Note specfically from the previous post **********
"LINDA O'BRYON: Three years ago this week the telecom act was signed
into
law, promising to open up competition in local and cable markets. That
deregulation and the rise of the Internet made 1998 a great year for
telecom stocks. .....
STEPHANIE WOODS, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: The latest trend
in telecommunications is companies positioning themselves to offer
customers a complete package of services. As that happens, the lines
between local, long distance and cable companies are getting blurred.
CHARLES PLUCKHAHN, VP, TELECOMS ANALYST, STEPHENS: You won't have any
distinction between local and long distance and there will be very
little distinction between telephone and Internet.
And word is that these new players could be ripe
for an acquisition by one of the established companies.
JOHN HAVEN CHAPMAN, LAW & ECONOMICS GROUP: The companies spending money,
investing themselves in this future, won't always have money available.
It will be necessary to combine with others to take advantage of their
capital.
ALEX MANDL, CHAIRMAN & CEO, TELIGENT: There'll be a second group of
companies. There might be even hundreds of smaller niche companies who
come to the market with some advantage, either a geographic advantage or
technology advantage or have some way of differentiating themselves in
the marketplace, and those companies will continue to exist and grow. " |
