What The Fast Mode does

The Fast Mode is an independent media and research platform focused exclusively on the global telecommunications industry, founded in 2013 and headquartered in New York. It publishes breaking news, analysis, and market intelligence for telecom operators, technology vendors, regulators, and industry bodies, and operates a suite of recognition products — most notably The Fast Mode Awards (an annual global awards program), The Fast Mode 100 (a top-100 innovators listing), and the Vendor to Watch designation. Its proprietary Solution Assessment Framework evaluates nominees across four pillars — Performance, Innovation, Impact, and Growth — with judging panels drawn from industry bodies and analyst firms, providing third-party-validated credibility to its recognition programs.

The platform's core technology is its editorial and assessment methodology rather than a software product; there is no disclosed AI/ML capability, proprietary model, or platform architecture in the public record. Its competitive differentiation rests on brand authority accumulated since 2013, a proprietary assessment framework, and partnerships with industry validators that extend its reach into global telecom networks. The company operates with a lean 1–10 person team and has not raised external funding.

The Fast Mode generates revenue through a subscription-recurring model anchored on its media platform, industry recognition programs (awards entry fees, sponsorships), and research/analysis services for the telecom sector. Distribution is primarily event-driven and digital: global awards ceremonies (including events in markets such as Kuala Lumpur), the online media platform accessible worldwide, and partner networks of industry bodies and analyst firms. The customer base spans telecom operators (e.g., Maxis, One NZ), solution providers (Vonage/Ericsson, Sterlite Technologies, SG.GS, Circles.Life, Telness Tech), and pricing intelligence vendors (Tarifica), with no disclosed anchor concentration.

Name

The Fast Mode

Website

https://thefastmode.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Fast Mode is an independent telecommunications media and research platform founded in 2013, publishing news, analysis, and industry awards (The Fast Mode Awards, The Fast Mode 100) for global telecom operators, technology vendors, and regulators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Media and Research Platform: The Fast Mode operates as an independent telecommunications media and research platform that generates revenue through industry recognition programs, awards ceremonies, and research/analysis services for the telecom sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Fast Mode operates as an independent telecommunications media and research platform that publishes breaking news, analysis, and insights for the global telecoms industry. It runs annual industry awards programs (The Fast Mode Awards) and recognition listings (The Fast Mode 100) for telecom operators, technology providers, and solution vendors. Revenue is generated through its media platform, awards ceremonies, and research/recognition services.

Product overview

The Fast Mode is an independent telecommunications media and research platform that delivers news coverage, industry awards (The Fast Mode Awards), and recognition programs (The Fast Mode 100) for the global telecommunications industry. The company operates primarily as a media publisher and award-granting organization rather than a product or technology company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Industry Bodies and Analyst FirmscoreOthers · 1 January 2026Awards are assessed by judges from industry bodies and analyst firms, lending credibility to The Fast Mode's recognition programs. These partnerships provide third-party validation for award recipients and extend The Fast Mode's reach within the telecom industry.
• TarificaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Tarifica was recognized as a 'Vendor to Watch in 2026' by The Fast Mode, following their previous award as Analytics & Intelligence Champion at The Fast Mode Awards 2025, highlighting AI-driven telecom pricing intelligence innovation.
• MaxisminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Maxis was awarded 'Network Transformation Icon – Performance' at The Fast Mode Awards 2025, recognizing their network modernization achievements. The partnership highlights Maxis's cloud-native, modular architecture implementation enabling automated capabilities.
• Sterlite Technologies (STL)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025STL won 'Next-gen Data Centre Leader' title at The Fast Mode Awards 2025 in the Growth excellence category. The company was featured in The Fast Mode 100 listing of top innovators driving next-generation connectivity.
• One New ZealandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025One NZ was awarded 'Sustainability Champion' at The Fast Mode Awards for achieving 64% emission reduction and other ESG achievements. The recognition underscores the company's alignment with 2030 SBTi-approved climate targets.
• Vonage (Ericsson)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Vonage, a subsidiary of Ericsson, was named 'Digital Identity Innovator' at The Fast Mode Awards for its Identity Insights API providing real-time network intelligence for user verification and fraud prevention.
• SG.GSminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SG.GS received two awards at The Fast Mode Awards 2025: 'Emerging Telco Brand' for Performance and 'Enterprise Growth Leader' for Innovation, recognized for hybrid and smart peering architectures and network scalability.
• Circles.LifeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Circles.Life won 'Best Innovation in Customer Experience' at The Fast Mode 2025 Awards in the CX Champion category, recognized for their digital-first customer experience model and CirclesAI platform.
• Telness TechminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Telness Tech's CMO Sebastian Stecki was awarded 'CMO of the Year' at The Fast Mode Awards in the Solution Provider category, recognized for global repositioning and product launches.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Light Reading: Long-established telecom industry media outlet publishing news, analysis, and research for global telecom operators, vendors, and service providers. Directly comparable to The Fast Mode as a B2B trade media brand focused on the same telecom vertical.
• RCR Wireless News: Telecom and wireless industry news and analysis platform covering mobile, 5G, IoT, and network transformation for a global operator and vendor audience. Comparable to The Fast Mode as an independent B2B telecom media outlet running editorial and recognition programs.
• TelecomTV: B2B telecom media brand producing video news, interviews, and analysis for the global telecom industry. Comparable to The Fast Mode in serving telecom operators, vendors, and service providers with editorial and industry-recognition content.
• Fierce Telecom: Trade publication covering telecom carriers, broadband, and network infrastructure for industry executives. Comparable to The Fast Mode as a B2B telecom media brand covering operators, vendors, and the connectivity ecosystem.
• SDxCentral: B2B media and research platform covering software-defined networking, cloud, and telecom infrastructure. Comparable to The Fast Mode as a media + research + recognition-style platform serving telecom and networking technology buyers and vendors.
• Capacity Media: B2B media company covering wholesale telecom, data centers, and connectivity markets with news, events, and awards. Comparable to The Fast Mode as a vertical telecom media brand pairing editorial coverage with an annual awards program.
• Total Telecom: B2B telecom media outlet publishing news, analysis, and running industry awards and events for the global telecoms market. Closely comparable to The Fast Mode's combination of telecom editorial coverage and annual awards programming.
• VanillaPlus: B2B trade publication covering digital ecosystems for telecoms operators, with editorial focus on BSS/OSS, AI, and customer experience. Comparable to The Fast Mode as a niche B2B telecom media brand targeting operator and vendor audiences.
• Telecom Reseller News: B2B publication covering the channel/telecom reseller ecosystem with news and analysis. Comparable to The Fast Mode as an independent B2B telecom trade media outlet targeting operators, agents, and vendors.

Broad incumbents

• Informa Tech (Telecom Group): Large B2B media and events group owning multiple telecom brands (Light Reading, Telecoms.com, Total Telecom) plus analyst/research franchises. Comparable to The Fast Mode as a multi-brand owner of telecom editorial, awards, and research content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thefastmode
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheFastModeGlobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Fast Mode