PowerShares DB Oil Fund (ETF) (NYSEARCA: DBO) percentage change surged 1.62%, to close at $28.15 and its overall traded volume was P shares during the last session with the total traded volume of E shares. DBO opened the day at $28.43, it made an intraday low of $27.91 and an intraday high of $28.46. The stock has a 52-week range of $22.08-$34.57. DBOs market capitalization is $515.22M and it has outstanding shares.

PowerShares DB Oil Fund (the Fund) is a separate series of PowerShares DB Multi-Sector Commodity Trust (the Trust). The Fund is based on the Deutsche Bank Liquid Commodity Index-Optimum Yield Oil Excess Return (the Index). The Fund is managed by DB Commodity Services LLC (the Managing Owner). The Index is a rules-based index composed of futures contracts on Light Sweet Crude Oil (WTI) and is intended to reflect the performance of crude oil.

Dex One Corporation (NYSE: DEXO) gained 32.36%, to close at $1.03 and its overall traded volume was 5.56M shares during the last session the stock had average daily volume of 778,968.00 shares. DEXO opened at $0.88 and is trading within the range of $0.83-$1.14. The 52-week range of the stock is $0.36-$9.42. DEXOs market capitalization is $51.74M and it has 50.23M outstanding shares. Dex One Corporation, formerly R. H. Donnelley Corporation (RHD), is a marketing services company that helps local businesses to reach consumers. It offers local businesses personalized marketing consulting services and exposure across a network of local marketing products, including its print, online and mobile yellow pages and search solutions, as well as search engines. Through its Dex Advantage, clients’ business information is published and marketed through a single profile and distributed via a variety of both owned and operated products, and through other local search products. On May 28, 2009, RHD and its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 relief under the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. RHD emerged from Chapter 11 relief under Title 11 of the United States Code on January 29, 2010 (Effective Date). On the Effective Date and in connection with its emergence from Chapter 11, RHD was renamed Dex One Corporation.

Evergreen Energy Inc. (NYSEARCA: EEE) surged 119.05%, to close at $0.460 and its overall traded volume was P shares during the last session with the total traded volume of E shares. EEE shares were trading within the range of $0.24-$0.48 while its opening price was $0.26. The stock has a 52-week range of $0.14-$4.98. At current market price, the market capitalization of the company stands at $12.74M and it has 27.69M outstanding shares. Evergreen Energy Inc. (Evergreen Energy) is a cleaner coal technology, energy production and environmental solutions company focused on developing technologies. The Company developed two green technologies: the GreenCert suite of software and services and K-Fuel. GreenCert technology is an environment intelligence solution that measures greenhouse gases (GHG) and other environmental costs enabling customers to manage and report their environmental assets and liabilities. It is built on IBMs Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). K-Fuel is a clean coal technology, which improves the performance of low-rank coals yielding. It operates under four segments: GreenCert segment, the Plant segment, the Mining segment and the Technology segment.

First Trust DJ Internet Index Fund (ETF) (NYSEARCA: FDN) surged 4.47%, to close at $31.36 and its overall traded volume was P shares during the last session against its average volume of E. FDN shares were trading within the range of $30.80-$31.39 while its opening price was $30.84. The 52-week range of the stock is $27.64-$38.25. At current market price, the market capitalization of the company stands at $484.82M and it has outstanding shares. First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the Dow Jones Internet Composite Index (the Index). The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise the Index. The Index represents companies that generate the majority of their revenues via the Internet. The Index aims to represent 80% of the float-adjusted Internet equity universe. The Index contains two sub-indexes, the Dow Jones Internet Commerce Index and the Dow Jones Internet Services Index. For its stock to be eligible for the universe, a company must generate at least 50% of annual sales/revenues from the Internet, and be included in the Dow Jones U. S. Index. The Fund’s investment advisor is First Trust Advisors L. P.

