[转帖] [2014.3.14]Four is a magic number 4是一个有魔力的数字

showcraft

http://www.ecocn.org/thread-197642-1-1.html
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【导读】看通信大佬们如何进入三国时代……


Mobile telecoms
移动通信
Four is a magic number
4是一个有魔力的数字

But operators on both sides of the Atlantic hope to break the spell
大西洋两岸的供应商都想打破魔咒

Mar 15th 2014 | From the print edition




1 IN AMERICA, a price war is threatened. In Europe, combatants in a bloody conflict hope for peace. Both struggles have the same cause: that the number of big mobile-phone operators might be cut from four, the norm in many countries, to three. Regulators have been wary of this, fearing higher prices. In America they remain cautious. But in Europe, where markets are smaller and operators struggling, they may budge.

美国正受到价格战的威胁，欧洲激战的各方渴望和平。两边的斗争都是起于一个缘由：大型移动电话运营商可能从四个，按照许多国家的常规，减少到三个。监管者对此非常审慎，担心出现更高的价格。在美国，他们保持谨慎的态度，但在欧洲，那里的市场更小运营商们竭力苦战，他们可能会有所让步。


2 The talk of war came on March 11th from Masayoshi Son, the boss of Softbank, a Japanese firm that controls Sprint, America’s third-largest mobile operator. Mr Son has his eye on T-Mobile USA, which ranks fourth: he wants to create a bigger rival to the two dominant carriers, AT&T and Verizon. Regulators have received the idea coolly. So has T-Mobile USA.

关于战争的言论是来源于三月十一号软银总裁孙正义的采访，软银是收购了美国第三大移动运营商Sprint的日本公司。孙先生正密切关注排名第四的T-Mobile，他想要打造一个能和占前两大统治地位的运营商AT&T 和 Verizon抗衡的竞争公司。监管者对此态度冷静， T-Mobile USA也是如此。


3 Lately T-Mobile USA—which bought a smallish operator, MetroPCS, last year—has waged a guerrilla campaign against AT&T, which has fought back with price cuts of its own. Mr Son promised no let-up: there would be a “massive price war” if he got his way. He added that a strong third mobile operator could also in time compete with fixed-line broadband, where choice is limited, prices are high and speeds slow.

最近T-Mobile USA收购了一个小型的运营商MetroPCS，这个公司去年和AT&T打了一场游击战，为此AT&T自行降价予以回击。孙先生预示战争不会停止：如果他得偿所愿将会有一场价格大战。他补充到一个强劲的第三大移动运营商迟早会与固网宽带竞争，在这个领域选择少，价格高，速度慢。


4 Hope of peace comes from France, where Free, a cut-price entrant, has been harrying the established operators for two years. According to James Barford of Enders Analysis, a research firm, mobile-service revenues in France fell by 11% last year and by 6% in 2012. Profits have been squeezed hard. Among big European markets, only in Italy and Spain, where recession has been deep and long, have operators suffered more.

和平的渴望是来自法国，在那里新进价格鏖战的Free公司，纠缠了老牌的运营商们两年的时间。根据恩德斯分析公司的詹姆斯•巴福德的调研，去年法国移动服务的收益下降了11%，而2012年下降了6%。利润受到严重挤压。纵观整个欧洲市场，只有意大利和西班牙深陷长时间的经济萧条中，那里的运营商们深受其害。


5 Hostilities may become less intense in France if Bouygues Telecom, the third-biggest operator, buys the second, SFR, from Vivendi, an ex-conglomerate that intends to concentrate on media. On March 5th Bouygues and Numericable, a cable operator, both made offers for SFR. This week Bouygues raised the cash portion of its bid. It is now offering Vivendi