BUFFER'S PERSPECTIVE

An editorial or review section featuring reviews of ISDN/DLS products and service offerings. Bookmark this page for Buffer opinion.

Hi folks! With all of the hoopla over digital phone services these days, and The Internet, Buffer decided to start his own phone company called, interestingly enough, "The Buffer Net". I asked Buffer to generate a requirements document so we can see what he needs to get started.

BUFFER'S FONE COMPANY
REQUIREMENTS LIST:

1. Large golden avatar holding cables in left hand, lightening bolts in right. Quantity: 1.

2. Corporate stationary, embossed w/company logo. Quantity: 250,000,000 sheets.

3. Custom cast manhole covers. Quantity: 50,000

4. Big advertizing agency contract. Quantity: 1

5. Telemarketing sales staff. Quantity: 30,000 individuals

6. Lobbyist. Quantity: 1,000

"Like what?" asked Buffer smugly.

"Well", i began, "there is this little matter of switching infrastructure."

Buffer twirled his expensive pen "We won't be needing any of that. We're just going to purchase infrastructure from other companies then resell it to our customers. We have a contract with hotels all over the country so that when their customers make long distance calls they'll automatically be given our long distance company. I've carefully have chosen a name for that company so that when customers think they are picking a service at random they will really chose ours."

"But Buffer, you've forgotten one thing," I pointed to his list. "This doesn't get you into digital services at all. You're just going after long distance market share. BTW, your marketing strategy seems rather underhanded to me."

"It's all in your perception, "began Buffer, wagging his little tail. Our long distance lines really *are* digital, and our advertising strategy will suggest to our customers that we intend to provide a future level of service where telecommunications are broad based, and ubiquitous. In reality we'll just keep reselling the same over-priced copper based technologies we've had for years. With our huge sales staff we can continually reinvent those same technologies over and over, giving them new names that suggest we are moving forwards."

I patted Buffer on his head "You certainly have learned a lot, but won't you ultimately loose out when other companies that really can provide better services and higher bandwidth get into the marketplace?"

Buffer opened his billfold and began thumbing through it. "That's where my lobbyist come in". "As long as we can convince the FTC that allowing other companies into the market will disrupt a consistent level of things like emergency services we can keep the market for ourselves. So, what do you think?"

"I think your corporate logo looks like a badly drawn zero I said."