By Bobby White
Verizon Communications said Thursday it lost $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2003, attributing it to the costs of an employee buyout in which the company shed 21,000 jobs.
The job reduction cost Verizon, the nation’s largest phone service provider, $3.1 billion.
The cuts were an effort to close the door on a lackluster period and focus on moving forward. Verizon, like SBC Communications, faces stiff competition from smaller phone companies that offer local and long-distance service. In addition, the two phone giants have to deal with a steady decline in wire lines and customers who rely more on cellphones and e-mail.[ read more ]
Puerto Rico Telephone’s New Top Management Will Invest An Additional $160 Million This Year To Launch A New Era Of Technology-Driven Services, Offer Cheaper Intra-Island Long Distance, And Improve Customer Satisfaction
By MARIALBA MARTINEZ
‘Do it right the first time’: President & CEO Cristina Lambert wants Puerto Rico Telephone to become the most respected telecom company on the island. Here’s how she intends to do it.
Imagine sitting at your computer videoconferencing with your son or daughter at the University of Indiana while paying bills through your bank’s electronic checking system. While catching up on the week’s highlights, you continue monitoring your e-mail to find a notice that the movie you rented from an electronic media service will be available for viewing at home over the next three days.
When you get up to go shopping, you will be able to transfer your phone calls from home (that is, if you still have a wireline phone at home) to your wireless device (a phone, a personal digital assistant, or both). You may even be able to transfer only incoming calls from a specific telephone number, allowing the voicemail service at home to record messages for others, which of course you can access from your wireless device at any time.
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Cities want combined Northern Colorado calling area
Fort Collins and Loveland residents tired of paying
long-distance fees for calls to Greeley might get some relief in the next year or so.
But those who rarely place calls outside the city could be stuck with part of the bill.
A group of government and business leaders, including the city of Fort Collins and the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, are among the leading supporters of a move to combine 14 Northern Colorado communities into a single calling area.
The effort was spearheaded by the city of Loveland, which filed an application with the state Public Utilities Commission in October.
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By Colin C. Haley
Inflexion Communications has launched with a new approach to selling Voice over Internet protocol (define) services to cash-strapped municipal governments and nonprofits.
The Detroit firm’s Xtend IP program aims to help public sector decision-makers answer two questions: How do we spend dollars more effectively for communications services? How do we redirect those savings to create commerce or jobs?
It’s equal parts consulting, technology education and community development.
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