AT&T: Wireless is a “Consumer Offering”
According to a report in today’s Wall Street Journal, AT&T Inc. is undertaking a management reorganization that will put wireless chief Ralph de la Vega in charge of all consumer offerings. The move is part of an overall plan that would organize the company into four divisions: consumer, business, infrastructure and diversified businesses.
Mr. de la Vega will remain as chief executive of the wireless unit, but it will be folded into a broader consumer markets division with responsibility over landline phone, Internet, and TV service. According to the report, the plan is geared toward building a stronger link among AT&T’s broadband Internet, TV, and the mobile services. Like the other big telco Verizon, AT&T is hoping to license content for all three platforms, and sell ads that hit all "three screens."
For those of us who deal with the enterprise wireless market, this is does not appear to be good news. The cellular carriers are already too narrowly focused on consumer markets to the detriment of their enterprise customers. Consumers aren’t screaming for fixed mobile convergence, open network initiatives, or any of the stuff that we’re interested in. Maybe that’s why AT&T feels they can treat them like a bunch of yokels they can lob the same ad at three different times!
Now that’s just what the enterprise buyer is looking for!