Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Qwest Communications (Q) (formerly QWST) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Roger Hess who wrote (4300)	6/23/1999 9:46:00 AM
From: Alejandro	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6846

<<Why spend billions for customers when you can get them over time for free when customers migrate over to your lesser-cost service?>> I don't think they could migrate and get full internet, local,LD,data etc. Don't forget, we have that last mile problem. Buying the customers will get us a straight shot in.

To: Roger Hess who wrote (4300)	6/23/1999 11:32:00 AM
From: Mark Harjes	Respond to of 6846

Qwest does not have the resources - systems capabilities nor personnel - to: - develop telecom services - market those services - manage the operation of those services Development/Marketing We've seen little effort to create and market innovative and successful products/services to run on top of Qwest's fibre network. The resources necessary have not been committed, and the talent has not been acquired (or retained). The appearance of a new generation telecom company with an aggressive, entrepreneurial attitude exists only outside Qwest's walls. I've heard middle-level manager types figure out the real story after no more than a single interview. The place feels much more like AT&T's than MCI's good-old-days. It's widely perceived that an awful lot of people are hoping/praying/hanging-on for acquisition and 'instant vesting'... prior to bailing out. It appears that whatever innovation and aggressiveness exists is not directed at creating and marketing telecom services, but at presenting an attractive face to the investment community and actual service providers. Culturally, it really is an interesting(?) place, still more like a railroad (that happens to have buried fibre along its tracks) than a next generation telecom company. (Employees still routinely get 'all hands' email with invitations to railway safety training! LOL!) Operations It was hoped (a year ago) that the LCI acquisition would bring the systems to support order entry, account/customer tracking and billing, target marketing, etc... the capabilities needed to actually run a telecom company... I don't think that worked. Bottom Line This emphasis on USWest as a means to acquire a customer base is a telling sign... Qwest does not feel capable of building a base on its own. And maybe no one can anymore - perhaps Level 3 will fare no better, and will be looking for similar deals as it nears completion of its network. Acquiring and (more important/difficult) retaining LD customers ('specially residential) is not easy. A large percentage of people will never switch, no matter what... and most of the rest switch at the drop of a hat - or check-mailer (as AT&T and MCI discovered and paid for a few years back). Successful marketing of these services is extensively data-driven - an arena where MCI was spectacularly successful in the early 90's, AT&T has never been very good (no real need... those people who aren't gonna switch are AT&T-ers), and where Qwest's resources are minimal. As I've said before, the fibre infrastructure alone made Qwest attractive... but that string is almost played out. They could probably be moderately successful for some time to come simply leasing that bandwidth... but become a big telecom player? They need major help to do that... just my opinion(s)... mark