No room for fixed phone in US, states AT & T

There is hardly any doubt that AT&T, US telecom giant’s asking to US regulatory authorities to waive a requirement that it and other carriers sustain pricey landline networks is far-reaching and may continue to influence the US economy in the long run. It is to be noted that AT&T is both the oldest US telephone company and the largest provider of local, long distance telephone services, but nothing could refrain it from making the request in a filing last week with the Federal Communications Commission. What is more, it also asked the FCC to set a "firm deadline" for phasing out wireline service.

What makes AT&T so resolute and radical? On the word of AT&T, the business model for legacy phone services is in a death spiral and because of an outmoded product, diminishing revenues, and rising costs, the plain-old telephone service (POTS) business is flawed for the long run. This is also important and kindly make a note of this too. The AT&T filing, it has come to the knowledge, was in reply to an FCC request earlier this month for input on plans to expand high-speed Internet broadband all over the country.

What other thoughts were conveyed by the US telecom giant then? While expressing a crystal-clear view, AT&T said the high costs of keeping up the heritage phone network were detrimental and diverting expensive resources, both public and private, that could be used to develop broadband access and to ameliorate the quality of broadband service. AT&T considered itself as helpless who was being forced to "dedicate substantial resources to an antiquated network and outdated service."

Is there anything more? According to AT&T, on account of the rise of cellphones and Internet communications such as VoIP fewer than 20 percent of Americans are having confidence on landlines for voice service and 25 percent have abandoned them all told.

Published By : Staff on 2010-01-04 20:49:05

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