英國電信轉型的啟示 誰主沉浮

英國電信轉型的啟示: 誰主沉浮 (一）？Zz:/mblog/393058_78334按語：筆者于1996至2010年間在英國電信公司（BT）研究院任職十三年多，親身經(jīng)歷了該公司自1984-1994年全面私有化以后伴隨著三個董事會和三任總裁的來來去去所發(fā)生的三次最深刻的變化；每次變化都與當時的歐洲及世界總體經(jīng)濟和社會形勢的發(fā)展密切相關。這些變化包括公司總體戰(zhàn)略的轉型，內(nèi)部機構和職能的重大改組和核心通信及信息業(yè)務的變遷。筆者對這些大起大落的變化有一些特有的感受、見解和思考，這里寫出來和大家分享，將分兩次登出。值得一提的是，盡管BT現(xiàn)在主要是英國主導的固網(wǎng)運營商和走在前列的遍及全球網(wǎng)絡化信息和通信服務提供商(Global Networked ICT Service provider)，其所服務的市場、規(guī)模和對象與中國移動完全不同，但它幾經(jīng)波折的轉型過程、經(jīng)驗和教訓對我們目前全業(yè)務的發(fā)展和未來走向國際化的征程也是很有啟發(fā)的。這篇短文原是用英文寫成的，暫以英文發(fā)布，謝謝。-BTs Transformation A Personal Account（1）第一次變遷：In October 1996 I joined British Telecommunications Plc (BT), arguably being one of the first two full-time employees from mainland China in the entire company. Over more than thirteen years followed, I have witnessed as well as experienced a series of company-wide radical changes and transformations, in terms of the companys vision and strategic directions, core businesses and its effective organisations, masterminded by three successive Boards and CEOs of rather different styles and characters, in the face of global economic crisis and fiercely competitive market conditions at the time. 1996.10，我加入BT，成為整個公司第一批來自中國大陸的兩位全職員工之一。在BT任職超過13年，我已經(jīng)目睹一系列公司范圍激進的變換和變革。按照公司的愿景和戰(zhàn)略方向，核心業(yè)務和它的高效組織，由三界董事會和風格迥異的CEO策劃，以此應對全球經(jīng)濟危機和當時激烈競爭的市場。During my first few years tenure between 1996 and 1999, with over 75% UK market share, BT was then the UKs dominant telephony-based telecommunications operator with both fixed line and mobile networks and assets; the latter also extended to several major EU countries such as France, Germany and the Netherlands either as a wholly owned subsidiary or in joint venture with partners of the countries. 1996-1999，BT在英國超過75%市場份額，是當時英國的主導電信運營商，含蓋固定網(wǎng)絡和移動網(wǎng)絡以及資產(chǎn)。其中移動網(wǎng)絡和資產(chǎn)也擴張到幾個主要的歐盟國家,如法國、德國、荷蘭，成立全資子公司或者同合作伙伴國家成立合資公司。In the late 1990s and early 2000, however, with the ambition and eagerness of rapid expansion to become a truly global operator, BT was going through a badly judged spending spree whilst buying Internet and Telecom assets at premium price worldwide but particularly in the Far East including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, etc; the intention was to get ready in time for the then upcoming bid for 3G mobile licence in these countries or regions in order to build a global presence in the first instance. Unfortunately, the subsequentdotcomboom and bust plus paying a hugely inflated price to the UKgovernments treasury chest in the auction of UKs 3G spectrum made its debt swell wildly beyond control, amounting to over 30 billion Pounds at its peak.Further addition to this woe was the continuously loss making of the global service company named Concert the 10 billion US dollars 50:50 joint venture between BT and Americas AT&T. 然而，在90年代末和21世紀初，隨著快速擴張成為一家真正的全球運營商的雄心和渴望，BT過渡判定消費熱潮，同時以全球的溢價購買了互聯(lián)網(wǎng)和電信資產(chǎn)，特別在遠東地區(qū)，包括：香港、馬來西亞、新加坡、韓國、日本等。目的：以備及時競購這些國家和地區(qū)的3G移動牌照，建立全球影響力運營商的第一個實例。很不幸，隨后的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)繁榮和衰退，加上此次拍賣英國3G頻譜，為英國政府財政金庫支付巨大被抬高的價格，使得BT債務劇增遠超過控制，在頂峰時總計超過300億英鎊。另外，由BT和AT&T各持股50%斥資100億美元而成立的全球服務公司Concert持續(xù)虧損，讓BT雪上加霜。