyst he is also a highly sought speaker, commentator, columnist, professional agitator and author.

Kagan has given keynote addresses and speeches at a wide variety of of corporate meetings and industry conferences ranging in size from a handful of senior execs to a few thousand customers, employees or conference attendees.

He is also called on by advertising and public relations agencies and many other firms who are interested in his analysis of the changing industry and marketplace, and who want to brief him on their announcements and strategies.

Kagan is a 'fee based' analyst. He gives interviews, analysis and insights to the media for free, and charges everyone else.

As a "friend to all" he brings an objective, outside perspective on competitive and customer issues and trends. Mr. Kagan started his practice in 1987.

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Jeff KAGAN BLOG:

Jeff KAGAN posts thoughts on the wireless and wire-line telecom industry he covers.

If helpful, you may quote Kagan and use any of these comments in your reporting of these stories.

Attribute quotes to Jeff Kagan, wireless and telecom industry analyst based in Atlanta.

Photo from New York Times article

Kagan on Nokia and the cellphone marketplace

Nokias announcement today has caused quite a mess. Nokias stock has dropped and it appears that has triggered the drop among all the wireless handset makers.

Some handset makers are recovering. The ones that are recovering for the most part are the Smartphone makers. Companies that are known for traditional cellphones are not bouncing back like makers of Smartphone's seem to be.

This seems to have been going on for several months and quarters already.

Customers are hanging on their traditional cellphones longer as the economy tightens. However the Smartphone segment is still growing strong.

When the economy strengthens it should be positive for traditional handset makers, but we may be waiting a while.

We have to remember, growth at these cellphone makers is still positive, its just slower than it has been and Wall Street doesn't like that kind of dip.

Kagan on price war for high speed internet services

This is something that many would consider unexpected. Verizon and AT&T seem to have launched a price war on high speed DSL services.

DSL growth has been vibrant during recent years, however as every market grows, it matures and the rules change. That seems to be what is happening to high speed DSL pricing.

This is good news for customers because the price they pay for some of these DSL services is going down. Almost two-thirds of the marketplace already has a high speed internet service. These services are the first wave that we have been using during the last decade. The next step may combine high-speed internet with other services.

Last quarter Verizon lost DSL customers. That was the first time we have seen that happen among the competitors. Some of those customers simply moved to Verizon's FiOS service, however there is a bigger issue at play.

Verizon has gotten much more aggressive in their pricing for these DSL services. Will that stem the flow? Will AT&T and Qwest make similar moves? What about the cable television companies?

This is new so we will see what happens next. During this last quarter cable television companies have sold more high speed lines than phone companies, perhaps because of the higher speeds. Is speed becoming a marketing issue?

We'll have to watch this area going forward for changes.

Kagan on T Mobile offering new Google Android phone

Well it looks like T Mobile may be the first carrier to offer the new Android phone by Google. Like Apple with the iPhone, Google is getting ready to launch their first phone. This is an interesting story. First there was Apple and now it is Google. Neither of these companies have anything to do with cellphones.

So far Apple has been very successful in the space. Google may also strike gold. However we have not seen a handset and we do not know how well it works. This is a new segment of the wireless industry we are watching unfold.

We have to be careful talking about this new device and not get out ahead of our headlights.

This should be good news for T Mobile who will finally have a competitive answer to the iPhone from AT&T and the Instinct from Sprint Nextel.

The question is, will this new Google device be a breakthrough or a follower.

Will it be easy to use? Will it have breakthrough technology or just another me-to phone?

We have been watching the cellphone industry get more interesting during the last few years. The devices do more, and they do it easier than ever before. That is they key.

Meanwhile we have not heard or seen anything from Google of from T Mobile about this phone. So lets not get ahead of ourselves.

Kagan on iPhone

I have been using the newest iPhone during the last few weeks. I test many wireless devices. The iPhone was a little different. I needed to hook it up to my computer and connect it to iTunes to get it to work.

