Telco TV (Take 2)

Miscellaneous

from the gotta-compete dept

As the cable companies are increasingly encroaching on the world of telecom companies, the telcom companies are realizing they may need to go on the offensive. Originally, the two companies fought over a middle ground: high speed internet connections – which was an open field in the late 90s. Now, however, cable companies are increasingly looking to offer phone service over their cable lines, and so folks at the phone companies are realizing that it might make sense for them to move in the other direction and start offering television service over the phone lines. Lots of people had talked about this in the late 90s, but very few phone companies actually did anything – which was probably a good idea. Now, however, the timing may be right. The technology has gotten both better and cheaper, and the competitive pressure means that the longer the wait, the tougher it may get from here on out.