Best Telecom Stocks For 2014

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- According to a source, "It's almost certainly the last year of HNIC on CBC."

What does that mean and why does it matter to you?

First, it means Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) could leave the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation after the upcoming season. HNIC has been on CBC since 1952. It's the way CBC Sports brands its hockey telecasts, the most important of which take place on Saturday nights and during the National Hockey League's postseason.

HNIC is a not merely a Canadian institution, it's the lifeblood of the CBC, generating considerable advertising dollars and recycling audience to other network programming. Without it, quite honestly, CBC could cease to exist, at least as we know it. Second, it matters because of the unique media landscape in Canada and how it can inform what's happening in the US. That's one reason why I have spent a considerable bit of time over the last few years talking about Rogers Communications (RCI) and BCE, Inc. (BCE) (formerly Bell Canada). While both stocks have taken breathers in recent months, they went on mad runs throughout parts of 2011, 2012 and early 2013. Read a June 2012 article where I discuss the foothold Rogers and Bell have on telecommunications, media and entertainment across Canada. It's a situation no company or companies in America could come close to replicating, at least not in the present regulatory environment. Comcast (CMCSA) probably comes closest as a media distributor, content company, sports franchise owner, etc. But there's no way Comcast, or any other company for that matter, could, on its own or in partnership, pull off something like the Rogers/Bell joint purchase of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), which includes ownership of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs. And that's where the HNIC/CBC issue comes into play. It cements the notion that content -- and who owns and controls the most premium stuff -- remains the most meaningful part of any media equation. New or old. It also confirms two of my strongest convictions.

Top 10 Penny Stocks To Invest In 2015: DTE Energy Company(DTE)

DTE Energy Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in Michigan. It also involves in non-utility operations. The company?s Energy Utility segment engages in the generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity in southeastern Michigan. It generates electricity from various fuels, including coal, as well as from nuclear and hydro facilitates. As of December 31, 2010, this segment owned and operated approximately 674 distribution substations and approximately 412,100 line transformers; and supplied electricity to 2.1 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in southeastern Michigan. The company?s Gas Utility segment engages in the purchase, storage, transmission, distribution, and sale of natural gas in Michigan. As of December 31, 2010, this segment?s distribution system included approximately 19,000 miles of distribution mains, 1,036,000 service lines, and 1,319,000 active meters. It also o wned approximately 2,000 miles of transmission lines that deliver natural gas; and supplied natural gas to approximately 1.2 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout Michigan, as well as to approximately 17,000 customers in Adrian, Michigan. The company?s non-utility operations include natural gas pipelines and storage; unconventional gas exploration, development, and production; power and industrial projects, and coal transportation and marketing; and energy marketing and trading operations. Its customers include electric utilities, merchant power producers, integrated steel mills, and industrial companies. DTE Energy Company was founded in 1995 and is based in Detroit, Michigan.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marie Mawad]

  European telecommunications companies are disposing of peripheral assets as they increase investments in high-speed mobile networks in their largest markets and cut debt. Last week, Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) agreed to sell a 70 percent stake in its Scout24 Holding digital-classifieds business.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Best Telecom Stocks For 2014: Eutelsat Communications SA (ETL)

Eutelsat Communications SA is a France-based holding company that provides fixed satellite services. It provides four types of services, including broadcast services, such as direct-to-home and professional broadcasting; broadband services, comprising broadband Internet access; telecoms and data services to ensure permanent communications links from all points of the globe, establish or restore communications in an emergency and multicast content; as well as mobile and maritime communications, such as fleet management and on- and off-shore broadband maritime communications. It operates a fleet of satellites covering Europe, the Middle East, North and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as parts of Asia and the Americas. In January 2014, it acquired Satelites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. and together with SES SA have completed the sale to EchoStar Corp. of Solaris Mobile Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sofia Horta e Costa]

  Eutelsat Communications SA (ETL) declined 6.2 percent to 21.02 euros after predicting sales will grow by more than 2.5 percent for the year 2013 to 2014. The company, which operates 31 satellites, forecast growth of more than 5 percent for the following two years through June 2016. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its price target for the stock to 24 euros from 33 euros, saying analysts��will probably reduce their estimates following the company�� revised guidance.

Best Telecom Stocks For 2014: China Teletech Holding Inc (CNCT)

China Teletech Holding, Inc., formerly Guangzhou Global Telecom, Inc., incorporated on March 29, 1999, is a distributor of pre-paid calling card and integrated mobile phone handsets and a provider of mobile handset value-added services. The Company serves as one of principal distributors of China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile products in Guangzhou City. The Company is also developing an on-line refill platform with China Mobile to develop its on-line business in the Guangdong Province. On March 30, 2012, the Company acquired China Teletech Limited.

