The telecommunications industry has grown from its initial days when the telegraph was a modern marvel that let people send messages to distant locations. When the telephone followed soon after, many consumers were reluctant to use it. Early adopters of telecommunications devices and systems have often been businesses and government agencies who saw the potential to benefit from saved effort, time and money.

The telecom industry's many branches now serve the needs of consumers, businesses, and governments by combining the classic concept of bridging distance with new technologies. Fiber optics upstaged the transatlantic cable. Telex machines fell to fax machines, which are now almost obsolete in the Internet age. Satellites and networks are the buzzwords driving the telecom industry today. Expect them to enjoy a brief heyday, to be replaced by innovative products and services that expand future communication options.

Picking up your telephone to place a local call seems effortless. Even international phone calls hardly raise issues for most people. Behind the scenes, a variety of services must be in place in order for your call to reach its intended destination. Connecting to the Internet from your home or office computer also requires a vast supporting infrastructure with multiple companies collaborating and providing services from your initial dial tone to the last mile. Our current options to send voice communications over the Internet requires specialized technologies too.

Some of the world's largest telecom companies are not household names like Ma Bell. They function as the backbone for a massive team effort that relies on coordination of specific capabilities that make our telecommunications systems work. Today, even as the telecom industry rolls out new products at a dizzying rate, some of this industry's chief innovators have passed into oblivion.

Deregulation of the telecom industry increased competition among companies that offered similar services. In addition to price, survival for telecom companies requires business strategies that focus on providing value, without extending the company's product mix to the point of diminishing returns on investment.

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