The news on jobs has not been good lately. There is a bright spot, though, one that has the potential to created thousands of good, well-paying jobs. As AT&T’s Adam Grzybicki, president of AT&T Oregon/Idaho/Montana, explains, it is AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA. Grzybicki, writing for www.cdapress.com, makes a compelling and clear case that “despite the pervasive headlines, there are some bright spots on the horizon that hold promise to reinvigorate the economy and deliver thousands of jobs for American workers. One of those bright spots is AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA.
As part of the deal, AT&T has pledged to bring 5,000 jobs back to the United States that are currently outsourced to other countries. This is the single largest commitment by an American company to bring jobs back to the U.S. since the economic crisis began in 2008. The company has also committed to no job losses for wireless call center workers at AT&T and T-Mobile on the payroll at the closing of the proposed acquisition. As the nation faces unemployment figures stubbornly stuck at near historic highs, this is much-needed good news.
As part of the transaction, AT&T will invest more than $8 billion to integrate AT&T and T-Mobile networks and to expand its next-generation 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network. That investment will create an estimated 55,000 to 96,000 jobs, according to the Economic Policy Institute study commissioned by the Communications Workers of America. In today’s job market landscape, those numbers are substantial and encouraging.
In everyday terms, super fast wireless connectivity means businesses of all sizes will be able to conduct business on their smart phones or tablets, from anywhere covered by the network. That kind of mobility injects flexibility into business operations and marketing that can have a real impact on a company’s bottom line. In addition to the impact for businesses, widespread access to the latest wireless technology available can revolutionize health care and education.
From handheld wireless devices, doctors can monitor and interact with patients who are comfortably at home. Physicians can share high resolution medical imagery among peers separated by thousands of miles, while standing in an operating room. Students can leverage wireless applications and high quality online content to enrich their classroom experience or even take their experiences outside the classroom. The options made possible by high-speed wireless connections are endless.
The Department of Labor reported that there was no net job increase in the United States in August. Analysts had predicted an increase of 60,000 to 100,000 jobs during that time, but none materialized. In contrast to this gloomy news, the combination of AT&T and T-Mobile is a bright spot on the horizon poised to deliver tens of thousands of American jobs and tremendous residual economic benefits.”
As Grzybicki concluded, the merger and the jobs it would create is indeed welcome news.