The triple play (the bundling of of voice, video and data) is becoming a sine-qua-non piece of the carriers' strategies (for both telcos and MSOs). In the U.S., this opportunity is generating quite a lot of business for telecom vendors. A few well-connected Wall Street analysts whom I know gave me a few hints last week about their best-guesses on some RFP outcomes for some RBOCs.  Unfortunately, unlike Om Malik, I cannot reveal my sources here, but they definitely come from reputable investment firms. 

Verizon (NYSE:VZ) alone has 3 RFPs currently planned: one for the set-top box, and two coming out in October (but the decision not to be taken until probably late in 2005) - one for a mini (small count) DSLAM and the other for the second FTTP vendor.  Most carriers like to at least dual source their telecom equipment, and Verizon is no exception to that rule.  AFC is expected to be the primary supplier in the mini-DSLAM contest, with Adtran being the secondary vendor.  Also, there is some speculation that while Verizon will look at an extensive list of vendors as part of its due dilligence in the the seconardy FTTP provider.  However, there are rumors that Alcatel and Motorola will be the top two contenders for this project.  Finally, on the set-top box RFP, there seems to be a consensus that Motorola is the favorite choice, given that while Scientific Atlanta's gear is quite impressive, Verizon's top brass is a bit concerned about the vendor's close relations with some MSOs.  The value of the set-top boxes deal is related to the success of the FTTP project, as these devices will be used wherever Verizon offers its triple play.

Meanwhile, Bell South (NYSE:BLS) is reportedly still on a holding pattern, awaiting for further clarification from the FCC vis-à-vis new UNE rules prior to making any commitments.  The top contenders for the original FTTP RFP included AFC, Alcatel and Motorola.  However, there are rumors that Bell South will probably opt for FTTC or ADSL 2+ instead of FTTP to achieve its triple play, given that FTTP costs would be sky high.

Finally, SBC (NYSE:SBC) also has a few interesting pending tenders.  The RFP grabbing the most attention surely is the FTTN project announced at Supercomm this year, which calls for speding of $750 million within the next fiver years on FTTC and ADSL 2+ gear.  The decision is due in October, and the field is packed, with the likes of ADC, Adtran, AFC, Alcatel, Ciena, ECI, Go Digital, Lucent, Pedestal Networks and Zhone all competing for a chunk of this project.  SBC also has another RFP for small line count remote DSLAMs, which will be deployed in less densely populated areas.  The top contender in this case is Adtran.