For anyone interested in a career in the telecommunications field, there are few better places to be than Dallas-Fort Worth. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro area is home to about 600 companies, many of them telecom-related; MetroPCS, Fujitsu and Cisco Systems are just a few. The presence of the Dallas area’s strong telecom industry is a boon for more than just telecom workers; it’s a fundamental pillar of the local economy, creating a rich and fertile economic ecosystem for the region. The crucial technology coming out of the sector interacts with the other major industries in the Dallas-Fort Worth area — for instance, creating telecom solutions for the Dallas-Fort Worth healthcare industry — solidifying economic synergy that sustains the region.
Why Dallas-Fort Worth for Telecom?
The telecom development of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, tracing back to when Bell’s monopoly was first dismantled, has been the impetus for the development of jobs for over 230,000 workers in North Texas over the past 25 or so years, and that growth is still on the rise. Telecom properties that relocate to Dallas-Fort Worth, like AT&T in 2008, have historically seen significant growth, and find a talented, reliable workforce. Forrest E. Miller, AT&T group president of corporate strategy and development in Dallas-Fort Worth, told D Magazine “There’s a great skilled, experienced labor pool here.” With Texas’s business-first economic incentives, like a lack of state taxes, it’s a smart move for both telecom companies and workers looking to expand their career options in the field to find their way to Dallas-Fort Worth.
The Future of the Industry
The area isn’t only appealing for traditional telecom companies; it’s also getting notice as a welcome environment for more recent entrants into the field, namely mobile app development. Communications companies looking to expand their offerings into the mobile app realm are increasingly reaching out to developers local to North Texas rather than relying upon Silicon Valley or the Bay Area for the latest in web and mobile development. The telecommunications industry in Dallas-Fort Worth is also capitalizing on the rise of cloud computing and other innovations in communication technology; for those who want to be on the cutting edge of integration with new user-facing technology with traditional telecommunications prowess, North Texas is fast emerging as the first choice of place to be.
Telecom on the Rise
For these reasons and more, the strength and diversity of the telecom sector is poised to continue growing, with both telecommunications companies and workers flowing into the region. Frontier Communications announced a move to Dallas-Fort Worth in 2015, bringing workers into the region as well as jobs for Dallas-Fort Worth locals. North Texas business incubators are working to develop new products and technology solutions, and local talent is continuing to push the envelope. Taken together, it’s truly no surprise that Greg Smith of North-Texas based Accudata said “I think right here in the Metroplex is one of most exciting places to be as far as participating in the telecom world.”