Jagdish N Sheth

Agreed, he is a consumer-marketing guru! But, why is he
featured here in the list of techno-men-inventors, technopreneurs, and
techno-managers? The answer is simple: because of his contribution to the world
of telecom.

The name of this commerce graduate from University of Madras,
belonging to the batch of 1960, is familiar in the US telecom industry. Some of
his thoughts about the dynamics of telecom markets are really nonconformist.
Yet, the whole industry listens when he makes a point. One such much-debated
prophecy of Dr Sheth is the ultimate separation of integrated services business
from the network operation business. "If any operator wants to provide all
services, it will be too costly for it to do build the network(s) and yet be
profitable," he said. He is one of the few thinkers who believes strongly
in the viability of the MVNO model. His theories have also influenced many top
practicing managers in global telecom.

One noteworthy idea from Dr Sheth is what can be termed as
the victory of information over computing.