Telebomb: The Truth Behind the $500-Billion Telecom Bust and What the Industry Must Do to Recover [Hardcover]

John Handley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2005

Uncontrolled deregulation of the telecommunications industry in the mid-1990's caused many businesspeople - honest and dishonest - to propose, fund, and carry out ventures designed to change the way the telecommunications industry worked. "Telebomb" not only describes the chaos that ensued, but also follows each of the long-term trends that emerged and that continue to endganger the industry today. This thought-provoking book, written by an industry insider, draws conclusions about the ultimate winners and losers during and after the telebomb - and offers practical advice to industry and government on how to avoid another, potentially more devastating repeat. Bigger, more powerful, and more convoluted than ever, the telecommunications industry has not done nearly enough to right itself since the telebomb. No other author has as good a view of the inner workings of so many of the players in this huge industry. Now that the telecommunications industry is inextricably linked with media, Internet, and other service providers, another implosion would be that much more disastrous for stockholders, employees, and customers.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

"The business environment of the mid-1990s created a combination of easy money, newly opened markets, and uncontrolled deregulation in the telecommunications industry that caused many businesspeople–honest and dishonest–to propose, fund, and carry out ventures designed to change the way the telecommunications industry worked. Change came quickly, and with it came a corporate tangle that threatens to send the entire industry spinning out of control.

Telebomb describes the origins of the chaos and follows each of the long-term trends that originated in the mid-1990s. This thought-provoking book, written by an industry insider, draws conclusions about the ultimate winners and losers during and after the telebomb. After analyzing the effects of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the book takes a much-needed look forward to explore how the industry must change to become more responsive to customers and more profitable for investors -- and to prevent another telebomb."

About the Author

John Handley (Falls Church, VA) worked at Accenture for fifteen years and was promoted to partner in 2000. As a subject-matter expert on network issues, he worked with each of the major telecommunications carriers in North America, including: Verizon/Bell Atlantic/GTE, SBC/Ameritech, BellSouth, Qwest/USWest, AT&T, Lucent, Sprint, Bell Canada, Alltel, MCI/Worldcom, and Global Crossing.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (July 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814408338
• ISBN-13: 978-0814408339
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - full of wisdom, May 23, 2006

By 

Rip - Dog (Great Falls, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Telebomb: The Truth Behind the $500-Billion Telecom Bust and What the Industry Must Do to Recover (Hardcover)

This is a great book about the rise and ultimate fall of a huge industry. Now that the news casts are showing these telecom "masters of the universe" being led into their new "homes" for the next 15 - 20 years it is interesting to read about the sloth and arrogance that started them on the road to Ossiny. The discussion of how much excess was paid for the cable pops was worth the cost of the book itself. Handley is a genius. I hope he writes more books.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Walk down memory lane, August 17, 2005

By 

R. Martin (Leesburg, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Telebomb: The Truth Behind the $500-Billion Telecom Bust and What the Industry Must Do to Recover (Hardcover)

For anyone who worked in telecom during the 80s or 90s, or the lawyers and investors who looked at telecom stocks and cases, this is a great wrapped-up look at the industry over the last 15 years. I found myself getting angry all over again at the mistakes I saw then and had forgotten about. In context with the rest of the industry it was even more scary, though. Definitely worth reading to get the lessons on what not to do in the industry going forward and how to assess the performance and status of companies still around. It's a quick read, and very approachable, so network guys, marketing folks and even Accenture Partners will all be able to grasp it too.