The collar is an interesting addition, ... Global Crossing can't match that. It levels the playing field for Qwest.

The collar is an interesting addition. Global Crossing can't match that. It levels the playing field for Qwest.

I don't know if that's really necessary, ... Both AT&T and British Telecom can operate independently -- they both have very good global operations.

I don't know if that's really necessary. Both AT&T and British Telecom can operate independently -- they both have very good global operations.

I don't know how their name got in there.

In a couple of years, this company is going to skyrocket,

It started with AT&T, and it may end with AT&T. They're going to be the premier company in telecommunications services.

It's a great deal. A joint venture doesn't cost (AT&T) as much as a merger would and it gets them into homes and businesses. Michael Armstrong is trying to win the battle from a different angle.

We're talking about some wide and powerful areas and I think that Bell and Nynex calls cover almost a quarter of the country. And the other combination involved California and Texas, the two biggest states in the country, so there are some parallels there.

When you have an industry like the Internet growing like that, and you have the lion's share in providing access to it, you're in good shape.