"BellSouth, a Partner for Change"
Inter-op Seminar Presentation for
a BellSouth VP
Now that we know each other a little better...
Community Crossroadssm
I want to thank you for joining us today and for your interest in Community Crossroadssm. Well, what is Community Crossroadssm? I can easily tell you what it is not. Community Crossroadssm is not a single technology, new service, pricing plan or organization within BellSouth. Community Crossroadssm is BellSouth's plan for building local information highways...or crossroads.
E-MAIL, FAX, TELECONFERENCE, PC'S, CELLULAR, LAN'S, etc.
A communications explosion is in progress. E-mail, facsimile, teleconferencing, personal computers, cellular phones, LANS, routers, hvb's, bridges ...and the list goes on... are changing the way all of us do business. On the Inter-op floor you will be seeing even more new products, services and applications demos.
And you, as leaders in your industries and communities, are facing a really tough task.
E-MAIL, FAX, TELECONFERENCE, PC'S, CELLULAR, LAN'S, Etc.
WHAT’S NEXT ??????
You must envision the future, and make decisions now about when and how to buy in to this communications explosion. This can be an awesome task to accomplish, especially alone.
Do you ever feel like you're a kid in the candy store?... and all the candy looks good, but you know not all of it will taste good ? And unlike the candy store, the wrong choice could have real consequences for your organization.
HANDSHAKE
EXPERTISE IN YOUR INDUSTRY
EXPERTISE IN COMMUNICATIONS & VISION
You need a partner... one who can provide communications experience... one with a track record for vision.
bellsouth
your communications and vision partner
BellSouth will continue to be the technology planning partner for successful businesses and organizations. We have already committed the funds and begun implementing the strategy to
BELLSOUTH
your local access to the information SUPERHIGHWAY
make the BellSouth network your local access to the information superhighway.
•FIBER
•SONET
•DIGITAL SWITCHING
•SS7 SIGNALING
BellSouth has always been a leader in communications technology understanding and deployment. .
MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE
VISION OF CHANGING COMMUNICATION NEEDS
Today we have one of the most, if not the most sophisticated network in the world
But we can't rest on our laurels... we don't want to forget the "vision thing."
There's an interesting story about Western Union -- soon after the invention of the telephone Western Union had a chance to buy the patent from Mr. Bell. But Western Union's executives decided against it. They believed the telephone would never be widely used. I guess they couldn't imagine that people would prefer talking to each other instead of sending written messages. A failure of imagination that had major impact on their company's future.
DATA
video
IMAGE
VOICE COMMUNICATIONS
Today, we at BellSouth see rapid growth potential for new services that marry data, video, image and voice communications. Students can see and interact with a teacher across the state; patients visiting their family doctor can be examined by a specialist miles away; time-consuming business travel can be reduced to efficient, face to face meetings via teleconference. Area-wide collaborations are possible on local data networks and world-wide collaborations are taking place on the Internet.
•SoNET
•ATM
•FDDI
•+
BellSouth has been upgrading its network with SONET, ATM, FDDI and other emerging technologies to support these new data/image/video services. These are the bedrockof the Information Superhighway.
And it is not just the technology that is changing... but the applications, the way the technology is used is changing too, for a number of reasons.
PERFORMANCE !
PRICE !
First, technology has become more sophisticated and more affordable.
•quantity and depth of information
Secondly, we are in the midst of an explosion of information, and that's forcing us to find new ways of accessing and analyzing information.
•OUTSOURCING
•COLLABORATION
To compete in the global marketplace, companies and institutions are reevaluating the most efficient ways of working -- often finding a leaner, better-equipped workforce is a competitive advantage.... which is leading to more and more need to outsource and collaborate with other entities.
•economic access
Finally, there is a recognized need to improve access to scarce but important resources such as education, industrial training and healthcare. Local information highways can help make those valuable resources available to any community.
communities of interest
•exchange information
•share implementation
As you begin to take advantage of these new technologies and applications, you are likely to reach beyond your company, hospital, government agency, or school system to become part of a community of interest that will exchange information and share in the implementation of these new technologies. This is the new approach Community Crossroadssm is mapping out. It is a new approach for BellSouth as well as for you... our customers.
PASt
developed & tested new technology,
then implemented everywhere
In the past, BellSouth developed technology, tested it, began implementing it everywhere and then sold it to as many individual customers as we could. Trying to sell the same technology everywhere is logical for us and our suppliers, but it doesn't really make sense for you and your customers. Different communities have different priorities, strengths and patterns of growth. A community that is centered around a manufacturing facility has different needs than one where a college or a medical facility provides the major focus.
present
implementation of technology tailored to communities' priorities and goals
BellSouth has introduced Community Crossroadssm, to provide a more tailored, community-centered, approach to implementing new data/image/video services and applications.
PHOTO OF NEW BELLSOUTH AD
And as we say in our ads appearing this week... that plan definitely involves you.
----------------------edit------------------
We have been working to find out what your communities' priorities are, so that we can offer you communications technology that will help you reach your goals more quickly.
community solutions
For example, we can offer a college or university-centered community distance-learning services to expand the student body far beyond its geographic area. If a medical facility is the economic focus of your community, then we'll partner to provide telemedicine applications.
