[AusNOG] Soul/TPG buying Pipe ...

[Greg M]

Skeeve,

Your post echos my personal views.

I view PIPE like a white horse in our industry, and TPG like a Dodo-type ISP
selling budget services with budget quality.

Also of interest, in the PDF on the ASX - SPT's offer values PIPE at $373m -
of which 27% is Steve Baxter & Bevan... which equates to around $100m.

$100m is alot of money... thats more than enough to set up a new company, or
lifestyle... who knows that personal aspirations Steve & Bevan have for the
future - but I do hope that one of those would be to continue to be in a
leadership (both morally, and from a perspective of servicing the ISP
community) position in the industry.

Greg

-----Original Message-----
From: ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net
[mailto:ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net] On Behalf Of Skeeve Stevens
Sent: Wednesday, 11 November 2009 2:44 PM
To: ausnog at ausnog.net
Subject: Re: [AusNOG] Soul/TPG buying Pipe ...

All,

I'm quite disappointed in this move.... yes, it is just my little opinion,
but it is mine to give.

TPG's takeover of Soul, the way they run their network operations - from
experience and the feedback of quite a few Soul staff, does not inspire me
with any confidence with what will happen to Pipe.  TPG basically gutted
Soul in several areas and I can't see how, unless they've changed the way
they do things, that this will be any good at all for Pipe.

Pipe, driven by Bevan and Steve have been amazing for this industry,
building it, supporting it and making what it is today... I have never ever
experienced TPG caring at all for the industry as a whole... sponsoring
anything industry related or supporting it in other ways... if they have, I
would like to be corrected.

Now Wholesale.  I've been a big advocate of Pipe as a wholesale provider
over anyone else - simply because of how much they've given the industry and
my love for the guys.... but as a wholesale provider they never competed
with ISP's in any real way.  TPG is a retail based ISP primary.. Soul does
other things, but again they shut down their wholesale business of DSL and
other things very quickly after the takeover by TPG.  What will happen to
Pipe? Wholesale shutdown - prices up.. peering killed off?

One question I would really like to ask is 'Why Bevan why?'... I realise you
guys together only had 27% - but did you have no choice?  I am sure I am not
the only one asking 'How could you do this to us?' Is it just about the
money?

In the end.. whatever happens, we will adapt.... you never really do know
how things will turn out.  This might be a good thing... not that I can see
how at the moment.  If they leave Pipe alone and let it do what it does
best... great... if they gut it and integrate... sad panda for all.

I see things like Pipe drinks disappearing, AUSNOG sponsorship disappearing,
and amazing industry innovation - like PPC1 - things like that not happening
anymore.

I remember Bevans' speech at the Pipe Xmas part in 2008... about being here
for the small guy... What happened.


...Skeeve

--
Skeeve Stevens, CEO/Technical Director
eintellego Pty Ltd - The Networking Specialists skeeve at eintellego.net /
www.eintellego.net
Phone: 1300 753 383, Fax: (+612) 8572 9954 Cell +61 (0)414 753 383 /
skype://skeeve www.linkedin.com/in/skeeve ; facebook.com/eintellego
--
NOC, NOC, who's there?


> -----Original Message-----
> From: ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net [mailto:ausnog- 
> bounces at lists.ausnog.net] On Behalf Of Matthew Moyle-Croft
> Sent: Wednesday, 11 November 2009 4:58 PM
> To: ausnog at ausnog.net
> Subject: [AusNOG] Soul/TPG buying Pipe ...
> 
> http://www.asx.com.au/asx/statistics/displayAnnouncement.do?display=pd
> f
> &idsId=01009869
> 
> I'd cut and paste, but it's been disabled.
> 
> Have a read.   How does the world change?
> 
> MMC
> --
> Matthew Moyle-Croft
> Peering Manager and Team Lead - Commercial and DSLAMs Internode /Agile
> 
> _______________________________________________
> AusNOG mailing list
> AusNOG at lists.ausnog.net
> http://lists.ausnog.net/mailman/listinfo/ausnog
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