Telecom Consultants: KOHL consults to Services Providers, Equipment and Systems Manufacturers, Research and Development organizations and industry Investors.

Our work products are extraordinarily creative and sound because:

• Our staff has in-depth expertise in the business, operations, network, and technology aspects of telecommunications.

• We provide an arrogance-free climate, so that different and strong perspectives can be fashioned into workable and comprehensive solutions.

• Our consultants are seasoned. Once our people are engaged they remain engaged; we do not replace our experienced people with less experienced people unless appropriate, and the client fully agrees.

• Hallmarks of our consulting are forthrightness, individualized treatment, quality and flexibility. Our bureaucracy is minimal, and we respond immediately and creatively to our clients' requirements.

Examples of Recent  KOHL Consulting Projects:

• Service Providers

• Equipment Developers - Manufacturers

• Research, Technology and Investment Groups

The following provides examples of our recent projects. Please contact us at consulting@kohlgroup.com to discuss your needs.

Service Providers

Recent  KOHL Projects

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Developed a five-year business strategy and network architecture plan for landline network and related support systems. Included voice, broadband services, network transition plan, technology and vendor assessment. Network employed ADSL and ATM technologies.

• For a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. For Chief Operating Officer, planned and implemented voice service in ten cities; trained senior staff in voice operations; obtained voice service certification from RBOCs.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Developed a strategic plan for wireless services and assessment of technologies, including CDMA, TDMA, GSM and low-tier technologies.

• For a Cable-Telecommunications Investment Group. Developed business plan and project implementation plan for a cable television system projected to serve over one-million homes in Northern India.

• For a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. Developed a maintenance operations plan, and processes and procedures for voice and data services.

• For an Interexchange Carrier. Created and implemented business and operations plan for an IXC start-up in Mexico. Areas of focus included product life cycle, customer care, pricing, interconnection agreement, as well as organizational structure and process flow documentation for these functions. Provided oversight of the OSS and equipment vendors.

• For a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. Worked with Senior VPs and Chief Operating Officer. Reconciled the data bases for provisioning, while removing all roadblocks with the ILEC. Acted as a advisor to senior management in daily processing of orders, and organization structure.

• For a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. For Executive Vice Presidents, performed audit of operations and support systems for all network organizations. Formulated plans to remedy problems and enhance overall performance. The organizations reviewed included Information Technology, Service Order, Network Engineering, Network and Customer Provisioning and Maintenance.

• For an Interexchange Carrier. Formulated plan for restructuring organization and operations of the Network and Information Systems organizations.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Developed loop survey plan to support ADSL network design and implementation.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Reviewed Preliminary Joint-Use Practice for RBOC and formulated a master Trench License Agreement, with provision for Application and License for individual trenches or trench systems, for execution with Third Parties.

• For a Major European Telco. Developed and presented a tutorial to all general managers on broadband services and the underpinning access and core network technologies and architectures. Treatment included, strategic planning in a deregulated environment, wireline and wireless technologies and systems, operations and their support systems, and processes companies can use to generate effective strategies and solutions for broadband business and networks.

• For a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. Analyzed their provisioning process and OSS integration. Generated and implemented new provisioning process and OSS integration requirements. Coached management and staff in OSS implementation and operations.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Provided OSS redesign and specification for Provisioning in deregulated environment focusing on LNP, unbundling and rebundling, re-sale, and integration with legacy systems.

• For a Major European Telco. Prepared analyses of ILEC efforts in PVN and switched networks for CLEC opportunity evaluation. Analyzed RBOCs' sales department structures for the servicing of major business accounts with emphasis on spans of control, integration of ordering and provisioning.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Developed organization and systems requirements for their Repair Service Bureau.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Developed requirements for a new provisioning system.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Worked closely with Engineering & Construction, Corporate Finance and Legal Department staff, to develop requirements and create the following documents: Service Drops Agreement, Joint Trenching Agreement, Third-Party Trenching Agreement, Three-Party Trenching Agreement, Aerial Cable Transfer Agreement, Pole Joint-Use Agreement, and Pole Joint-Ownership Agreement.

• For a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. Established OSS interfaces and test windows with all major ILECs.

• For an Interexchange Carrier. Provided subject matter expertise for transport of high-speed data over fixed wireless and associated traffic management OSSs.

