Telecom market research can be an important business investment. Market research puts your company in touch with customers or clients. It can provide quantitative and qualitative data to guide business decisions. It can give your telecom business a snapshot of customer satisfaction and emerging trends. The best studies come with actionable recommendations for next steps.

The telecom sector is highly competitive, so telecommunications industry research is part of the business plan for most companies. Because the telecommunications market size is large, the research can be expensive. But in most cases, the feedback is invaluable in refining or focusing your business tactics. The key to any market research is what your team does with the results. As your firm plans an investment in market research, consider the following market research on telecommunications basics:

1. There are different types of telecommunications market research.

2. Reports of telecommunication industry research are extremely useful.

3. Preparing an action plan based on telecommunications market research reports increases success.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Access telecommunications market research reports

In general, market research on telecommunications is either industry sponsored, which means several participants help develop the instrument, pay for the study and publish the results; or proprietary, which means one company or a small group participates and keeps the results private. The first type will yield data on telecommunications market size and similar broad topics. The latter can find a company's telecommunications market share and similar focused information.

I recommend: Make the Telecommunications Industry Association your team's first stop for industry research. It posts results of numerous studies sponsored by the association and its members. Check MarketResearch.com for an array of general telecom research reports. It lists more than 400 general topics as well as hundreds of more specific ones.

Compare results of telecommunication industry research

Well-done research will provide information your company can act on, whether it's a profile of your customer, usage patterns and trends or delivery preferences. Comparing the results of various research projects offers context for business decisions.

I recommend: Review the comparative market reports by Insight Research. Its comparative market reports touch key industry topics, allowing your group to develop a clear picture of current status. Use them as a springboard for future planning. You can get similar reports from International Gatekeepers Group. Both firms specialize in telecom marketing research.

Use the data from telecommunication market research

Reports of proprietary or customized research include analysis of the findings and recommendations. These are the 'gold nuggets' of market research, providing support for key business decisions. Use the interpretations and recommendations in planning and implementation.

I recommend: For a glimpse at how colleagues have used research results, read the case studies at Market Connections. You'll find examples you can apply to your business. A look at the information on market segments by Dittberner Associates includes revenue forecasts which could provide data for planning your telecommunications marketing campaigns.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  As a final piece of market research on telecommunications basics, note that research providers offer consulting and presentation services. The insight they've gotten from working directly with the data can prove invaluable.

Telecommunications market research can help your business with information on emerging trends, usability and company performance. Whether your business deals with the Internet, phones, cable or other services, telecom market research is beneficial.

Pick the right company for your market research on telecommunications and it can be worth the cost. You need to find a marketing company that can analyze telecommunications research and help you compete. In order to choose a company for market research reports, consider a few things:

1. What is the primary purpose of purchasing telecom marketing research for your business?
2. How often would you need to receive telecommunications industry research and updates?
3. How much is in your annual budget for telecommunications industry reports?
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Review reports from a telecommunications marketing that specializes in your industry

Your business is unique and so are its advertising and marketing needs. Make sure the company you plan to order market research from understands your industry and has expert analysis on what you are looking to do.

I recommend: MarketResearch.com has telecommunication reports by category. The Insight Research Corp., allows you to review comparative reports by industry category. Current Analysis gives a list of markets they cover, along with comparative assessments based on industry.

Use a company with the latest trends and forecasts in telecom market research

Telecommunications industry research changes with the economy, mergers, new businesses and other factors. It's important to follow the latest trends when deciding how to best market your product.

I recommend: The Telecommunications Industry Association provides industry forecasts and analysis to anticipate upcoming changes. Media Business magazine reports on trends in sales and marketing for telecom and publishing industries. Plunkett Research offers your business a list of trends that come with any report they prepare. Technology Futures Inc., has forecasts on depreciation and valuation so your business can make sound financial decisions.

Use a company that provides solutions along with telecommunications marketing

How will the telecom research reports and analysis benefit your company? Be sure to pick a company that either offers applicable solutions with the research or consultation.

I recommend: TNS Telecoms provides solutions to keep your company preferred for what's next in the industry. IG offers consulting for telecommunications marketing along with reports of current marketing trends. IDC gives a list of the type of telecommunication market research solutions offered for your business. Market Connections gives case studies on how their research can be used.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If your company is looking to compete outside the United States, make sure you use international market research on telecommunications.
• •  Talk to clients or customers of the market research company you are considering using. Read the marketing company testimonials. Find out how their services helped improve another business.

Telecommunications marketing has exploded light years beyond local versus long distance. The big convergence wave to merge telecom into one seamless Jetsons videophone utopia has instead spawned Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP) for phone access over the Internet, high-speed Internet access through phone cables using DSL, and people accessing the Web via cell phones–even cable TV providers supplying telecom and Internet service. The telecommunications market has become more complex and interconnected than ever.

