AT-AND-T, BT AND NTT - A COMPARISON OF VISION, STRATEGY AND COMPETENCE

AT&T, BT and NTT, the three major telcos to be liberalized in the mid-1980s, face an increasingly similar environment. Yet they have developed fundamentally different beliefs regarding what must be done in order to survive and prosper in this environment. This paper examines the different visions of the companies and the different strategies these companies have chosen to acquire their network elements. While BT has opted to a greater extent for the market, AT&T has chosen in-house development and manufacture. NTT has selected cooperative development with several equipment suppliers, while leaving the manufacture to the suppliers. The advantages and disadvantages of these options are examined.