How many times have you heard the expression, “You can’t judge a book by its cover”? I can recall numerous parental lectures and well-meaning conversations from mentors that have driven that point home time and time again. There’s a good reason for it. It’s true.

That’s why I’m frustrated by people who fail to recognize the pervasive nature of the OSP® brand and do not respect this portion of the telecom business. More than 20,000 readers, consultants, analysts, and executives learn from the educational how-to articles and case studies we deliver via print/web/custom-events and OSP EXPO™. Some, however, choose to look at the outside plant, or OSP, in a superficial way. That’s sure not the way to win in this economy.

By virtue of its definition, the OSP, begins in the central office (CO) and ends when and where the customer receives his/her broadband offerings. HOW can this be misconstrued to mean that it does not include the wired/wireless/in-home networking technologies that impact the performance of the “pipe”?

Another point OSP skeptics choose to ignore is the buzz word “convergence” and the challenge it poses to service providers as they meld the wireline and wireless networks. So, while we all know carriers are faced with increasing demands for new mobile Internet services, we must realize that these new technologies place huge demands on their backhaul infrastructure. Bottom line: without the wireline network, that important thing called wireless backhaul would not be possible.

That’s why my friends at the larger LECs tell me their network engineering and technology organizations are now working closely together to meet their company’s objectives. And guess what? Both groups need to understand HOW each respective network is structured if they want to accomplish those objectives. (Ahem, Ahem… OSP® magazine covers the HOW-TO behind BOTH networks.)

So, tell those OSP skeptics to look beyond the three letters, OSP, and make a real attempt to understand the inner workings of our truly converging networks. And be proud that you are a part of the telecom biz that will meld those once separate networks into a converged platform that can meet end-users’ demands and shareholders’ expectations.

Once again, “Never, ever judge a book by its cover.” There is too much at stake in our business to be that superficial.