First Trust SP REIT Index Fund (ETF) (NYSEARCA: FRI) percentage change grew 2.22%, to close at $14.27 and its overall traded volume was P shares during the last session against its average volume of E. FRI opened the day at $14.36, it made an intraday low of $14.16 and an intraday high of $14.41. The 52-week range of the stock is $12.56-$16.79. FRIs market capitalization is $325.27M and it has outstanding shares. First Trust SP REIT Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield of an equity index called the SP United States REIT Index (the Index). The Index measures the securitized United States real estate investment trust (REIT) market and maintains a constituency that reflects the composition of the overall REIT market. The Index contains securities selected for market representation according to geography and property type. All securities in the Index satisfy the Indexs liquidity, price and market capitalization requirements. The Standard Poors Index Committee maintains the Index. The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its assets in common stocks that comprise the Index. The Fund’s investment advisor is First Trust Advisors L. P.

In this article, via an analysis (based on the latest available Q3 institutional 13-F filings) of the investing activities of the world largest fund managers managing between $100 billion and over a trillion dollars, we identify the e-commerce company stocks that are being accumulated and those being distributed by these mega managers. We then crossed that data with the e-commerce companies that are trading at value prices, based on their projected earnings for FY 2012, operating cash flow on a trailing-twelve-month TTM basis, and other valuation measures such as price to book (P/B) and price to sales PSR ratios, and came up with a list of undervalued companies in the e-commerce group that are being accumulated by these mega fund managers, and those being distributed by them. The list includes prominent managers such as Wellington Management ($1.6 trillion in total assets under management), Vanguard Group ($1.4 trillion), Fidelity Investments ($640 billion), T Rowe Price ($330 billion), and Goldman Sachs Asset Management ($580 billion), among others.

Based on our analysis, we determined that mega fund managers are bullish on e-commerce stocks, and are over-weight in the group. During the September quarter, these mega fund managers together added a net $1.80 billion to their $67.47 billion prior quarter position in the group, selling $3.71 billion and buying $5.51 billion worth of stocks in the group. Furthermore, overall they are overweight in the group by a factor of 1.2; that is, taken together mega funds have invested 1.3% of their capital in the e-commerce group companies compared to the 1.1% weighting of the group in the overall market.

The following are the e-commerce group companies that mega fund managers are bullish about, and that are also trading at a discount to their peers in the group:

eBay Inc. (EBAY): EBAY is a leading provider of online marketplaces and electronic payment services via ebay.com and paypal.com. At $16.95 billion, this is the second largest position for mega funds in the e-commerce group, including cutting a minor $237 million in Q3. Also, together mega funds hold 44.2% of the outstanding shares, significantly more than their 32.6% weighting in the group. The top buyers were Wellington Capital Management ($231 million), Fidelity Investments ($143 million) and Neuberger Berman Group ($108 million). The top holders are Wellington Capital Management ($2.20 billion), Janus Capital Management ($2.08 billion) and Fidelity Investments ($1.94 billion).

Overall, 746 institutions hold 81% of company shares, with Wellington, Janus and Fidelity being the top holders with 5.7%, 5.4%, and 5.1% of the outstanding shares respectively. EBAY trades at a discount 12-13 forward P/E compared to the 71 average for its peers in the e-commerce group, while earnings are projected to rise at a 15.6% compound growth rate from $1.73 in 2010 to $2.31 in 2012. Also, it trades at 2.2 P/B and 12.2 P/CF compared to averages of 5.4 and 19.1 respectively for its peers in the e-commerce group.

Priceline.com Inc. (PCLN): PCLN, the pioneer of name-your-own price service, is a diversified online travel services company. It provides airline ticket, hotel room, car rental, vacation package, and cruise services through Priceline.com. Mega funds added a net $502 million to their $10.22 billion prior quarter position, and taken together mega funds hold 44.9% of the outstanding shares, significantly greater than their 32.6% weighting in the group. The top buyers were T Rowe Price ($548 million) and Fidelity Investments ($163 million); and the top holders are T Rowe Price ($1.82 billion), Fidelity Investments ($1.41 billion), Vanguard Group ($928 million), Ameriprise Financial ($914 million) and State Street Corp. ($820 million).

Overall, 602 institutions hold company shares, with T Rowe Price, Fidelity and Marsico Capital Management ($964 million) being the largest holders with 7.6%, 5.9% and 4.2% of the outstanding shares respectively. PCLN trades at a discount 16 forward P/E compared to the 58 average for its peers in the Internet Services group, while earnings are projected to rise at a 49.0% compound growth rate from $13.49 in 2010 to $29.96 in 2012. Also, it trades at 9.6 P/B and 19.2 P/CF compared to averages of 3.6 and 29.4 respectively for its peers in the Internet Services group.