Our aim is to sit down with business and community leaders and find ways to use the communications technologies we have available now, to help that community grow.
advanced communications
•proven& available technology
• path to economic development and quality of life
The technologies we are using to support Community Crossroads applications have been tested and are working successfully for other customers and communities in our region. (You will be hearing from a panel of those customers later in today's seminar.)
Just as highway systems were the roadways to economic development in the past, the Information Superhighway will be the path communities follow toward economic prosperity and improved quality of life in the coming decades. At BellSouth we realize that the economic health of the communities we serve is vital to our growth as a company.
our commitment
•over $500 million for 9 states over next three years
•skills, systems and teams to provide applications
That is why we have committed more than $500 million dollars over the next three years to provide the necessary broadband and narrowband foundation in our 9-state region. We are also putting the necessary skills, systems and teaming arrangements in place to provide the applications you need. We will build the most useful and usable access ramps to the Information Superhighway for the communities in our region.
community of interest
Our new approach, Community Crossroadssm, brings together businesses and institutions with similar service and communications needs into a "community of interest".
COMMUNITY OF INTERest
•MULTIPLE SITES IN ONE ENTERPRISE
•LINKS TO SUPPLIERS & CUSTOMERS
•LINKS TO PEERS & COLLABORATORS
•LINKS TO INFORMATION RESOURCES
A community of interest can include:
•multiple sites within an enterprise, such as a bank with numerous branches, or a manufacturer with widely separated office, plant and warehouse facilities
•links among suppliers and customers, as between a hospital and local pharmacies, physicians and labs
•links among peers and collaborators; for example, an engineering company, an architectural firm and a building contractor can collaborate on-line to change their building plans, and
•links to information sources, such as electronic databases, patient records, government-funded scientific research, and virtually any information you might need from anywhere in the world.
COMMUNITY CROSSROADS
•Local, community-designed electronic highway
•YOU SELECT SERVICES & applications on an as-needed basis
The vision of Community Crossroadssm is to provide a local community- designed electronic highway where you can select services and applications, not technology, on an as-needed basis.
Community Crossroadssm cuts through the tech talk, and focuses on what you are trying to achieve. Tell us your benchmark, what you are shooting for, and we'll tailor a solution that works to help you reach those goals.
optimum mix of technologies
DIGITAL TRANSPORT
SONET ATM
SMDS/CDSTCP/IP
ISDNFDDI ETHERNET
FRAME RELAY
VIDEO SWITCHING & TRANSPORT
To give you some specifics on how we'll build those solutions, Community Crossroadssm utilizes the optimum mix of
broad band and narrowband networks including:
•digital transport
•SONETSMDS/CDSTCP/IP
ISDNFDDIATM
FRAME RELAY
VIDEO SWITCHING & TRANSPORT
END TO END SOLUTION TEAMS
Community Crossroadssm will provide end to end solutions in conjunction with a team of leading hardware, software and professional services providers.
A list of those companies is provided in your information packet.
optimum reliability and survivability
Local networks will be configured for optimum reliability and survivability... with options for additional diversity and/or redundancy.
24 HR./7 DAY
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
•provisioning coordination
•a technical help desk
•maintenance coordination
•network monitoring
Community Crossroadssm will be supported by a regional 24 hr./7 day per week Data Customer Support Center, providing:
•provisioning coordination
•a technical help desk
•maintenance coordination
•network monitoring
MULTIPLE PRICING OPTIONS
•STANDARD TARIFFS
•FLAT & USAGE RATES
•COI SPECIFIC PRICING
•"TRY 'N BUY"
And we're working with our regulators to offer multiple pricing options, including:
•standard tariffs
•flat and usage-based rates
•community-of-interest specific pricing
•and "Try 'n Buy"
Yes, "try 'n buy" means what you think it does. We plan to let you try emerging technologies before you buy them. If, after testing the service for an agreed-to period of time, you find it does not fit your needs, BellSouth will remove the service at no charge.
•AVAILABLE INITIALLY IN 27 COMMUNITIES
•MORE ADDED AS NEEDS ARE IDENTIFIED
Advanced communications services are available right now in 27 communities in the Southeast. In these 27 areas where basic building blocks are in place, once you give us the go-ahead, we can have your service operational within days.
New communities are being added as we find the critical mass of need and willingness to pay. But even in these areas, it can be a matter of weeks to deploy your service.
As I said, we've already tested the Community Crossroadssm technologies -- some businesses and organizations in our region are already using and thriving with advanced communications services. In the remainder of this seminar we'll focus on applications for [healthcare, education, local government, business].
As you listen to [next speaker] and the panel of BellSouth customers, remember that as you and we implement the services we are talking about today, they in turn will spark new solutions, that are yet to be imagined.
change is certain
Change in the ways we communicate is certain. We are ready to help your organization, and your community run more efficiently, provide better customer service, be more competitive and improve the quality of life with our unique approach to delivering advanced technologies.
We are offering in-depth presentations on Healthcare, Education, Local Government and Business applications here at this conference and across the 9-state region in coming months. If you miss one here, or know someone who may want to attend, ask your marketing representative when you'll have another presentation back home.
WHAT WE WANT
MEET
DETERMINE YOUR NEEDS
PROPOSE SOLUTIONS
We are anxious to meet with you and your community of interest, determine your needs and propose solutions that you agree best fit those needs.
BELLSOUTH
a partner for change
Thank you for your generous attention. I look forward to talking with some of you over the next couple of days, and working with all of you to develop the local information highway in your community .