Does An International Carrier Really Make Sense?
Now that Vodafone and NTT are pondering the idea of buying AT&T Wireless, some people are wondering if an international wireless carrier really makes sense. There is clearly the potential for international travelers to benefit, if they can use a single phone and a single service around the world – but just how many of those people are there? Of course, as the article points out, Deutsche Telecom bought VoiceStream and turned it into T-Mobile – and have been enjoying the revenue it generates without closely tying US T-Mobile services to T-Mobile services elsewhere around the globe. The same reasoning (along with falling dollar) may apply to foreign bids for AT&T Wireless. There’s still a lot of upside seen in the US market, whereas some foreign markets are getting saturated.
