Telecom Trends

I received a bizarre email last Thursday that tried to appeal to my nationalist sentiments. According to the email, I should be recommending Nortel equipment to my clients because it is Canadian.

Not because it is the best way for service providers to deliver leading edge solutions to their customers; not because it is cost effective; not because it makes my services run faster and jump higher. The appeal says that we should buy Nortel's stuff because Nortel's stuff is Canadian; because Canadians created 5000 Nortel patents and Nortel invests pantloads of cash in Canadian R&D. [You can see a web version of the email here.]

There is a promotion [ pdf, 674 KB] that provides cash incentives to consultants who recommend Nortel business solutions to their clients and I guess it is trying to appeal to my colleagues' patriotism.

It seems to me that Nortel's Canadian roots may be an interesting factor, but is it a reason to buy? I used to look to the Detroit 3 automakers because of where my in-laws live, but that loyalty seemed to be a one-way love affair.

How relevant is the flag flying in front of your suppliers' headquarters?

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Nortel, Canadian