AT&T Bets a Billion Greenbacks on Development
and Build Outs
| Mar 10, 2008 | Telecom Services | Advisory Report
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Analysts: Counse Broders, Brian Washburn, Kitty Weldon
Summary
This CurrentCast audio report highlights key Current Analysis insights into AT&T’s recent network build out plans, and results of its roadmap for 2008. Brian Washburn, Kitty Weldon, and Counse Broders note their take on the strengths and weakness of the latest carrier moves.
Podcast
Recommended Vendor Actions
• AT&T has made significant efforts in aligning and integrating its wireless and wireline groups, both from internal organizational and customer-facing perspectives. Although this provides them with a better position relative to both U.S. and global carriers, it should be ready for more aggressive competition from the global operators. These competitors are starting to view U.S.-headquartered MNCs or those with substantial communication requirements in the U.S. as target customers, and AT&T needs to make sure it has a comprehensive global mobility story both for global RAS specifically, and for managed mobility services in general.
• AT&T should make public its plans for value-added offerings such as device and security management for both enterprises and SMBs as these kinds of services are becoming increasingly important as drivers of mobility adoption. Similarly the road to FMC is an important one – carriers need to make more public disclosures to offset the hype cycle that is being put in motion by new FMC platform vendors that are touting their own enterprise-managed solutions that do not rely on carrier involvement and are positioned as network-agnostic.
• AT&T’s efforts in the hosting and managed applications market have served it well, and its addition of SAP to its roster completes its stable of established and old school software support for clients needing managed applications support. The company does need to consider how it can help its smaller clients that may find Salesforce.com’s solution more appealing than PeopleSoft, and determine what it can do to enable new school applications.
• AT&T has officially upped its plans for its ULH DWDM network to reach 50,000 route-miles, lit with wavelengths up to SONET OC-768 (40 Gbps). AT&T should add a timetable to reach its goal, since Verizon Business has a similar plan to light 50,000 route-miles with ULH DWDM by 2010.
Recommended User Actions
• End users considering mobility in the enterprise space will find AT&T’s efforts on track to provide a true unified front to delivering solutions that bridge wireline and wireless. In fact, not only does AT&T have a strong position in terms of its network, its 3G deployment plans and its global data roaming footprint, but it is also strong in offering professional services, consulting and integration of third-party line of business applications for key business processes such as FFA, SFA, CRM and fleet management.
• Hosting customers will find AT&T is continuing to beef up its data center support, adding new global hub locations, and ensuring that it meets major demands in the U.S., Europe and Asia. South American customers will be less fortunate.
• Domestic and global enterprises can rest assured that AT&T continues to invest in foundation transport and network components. Besides its domestic ULH DWDM network footprint expansion to 50,000 route-miles, AT&T plans to add an undersea cable route connecting Europe and Asia. AT&T also will enter long-haul VPLS and IPv6, which are components of the U.S. federal government's Networx program.
CLIENTS ONLY
| Client access - Business Network Services - U.S. | More information
| Client access - Internet/Managed Services - U.S. | More information
| Client access - Enterprise Mobility - U.S. | More information
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