During the first few days I was not that happy since some functions did not seem to work properly, but then the first iPhone update appeared and things started getting better quickly. There have been several updates over the last few weeks. Apparently as users call with problems and solutions are found, updates are issued.

At this point the iPhone seems to work very well. I have been reading some news stories about problems, but I have not seen them after the first update. Users with problems should hook their iPhone up to their laptop regularly to download the updates. Each seem to make the phone work better. The problem is many users do not regularly update their phone. Its easy, just hook it up once in a while. The software takes care of the update automatically.

The iPhone has features that are better than many other cellphones. The internet is a big deal. It is like reading a smaller version of a real internet page. You can use your fingers, on screen, to enlarge or reduce the image for easier reading. This is the same with Maps feature. While you are driving a blinking dot -- that is your car -- moves along the roads. Plus it has traffic updates, and a feature that changes from a map view to an actual photo from a satellite so you can watch yourself travel across the landscape.

If you use Microsoft Outlook and you use the Notes feature you will find that does not show up on your iPhone. On the Palm phones it is transferred and called Memos. Some phones do this and others don't. The iPhone has a Notes feature, but it does not connect synchronize with the Microsoft Outlook version.

The internet is much faster than it used to be. This makes using the iPhone much more pleasurable. Downloading email is much faster with this new version also. There are several popular features right on the screen when you hook it up. Weather lets your select a handful of your favorite cities to watch. Checking the weather can be as easy as hitting one button.

Features like text messages, camera, YouTube are popular and of course the iPod and iTunes are always with you.

The battery is improved over version one last year. Unfortunately you still cannot buy a backup battery and swap them when the first one dies. So keeping your eye on the battery is important. You don't want to use up the battery listening to music and not be able to make an important call.

All is all the iPhone is an excellent device. There are a few things that are not perfect, but generally speaking the device works very well. Just make sure to update the phone on a regular basis by plugging it into your computer and internet connection to get all the new features and fixes.

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ATTN; REPORTERS & MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA:

If you are in the media, and cover telecom and consumer electronics, and would like me to add you to this e-mail commentary list just send me a quick e-mail and let me know. This list is exclusively for members of the media who follow tech and telecom.

Jeff Kagan is quoted in media stories on the wireless and telecom and consumer electronics industry in major media nationwide and globally, hundreds of times per year, year after year, in newspapers, magazines, trade journals, television and radio.

Telecom Trends; A look at what's ahead for telecom in '07, with Jeffrey Kagan... and CNBC's David Faber. CNBC

"What man is key to press coverage of the telecommunications industry? What man's disappearance would bring telco reporting to a grinding halt? Never heard of Jeff Kagan? Well, obviously you don't read about the telecom industry. Because if you did, you'd have heard of him, all right." TheStreet.com

"One of America's most often quoted industry analysts" Kensington Group, Inc. Analyst Quotation Tracking System (TM)

"One of America's most influential industry analysts" ADWEEK's Technology Marketing Magazine, Influencers Report

"It's fair to say that Jeffrey Kagan of Atlanta is an expert on telecommunications. He wrote a book on the subject, gives interviews and speeches and keeps up with the latest trends." NEW YORK TIMES

Jeff KAGAN columns, articles and pithy quotes...

To find a sampling of news stories, articles or columns Kagan has either written or been quoted in, use your favorite search engine or try these.

Over the last twenty years I have followed the wireless, telecom and consumer electronics space. Working as an analyst I have followed all the major competitors including Baby Bells, long distance companies, wireless phone companies, internet companies, equipment firms, cable television companies and consumer electronics companies.

I have always worked with all the competitors. Therefore I invite you to contact me and discuss becoming a client company so I can track your company more closely in relation to the competitors and offer helpful and more accurate analysis to the marketplace.

Who is Jeff KAGAN ?

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Jeff KAGAN columns, articles and pithy quotes...

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