Publications

14 Oct 2009
First Look

First Look: October 14

the exclusively domestic orientation of the "hierarchical industry leaders" can entail large missed opportunities for other members of the ecosystem, who are unable to fully exploit their potential in global markets. For example, Japan's advanced mobile View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

14 Apr 2008
Research & Ideas

The Surprising Right Fit for Software Testing

system testing, and system integration testing. Personal Motivation Specialisterne's founder, Thorkil Sonne, launched the company in 2004 following a high-level career in telecommunications IT. (Specialisterne is Danish for "the... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Video Game; Web Services; Computer

14 Feb 2005
Research & Ideas

The World in Your Palm?

rather by telecommunications carriers. It's the carriers who create design specifications for the manufacturers to meet, and services are largely tied into the carrier's proprietary network. "There are lots of things we'd like to put... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

29 May 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 29, 2018

Artificial Intelligence Vodafone was operating in the fast-moving telecommunications market where innovation and scale were key. Faced with an onslaught of technological advances—big data, automation, and artificial intelligence—CEO... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

19 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 19, 2010

case). How should senior management respond? Purchase this supplement:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/111025-PDF-ENG Roshan: Light at the End of the Tunnel in Afghanistan Herman B. Leonard and Qahir DhananiHarvard Business School Case 310-041 Roshan is a highly... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Sep 2015
Research & Ideas

Six Lessons from Mobile Money Ventures in Developing Countries

In many emerging economies, the need to give people in poverty better access to financial services seems obvious. The mobile phone is a perfect vehicle, given their widespread adoption, even among the financially less well off. Designing a profitable solution for an... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Telecommunications; Telecommunications

March 1999 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Network Associates: Securing the Internet

By: Debora L. Spar

Follows one company's path through the uncharted terrain of government regulation and the Internet. In March 1998, Network Associates announced it would begin selling powerful encryption software from its Dutch subsidiary. Such a move looked to the U.S. government like... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; United States

June 2016
Teaching Note

$19B 4 txt app WhatsApp...omg!

By: David J. Collis

Teaching note for HBS No. 715-441 on Facebook's $22 billion acquisition of WhatsApp. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Finance; Management; Strategy; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

26 Sep 2006
First Look

First Look: September 26, 2006

expenditures for telecommunications and information technology. One option is to hand over management of its telecom and IT networks to its vendors. Explores the pros and cons of such an outsourcing arrangement for a company in an... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

29 Jan 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, January 29, 2019

Global-Local Tension: Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao Leading with “International Values and Local Roots" (A) Vittorio Colao, CEO of telecommunication giant Vodafone, must respond to reports of disturbing accounting practices at two of... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

07 Aug 2007
First Look

First Look: August 7, 2007

the auction of Cable & Wireless America (CWA), a bankrupt subsidiary of the British telecommunications company Cable & Wireless. While an initial "stalking-horse" bid valued the assets at $125 million, after a long day... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

February 1979 (Revised October 1982)
Case

Fiber-Optics Industry (B): Historical Development and Competitor Profiles--1978

By: Michael E. Porter

Keywords: Applied Optics; History; Competition; Information Technology; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

Find at Harvard

March 2022 (Revised April 2022)
Teaching Note

France Télécom (A), (B), and (C)

By: Ashley Whillans

This case series discusses the evolution of France Télécom (now Orange) from a national telephone monopoly to a private company. During this process, the company faced numerous challenges including the entry of new competition from other countries and a workforce that... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Compensation and Benefits; Employee Relationship Management; Business Organization; Well-being; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; France

November 2014 (Revised January 2017)
Case

Micromax: Scaling the Largest Indian Mobile Handset Company

By: Ranjay Gulati, Rachna Tahilyani and Alicia DeSantola

It is January 2014 and Rahul Sharma, cofounder of Micromax Informatics (Micromax), the largest Indian mobile handset company, is preparing for an emergency conference call with his private equity investors. In the last six years, Micromax had grown its annual product... View Details

Keywords: Mobile; Scaling; Indian Software Development; Consumer Behavior; Management Turnover; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Management; E-commerce; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; India

July 2004 (Revised December 2004)
Case

RelayHealth

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III and Elizabeth Kind

RelayHealth provides secure, online communications for doctors, patients, and health plans. The company's services include online consultations, prescription renewals, and appointment scheduling. RelayHealth's business model derives subscription revenue from doctors... View Details

Keywords: Communication Technology; Internet and the Web; Consumer Behavior; Entrepreneurship; Health Care and Treatment; Growth and Development Strategy; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

February 2003 (Revised July 2003)
Case

Ember Corporation: Developing the Next Ubiquitous Network Standard

By: Rebecca Henderson and Nancy Confrey

Ember is a venture capital-funded start-up that hopes to establish a standard for ubiquitous wireless networks. Its unique approach and proprietary technology promises to create enormous value in a wide variety of markets, particularly in local sensing and control.... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Wireless Technology; Value; Competitive Strategy; Standards; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

February 2003
Teaching Note

Siemens AG: Global Development Strategy (A) and (B) TN

By: Stefan H. Thomke

Teaching Note for (9-602-061) and (9-602-062). View Details

Keywords: Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry; Bangalore; Germany

May 1998 (Revised October 1998)
Case

Teleswitch (A)

Describes the financing history of Teleswitch, a maker of small digital telephone switches for the wireless/cellular industry. As the case ends, Teleswitch is revisiting its selection of an investment banker for its hoped-for IPO. A rewritten version of an earlier... View Details

Keywords: Initial Public Offering; Investment Banking; Entrepreneurship; Financing and Loans; Wireless Technology; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry