Telco Systems

Telco Systems offers a broad base of multi-service carrier Ethernet products for both the access network and the customer edge. Their optical Ethernet access and edge solutions enable service providers to introduce new services to capture additional revenue, realize bandwidth efficiencies, and migrate to VoIP without a forklift upgrade to legacy PBX and analog phones.

The Challenge

After successfully securing third-party editorial and analyst validation of Telco Systems’ technical superiority in the carrier Ethernet market over the last several months, the PAN team sought to capitalize on this momentum with a high-level vision tour. This would parlay CEO Zvi Maron’s charismatic personality and expose his vision to the most significant players in both the analyst community and the top tier media for the company.

The Approach

Telco Systems’ target audience is very niche: not just the general telco analysts but those that cover the topics of Fiber and Carrier Ethernet. The PAN team had laid the groundwork for the tour months in advance, by reaching out to a highly targeted list of 10-15 of the “must have” reporters and analysts that Telco Systems had identified. PAN’s deep knowledge of the global telecom space helped gain credibility among savvy analysts and reporters who generally take a skeptical view of PR agencies. By acting as a trustworthy, knowledgeable resource for reporters, the team gained major inroads in establishing valuable relationships well in advance of the vision tour; meeting or speaking with Telco Systems on average two to three times over the last six months.

PAN counseled Telco Systems to focus the vision tour on the new products that were slated for release around the October and December timeframes, and to also highlight the ability to be vendor neutral and transport agnostic. This flexibility provides the unique position for Telco Systems to be able to look at the entire market and discuss the advantages and limitations of certain emerging technologies such as External Network-to-Network Interface (E-NNI), as well as seeding the market with a positive stance on the subject.

The team decided the vision tour should feature both the company CEO and the Vice President of Technology and Strategy, Manu Kaycee. This would marry Dr. Marom’s vision for the company and overall market and also have the technical expertise of Mr. Kaycee to handle the deep dive into the product lines and field any difficult questions around the technology.

To prepare for the meeting, the PAN team worked hand in hand with Telco Systems, developing and honing messaging for the tour. The team prepared a detailed briefing book, sharing background and tips on working with each analyst and reporter. PAN led several messaging exercises, coaching Telco Systems on challenging briefing scenarios, such as dealing with an analyst that is confrontational or not engaged. The team further researched and drafted a comprehensive set of anticipated questions to ensure Telco Systems was ready with well thought out, succinct answers that would resonate well with each individual reporter and analyst.

The Results

With the relationships that PAN established prior to the tour, the process for booking the meetings came relatively easy and PAN was able to secure ten strategic briefings for the vision tour. Team members attended each meeting to act as moderator, keep the tightly scheduled tour on track, and ensure consistency of message. The work paid off with rave reviews all around. Reporters were extremely enthusiastic and presented several editorial opportunities on the spot. Further, many of the analysts brought their managers to the meetings, giving PAN an opportunity to up-level the conversation and make valuable business connections for future Telco Systems briefings.

Below is a sampling of the extraordinary results:

• The well regarded telco analyst firm Ovum was so impressed, they requested quarterly meetings with Telco Systems—and this is not a paid relationship!


• The editor-in-chief of Broadband Properties reported that he considered the meeting to be a privilege, and was excited to meet an industry visionary with the right mix of business case and technology imperative for their readership mix. He felt the meeting was extremely insightful and that his readership will benefit from Zvi’s thoughts on the future of the industry. The team has already placed a Telco Systems byline in the September issue and was invited to write an article on the future of the carrier Ethernet industry for the publication’s closeout issue—a rare and prestigious opportunity.


• Telecommunications Magazine invited Telco Systems to participate in their podcast series and submit a customer case study to the publication.


• Frost & Sullivan also asked for regular briefings and requested that PAN contact them prior to news announcements so they can give their feedback and take on the market.


• IDC is opening up its coverage beyond VoIP and reported that the briefing was very informative for their broadening of research and will look to Telco to be a resource for them in the future.