lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) (05/24/84)
Many of these "alternate" telephone services die an early death, often due to poor planning, lack of capacity, and poor management. The ones that do exist tend to have terrible quality much of the time. These outfits that promote how they'll use satellite technology always avoid mentioning the key point -- that at both ends you have to connect to the customer, usually over conventional telephone circuits. That's where the trouble and expense lies: in the local loop. Personally, I predict that in the "end," AT&T will wipe out most of the competition in this area pretty effectively. Once AT&T is charged the same as the other carriers for local telco access (right now they are forced to pay more) they should quickly be able to compete VERY effectively with the MCI's and SPRINT's. It'll take a few years for AT&T to be on an equal footing cost-wise, but it will occur. --Lauren--