In a desperate attempt to serve this unbearable mountain of debts, to survive and to revive BTs fortune, a series of draconian measures had to be taken, which included:a hurried retreat from the Far East markets by selling, at a huge discount, all the assets one by one in the countries mentioned before; raising a 5.9 billion pounds rights issue in the market then the largest in Europes corporate history; disbanding Concert, the joint venture company with AT&T; demerging BT Wireless,the vital mobile business division from BT parent in 2001. BT Wireless then became an independent Mobile Network Operator now known as “O2”, which was subsequently taken over by Spanish Operator Telefnica in 2007. The loss of this valuable mobile asset has seen BT miss the enormous revenue growth opportunity in the years to come and struggle to have a viable mobility strategy.為了應對債務，BT做了一個艱難的嘗試，即為了生存，為了復興BT的財務，行使了一系列苛刻措施，包括：緊急撤出遠東市場并以低價一個個出售在上述那些國家的資產(chǎn)；在市場提高59億英鎊的增股是歐洲企業(yè)歷史上最大的一次；解散與AT&T合營的“Concert”公司；分離BT Wireless，它是源于2001年BT母公司的重要移動業(yè)務部門；BT Wireless后來成為一家獨立的移動網(wǎng)絡運營商，即現(xiàn)在的O2，并于2007年被西班牙電信運營商收購。失去寶貴的移動資產(chǎn)，說明在未來幾年爭取可行的移動戰(zhàn)略中，BT將錯失巨大的利潤增長的機會。Such was the dire legacy of the first board chairman Sir Iain Vallance and CEO Sir Peter Bonfield that I have experienced, resulting in BT being the only incumbent Telco among the five major European economies without aMNO.這就是我經(jīng)歷過的，第一個董事長Vallance和CEOPeter Bonfield的給BT留下的可怕遺產(chǎn)。這導致BT成為五個主要的歐洲經(jīng)濟體中，現(xiàn)存的唯一一個沒有移動網(wǎng)絡運營商的電話公司。-第二次變遷：A new era then arrived when a new board was installed in 2002 and the former chairman of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Sir Christopher Bland, a very pragmatic and shrewd business man, became the Chairman. He then hired a Dutch man called Ben Verwaayen as CEO, coming freshly from his second chair position at the then Telecom equipment vendor Lucent Technologies.The pair faced the improbable dilemma: On the one hand, they needed to grow BTs flagging business and deliver shareholder values but UK Telecom market liberalisation since 1984 has created several hundreds alternative voice service providers,all eating BTs cake of this dominant traditional business in a cut-throat competition.On the other hand, BT has got no easy way out as the power engine of MNO service for business growth was there no more. Their subsequent strategy has been to start one (later turned out to be one after another) transformation programme to transform BTs businesses, whilst focussing on what was then called “New Wave” of technologies and business opportunities, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Internet and broadband, mobility (fixed-mobile convergence: Piggyback on Vodafones mobile network; Wi-Fi hotspots). This was later evolved or superseded by also including the flagship move to next generation network, i.e., the so-called 21st Century Network (21CN), next-generation access (NGA) and Superfast broadband, and a vast range of applications that they enable. The strategic vision was to transform BT from a traditional Telco (and one of the worlds oldest ones) into a leading networked ICT service provider worldwide.