Telecommunications market research can help you keep up with the breakneck changes occurring in the trade, without breaking your bank. No matter what size budget, take advantage of the latest in telecommunications industry research using one of three channels:

1. Look to the Internet to get the latest in telecom market research training;

2. Bring specialized training into your company with a seminar;

3. Go all out and immerse yourself in an industry expo.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get a quick fix of market research on telecommunications through online seminars

Telecommunications industry seminars supply a steady update on the latest tech development or changes in telecommunications market size or companies' telecom market share. Furthermore, using the industry's latest and greatest channel, the Internet, you can get that intel in real time, anywhere you want it.

I recommend: Peruse Light Reading's calendar for upcoming webinars covering the telecom market. TRA provides training on emerging technologies, giving you a peek just over the telecom horizon.

Bring in some specialized telecommunication industry research training

For more specialized, in-depth training, bring in consultants with expertise in market research in the telecommunications industry to help your staff master the intricacies of a complex, quickly evolving market. Even here, you have the choice of going in-person or over the wire with teleconferencing.

I recommend: Technology Futures conducts in-house and public seminars on technology market forecasts and planning to help you spot market opportunities. Forrester, a market research firm specializing in IT and telecom technology, does teleconferences on a regular basis and holds periodic events.

Get out and mix it up at a telecommunication market research happening

See and be seen at a symposium or conference, connect real people to bylines on reports or articles you read, and get exposed to a variety of companies and people you have no other way of reaching in the course of your career. Think of it as college-level instruction and an industry-specific mall crammed into one long weekend experience.

I recommend: Check the media research company Carmel Group site for the latest conferences and symposiums on telecommunications they host throughout the year. Technology Marketing Corporation hosts the Internet Telephony Conference and Expo. Hear from industry experts, get continued certification, attend panel discussions and more.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Combine a regular intake of telecommunications market research reports, with either industry research training or annual conferences. Don't sacrifice your company's edge or your own career by passing up the chance to get certification-level training and excellent networking opportunities with industry players.

Today’s telecommunications industry has advanced far beyond its roots in copper wires delivering phone service into an incredibly complex landscape, with a myriad number of companies starting on different points of the map, from traditional telephone companies to open-source Internet startups. Their acronym-rich shorthand leaves many outsiders befuddled at their technospeak. As you research the telecommunications market, get familiar with these key terms for a sense of the direction the telecommunications market is heading.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carriers)

First, Ma Bell broke up into Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs), leaving companies to distinguish themselves as local or long distance carriers. In the 1990's, hungry for more market, these disparate entities took advantage of the 1996 deregulation and began poaching on each other's territory, forming today's Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs)--companies providing local and long distance service to consumers. Now, due to the de-regulations, anyone, from cable companies to Internet Service Providers (ISPs), can offer local exchange services.

I recommend: WebMedia Brands' CLEC Planet provides a CLEC view into the telecom market.

Social media

While individual portals like Facebook, Twitter or MySpace may come and go, the phenomenon they represent, social media, is a permanent step in the evolution of telecommunications. Their very open-source nature challenges the control model telecommunications providers have enjoyed since the industry's inception; the multi-way group mode of communicating turns the relatively cumbersome one-on-one mode of exchange.

I recommend: IBM hosts a site explaining social media’s effect on telecommunications providers. View an example of how social media works on YouTube.

4G

While the market has plenty of room for 3G mobile broadband telecommunications to grow, cutting edge companies are attempting to carve out an early lead with the fourth generation or 4G, which is currently developing primarily along two technological lines: an advancement of LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile communications and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). Especially with the buzz growing over 4G, consumer demand will swell for ready access to voice and data anytime, anywhere, with no tethers.

I recommend: Technology Marketing dedicates a site to the 4G topic.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows Internet service providers entry into the telecom market by giving consumers the opportunity to make voice phone calls over their broadband connection rather than an analog land line.

I recommend: The FCC provides a comprehensive FAQ page on VoIP, covering the basics of how it works and its advantages and disadvantages.

Business data market and data transfer

When referring to telecom, most people immediately focus on voice-to-voice communications. However, that's just the tip of a monster iceberg, once you realize that data transfer by definition is all none-voice communications: think streaming audio or video. Any company involved in telecom must focus on a presence in this market to survive in the industry.

I recommend: Review a report on Telecom Market Research Reports on one of the hottest growing sectors in the data market: health care, with its tremendous pressure to drive down costs by investing in wireless and digital media to better communicate between providers and insurers, much less to patients.

IP/converged enterprise market

Successfully merge VoIP with a company's data transfer, especially if the company has a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) system, and you have a converged enterprise solution, and a company ready to tackle nearly any communications needs in the near future.

I recommend: Toshiba explains the advantages and challenges of converging IP with data transfer using the still-ubiquitous PBX systems most enterprises employ.