The Internet industry will balloon and
become the dominant piece of the telecommunications pie, eventually
consuming even the existing telephone system, according to John
Sidgmore, president and CEO of UUNET/WorldCom, speaking at the ISPCON
show.
“There will be consolidation on a large scale,” said Sidgmore. “And voice
over the Internet will be only a tiny fraction of what the Internet will
offer in the near future.” As Internet service providers (ISPs) rush to
fill the increased demand, Sidgmore predicted, “there will be lots and
lots of room for them to specialize.”
Sidgmore cited the deregulated teleco industry within the U.S. and the
rapid-fire creation of new technology as the reasons for the Internet’s
fast-paced growth.
“Many of you know Moore’s Law,” Sigmore said to a packed room of over 500
Internet access professionals, “[which states] new computing technology
pushes the limits every 18 months. Our industry is growing so rapidly,
we speak in terms of Internet Law, where Internet technology expands
every three to fours months. This turnover rate is phenomenal.”
Sidgmore also noted a general loosening of communications regulations
within the European Union, Canada and Japan. He pointed to recent
licenses granted to WorldCom within previously-closed markets as proof.
Flush from the success of the approved MCI/WorldCom merger, Sidgmore
joked, “I have spent my entire life hating phone companies and fighting
them every inch of the way. Now I own one.”
The U.S. Department of
Justice and the Federal Communications Commission approved the
mutli-billion dollar merger of MCI and WorldCom earlier this year.
Sidgmore also used the limelight to joke about a number of things, including Boardwatch founder Jack Rickard.
“A year ago, I was skewered by Boardwatch,” he said. “Now I’m
opening the ISPCON conference. I find out that I agree with Jack on
quite a few things, which actually makes me nervous.”
Since 1994, Sidgmore has steered UUNET through a series of mergers that
expanded his company into a global presence. A provider of wholesale
bandwidth and Internet access, UUNET increased its annual revenues
from $7 million to $600 million. The company employs over 2,000
professionals worldwide.