一個新的時代到來了，2002年新一屆董事會成立，前BBC主席Christopher Bland，一位非常務實和精明的商務人士，被任命為董事長，他雇傭一名荷蘭人Ben Verwaayen為CEO，之前是電信設備商朗訊科技總裁。這兩位面臨很大困難： 一方面，他們需要增長BT衰弱的業(yè)務和交付股東價值，但是英國電信自1984年以來的自由市場競爭，已經(jīng)產(chǎn)生數(shù)百家可代替語音服務的提供商，在激烈的競爭中，它們蠶食著BT主導的傳統(tǒng)業(yè)務收入這份蛋糕。另一方面，BT再也沒有作為業(yè)務增長重要動力的MNO(移動運營商)服務。他們后來行使的戰(zhàn)略去改變BT的業(yè)務，開始了一個變革計劃，同時聚焦于新潮的科技和業(yè)務機會，包括ICT、互聯(lián)網(wǎng)、寬帶、移動化。這后來進化或被下一代網(wǎng)絡取代，例如，所謂的21世紀網(wǎng)絡21CN，下一代網(wǎng)絡接入NGA和超寬帶，和它們支持的廣泛可用的應用程序。這個戰(zhàn)略愿景是將BT從傳統(tǒng)電信(和世界上最古老的電話公司之一)變成一個全球領先網(wǎng)絡化ICT服務提供者。To facilitate this transformation, BT Group businesses have been re-organised into four Market Facing Units (MFUs) and two supporting Units. The four MFUs include1. BT Global Services (BT GS) which serves primarily multinational corporate customers networking and ICT needs and would follow its customers geographical presence and footprints anywhere worldwide (reaching 170+ countries);2. BT Retail which serves the UK consumers home-based markets (the essentials of broadband home: Voice/data/IPTV) as well as SOHO and SME markets;3. BT Wholesale which provides core network and wholesale service to all the aspiring alternativecommunication providers (CPs)4. Openreach which operates the access network of the last miles; this is a heavily regulated business by UK government regulator OFCOM to ensure equivalence of input (EoI) connectivity product available to all CPs as well as BTs own retail and wholesale businesses.The two supporting Units are BT Design which is responsible for new product/service/solution design and delivery on BTs chosen infrastructure and platforms in close collaboration with MFUs and their customers; and BT Operate which runs BTs internal IT operations and external business services. 為了促使這一變革，BT集團企業(yè)重組為4個市場針對單位MFUs和2個支持單位。這4個MUFs包括：1. BT Global Services (BT GS)，服務于主要跨國企業(yè)客戶的網(wǎng)絡和ICT需求，并跟隨它客戶全球任何地方(170+國家)的地理位置和足跡。2. BT Retail服務英國消費者的家庭市場（寬帶家庭必需品：語音、數(shù)據(jù)、IPTV），同時還有SOHO（Small Office/Home Office和SME(small medium enterprise中小型企業(yè))。3. BT Wholesale：為所有小型電信提供商CPs，提供核心網(wǎng)和批發(fā)業(yè)務（其實就是出租電信資源業(yè)務。）4. Openreach: 運營接入網(wǎng)絡的最后一英里。這是一個嚴格受英國通信管理局OFCOM監(jiān)管的業(yè)務，以確保對所有通信提供商與BT自己的批發(fā)業(yè)務，是等價的輸入連接服務產(chǎn)品。兩個支撐單位是1. BT Design：負責基于BT已選的架構和平臺，密切與MFU和他們的客戶合作，設計和發(fā)布新產(chǎn)品/服務/方案設計。2. BT Operate: BT的內(nèi)部IT運營和外部業(yè)務服務。英國電信轉型的啟示: 誰主沉浮 （二）？Zz:/mblog/393058_78346BTs Transformation A Personal Account （2）第三次變遷：The pair of Bland and Verwaayen parted with BT over the year around 2008 within six months of each other, luckily just before the start of the current global economic recession caused by credit crunch, when BT was seemingly in a good shape; the baton was passed on to the hands of their successors Sir Michael Rake (former chairman of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the international accountant firm) and Ian Livingstone, a Scotsman and also an accountant by training.Bland和Verwaayen這一對搭檔，在2008年離開了BT。幸運的是當前全球經(jīng)濟衰退造成的信貸緊縮開始之前,英國電信是看起來良好;指揮棒傳到他們下一個繼任者手里：Michael Rake，普華永道前董事長和Livingstone，一位蘇格蘭人，同樣是一名訓練有素的會計。