AT&T MISSES THE MARK WITH U-VERSE

By James Carlini

It’s time for a total shake-up of AT&T executives who think they understand the market for high-speed services to residential customers. Take it from someone who worked at Bell Labs and got a ton of real network infrastructure training in the Bell System: Get rid of them because they do not understand what is needed in today’s work-at-home, telecommuter market.

Where is the strategy at AT&T when it comes to their flagship product, U-Verse? It certainly doesn’t address the realities of today’s work-at-home executive who may need a second and secure line for their corporate connection.

As a U-Verse customer with the total package of Voice, Data and TV, I wanted to get another line for data for my wife who needs a separate line for her company. I talked to the AT&T customer service representative and there was no solution. Her response was that I could get a dial-up line (which did me no good), but no second U-Verse line to give me that multi-megabit speed that was needed.

No second line? No multi-megabit speed second line? That is a marketing strategy decision, not a technical or engineering restriction. I was shocked there was no solution to something that is common across families who have people who telecommute.

I was not asking them I needed a network solution for a 30-person call center in my basement. I just wanted a second, secure, separate line for my wife’s corporate needs.

RESIDENTIAL NETWORK DIVERSITY

With more people getting the approval to “work at home”, horse-and-buggy solutions that do not address the realities of the 21st century work environment should be questioned.

My solution is to go with another carrier and get that second data line installed which will also give me real network diversity if something should happen to my AT&T connection.

In my case, I am looking at using COMCAST service at
16Mbps for a data line. If AT&T cannot provide me a “real” second line, I will go to a second carrier.

This should be a whole new niche market for carriers like COMCAST, Time-Warner, and others who can provide 21st century network diversity instead of incumbents trying to pitch an obsolete marketing strategy that dates back to the horse-and-buggy days. (one building, one central office connection)

Forget calling (and waiting a long time) to get a pseudo-solution from AT&T. Call another carrier.

Putting a vinyl top on a stagecoach and slapping a couple of NASCAR decals on it while telling you “it’s the latest and fastest in transportation today” in the era of the space shuttle doesn’t cut it.

With all the radical evolution of Smartphones and tablets as new edge technology, the standard copper-based one-line to your house approach is obsolete on so many levels. New edge technology is pushing for gigabit speeds. As I have preached for almost a decade now, one gigabit to the end-user should be the base speed objective, not 10 or even 100 Mbps.

In consulting cutting-edge corporations, I stress the need for network diversity when it comes to supporting mission critical applications. This type of mindset should also be used when looking at your own home if you are involved in any work-at-home scenario. We are at that point.

The cost is not high and the big incumbent, AT&T, not having a cost-effective solution for a simple network request speaks volumes about the clueless drones they have hired as corporate executives. I wasn’t asking for fiber to the house.

Having network diversity for your home communications is not an unreachable concept, it is more a modern-day, work-environment reality.

AT&T get back to the drawing boards. Better yet, get some better executive strategists. The ones you have couldn’t hit the side of a barn with their paintbrush.

The Carlini Challenge: At any Conference, bring your Executive Strategist to talk on a panel discussion and I will debate the issues. AND – no prepared, written statements. Let’s see how good they do by just standing on their feet, talking about what they know and defending their policies.

Maybe that should be the new screening technique for hiring (and retaining) AT&T execs. Stop relying on search firms that push resumes with current buzzwords and flowery, politically correct corporate-speak, instead of brute experience and political accuracy.

When it comes to understanding today’s high-speed residential needs, AT&T execs are all hat, and no cattle.

CARLINI-ISM: When it comes to market strategies, “No-brainers” are not comprehended by those who have no brains.

COPYRIGHT 2014 – James Carlini