John Linton Some times I wonder whether I am capable of understanding some of the issues with which any Australian communications company, or probably any other type of company, becomes involved in. I understand that the aging process gradually diminishes the mental acuity with which any person is born and I would be no exception to that. I also see examples, Rupert Murdoch springs to mind, of people whose cerebral powers appear, if anything, to become sharper as they age. Perhaps this a particularly bad week - but I seem to be struggling to comprehend several issues with which I am currently involved with more than one other 'party' so I don't know whether my mental powers have begun to decline at an even steeper rate than previously or whether the current turmoil in the various services we provide has reached a point where less and less people really know what they are doing.
It is only the fourth day of the week but it appears as though it is at least the 24th day of the week to me I feel so mentally jaded at the thought of trying to understand just what the various issues with which I am confronted actually mean let alone where to start in making any decisions as to what Exetel should do about them. This includes discussions with suppliers, discussions with possible new suppliers, discussions with possible 'partners' and discussions within Exetel itself with people who are acting strangely. With that preponderance of evidence it would seem to me that it is me rather than everyone else I discuss things with that is the problem....which is a pretty significant problem when you come to consider the implications. But is it really me.......consider some of the situations I am going to have to deal with this coming morning:
1) Meet with Telstra to try and comprehend why, if Exetel is to benefit from a small price reduction in ADSL1 port charges, we have to accept a new charge on back hauls that is greater than the port cost reduction?
2) Try to understand why Optus has just decreased their retail wireless broadband prices to below our wholesale buy price and having told us that we must limit wireless broadband plans to 5 gb (with a tiny percentage allowed to be 8 gb) have also begun offering 10 gb plans....and just what we now do
3) Try to understand why "nothing will change" in our relationship with AAPT despite the fact that they have publicly stated that they are going to sell the remainder of the company as soon as they can get the right price and what that means in terms of what we need to do now and moving forward.
4) Meet with a putative 'partner' and try to make Exetel's position clear that we don't regard giving control of our company to someone else for share scrip that as far as we can see is worthless without both giving offense or giving too much highly confidential information away that could damage our business.
...and that is just the first four issues to be addressed today - ignoring the requirements of running the business.
Personally, I think the current frantic movements by all and sundry in the communications business is an indication that less people now know what they are doing than ever before. It could well be that this is a good thing for customers generally in the immediate present and short term and it may well be that it all turns out for the best in the medium and long term. It just isn't very pleasant to be trying to make sensible decisions that have some chance of producing beneficial results for your company, your customers and everyone else involved in your tiny part of Australian commerce.
I hope that today proves to be more productive than it currently looks as though its going to be and that I can keep my sanity......where did I put Alice's mobile number...I need some hands on advice in how to deal with multiple Red Queens.
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