The Company operates its business through its subsidiaries in China: Guangzhou Renwoxing Telecom Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Global Telecommunication Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Rongxin Technology Co., Ltd., and Shenzhen Rongxin Investment Co., Ltd. The Company also engages in the business of wholesale and distribution of mineral water, as well as trading of wine in China. The Company has cooperative distribution relationships with Panasonic, Motorola, LG, GE, Bird, Samsung corporations for their mobile handsets.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  HONG KONG (MarketWatch)-- Hong Kong stocks rose early Thursday, as China Mobile Ltd. shined on news of iPhone pre-orders hitting 1 million units. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) added 0.6% to 23,032.09. Market heavyweight China Mobile (HK:941) (CHL) rallied 0.9%, as the world's largest mobile carrier said it has received more than 1 million pre-orders for the iPhone before it goes on sale in the carrier's stores on Friday, at a time when Apple Inc. (AAPL) Chief Executive Tim Cook visited Beijing for future cooperation between the two giants. Telecom equipment shares also advanced, with ZTE Corp. (HK:763) (ZTCOF) rising 1.2%. Meanwhile, China Mobile's smaller rivals slipped, as China Unicom (HK:762) (CHU) dropped 0.7%, and China Telecom (HK:738) (CNCT) fell 0.5%. China South City Holdings (HK:1668) , a developer of logistics and trade centers, surged 56%, after the company announced that Internet giant Tencent Holdings (HK:700) (TCTZF) would invest about 1.5 billion Hong Kong dollars ($195 million) for an almost 10% stake in the developer in order to expand their business online, including e-commerce and online payment services. Tencent Holdings (HK:700)

Best Telecom Stocks For 2014: Chorus Ltd (CNU)

Chorus Limited maintains and builds a network made up of local telephone exchanges, cabinets and copper and fiber cables. The Company has approximately 32,000 kilometers of fiber and 130,000 kilometers of copper cabling. These cables connect back to local telephone exchanges. Chorus fiber also connects mobile phone towers owned by mobile service providers. About 7,000 cabinets provide interconnection points for around 50% of the lines in its network. A range of these cabinets are mini telephone exchanges and have electronic broadband equipment installed in them. In some cases, retail service providers have chosen to install their own broadband equipment in an exchange and pay the Company for the rental of the access line. It offers a range of products delivered over its copper network and new products designed to provide access to the ultra-fast broadband (UFB) fiber network. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Watsa sold two stocks in the fourth quarter: Continucare Corp. (CNU) and First Place Financial Corp. (FPFC). He reduced Dell (DELL), one of his largest holdings, but almost 60%.

Best Telecom Stocks For 2014: Orange SA (ORAN)

Orange SA, formerly France Telecom S.A., incorporated on December 31, 1996, is an European mobile operator, an asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) Internet access provider in Europe, and telecommunications services provider for multinational businesses under the Orange Business Services brand. As of December 31, 2010, France Telecom provided services to 209 million customers, of which 150 million were mobile phone customers and 13.7 million were broadband Internet customers, and as of June 30, 2011, provided services to 217.3 million customers. It offers its individual customers, businesses and other telecommunications operators a line of services covering fixed and mobile communications, data transmission, the Internet and multimedia, and other services. The Company�� segments include France, Poland, Spain, Rest of the World, Business Communication Services, International Carriers and Shared Services.

France

The range of services in the Home segment in France is made up of fixed-line telephony services; other consumer services; online, Internet access, and multimedia services; advertising-management and Internet portal business; content-related business, and carrier services. France Telecom�� traditional fixed-line telephony services provide access to the network, local and long-distance telephone communication services throughout France, and international calls. In addition, France Telecom offers its fixed-line telephony subscribers a broad range of value-added services. The France Telecom Group has a number of portals, including Orange.fr, which is either Web- or mobile-accessible. In December 2010, its audience reached 22.5 million, and Voila.fr and Cityvox (entertainment and leisure listing site in France) in its different formats, such as Cityvox.fr, Cinefil.com, Spectacles.fr, Concert.fr and WebCity.fr. The primary revenue source is online advertising sold by the Orange Advertising Network. This advertising management department sells advertising space for ab! out 20 third-party sites, both Web and mobile.

Orange�� offers are built around three product lines: postpaid, prepaid and convergent offers. Orange offers two categories of prepaid offer, to which calls are charged by the second from the first second: The Mobicarte, includes a range of recharges from 5 to 100 euros and Orange Initial, which enables the customer to be billed monthly depending on his or her actual consumption. Orange also has a number of offers that pair mobile use and mobile Internet access with all-in-one offers, including both the hardware and an Internet access plan. The USB 3G+ plans enable connection to the Internet via the mobile broadband network or the Orange public wireless fidelity (WiFi) network from a laptop computer, multimedia mobile phone or a tablet personal computer.

