In particular, consumers could sign up with operators in foreign countries to take advantage of lower prices.

ECONOMIST: The EU hopes to slash the price of cross-border mobile calls

To sign up cable operators and undercut the perception that the new channel would appeal only to blacks, Johnson shed the original name--Black Entertainment Television--calling it simply BET.

FORBES: The cable capitalist

Without a legal framework, telecoms operators find it hard to sign deals with payment services.

ECONOMIST: Online payments

In saturated markets, 3 can only sign up new customers by tempting them to defect from other operators.

ECONOMIST: Mobile telecoms

Investors used to rely on Europe's telecommunications operators for their high dividend yields, but now such payouts are seen as a sign that cuts may be on the way.

WSJ: Investors Hang Up on Europe's Telecom Stocks