• For a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. Established E911 ALI database access and MSAG release with all major ILECs. Coordinated interdepartmental implementation of E-911 for start-up CLEC for each switch site (some 34 locations) across the US. Selected and implemented a national E911 clearinghouse.

• For an Interexchange Carrier. Provided the on-site lead of a major fraud and settlements system to a large Latin American Telco.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Usability testing and re-design of IVR scripts. Clients estimate that savings resulting form Usability studies can reach $30M per month.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Provided Technical and Engineering support to RBOCs for Digital Loop Carrier systems, Fiber Optic Transmission systems, and Loop Testing Systems.

• For a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. Established organizational structure and processes and for routing management.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Researched and wrote a status paper addressing the status and future of Service Order Control Systems for ATM, Frame Relay, X.25 and IP networks in the US.

• For an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier. Provided subject matter expertise on loop unbundling using NGDLC GR303 integrated access systems and embedded base DLC systems.

• For a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. Surveyed operations support systems and personnel to identify opportunities for process standardization, analyzed survey results, and developed visual ‘road map’ of present mode to focus standardization efforts.

• For a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. Selection & implementation of an electronic bonding OSS gateway for CLEC to ILEC provisioning.

Equipment Development & Manufacturing

Recent  KOHL Projects

• Provided the project plan, test plan, Subject Matter Expertise and overall management for insuring the compliance and compliance testing of  Central Office video transport equipment with respect to NEBS GR63, GR78, GR1098 and RBOC-specific requirements.

• Led and managed all engineering resources and product realization for development and manufacture of mobile cell sites. 

• Performing the Tier-3 (expert level) Maintenance of a line of major Class-5 switches deployed in BellSouth, SBC and Verizon.

• Reviewed product line and developed a strategy for optimizing existing market and for evolution into new products and services for the exploding demand in bandwidth.

• Developed system test laboratory for new optical network product line for the monitoring and surveillance of fiber optic trunks. Established HW/SW quality evaluation procedures and release control guidelines.

• Reviewed physical design and design process for transport equipment. Recommended changes in the design, product conceptualization and realization process, including changes to effect manufacturability, cost reductions, reliability, Usability and functionality.

• Served as a liaison between manufacturer and Telcordia OSS organizations to design the manufacturer’s network elements and OSS to interface with Telcordia OSSs used by service providers.

• Provided evaluations and recommendations for access product strategies intended to increase market share in the Japan.

• Provided overall management of all engineering resources for development and manufacture of CDMA mobile handsets.

• Established Product Realization quality improvements in physical design and manufacturing interface, focusing on improved quality of development and design transfer under extremely aggressive development schedule.

• Provided systems engineering expertise for Integrated Digital Loop Carrier Systems for bandwidth management, traffic measurements, GR-303 digital switch interface, and voice frequency enhancement.

• Conducted expert reviews of optical transmission equipment to verify that they met Telcordia guidelines and identify human errors that could result from design. Review was part of a larger study to determine the reasons for optical transmission equipment field outages.

• Documentation review for access system that provides cable, high-speed data and telephone service. Identified documentation causing errors in field installations of product and provided remedies.

• Training course review for a xDSL/digital loop carrier product. Review enabled management to identify issues that arose due to client complaints and provide adequate facilities for future training courses.

• Wrote document for optical fiber testing and management system that provides comprehensive testing and surveillance, and provides instantaneous notification of a fiber break. Separate documentation was generated for technicians and computer system administrations.

Research, Technology & Investment Groups

Recent  KOHL Projects

• Investment Group.  Evaluated the business plan for an investor acquiring a major share of a new venture local service provider.  Identified critical errors in the plan. halving the cost to investor.  Major contributor to rewriting the venture plan, including strategy, services, network architecture, software support systems and operations.

• For a Telecommunications Research and Development Firm. Developed techniques and co-authored patent application for automating the quality assessment of access plant for broadband and voice-grade services.

• For an RBOC's Science and Technology Group. Created techniques for providing data network services over an existing cable TV network.

• Major Utilities Company. Analyzed the feasibility of utilizing existing power drop wires for providing two-way telephony services.

• Investment Group. Evaluated the business plan and viability of an International IXC.

If you are interested in Consulting Services, please contact us at consulting@kohlgroup.com