Welcome, pop pickers, to the Unstrung ranking of the Top 25 privately funded firms in the wireless sector. As with any such list, whether it be Five Favorite Films, Top Ten Terrible TV Shows, or even Most Corrupt CEOs of the Millennium So Far (now there's one to toy with!), the selection will no doubt elicit excited praise, genuine curiosity, and messages questioning the legal parentage of the Unstrung team. No doubt these will not be presented to us in equal measure, but we look forward to (almost) any feedback.
So what have we come up with? Well, we have scoured the wireless world for those companies currently funded by private money -- and boy, is there a lot of 'em! But many will drop by the wayside without ever making a mark on the industry, while others will manage to open a few doors before hitting the wall. That's because to make it to the big time, or even just survive, these companies need more than just a good idea and some neat technology. They need solid financial backing; a pragmatic, dedicated, and gifted management team; a cracking marketing strategy; and -- don't forget this one -- a whack on the head with the lucky stick.
So that's what we've been looking for, in varying degrees. And following many a sleepless night and the odd emptied bottle of absinthe, we finally identified those we think will last the pace and make it to an IPO or be snapped up by a bigger fish for truckloads of crisp new greenbacks.
But that's not all!! No sir. Rather than just have one long list of 25, we decided to divvie up the market into five key sections, each with a Top 5, so we could keep an eye on the movers and shakers in services, hardware, components, applications, and back-office systems. By doing this we will be able to keep track of all the most important areas that shape the future of the wireless industry, and give us more "Top" lists to play with.
In the following pages you will be able to read about the companies that have made the inaugural Top 25 and what they are bringing to the wireless party in their own particular segment of the market.
To kick off, though, here is the complete list of the Top 25 privately held wireless companies -- and we have even dared to put them in an overall industry pecking order, just to spice things up a bit. So hold on to your ticker tape and rotten tomatoes for a few minutes more and feast your eyes on this list…:
The major decision here was about the number one position. After much deliberation, we decided that Flarion's alternative infrastructure for next-generation packet mobile networks, currently being picked over by the bods at Nextel Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTL) (see Nextel Trials Flarion's Flash), is enough to take it to the top of the pile -- for now, at least.
There are also some notable omissions, particularly in the hardware section. Those who have followed the message board linked to our Top 25 announcement article will be particularly aware of this (see Privates on Parade: The Unstrung Top 25 ).
But the thing about this Top 25 is that you just don't know how long a company will manage to hold its place. We will be on the lookout for evidence that will move the incumbents up or down the rankings in their particular industry sections, so expect to see some movement in the coming months.
In the meantime, click below to check out the companies that made the cut in each of our five categories – and find out why they deserve to be in the spotlight.
Remember, if you have something to say about the selection and the order, or if you know of a company that should be considered, get on the message boards and tell us what you think. And, please, no rude language!
The largest deployed MMDS wireless system is NextNet Wireless. Interesting that IPWireless is on the list and they cannot seem to deploy anything more than a small city without it being called a trial.
As some other posters have said before, NextNet has been over looked.
Amanda Clifford is the PR manager for Argogroup (what a stupid name). Aside from pushing out bs ware about growth in revenue (without saying if it up from $.01 to $.02), she should be changing the name and not pimping the message boards for her company this directly
I guess the unstrung team must get lots of "touting" emails like this one. Of course some subjectivety enters into the picture, but still the 25 list is an honest one. I hope it stays that way.
As for this companies revenue, what was the starting base [was it $1 million or was it $1?]and how is revenue defined [how much is real money?]. The Worldcom scandal and the sacked former star analyst Jack Grubman's role in that has made many of us suspicious about looking at revenue growth [or even just revenue] in isolation of the rest of the financial and business information.
Just curious as to when you will be reviewing the Top 25 - I believe Argogroup should be listed. Revenue is up 139% on last quarter and all the signs point towards this trend continuing.
Those two starups in Dallas have potential to become major forces in the industry. Navini have collected $66M so far and their broadband wireless system is currently doing many trials, at the same time, they start ship the systems to many customers recently.
The blogs and comments are the opinions only of the writers and do not reflect the views of Unstrung. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
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