I.

Reading Comprehension
TELECOM OPERATORS ON THE MOVE
The old and the new
Not so long ago ,if you wanted a telephone, you contacted your one and only telephone company
and you politely asked if you could have one .The company kindly agreed to fit a line to your
home or business and rent you a telephone( usually black as soon as they were able ,probably in a
month or two. !ecause they were a monopoly.they were under no pressure to make an effort to
please or help the customer.
!ut now things are changing rapidly.The monopolies"or virtual monopolies are breaking up
,massive advances continue to be made in technology,and new companies and new combinations of
companies appear on the market everyday. #ometimes the traditional $ublic Telephone %perators
($T%s or telephone companies (Telcos are involved,working together in new alliances&
sometimes it is small dynamic companies which are emerging to take on the giants&and sometimes
it is large companies or utilities such as gas and eklectricity who are entering what is for them the
new arena of telecommunications.
New alliances
Traditionally ,the national telecommunication operators belonged to the government and operated
strictly within their boundaries. 'inks with other countries and tariffs were established in a friendly
way ,and international bodies such as C($T and CCITT worked out standards .!usiness did the
best they could to work with a number of different national operators"with differing degrees of
success.
!ut business are now increasingly demanding a more comprehensive,)seamless) service, in which
Telcos are e*pected to have international contacts,e*perience and power.In order to meet the
re+uirements ofvthe new situation,the Telcoas are forming alliances with their foreign counterparts
often from a variety of continents.
The alliances face manychallenges , -inding and attacking the market&possible government
opposition to theirvworking together&and getting people from different nattional and company
cultures to cooperate positively.
They also have a number of e*cellent opportunities facing them , each of the members of these
alliances has as its client at least one ma.or multinational company. The links with these companies
needs to be reinforced and strengthened and used as a platform from which to e*tend their
activitie.-or them the alliances adopt themotto, Telecoms must be as global as the business they
serve,.
In addition to large multinationals, another market is emerging rapidly for the operators, the large
number of small and medium enterprise (#/(s .The sophisticated technology of today is perhaps
too e*pensive for them,but prises are falling so rapidly,and technology is developing so fast that
they will soon a hguge and attractive market for new alliances.
Answer the following questions:
0. 1hat are two reasons for the emergence of a new generation of operators 2
3. /ention three new types of operator
4. 5escribe the main challenges for the alliances
6. Identify the changes which will increase the importance of the #/( market
Present Continuous
Illustration
a. Things are changing rapidly.
The monopolies are breaking up
b. 7 credi card call allows the caller to charge the call to a credit card account
In outsourcing ,the company hands responsibility over to the operator.
In the $resent Continuous tense describes actions which are happening in the immediate present"
right now, very recently, and very soon. 1ords often used with this tense include , at the
moment,right now,today.
8. (*ercise
$ut the verb in present continuous tense
0. The number of telecom operator ( e*pand rapidly at the moment.
3. 1hat time ( you,leave this evening.
4. 9e ( offer this .ob now.
0. 7t the moment she ( wok on a new pro.ect .
3. 5o not disturb : I ( study now.
4. 'ook : They ( fight .
6. 1atch out : 1e ( act now.
;. 'isten : The singer ( sing .