PHONE MONOPOLIES TO CRUMBLE 

FOR YEARS, THE MOST SECURE, LONG-RANGE INVESTMENT WAS TELEPHONE COMPANY STOCK. FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS THEY HAVE HAD AN EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE TO THE BEST "MONEY-TREE" IN TOWN. THAT ECONOMIC FORTRESS IS ABOUT TO CRACK.

U.S. SPRINT, THE "NEW" PHONE COMPANY, IS LEADING THE WAY WITH THEIR LATEST MOVE: SELLING THEIR ENTIRE "OLD-TECHNOLOGY" MICROWAVE $1.7 BILLION CONTINENTAL PHONE SYSTEM. WHY? THEY ARE GOING ALL- DIGITAL, FIBRE-OPTICAL ... AND FAST.

ALREADY 70 PERCENT OF THEIR TRAFFIC HAS BEEN SHIFTED TO THEIR NATIONAL FIBRE-OPTIC NETWORK, AND, WITHIN 60 DAYS, THEY WILL BE HANDLING 90 PERCENT OF THEIR TRAFFIC VIA THIS NEW, STATE-OF-THE-ART SYSTEM. THEIR PRICES ARE ALREADY AMONG THE LOWEST.

THEIR "OLD" SYSTEM, BUILT WAY BACK IN 1984 -- WITH SOME CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS MADE JUST LAST YEAR -- IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF JUST HOW FAST YOU HAVE TO MOVE IN THIS NEW AGE MERELY TO KEEP UP WITH THE TECHNOLOGY. SO IF YOU NEED MORE THAN 400 MICRO-WAVE RELAY TOWERS, 9,670 MILES OF ANALOG AND DIGITAL TRANSMISSION ROUTES COMPLETE WITH EARTH STATIONS, REPEATERS, JUNCTIONS AND END TERMINALS AND HUNDREDS OF LEASED AND OWNED REAL ESTATE SITES, GIVE U.S. SPRINT A CALL.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO YOU? CONSIDER THE REGULAR PRICE INCREASES WE ALL GET FROM OUR PHONE AND CABLE COMPANIES. THEY ARE ALL USING OLD TECHNOLOGY. SOME OF IT IS REALLY OLD -- LIKE 50 YEAR OLD MECHANICAL SWITCHERS. WITHIN A FEW YEARS NEW COMPANIES WILL POSSIBLY OFFER TO COMPLETELY REWIRE ENTIRE CITIES WITH FIBRE-OPTIC CABLES. THEIR BIG SELLING POINT? OFFERING NOT TO RAISE PHONE OR CABLE RATES FOR SEVERAL YEARS IF THEY CAN OPERATE IN YOUR MUNICIPALITY! THEY WON'T EVEN ASK FOR AN EXCLUSIVE MONOPOLY! THEY WILL ALSO OFFER FREE A HOST OF NEW SERVICES SUCH AS TELESHOPPING, TELEBANKING, AND ACCESS TO COMPUTERIZED LOCAL DATA BANKS. THEY WILL PROVIDE MORE THAN 200 CABLE CHANNELS, MANY INTERNATIONAL, FOR LITTLE MORE THAN THE CURRENT COST FOR 25. THEY CAN AFFORD TO DO THIS BECAUSE THEY WILL HAVE HUNDREDS OF OTHER "CHANNELS" TO SELL TO BUSINESS. CHANNELS THAT CAN CARRY VOICE, DATA AND VIDEO CONFERENCING SIMULTANEOUSLY AT VERY COMPETITIVE RATES.

WHEN THEY ANNOUNCE SUCH AN OFFER PUBLICLY YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL WILL RECEIVE SO MUCH PRESSURE FROM YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS, THAT THEY IN TURN WILL HEAT UP PROVINCIAL AND FEDERAL CABINETS. THOSE POLITICIANS WILL THEN BE FORCED TO REMOVE ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING INDUSTRIAL AGE MONOPOLIES: THE PHONE COMPANY. IT HAS ALREADY PARTIALLY HAPPENED IN THE U.S.A. IT WILL EVENTUALLY HAPPEN WORLDWIDE. REMEMBER YOU READ IT HERE FIRST. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: WOOD KINNARD, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PLANNING, U.S. SPRINT CORPORATION, #800, 9300 METCALF, OBERLAND PARK, KANSAS 66212.

TEL 800/548-4825.

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