BT , AT&T mobile alliance
LONDON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Here follow analyst comments on the forming of a global mobile alliance between British Telecommunications Plc and its U.S. partner AT&T Corp.
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TIM HIRST, TELECOMS ANALYST AT SALOMON SMITH BARNEY:
"Given you have a trend of companies trying to consolidate positions either in pan-European mobile or pan-U.S. mobile or global mobile, AT&T and BT agreeing essentially to put their mobile operations together is a step in the right direction for their competitive positioning.
``That must be good news...(with other telecoms alliances failing around the world)...If you have BT and AT&T putting their mobile businesses together, that is them increasing their commitment to each other and therefore demonstrating the strength of their relationship.'
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JOHN TYSOE, TELECOMS ANALYST AT WESTLB PANMURE:
"They are moving closer and closer together and eventually, I think, there could be a full merger. Between them they have the same sort of footprint as (world mobile leader) Vodafone AirTouch (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: VOD.L) but with the crucial difference that in most of the markets in which they are involved, they're in third or fourth licences rather than first or second.
``That's not true in Britain, France or the United States, but it is true in the Netherlands, in Germany, in Italy, for example.'
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SEAN JOHNSTONE, TELECOMS ANALYST AT SG SECURITIES
"This is positive for the BT share price. They will basically be able to route their calls through each other and will be able to decrease roaming costs. They will also be able to offer wider coverage in geographical terms.
There is not a signal for a full merger. I think, however, we could see them at a future date joining their mobile assets together and then spinning them off." |
