Imagine Nations

In a panel discussion at the NXTComm trade show last month, Daryl Dunbar, director of British Telecom's 21st Century Network initiative, told the audience, “Imagine the BT experience in the U.S. or in Asia. You can envision a world where the consumer has a consistent experience regardless of what network they're on.”

The concept of a British Telecom invasion in the U.S. might violate our intrinsic notions of geographic boundaries and market competition. But geographic boundaries are nonetheless falling all around us anyway. Earlier this month I reported one analyst’s predictions that Canada’s second-largest carrier, Telus, may soon be the target of investors hoping to carve some value out of the company before selling it to carriers in the U.S. or elsewhere. This week brought the news that India’s Reliance Communications will acquire San Francisco-based Yipes, each party hoping to bring its services across the other’s network. Soon you won’t have to “imagine” the Reliance experience in the U.S.; you can order it.

We in the states have been more hostile than others to the idea of separating network owners from service providers. And some may see that position as a rampart for would-be competitors both here and abroad. But perhaps this mindset will allow others to take the lead toward network-independent services. U.S. telcos may be surprised, at their peril, by what other carriers such as BT can imagine.

E-mail me at ed.gubbins@penton.com.