The Company competes with SFR-Neuf Cegetel, Free, Bouygues Telecom, Numericable, Google and Voila.

Poland

Orange (the brand under which the TP Group subsidiary, PTK Centertel trades) had a total of 14.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2010. In April 2010, PTK Centertel introduced segmented postpaid offers for residential customers. Depending on the usage profile, customers can choose from three types of tariff plans: Dolphin tariffs for frequent users of voice services, Pelican for customers focused on text and community Web-services, and Panther for users of mobile data services (Internet, email). The mobile broadband Internet customer base (Edge and 3G data services) reached 547,000 customers during 2010. In 2010, Orange introduced a SIM-only mobile Internet offer and a portfolio of terminals dedicated to the Orange Free offer.

The Company competes with Netia, Multimedia Polska, Aster and Hyperion.

Spain

Orange Espana, operating under Orange, Ya.com and OBS (Enterprise) brands offers fixed and mobile telecommunication services to more than 13 million customers in the residential, professional, business and who! lesale se! gments. Orange Espana�� physical distribution network consists in 2,922 points of presence, including Orange own shops, franchises, specialized shops under the Orange brand, non exclusive specialized shops, and a network of retailers. Orange Espana also distributes its services through distance selling channels, and its own online portal. Orange Espana fixed access infrastructure, based on its own optic fiber network and ADSL roll-out, enables delivery of advanced telecommunication services, including broadband Internet access, voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), internet protocol television (IPTV), television (TV) streaming, video on demand (VOD) and advanced business services.

The Company competes with Telefonica, ONO, Vodafone and Jazztel.

Rest of the world

The France Telecom Group is present in Luxembourg via Orange S.A. (formerly VOXmobile), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mobistar. The Luxembourg subsidiary, VOXmobile, was renamed Orange S.A. in October 2009. During the year ended December 31, 2010, Orange S.A. had 88,900 active mobile telephony customers.

The Company competes with Proximus, Mobistar, Base, ex-Mobifon, Telefonica O2, Deutsche Telekom, Swisscom, Sunrise, Moldtelecom, Starnet, ECMS, Vodafone Egypt and Etisalat U.A.E.

Enterprise Communications Services

The Orange Business Services brand covers both the Enterprise Communication Services (ECS) unit, which supplies communications services to multinational companies and corporate accounts and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in France and Orange subsidiaries Business-to-Business (B2B) activities.

Orange Business Services covers the Company�� business customers in more than 160 countries and regions where it provides local technical and commercial assistance. This business segment includes a number of subsidiaries, including Etrali (trading solutions), Almerys (health), Orange Consulting (project management, telecom consulting), Multimedia Business Se! rvices (m! ultimedia contact centers), Neocles (virtualization solutions), IT&Labs (design and development of embedded Machine-to-Machine applications, vehicle fleet management), Obiane and Telecom System (secure network integration), Alsy (integration services), EGT (equipment and services for video conferences), and GlobeCast (multimedia broadcast systems).

The Company competes with IBM, HP, Microsoft and Cisco.

The Company competes with COLT Telecom, Numericable-Completel, BT Global Services, AT&T Business Services, Verizon Business, T-Systems, Reliance Globalcom, Tata Communications, Belgacom Group, NextiraOne, Spie Communication, NTT Group, IBM Global Services, HP Enterprise Services, Atos Origin, Salesforce and Amazon.

International Carriers and Shared Services

Orange�� International Carriers activity is based on long-distance network infrastructure and offers a range of solutions on the international market. The Company is involved in the design, construction and operation of submarine cables. The Company�� wholesale activity includes a worldwide network with over 120 presence points and 130,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable; a worldwide network of Internet protocol (IP) routes with end users in over 220 countries and connections to over 250 Internet service providers and a hit rate of over 85% for all European net surfers. France Telecom�� network has over 330 direct routes and interconnections with over 359 operators, and coverage in over 900 destinations with around-the-clock technical support. Its range of solutions includes interconnection, interoperability and signaling solutions for messaging, voice and video telephony services and the Orange Roaming Hub (Global eXchange) solution for moving from a bilateral model to a multilateral roaming system.

