briefing.com on AT&T/BT alliance
08:58 ET ******
AT&T (T) 44 1/2 :No sooner does Iridium fall flat than someone else
jumps up to take the spolight of global phone service, anywhere. British
Telecom, now called BT, and AT&T signed an alliance begin working on
a common system for international calls. The alliance, called Advance,
gives both companies a stronger presence in the technological battle to
determine the future of global mobility. Iridium is (was?) a satelitte based
system of its own design and protocol. One of the stated goals of the
AT&T BT Advance alliance is a "common position" on the emerging third
generation calling standard. Currently the world is divided into three
standards, GSM, TDMA, and CDMA, all of whom have different
infrastructure and handset requirements. The third generation standard is
designed to be backward compatible with all existing infrastructures so
that your new phone will work anywhere. The alliance today brings a
new, big player to the table, one whose presence will be felt. Existing
wireless companies like Ericsson and Nokia, Motorola and QualComm
have vested interests in existing infrastructures. The Advance alliance will
serve to push the adoption and buildout of the third generation standard,
although not in any predictable direction. For investors in T, this is
basically a positive development, and although T shares have been
battered in the past year, CEO Michael Armstrong has been laying the
seeds for the T of the future through an amazing array of deals and
acquisitions. Most publicized have been the ones in the internet arena, but
today's alliance on the global calling front is very positive. - RVG |