Expedia Inc. (EXPE): EXPE is one of the largest online travel companies in the world, and provides travel products and services to leisure and corporate travelers, offline retail travel agents, and travel service providers through a portfolio of brands. These include its flagship Expedia.com website, and also Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Venere, TripAdvisor.com, Classic Vacations, Expedia Local Expert, and Egencia. Mega funds added a net $32 million to their $1.94 billion prior quarter position, and taken together mega funds hold 26.8% of the outstanding shares, slightly less than their 32.6% weighting in the group. The top holders are Capital World Investors ($444 million), Vanguard Group ($281 million), State Street Corp. ($195 million) and Goldman Sachs Asset Management ($168 million).

Overall, 422 institutions hold 81.8% of company shares, with Capital World, Vanguard, Pennant Capital Management ($205 million), Davis Selected Advisors ($191 million) and State being the largest holders with 6.9%, 4.4%, 3.3%, 3.0% and 3.0% of the outstanding shares respectively. EXPE trades at a discount 12 forward P/E compared to the 58 average for its peers in the Internet Services group, while earnings are projected to rise at a 13.2% compound growth rate from $1.70 in 2010 to $2.18 in 2012. Also, it trades at 2.4 P/B and 6.7 P/CF compared to averages of 3.6 and 29.4 respectively for its peers in the Internet Services group.

Select stocks that mega funds as a group are bearish on (see Table) include online movie rental subscription services provider Netflix Inc. (NFLX), in which they cut $103 million from a $1.40 billion prior quarter position, and Chinese online retailer e-Commerce China Dangdang Inc. (DANG), in which they cut $3 million from a $14 million prior quarter position (representing only 2.9% of the outstanding shares). Furthermore, besides the undervalued positions listed above, mega funds as a group are also bullish on leading online retailer Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), in which they added $1.12 billion to their $31.43 billion prior quarter position, Chinese Internet TV and video-streaming services provider Youku.com Inc. (YOKU), in which they added $86 million to their $271 million prior quarter position, and China-based consolidator of hotel accommodations and airline tickets Ctrip.com International Ltd. (CTRP), in which they added $87 million to their $1.45 billion prior quarter position.

Table

Click to enlarge

General Methodology and Background Information: The latest available institutional 13-F filings of over 30+ mega hedge fund and mutual fund managers were analyzed to determine their capital allocation among different industry groupings, and to determine their favorite picks and pans in each group.

These mega fund managers number less than one percent of all funds, and yet they control almost half of the US equity discretionary fund assets. The argument is that mega institutional investors have the resources and the access to information, knowledge and expertise to conduct extensive due diligence in informing their investment decisions. When mega Institutional Investors invest and maybe even converge on a specific investment idea, the idea deserves consideration for further investigation. The savvy investor may then leverage this information as a starting point to conduct his own due diligence.

This article is part of a series on institutional holdings in various industry groups and sectors, and other articles in the series for this and prior quarters can be accessed from our author page.

Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

Disclaimer: Material presented here is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this article should be taken as a solicitation to purchase or sell securities. Before buying or selling any stock you should do your own research and reach your own conclusion. Further, these are our lsquo;opinions and we may be wrong. We may have positions in securities mentioned in this article. You should take this into consideration before acting on any advice given in this article. If this makes you uncomfortable, then do not listen to our thoughts and opinions. The contents of this article do not take into consideration your individual investment objectives so consult with your own financial adviser before making an investment decision. Investing includes certain risks including loss of principal.

SAN DIEGO, Nov 30, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
Endeka Group, Inc., a leading end-to-end Wireless Internet Services
Provider (WISP) and Managed Services Operator (MSO) for wireless
internet systems, announced today a USD $4.2 million venture debt
financing by Agility Lease Fund-lll, LLC and Trinity Capital Investment,
LLC, two privately held firms specializing in financing and consulting
for the Broadband Industry.

“Bringing Agility and Trinity on board as our newest sources of
financing will allow us to continue to expand our capital base for
growth into new markets,” said Endeka President, Tim Rout. “We are very
pleased at the expertise, validation and credibility that these new
partnerships bring.”

