AT&T Corp has finally confirmed that it will bid for a stake Compagnie des Machines Bull SA and has outlined its intention in a letter to the French government: Pier Carlo Falotti, now president of AT&T Europe told Le Figaro We want to become 40% shareholder in Bull – we are interested both in the computer market as in telecommunications; we have completed important preliminary work to prepare the case and those who doubt our determination will be surprised, he said, adding that the company chose Quadral SA as its partner because it is a quality company that will enable AT&T to put together a plan that will ensure the future of Bull, and with Bull, it would be able to offer one-stop shopping for integrated computer and telecommunications systems and services; despite the fact that the other significant industrial shareholder in Bull, NEC Corp, offers a full range of telecommunications equipment that competes with that of AT&T, Falotti insisted that NEC’s product range is complementary; he forgot to point out that AT&T and NEC do have a comprehensive alliance and parts swap agreement on semiconductors.
