Telecom Ramblings

So AT&T decided it could do without 12,000 employees, and is laying them off just in time for the Christmas shopping season.  What can one say?  I truly hope everyone affected lands on their feet as soon as possible.  I’ll bet they didn’t sell the company jet yet though, and those management bonuses will still come through somehow won’t they? 

I doubt we have seen the last of this. As a frequent poster noted in a recent comment, there is an avalanche of landline disconnects forming out there. With the economy hitting hard this winter, people will be thinking about just how many phones they need. And these days a cell phone is often enough, and even if it isn’t then VoIP is cheaper.  So they will stop wavering and start canceling service.  The inevitable result will be a steady stream of layoffs from AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, and the smaller ILECs.  So who’s next up to bat.  Verizon?