“Promises may fit the friends, but non-performance will turn them into enemies.” - Benjamin Franklin

Ben hit this one on the head. I'd guess that he wasn't talking about telecommunications providers when he was talking about promises and performance. Then again, he was a pretty prescient guy.

The telecom industry is all about promises and performance. Promises are made between provider and customer, between partners, between innovators and the industry, and on a number of other fronts. A promise made is one thing. A promise kept is another.

This month, Pipeline focuses on Keeping Promises. The articles we're bringing you deal with SLA Management, partnerships, and advances in telecom that contain a world of promise within themselves. We bring you insight from Craig Clausen of NPRG as he explores customer commitments in a rapidly changing environment. If you can't keep promises, can you keep customers? Wedge Greene and Barbara Lancaster of LTC International explore how collaborators can leverage promises to provide advancements they could not easily provide alone. We take a look at the opinions of Subex-Azure, Rodopi, and Vanco as they explain how promises impact their business and the business of their partners.

Also in this issue, we sit down with Martin Creaner of the TM Forum and take a look at the upcoming Management World- Dallas show. In addition, we bring you a look at some of the other shows in store for you this autumn, as well as a look at other OSS news.