A Structure of Alliances in the Global Telecommunication Industry: 1990-2004

Abstract

Using longitudinal data on strategic alliances, this paper attempted to describe the contour of the global alliance networks in the telecommunication industry. The results of the multiple network analyses revealed that strategic alliances in the global telecommunication industry had structural differences between the 1990s and the early 2000s, without any dominant firm in the alliance network. The detailed description of the results is as follows. First of all, the results of the centrality analysis revealed that the centralities over the whole period showed that no single telecommunication firm dominated the alliance space. Secondly, the cluster analysis of the alliance network identified seven alliance groups. Its configuration was stable over time, showing that the number of clusters in the global telecommunication industry has not changed over time. More specifically, seven representative clusters are Japanese + non-US telecommunication, RBOC, Japan-China hybrid, American wireless, AT&T, US-Europe-based and French clusters. Finally, a QAP analysis showed that there were significant differences between the 1990s and the early 2000s in the structure of the alliance network. However, there were significant similarities among telecommunication firms in the early 2000s. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]