France Telecom has developed activities related to its core business line, such as content broadcasting, audience and advertising, and also healthcare activities. Orange offers free a! nd paying! content on its own channels, paid program packages, Video On Demand, music and game offers. Orange distributes content provided by third parties (television, games, music) on fixed-line and mobile networks both inside and outside France. Orange also produces its own channels: Orange Sport and Orange Cinema�� five different channels. Studio 37, is a subsidiary for investing in cinematographic rights, through both co-production and the acquisition of catalogue rights. During the year ended December 32, 2010, Studio 37 supported the launch of 15 films, including the Gainsbourg and Fatal. The Viaccess group, a France Telecom subsidiary, offers access solutions to television content. Orange is present in the games market through the games it sells on the orange.fr portal (Casual Games dedicated to family type games, such as breakout clones or riddles). Orange Healthcare, is the Company�� healthcare division, focused on developing service packages for the whole sector within a partnership approach.

The Company competes with Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Telia Sonera and AT&T.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  France Telecom (NYSE: ORAN  ) will soon be no more, at least as far as its appellation is concerned. This summer, the company will change its moniker. Effective July 1, it will be known instead as Orange. Additionally, the firm will have a new ticker symbol -- ORA -- to accompany this modification.

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, French telecommunications giant France Telecom (NYSE: ORAN  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

• [By Sean Williams]

  This week's loser
  The laggard this week was foreign telecommunications provider Orange (NYSE: ORAN  ) (formerly France Telecom), which dipped 4.2% on the week. Although no company-specific news set off the pessimism, regional worries out of Portugal that austerity measures may not stick sent ripples of fear throughout Europe, where the heart of Orange's revenue stream is located. I purchased Orange in my own portfolio late last year on the high prospects for its emerging market growth coupled with steady European cash flow. While I certainly haven't liked seeing its dividend get cut by more than 40%, and feel more hiccups may be on the way, I see it as an incredible cash cow at these levels, and am still considering adding to my position.

Best Telecom Stocks For 2014: Deltathree Inc (DDDC)

deltathree, Inc. (deltathree), incorporated January 27, 1998, is a provider of integrated video and voices over Internet Protocol (VoIP), telephony services, products, hosted solutions and infrastructure. deltathree offers a range of private label VoIP products and services, as well as back-office platforms. The Company's operations management tools include account provisioning; e-commerce-based payment processing systems; billing and account management; operations management; Web development; network management; and customer care. The Company's direct-to-consumer channel includes its joip Mobile application, iConnectHere offering (which provides VoIP products and services directly to consumers and small businesses online using the same primary platform) and its joip offering (which serves as the exclusive VoIP service provider embedded in the Globarange cordless phones of Panasonic Communications).

Products

Deltathree�� products include joip Mobile Application, Digital Video and Voice-over-IP Services, Broadband Phone and personal computer (PC)-to-Phone. The Company's joip Mobile application is a cellular phone application providing low cost mobile calls over third-generation (3G) cellular networks, as well as wireless fidelity (WiFi) networks. Cellular operating systems supported by joip Mobile include the iPhone, Google Android. Nokia Symbian and Blackberry. Through the use of the Company's network it offers a white-label solution in which its customers have the ability to customize, implement and rapidly launch digital next generation communications offerings with minimal risk and investment. For the Company's potential partners, the Company offers a range of service provider back-end support services, including network management, billing, provisioning, e-commerce, as well as custom Web and application development.

The Company's Broadband Phone product is a phone replacement solution available to business and retail customers over the last mile through br! oadband connections through cable modem, digital subscriber line (DSL) or fixed wireless. Broadband Phone enables a user to conveniently operate features and retrieve voice mail through e-mail, Web or a phone interface. The Company's PC-to-Phone offering enables a user to conveniently and inexpensively place a call to a standard telephone anywhere in the world directly from a personal computer while remaining on-line.

Services

deltathree operations management tools include video mail, account provisioning, payment processing systems, billing and account management, customer care and network operations care. The Company provides a video mail feature for its video phones applications. The Company provides its service provider and reseller customers with a Web page through which it can order additional services or accounts, generate and activate PINs and perform other customary implementation functions. It provides the customers with a fraud detection and prevention system to permits secure credit card transactions over the Web.

The Company provides the customers with real-time, Web-based access to billing records to check billing and usage information or to increases prepaid accounts. It has moved and consolidated traditional first tiers customer care functions onto the Web for ease and flexibility and support this with second tier customer care. The Company provides a Network Operations Center (NOC), automated troubles ticket system, which enables its customers to submit, manage, and follow-up with technical questions and issues online. The provision of VoIP products and services through the Company's service provider and reseller sales channel and its direct-to-consumer channel accounted for 75.4% and 23.3% of its total revenues during 2011, respectively.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Bardin, who previously ran online-video startup Intercast Networks and co-founded online-calling service Deltathree Inc. (DDDC), has increased his presence in the Israeli startup scene in recent years, speaking at conferences and appearing at technology-industry events.