We
have lived through tempests and tumult over the past year. At Bell
Canada,
the country’s
largest telecommunications undertaking, we have seen changes in leadership,
changes
in
corporate emphasis and direction, and changes in workforce – the only constant
at Bell seems to be the company’s ability to thrive and prosper. The
Bell Canada portion of BCE remains a source of solace to the bemused BCE shareholder.
The cable and satellite ‘signal provision’ business seemed (relative
to the general telecom
environment) quiet – even banal, this year – although a late season
outrage against the inroads of signal privateers suggests a more bellicose 2003.
In the wireless world, Canadian’s hold-theircollective-breath as we await
news of Fido’s future – to see if ‘the little company that
could’, will.
While Microcell negotiates (and pleads) with bankers, the rest of the
wireless industry ponders the implications of the WiFi revolution to
their expensive
3G business models. Investment analysts question if the wonders of SMS and
wireless
picture transmission will lift industry income statements in the manner of
a Bay of Fundy tide.
2002. Yes, we have indeed had an interesting (albeit, interesting in
the sense, we are told, the Chinese use the term) time over the past
twelve months. For
those who may have forgotten some of the “high”lights, Exhibit 1,
below, may bring back some of the memories – similar, perhaps, to the
way that some of the companies on our death watch, 360 Networks and Group Telecom
being notable, returned to fight again.

|