The trump card that I referred to is that fact that ATHM is positioning itself as facilitator, not access provider.
You have the company's problem. They don't know what they are. There's a lack of focus. In your previous post you were arguing CLEC ISP^2 which is access provision intensive, now you are talking with a term I used, facilitator. It's ok for me and you to use it, but it isn't ok for the company to conceive themselves in this term. It's too vague. It means whatever is convenient. That means it doesn't mean anything.
ATHM is leveraging it's exclusivity in HFC distribution to create real value for their customers. They are doing this through partnering, buying and building value added services which in theory, will have a greater value to the customer that the broadband connectivity will.
We all know you talk the talk, but mene ,mene, tekel upharsin. We don't see the walk or the beef. Tickle my imagination or is that beyond what is allowed by MSO controlled advertising? If what has been offered so far from Excite! represents the beef, forget it.
The most blatant example is ATHM recent purchase of iMall. They will use the iMall platform to enable everyone to participate in eCommerce by providing an efficient means to do so.
What do you personally think of Imall? What does it have that's special and can't easily be mimicked?
what happens if the market drives a more efficient transport medium than coax? By adopting a value add strategy, ATHM is hedging this.
What happened to the arguments of the previous post? No longer operational or facilitated?
What I mean by application enabling and service is the ability to provide a more efficient model of IT and IS for businesses and consumers. I have to believe you're aware that Oracle and PeopleSoft are positioning themselves to provide outsourced applications to businesses over the Internet. ATHM is in a unique postion to compete and or compliment outsourced application hosting given their ability to eliminate bandwidth bottlenecks. This theory can also be applied to content providers.
You would not be rehashing all this old stuff had you read the thread. It sounds like good advertising copy for schmaltz, but the facts under each point above made are weak. I like the "outsourced apps to bus." It sounds good but means nothing. You can't make money by selling a sham. ATHM is in no position to support those apps. What are you talking about? @Work?
I will let others handle the rest if they wish. I suggest you read the thread. We have covered all the items you mention in extraordinary detail. |
