This UCL short CPD course aims to give you an appreciation of the external environment in which a telecommunications business operates, as well as an understanding of how a company can successfully conduct business in this environment.

Two perspectives are taken:

• scene-setting descriptions of the macro-economic and regulatory environment of today (focusing on the UK, but also with a global view)
• an introduction to the management of a telecommunications business

Who this course is for

The Department's courses/CPD modules are aimed at those working in the telecommunications industry such as researchers, engineers, IT professionals and managers. 

They're particularly suited to graduates in electronic and electrical engineering, communications engineering and computer science who want to further their knowledge on this topic, or work towards a Master's degree. 

You don't need to have any pre-requisite qualifications to take this course.

Course content

The following topics will be covered:

Introduction to telecommunications and ICT business 

Scene-setting for today's business: covering the types of network operator and the range of competitors. The concept of ICT is defined, together with the convergence issues. This set of lectures will position the interaction of all the factors affecting an operator: macro-economic, the market place, government policy, regulation, competition, legacy aspects and technology changes, customer expectation and globalisation. The dotcom bubble burst will be examined for lessons for today's business environment. 

Business strategic drivers

The concept of strategy is introduced and applied to a network operator (fixed, mobile, voice and data). The various strategy analysis tools (PEST, PUV, Porters 5 Forces, and SWOT) are introduced and example strategies are discussed. 

The regulatory and legal scene

The UK and European legal and regulatory framework is presented, showing the constraints and opportunities offered to incumbent and other operators and service providers. Besides interconnect issues, the Telecommunications Strategic Review is described, as is the role of OFCOM in regulating in a converged world. 

Review of the industry 

This section presents a quantified view of the industry from a world-wide perspective. The major cost, revenue, demand, service and technology trends are analysed. 

Infrastructure economics 

Description of the cost dynamics of a telecommunications infrastructure, covering access and core - fundamental to all networks (including railways, airlines, electricity supply, etc), fixed and variable cost, effect of volume on unit cost, cost and revenue apportionment, and long-run costs. 

Product management and marketing 

An overview of the principles of marketing and product management is presented, together with recent practical examples. The scope includes: market segmentation, pricing, promotion, sales strategies, customer-relationship management, billing issues and product/service development. In particular, the product life cycle is used as a structure to consider all aspects of product/service management. Although these principles are generic, the examples given will relate specifically to the telecommunications industry. 

Business cases 

The key aspects of a business case are introduced, covering its role in corporate governance, the essential content, the financial case and supporting evidence.

Financial management 

The role of financial management in any business is described, with detailed application to the telecommunications network operators' functions. You'll gain an understanding of financial statements and how to read them, as well as the principles of amortisation and depreciation, ebitda, profit, cash flow, cost of capital, share price dynamics and dividend policy.

Please note that this course will be held in-person at the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, UCL, Roberts Building, London, WC1E 7JE.

Cost: £1,500

For more information, please visit the link.