“We are very excited to be a part of this project and providing services
to the hard working men and women of our Armed Services,” said Bill
MacNamara, Vice President of Agility Ventures, LLC. “This is a great
opportunity for us to partner with the Endeka team and to once again
work with our friends at Trinity Capital Investment.”

“We are pleased to provide financing for Endeka and their business model
which includes providing a valuable and cost effective service for our
country’s military personnel. We are equally pleased to be growing our
partnership with Agility by co-funding another transaction in a market
that they have strong operating experience,” said Steven Brown,
President of Trinity Capital Investment.

The funding from Agility Ventures and Trinity Capital will support the
expansion of Endeka’s wireless internet services in high demand markets
throughout the U.S.

About Endeka Group, Inc.

Founded in 2008, Endeka Group, Inc.,

http://www.EndekaGroup.com

is an end-to-end Wireless Internet Services Provider (WISP) and Managed
Services Operator (MSO) for campus/MDU wireless internet systems. The
company’s engineers and technologists have been building solutions for
government and corporate sites since 2004. In funding, design,
implementation and 24×7 customer care the firm emphasizes innovative but
proven solutions for internet, VoIP and IPTV.

About Agility Ventures, LLC

Agility Ventures specializes in leasing, financing and consulting for
early-stage technology companies. Fully owned and managed by experienced
executives, Agility has been offering sound, reliable opportunities to
investors since 2004. Agility creates valuable relationships between
their investors and the companies they invest in that result in
financial benefits to both the investor and the companies being funded.
For more information visit
www.agilityventures.com .

About Trinity Capital Investment, LLC

TCI provides equipment lease and fixed asset debt financing to early
stage and emerging growth companies, which allows the customer to
leverage, maximize and extend its equity investment. TCI will finance
most industries and a wide range of assets and will fund transactions
ranging from $500,000 up to $5,000,000 with the ability to fund larger
transactions with syndicate partners. TCI manages and invests its own
capital and can react quickly to market opportunities.

SOURCE: Endeka Group, Inc.

Endeka Group, Inc.
Tim Rout, 858-227-9434
Tim.Rout@EndekaGroup.com
or
Agility Lease Fund-lll, LLC
Bill MacNamara, 928-541-0771
bmacnamara@agilityventures.com
or
Trinity Ventures LP
Steven Brown, 480-374-5351
sbrown@trincapinvestment.com

Copyright Business Wire 2011

For foreigners who are or planning on living in Tunisia, it is easy to stay in touch with friends, family and acquaintances inside and outside the country, thanks to the services provided by different phone and internet companies.

There are three major phone companies in Tunisia: Tunisiana, Tunisie Telecom and Orange. In order to get a land line, Tunisie Telecom or Orange provide the service. Tunisie  Telecom takes care of setting the line in the location needed. However, when using Orange, a Flybox can be individually set up, and also provides internet at the same time.

Additionally, getting a local SIM card instead of using an international one is a more common and a far more affordable option. Agencies of Tunisie Telecom, Tunisiana, and Orange provide SIM cards with different offers according to the type and amount of calls needed. Numbers provided by Tunisie Telecom usually start with 9, those by Tunisiana start with 2 and others by Orange start with 5. It is noteworthy to mention that it is cheaper to call users of the same cell phone provider.

As for the internet services, regular internet providers are available: Globalnet, Topnet, Hexabyte, and Orange (formally known as Planet). Another solution would be getting a 3G key for a laptop or a phone. Tunisie Telecom and Orange provide the service for different prices, depending on the period of time needed.

Once internet access is provided, using Skype to call or video chat with people abroad would be the most affordable solution as it is free.

BlackBerry services are available at Tunisie Telecom, Tunisiana and Orange. In fact, most providers sell smart phones that are cheaper than BlackBerry, with access to the internet and different applications.

Related posts:

1. Orange and China Telecom Sign Strategic Partnership
2. Tunisiana Launches “SOS Minute” Program
3. ATI Disputes Judgment Ordering Censorship of Pornographic Web Sites
4. Partnership Signed Between Tunisian Postal Service and Tunisiana
5. Sale of .tn Domain Names Causes Disagreement Over Internet Freedom

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) kicked off a unique marketing campaign this week in the Washington, DC, area in which it is using social media to pitch its FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services to adults ages 25 to 39 that live in multiple dwelling units.

Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) and US pay-
TV companies, weighing how to profit from surging Internet
demand spurred by Netflix Inc. (NFLX) and Hulu, are on the verge of
instituting new fees on Web-access customers who use the most.

At least one major cable operator will institute so-called
usage-based billing next year, predicts Craig Moffett, an
analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein amp; Co. in New York. He said Cox
Communications Inc., Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) or Time Warner
Cable may be first to charge Web-access customers for the amount
of data they consume, not just transmission speed.

“As more video shifts to the Web, the cable operators will
inevitably align their pricing models,” Moffett said in an
interview. “With the right usage-based pricing plan, they can
embrace the transition instead of resisting it.”

US providers like Time Warner Cable have weighed usage-
based plans for years as a way to squeeze more profit from Web
access, and to counter slowing growth and rising program costs
in the TV business. While customer complaints hampered earlier
attempts, pay-TV companies are testing usage caps and price
structures that point to the advent of permanent fees.

“We’re basically a broadband provider,” Peter Stern,
chief strategy officer for New York-based Time Warner Cable,
said Nov. 17 at the Future of Television conference in New York.
“As a convenience for our customers, we package and distribute
television and provide service around that.”

Google (GOOG) Deterrent

Rogers Communications Inc., the largest Canadian cable
company, has been billing broadband customers based on
consumption since 2008. US providers ATamp;T Inc. (T) and St. Louis-
based Suddenlink Communications LLC are experimenting with
usage-based plans.

Cable companies see usage-based billing as a way to limit
the appeal of online services like Netflix and Hulu LLC, and
reduce the threat from new entrants like Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and
Google Inc.

“It’s the reason why Apple or Google would inevitably be
reticent about committing a significant amount of capital to an
online video model,” Moffett said. “You can’t simply assume
just because you can buy the content more cheaply, you can offer
a product that’s cheaper to the end user.”

Netflix and Hulu’s subscription services have driven up Web
usage at peak hours once reserved for watching TV. Google,
Amazon, Apple (AAPL) Inc. and premium channels HBO and Showtime have
also put shows online and followed viewers onto mobile devices
like iPads and Android tablets.

Web Demand

While demand for Web service grows, cable operators are
battling to preserve profit in the mature pay-TV business and
withstand competition from satellite carrier DirecTV (DTV), Verizon
Communications Inc. (VZ)’s FiOS and ATamp;T’s U-Verse. Programmers like
Walt Disney Co. (DIS)’s ESPN are also demanding higher fees.

Time Warner Cable, the second-largest US cable operator
behind Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), lost 126,000 pay-TV accounts in the third
quarter.

The incentives to focus on Web access are compelling.
Cable’s broadband gross margins are about 95 percent, versus 60
percent for video, according to Moffett. As programming costs
increase nearly 10 percent a year, video margins are crimped, he
said.

Time Warner Cable is testing meters to measure broadband
consumption for the purpose of tiered pricing, Chief Executive
Officer Glenn Britt said in June. In April, he said usage-based
billing is “inevitable.” A previous attempt in 2009 was
abandoned amid customer complaints.

Low-Impact Users

“Some form of usage-based billing might have some utility
for customers who use the Internet very little, or only use low-
bandwidth applications like e-mail,” said Alex Dudley, a Time
Warner Cable spokesman.

ATamp;T, based in Dallas, charges digital subscriber line, or
DSL, customers who exceed a monthly limit of 150 gigabytes in
three consecutive months $10 extra for every additional 50
gigabytes of data they use.

Suddenlink, with about 1.4 million customers in states
including Missouri, Arizona, Texas and North Carolina, began
instituting usage caps in some markets in October. Users pay $10
for each 50 gigabytes they use over their monthly allowance.

Data usage is surging by almost 50 percent a year, Chief
Executive Officer Jerry Kent said in an interview. Suddenlink’s
broadband revenue rose 12 percent in the third quarter, versus a
1.6 percent gain from pay-TV.

“Our video business is challenged,” Kent said. “My
broadband margins are double my video margins.”

Movie Quotas

Cox, the third-largest US cable company, segments Web-
access customers based on data speed, allowing those who
purchase faster service to use more data overall.

