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Gone are the days of the massive, vertically integrated, “full service” provider, says Aqua Comms CEO, Nigel Bayliff
Subsea operators must narrow their business focus and specialise in a particular niche market if they are to successfully negotiate tricky market conditions. Speaking exclusively to Total Telecom in the run up to the Submarine Networks Europe event, Nigel Bayliff, CEO of Aqua Comms, said that this was particularly true in the tricky trans-Atlantic market (click here for the full interview).
"Companies need to specialise. Gone are the days of the massive, vertically integrated megalith that builds submarine cables and delivers cell phone services at the other end. That’s a pretty hard target to try and spread your capex, and your company’s focus, across," he said.
Bayliff argues that the subsea industry is going to see, what he refers to as, a "lamination" of the industry.
"[Aqua Comms] sits in what we think is a very clear lamination – submarine infrastructure. There are terrestrial infrastructure companies, there are towers companies, there are mobile phone service companies. So, there are a lot of companies now who are going to need to specialise – to pick a specific part and become very good at it. They need to become very efficient and they need to model their company on addressing the specific needs of that market. For example, we sell only to carriers, we don’t sell to enterprises. The industry needs to define itself a little bit more by what it doesn’t do, because that helps you to understand the specific specialisms. No longer can companies view themselves as "full service" providers," he added.
Nigel Bayliff will be taking part in the Keynote Panel at next month’s Submarine Networks Europe event. The session will look at the evolution of the subsea sector, and will examine strategies for negotiating tricky market conditions and maximising ROI.
Andy Hudson, Chief Network Officer, Aqua Comms, will also be speaking at the event. Andy will be sharing his expertise and taking part in a workshop focussing on strategies for averting the capacity crunch.
