Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Verizon Votes for Broadband


Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, asked whether wireless or broadband represents the stronger driver of revenue over the next several years, says that at the end of the day "broadband" is how Verizon sees its growth drivers, whether in the wireless or wired domains. That's a sharp contrast with at&t CEO Randall Stephenson, who says "wireless" is the growth driver.

Granted, both wired and wireless networks are important for both companies. But the linguistic accents are illustrative. FiOS is a huge bet for Verizon, and Verizon's 3G wireless network outperforms at&t's wireless network, most observers say. at&t, on the other hand, has deliberately chosen a less fiber rich approach to its landline upgrade. at&t also has shown a much different strategy overall, growing more through acquisition than through organic growth. Verizon leans the other way.

"Common history; uncommon future" is one way to look at matters. Global tier one carrier strategies are diverging.

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