While those who exceed the caps aren’t charged, they are
told to reduce usage or choose a different plan, said Todd
Smith, a spokesman for Atlanta-based Cox. He wouldn’t say
whether Cox will start charging based on total data used.

Comcast, based in Philadelphia, and St. Louis-based
Charter, No. 4 in the US, have instituted caps large enough
that most customers aren’t affected. Neither charges overage
fees, nor do they have near-term plans to charge subscribers
based on consumption, according to Comcast spokeswoman Jennifer Khoury and Charter’s Anita Lamont.

The standard cap for Comcast, Charter, Cox and Suddenlink
is 250 gigabytes per month. That’s enough for a household to
send or receive 12,000 one-page e-mails and watch 60 standard-
definition movies with excess capacity for other tasks,
according to Suddenlink.

Netflix Protests

Netflix steers customers with enough bandwidth toward high-
definition movies, which soak up about double the data. If the
average US household, which watches more than five hours of
television a day, were to transfer all that viewing to an
online, high-definition source, their usage would total almost
10 gigabytes a day and break through the current caps.

Charging by Web usage, cable companies may discourage
customers from dropping traditional pay-TV service and slow the
growth of Netflix, Hulu and an expanding list of online
alternatives, Moffett said.

The possibility of usage-based pricing has brought protests
from Los Gatos, California-based Netflix and warnings from
Charlie Ergen, chairman of rival Dish Network Corp. (DISH), which
operates the Blockbuster movie-rental business.

$20 Surcharge?

“That Netflix subscription of $7.99 could go to an extra
$20 a month for bit streaming,” Ergen said during Dish’s
conference call on Nov. 7, making a total monthly subscription
“the equivalent of $27.99.”

Consumption-based pricing is anti-competitive if the goal
of broadband providers is to boost revenue by diminishing the
value of rivals, wrote Netflix General Counsel David Hyman in a
July Wall Street Journal editorial.

The practice “is not in the consumer’s best interest as
consumers deserve unfettered access to a robust Internet at
reasonable rates,” said Steve Swasey, a Netflix spokesman.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski publicly supported usage-based pricing in December,
a victory for cable companies concerned that usage-based billing
would run afoul of net neutrality rules prohibiting Internet
services from favoring one form of content for another.

While lower caps may slow the online shift, cable companies
won’t be able to stop it. According to media researcher SNL
Kagan, about 12.1 million US households will receive TV shows
and movies from Internet services rather than a traditional pay
TV provider by 2015, up from 2.5 million homes at the end of
2010, SNL Kagan estimates.

Cable’s best option is to find ways to profit from the
online shift, said Moffett. If the companies were to lose all of
their video customers, the revenue decline would be more than
offset by a lower programming fees and set-top box spending, he
said.

“In the end, it will be the best thing that ever happened
to the cable industry,” Moffett said.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Alex Sherman in New York at
asherman6@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Anthony Palazzo at
apalazzo@bloomberg.net;
Peter Elstrom at
pelstrom@bloomberg.net

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So what might the near future look like?

Not all web services will erect tollbooths. Email has been bundled with net access since the very first consumer internet services in the early 1990s, and its comparatively cheap to operate today. Web advertising will continue to grow, too. But for all web service companies, the pressure to maximise their income will increase. When half a billion people spend more time on Facebook than they do watching TV, Facebooks current revenue strategy looks miserly and foolish – it makes no sense to leave so much consumer surplus on the table. Businesses are not charities, remember, and nor are their investors.

But if telecomms companies wish to grab a slice of this, Crawshaw and Wisch have some advice for them. They should get over their mid-life crisis and forget about becoming consumer video sites or social networks, Samp;P reckon:

Telecom operators have no greater chance of being our entertainment provider than our electricity provider or our bank.

Just as electricity companies have no say on how we consume the electricity in our homes (for powering a PC or a TV) our telco provider is unlikely to be our entertainment provider longer term. Telcos claim their billing relationship with customers gives them a competitive advantage. However, utility companies also have a billing relationship with us yet we wouldn’t want to buy music from them.

With all the glamour surrounding internet services, telco executives are reluctant to see themselves as mere utilities. It will take time but eventually we believe most telcos will admit defeat and retreat to their core business of network operations.

Very droll. ®

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