Ask HN: What would you do if you own a large ISP

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3260333

by ntv • 15 years ago

10 6 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Hey guys,

I'm new around here. I always read HN but never actually posted anything.

Today I got the news that my dad's company just bought my country's largest ISP. Obviously, I'm not from the US and my country considered "third-world country".

He said something like "Hey, we just bought redacted ISP, what can we do now?"

They have plans like creating a exclusive TV channel but I believe the possibilities are endless.

What would you do if your dad owns the largest ISP in your country. (Doesn't matter where are you from but what would you do) Please, don't think I'm here to show off but to listen from very smart and bright entrepreneurs like all of you.

Thanks in advance!

mooism2• 15 years ago

Move into mobile telephony. Customers get cheaper calls if they go over wifi, use a standard mobile connection if not. If you control the access points in homes and businesses, you can allow handsets of unrelated customers to access them.

Whether this makes sense obviously depends on whether you do control your customers' wifi routers and whether you can get the handsets cheap enough for your market.

gsivil• 15 years ago

Ι just add my comment here with the hope that your question gets with some luck to the front page.

It is a very interesting question but it is really so uncommon that somebody (even)here owns an ISP company that people may think that you could be just asking that for fun.

Good luck

niico• 15 years ago

+1! I also believe the potential is huge but I'm having a hard time on actually thinking WHAT would I do.

nedwin• 15 years ago

It's a hard question to ask without an understanding of the economics of the country you live in.

Believe it or not I developed a new product strategy for an Australian telco and ISP that ended up getting shelved after a change of management.

If you want to have a chat about this kind of stuff feel free to drop me a line.

Snivellius• 15 years ago

For now focus on expanding the customer base, first with new customers and later with customers from the competence, investing on hard assets and infraestructure, and limit the number of products and services that are being offered.

Later, when the growth rates start to drop and the average customer internet speed is high enough, look to create competitive advantages thru differentiation in order to increase the perceived value of the service for the customer, so the competence won't steal them from you. For example, offering new services and products related to internet access, like a nation-wide movies and tv streaming service for an additional rate.

Don't forget that the greatest part of the potential value of the business won't come out from the internet access per-se, but rather out of what you can deliver and sell with it.

_ud4a• 15 years ago

My question is why would your dad's company purchase an ISP without any specific strategic plan in place!?

Ask HN: What would you do if you own a large ISP

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