Chapitre 521: Chapter 521: The Partners Are Getting Anxious
[Chapter 609: The Partners Are Getting Anxious]
The digital mobile communications in Hong Kong are running smoothly in their trial phase. Mobile phones are no longer just sold by telecommunications companies, giving users many options.
Now everyone acknowledges that this is a good business. Currently, there is only one player in the market, Motorola, but they believe that as the number of users increases, various brands will inevitably follow.
In fact, the folks in Europe are getting restless. The U.S. is ahead once again, which frustrates them greatly. Moreover, what Motorola has shown is likely just the beginning; better phones must be in the pipeline.
They now understand why William White was so eager to get a piece of the GSM action. Just look at this new phone; it's evident that it wasn't rushed.
"Sir, that digital mobile platform is receiving a great response; operators here in the U.S. are getting anxious. The Europeans are getting a bit antsy too."
Richard Fisher's head was pounding. Since taking over at the big financial firm, nothing had gone smoothly.
"U.S. operators? Do they even have any money left, or are they just pushing that junk bond nonsense?"
"Sir, could William White be considering an acquisition?"
Richard waved his hand dismissively. "Not a chance; you've misunderstood who William White is. At his core, he doesn't like to directly manage companies."
His subordinate was taken aback by this statement; it was something only the boss would say. If it were someone else, they would have definitely retorted.
"What's the matter? Can't believe it? In fact, his company is more like an enormous management entity. You could say it's a spider, and those companies are merely parts of its web. What? Don't believe me? Just take a look at Motorola's CPU department and its mobile phone division -- has he been involved in actual management there?"
"Yeah, this guy is impressive. The old-timers on the board might be dissatisfied, but they can't oppose his recommendations."
"Oppose? What reason do these fools have to oppose? If William White wanted to turn the tables, do you really think the Galvin family would stand a chance?"
"I see; he simply looks down on Motorola."
Richard smiled bitterly. He was extremely curious about William White -- what kind of person could be so arrogant as to ignore a company valued at tens of billions? He certainly couldn't do that.
It had to be said that the old-timer was overestimating William White. His lack of interest in Motorola was merely due to a lack of time.
Furthermore, Motorola was a military supplier, which presented significant problems. If you're just a shareholder, that's one thing; as chairman, you better tread carefully.
U.S. military-industrial firms are all privately owned. You haven't heard about these guys secretly selling off advanced weaponry, have you?
It's not that they don't want to, but rather that they don't dare.
Capitalists have no scruples. At the peak of the little mustache's power, these guys were also quietly selling resources. When it comes to profits, who cares how many lives are lost?
None of the top ten American conglomerates had a clean rise to power. The powerful families pulling the strings had it even worse.
They dare not act rashly because every move they make is under someone else's watchful eye. During World War II, they pushed their luck too far.
At that time, the economy was nearly collapsing, and it was big financial firms that lent them low-interest loans. Howard Hughes' plane miraculously landed in their hands, along with heaps of scrap metal -- successfully feeding a monster.
Later, when the antitrust laws came into play, why didn't these guys dare to stir up trouble? It's because they were scared; it was better to let things lie than risk exposure.
...
Similarly, the folks across Asia couldn't hold back. Digital mobile communication seemed like a must-have.
They were very satisfied with the test results from Hong Kong. Although the investment was substantial, the capacity for users was significant. For them, as densely populated cities, this technology had immense appeal.
The most profitable would undoubtedly be equipment for server farms. There was no doubt about that, but unfortunately, those assets were in the hands of foreigners.
"Already that fast? Isn't the financial tap tightening over there? What's going on?"
"Sir, they have nowhere else to invest. If suitable projects come up, they still have plenty of money."
"Ha, who else earned the bid qualification?"
"Mainly a few companies from Europe, but unfortunately, their systems haven't entered the commercial phase yet. This time, they will likely just be sidelined."
"Hmm, Filson, don't be careless. That deal is very important. It's far more significant than what's going on in Europe. By the way, arrange a visit to China, and see how they feel about it."
"Sir, they wouldn't be so fast, would they?"
"They're developing rapidly, but just a bit short on capital, and I'm not lacking in that regard."
"Alright, I got it. Once the bidding in China wraps up, I'll fly over there directly."
The corporations realized they had made a mistake; they underestimated the mobile communications market from the start, and then they underestimated it again. If Hong Kong had many users...
What about the U.S.? China? India? The world?
My goodness, at least one billion users worldwide -- if every person only spent ten bucks a month on communications, that's over a hundred billion annually.
Most importantly, this business isn't one-off. It's a recurring annual income; even if you're asleep, your company is still making money.
This kind of regular consumption only needs a 10% profit margin to be worthwhile. Right now, it looks like their gross margins are far beyond that -- definitely exceeding 10%.
Investment-heavy?
What does that matter? We've got plenty of cash; we're just short on good projects.
A group of American mobile operators finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were stunned to find that the licenses and users in hand had suddenly become hot commodities.
...
"We need to be the first to kick off digital mobile communications. The advantages are just too many. A single tower can accommodate many more users with digital communication."
"One billion users, George, are you kidding me? China and India have nearly that many users, and you tell me the world has only a billion? Hahaha, that so-called think tank should be disbanded immediately."
Bush Jr.'s expression was priceless; he had never imagined that the assessment from those folks would be utterly belittled by William White.
"Dude, are you sure you're not joking?"
"Let me put it this way: as long as the price is low enough, the number of mobile users will match the demographic from ages sixteen to seventy. If your household has five people, you only need one landline. But if it's mobile, you might need four or five phones."
Bush Jr. felt dizzy; although he found himself confused, William White's words seemed quite reasonable.
Wait a minute, low price -- right, he said it just needs to be affordable.
"William, what price do you consider affordable?"
"Ha, we'll see. High-end might be extremely expensive, needing over a thousand bucks, but low-end should not exceed $150. Don't doubt it; in five years at most, the retail price might not even reach $150, and my costs will definitely be below that."
"Alright, looks like you're right. That think tank should truly be fired. You probably don't know how skeptical they were about that one billion user estimate. More than half thought it was unattainable. Clearly, debating about one billion users seems a bit foolish now."
*****
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
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Power Stone 
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