AT&T; (NYSE: T), like its logo, has evolved over the past year, following its acquisition by SBC and the conclusion of its deal to integrate BellSouth, thereby gaining 100% control of Cingular. Forbes has named AT&T; Company of the Year for its expansion through acquisition enabling it to transform into a wireless and video powerhouse.
These transactions restore AT&T;’s status as the world’s largest telecom carrier, according to the Wall Street Journal. The new AT&T; has 58.7 million wireless customers, 67.5 million local-phone customers and corporate accounts with the Fortune 1000, 300,000 employees and 1.8 million shareholders.
In the WSJ article, CEO Ed Whitacre is quoted:
The biggest asset we bought here was Cingular. We’re about to become a company with wireless at its heart.
Now that it controls the entirety of Cingular, AT&T; is in a position to bundle wireless with the remainder of its corporate communications services. And since Cingular is GSM based, AT&T; can leverage its global intercarrier relationships to drive roaming deals in competition with T-Mobile.
In Canada, we watched TELUS (TSE: T) transform itself five years ago to become heavily weighted as a wireless carrier. AT&T; approaches the corporate market from a different perspective, but the net result is similar: wireless bundles drive increased revenue, innoculate against the impact of substitution and reduce churn. At the same time, with US broadband lagging its economic allies, there are still lots of opportunities for DSL revenue growth without betting the company with a fibre strategy like Verizon (NYSE: VZ).
Ma Bell has undergone substantial reconstruction – well beyond a cosmetic facelift. The transactions have invigorated the grand dame with the potential for a youthful vibrance.
What are AT&T;’s plans for north of the border?