The severe crisis, in terms of the spiralling running cost in the Global Service Unit, however, was already brewing, and it is now up to this ruthless pair of accountants to deal with another and more serious crisis to date. Whilst three of the four BTs MFUs were still making respectable profits, the GS Unit had been expanding too rapidly and excessively (in the same fashion but taking a different from as what happened previously in the late 1990s), burning cashes at an ever fast speed: it had a record business book according to the number of significant ICT contracts signed with corporate and government clients, which amounted to billions of pounds (its salesmen thus got handsome bonuses), but many of these contracts were difficult to fulfil, and had a very small profit margin and tight delivery schedules. 然而，根據(jù)BT Global Service螺旋上升的成本，嚴重的危機已經(jīng)在醞釀，現(xiàn)在輪到這對無情的會計搭檔去處理到目前為止更多嚴重的危機。同時，3個MFUs仍然盈利可觀，但GS Unit已經(jīng)擴張?zhí)旌吞^分(以相同的方式發(fā)生，類似90年代），以很快的速度燃燒現(xiàn)金。它有一個記錄業(yè)務的書，記錄著根據(jù)和企業(yè)和政府客戶簽訂的重大ICT合同數(shù)，總計數(shù)十億英鎊，但是這些合同中許多是很難履行的，且只有很小的利潤率和很緊張的交貨時間。The subsequent failures in delivering the contracts on time and within budget made the projected annual and overall revenue and profits unattainable. The result was a series of big write-off of the assets of the Unit worth a total of 1.58 billion pounds. This crisis was being stemmed as the time entered the year of 2009 yet through another major business re-structuring, by way of applying finance austerity measures and, most notably, the reduction in staff headcount cost as widely reported in media headlines at the time.隨后，交付合同的時間和預算范圍內(nèi)的失敗，使得年度和整體收入及利潤不可達到，總價值為15.8億英鎊。隨著時間進入2009年，這場危機正在遏制，然而通過主要業(yè)務重組，運用財政緊縮措施和在員工人數(shù)減少成本。So, what has been and will be, even though reluctantly, BTs longer-term strategy to turn the companys fortune around and start to grow again？ The answer hinges on speeding up the investment programme started by Verwaayen over five years ago, which is, on the international front, by building the worlds leading NGN the global 21CN platform (IP-MPLS) to best serve customers, or help customers to innovate and succeed, whilst in the UK, by rolling-out the so-called Superfast Broadband (SFBB), i.e., ADSL2+, FTTC: VDSL2+; FTTP: GPON, extending coverage for residential and SOHO/SME customers. Meanwhile there are also a series of side actions addressing the mobility market but in a modest supporting way only:所以，什么和將會是BT的長期戰(zhàn)略，使公司的財富開始再次增長？答案是在過去5年Verwaayen加快投資計劃的實施，通過建立世界領先的NGN，全球21CN平臺(IP-MPLS)，去最好地服務于客戶,或幫助客戶創(chuàng)新和成功。在英國,通過推出所謂的超高速寬帶(SFBB)，擴展覆蓋住宅和SOHO /中小企業(yè)客戶。與此同時也有一系列的行動，解決移動性市場,但合理的支持方式只有:The global 21CN platform consists of:An advanced IP-based network, using leading edge technology, reaching more locations (178+ countries and regions) around the globe than any other network. In the UK, it will replace a number of existing networks and systems to provide for faster, more efficient, and cheaper delivery of new services (global footprint; do away with dozens of domestic legacy networks)IT systems providing virtual processing and storage capability, flexibly and at low cost (Virtual Data centre, or cloud computing services)re-usable capabilities and tools allowing BT and others to develop new services running on the platform faster and more cheaply (Various open SDKs provided)一個先進的基于ip的網(wǎng)絡,使用先進的技術，比其他任何網(wǎng)絡覆蓋更多地區(qū)（178+國家和地區(qū)）。