Michael Spencer

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Michael Spencer is a strategist and business leader with 15 years of experience in the Internet Infrastructure sector. He is a founder of i2 Partners (formed in 1998 as TelcoPartners Consulting) – which offers business strategy and venture development assistance to network operators, communications equipment providers and their investors. He was formerly Chief Executive Officer of TrulyGlobal Inc., which develops and markets software to enable telecommunications carriers to deploy internet-centric enhanced services. Mr Spencer was a Senior Vice President of Technology Solutions Company (TSCC), responsible for strategy consulting and strategic leadership of the Telecommunications practice. As a Principal at Booz Allen & Hamilton, Mr Spencer formed and led the Internet Strategy Group of the Communications, Media and Technology practice. Mr Spencer holds a degree in Engineering Science from Oxford University.

INDUSTRY THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Michael Spencer has over a decade of experience in developing practical strategies for businesses, combining robust economic analysis with an understanding of competitive dynamics and technology trends. His recent work centers on post-bubble growth programs for the internet infrastructure sector, and includes a major industry review of the telecommunications industry: “Transformation Interrupted” (July 2002).

  • Created and led Booz, Allen’s internet/convergence group, analyzing fundamental trends in the converging computing and communications market. This group focused on the long-term implications of the Internet architecture on the communications value chain, industry structure and competitive dynamics. The central theme of the research was the development of the iWorld scenarios, addressed in several publications, e.g., Booz Allen Insight “Telecommunications and the ‘iWorld’ Future”, May 1996. This initiative led to the founding of the “Voice on the Net” coalition representing the VoIP industry.
  • Developed Booz•Allen’s Performance Focused Management service offering for telcos, which presents a radical agenda for Management, Planning and Control renewal. This program, successfully implemented at several major clients, helps an organization achieve its performance potential through the targeted deployment of light-weight Management Information Systems combined with Reengineered Management Processes.

VENTURE DEVELOPMENT

Mr. Spencer has substantial hands-on experience in business development and organizational leadership in early-stage businesses, including:

  • TrulyGlobal (Strategy Advisor and CEO 2000-2001) – company developed and marketed software to enable telecommunications carriers to deploy enhanced communication and collaboration services that combine instant messaging, video and VoIP with established PSTN services. He developed the business plan for this organization and led it through initial product launch, and trials at several leading global communications carriers.
  • RemoteAbility – (Board Member and Strategy Advisor 2000 – Present) –The venture-backed company has developed and patented new technology for software-only conferencing and voice-based collaboration tools, currently distributed to enterprises as a PBX adjunct.
  • ITXC –US Internet Telephony Exchange: (Strategy Advisor 1997) developed initial strategy and business plan for the leading VoIP carriers’ carrier

BUSINESS CONSULTING

Mr. Spencer has led assignments for a broad range of clients, addressing Strategic, Marketing, Operational and Regulatory issues in Telecommunications, including many development-stage businesses. Representative projects include…

Business Planning and Development

  • US Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC): strategic positioning and business modelling to support successful high-yield bond offering
  • Wireless local exchange carrier (38GHz) start-up: strategy counselling and program management for capability deployment
  • US CLEC (post first financing): service definition and capability deployment for ADSL
  • Scandinavian Second Carrier: financial and operations planning resulting in the client’s investment of significant resources in the new business
  • US Telco: analysis of alternative market entry plans to exploit liberalization in the UK telecommunications market. providing the basis for the client’s submissions to OFTEL, the UK telecom regulating body.
  • Latin American Cellco: an assessment of demand and its drivers, using normalized international benchmarks combined with local price elasticity behavior to project revenue under multiple pricing and service options.

Mature Business Strategy:

  • US Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier: development of a ten year industry outlook and strategic scenarios; resulted in significant change in direction supported by major acquisition
  • US Cable MSO: internet access strategy (customer segmentation, network economics, supply chain) resulting in refocused product line and new network architecture priorities
  • US Cellular Operator (Cellco): Strategic Simulation (“Wargame”) of post-PCS competition designed to expose and evaluate the consequences of alternative marketing strategies adopted by a range of players in the wireless business, including new entrants
  • US Telco: a pricing analysis of the competitive high-capacity dedicated access market. The analysis demonstrated the value to the client of price de-averaging and illuminated the key dimensions along which de-averaging should be sought.
  • US Telco: an assessment of alternate defensive and offensive strategies to counter the threat from ALTs. The analysis focused on the economics of infrastructure deployment and customer acquisition and enabled the client to develop an out-of-franchise partnering strategy and refine its in-franchise pricing structure to maximize business value.

Business operations enhancement:

  • US Telco Network Organization: A Performance Management capability focused on helping the organization achieve its aggressive cost improvement objectives through the targeted deployment of enhanced measurement and analysis tools and processes. These tools and their associated processes have been embedded in the organization and continue to operate without consultant intervention.
  • Multiple international telco clients: an assignment to improve Customer Billing efficiency using internal best practices and external benchmarks. The assignment delivered a decision-support model that allowed the cost and impact of various scenarios to be evaluated. Measurements were based on a structurally-normalized cross-functional cost baseline for the billing process including network, business office and IT elements
  • US Telco Network Organization: A competitive cost analysis focused on understanding network capital and operational cost elements of the PSTN vs. alternative technologies. In order to address realized cost gaps identified by the study, the team helped the organization achieve aggressive cost improvement objectives through the targeted deployment of enhanced measurement and analysis tools and processes.