IT WAS A rather truncated conference call, lasting less than 40 minutes including a rapid-fire Q&A session. A lot of analysts didn't get a chance to ask a question and those that did must have felt a bit short-changed. Nevertheless, David Dorman, chairman and CEO of US long-distance phone company AT&T, rounded off his comments on the third-quarter results on a determined note. "Clearly we've made some tough choices this year," he said. "However, as our third-quarter results demonstrate, those choices are beginning to pay off. We're on the right path at AT&T and we fully intend to stay the course."
If AT&T does, it will be the first time it has managed that in the past six years.
The company's recent history has been dominated by strategic U-turns, elaborate and failed restructurings, overpriced acquisitions and ill-judged disposals.
