Ameritech's billion-dollar baby

• Published in: Telephony Vol. 224; no. 6; p. 40
• Main Author: Kohl, Bill
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago Informa 08.02.1993
• Subjects: Case studies; Changes; Corporate culture; Costs; Decision making; Fiber optic communications; Implementations; Success; Telecommunications industry; US
• ISSN: 0040-2656

In March 1992, Ameritech team members agreed that a fiber infrastructure was an absolute requirement for the future needs of its customers. To reach its commitment of deploying fiber in its 5-state region and its promise to triple its fiber capacity by 1995, the company decided to follow a new corporate culture that encouraged empowerment, flattened the decision-making process, strengthend the level of cooperation with vendors, and challenged the traditional way of doing things. Vendors were sought that could commit the resources necessary to accomplish in 4 to 8 weeks what would normally have taken 6 to 8 months. In return, Ameritech promised these vendors easy access to whatever information or data they needed. In the meantime, Ameritech's staff carefully looked at its internal procedures and identified long-standing practices that could be replaced by techniques that would change the cost characteristics of fiber implementation. Today, fiber deployment is on schedule in all 5 states.