在英國,它將取代許多現(xiàn)有的網(wǎng)絡和系統(tǒng),以提供更快、更有效、更便宜的交付的新服務。IT系統(tǒng)提供虛擬處理和存儲能力，靈活和較低成本(虛擬數(shù)據(jù)中心或云計算服務)的可重用功能和工具，允許BT和其他人開發(fā)新服務的平臺上運行更快和更便宜(提供開放sdk)This global platform will:empower customers with control, choice and flexibility - including communications from anywhere to any deviceradically enhance the customer experienceoffer exciting new services for customers faster than before21CN will make BT the worlds first truly open, global and real-time communications services company, enabling customers to access converged, next generation communications and cloud services directly through self-service or as fully managed services. 21CN enables BT and its customers to participate in software-driven innovation.這個全球平臺將: 授權客戶：控制、選擇和靈活性包括通信從任何地方的任何設備從根本上增強客戶體驗，為客戶提供令人興奮的新服務，速度比以前更快，將使英國電信世界上第一個真正開放,全球和實時通信的服務公司,允許客戶訪問聚合,下一代通信和云服務直接通過自助服務或作為完全托管服務。21 cn允許BT和它的客戶參與軟件創(chuàng)新。In parallel with the 21CN development, BT has also quietly acquired various IT services and solutions business assets such as BT Infonet (formerly Infonet Service Corp in the US, a managed network communications service provider); BT Radianz (formerly Radianz, serving financial markets); Frontline Technologies in Singapore to serve Fast East and China markets, and Ribbit in Silicon Valley, which provides soft switch technology and platform, allowing application developers to interact with telephone networks.與之平行21 cn發(fā)展,英國電信也暗地里獲得了各種IT服務和解決方案業(yè)務資產(chǎn),如英國電信Infonet(以前Infonet服務集團在美國,一個托管網(wǎng)絡通信服務提供者);BT Radianz(以前,服務金融市場Radianz);前線技術在新加坡去服務遠東和中國市場,Ribbit在硅谷,它提供了軟開關技術和平臺,允許應用程序開發(fā)人員通過電話網(wǎng)絡聯(lián)系。The price tag for the completion of 21CN programme was 10 billion Pounds over five-years, and for the SFBB within UK it had been planned to be 1.5 billion Pounds to reach 40% of Britain, or 10 million households by 2012. The release of the UK governments blueprint report Digital Britain on 12th June 2009 has had positive impact on BTs intent to pledge investing another 3 billion Pounds to reach 90% of UK households. 為完成21 cn計劃的價格標簽是5年100億英鎊。在英國，SFBB已經(jīng)計劃到2012年，15億英鎊將達到覆蓋英國40%,或1000萬戶家庭。英國政府發(fā)布的報告“數(shù)碼英國”的藍圖在2009年6月12日有積極影響B(tài)T的意圖，承諾投資另一個30億英鎊以使英國家庭覆蓋將達到90%。In contrast with the above aggressive spending, BTs mobility ambition was rather modest, and patched efforts had been primarily expended in building more and more Wi-Fi hotspots, branded as BT Openzone, to extend their coverage in the UK and, together with roaming partners, across Europe. Many initiatives such as BT Fusion (now withdrawn); BT Fon; the link of RIMs BlackBerry Mobile Voice Service (MVS) with BT unified communications platform (UCP); hook iPhone to BT Openzone; link O2 wireless broadband to BT Openzone, etc, have been (or planned to be) introduced with different degree of success (or promise).相比之下，與上述激進的開支，英國電信的移動性的野心是相當溫和，打補丁的努力被主要消耗在建筑越來越多的wi - fi熱點，品牌作為BT Openzone,來擴大他們在英國的覆蓋，加上一些移動合作伙伴，來覆蓋整個歐洲。許多項目如BT融合(現(xiàn)在撤回);BT Fon;鏈接的RIM的黑莓手機語音服務(MVS)與BT統(tǒng)一通信平臺(規(guī)定);綁定iPhone到BT Openzone;鏈接O2無線寬帶到BT Openzone等,已經(jīng)(或計劃)顯示了不同程度的成功(或承諾)。In summary, among worlds leading telecommunications network and service providers, BT is a rarity not to own a 3G mobile network. To maintain an edge in inc