he impressive enhancements brought to telecommunications. As a matter of fact, this was a natural result of the company's significant investments (more than 72 billion dollars in its first five years), partially explainable through a consistent cash-flow that reached 22 billion dollars, in 2005. But the corporation's expansive dreams weren't exclusively based on a nationwide perspective. On January 6, 2006, Verizon closed the process of acquiring MCI, Inc., a strategic move that opened its gates to the world as it allowed the company to offer a wide range of products and services in 140 countries. At present, the corporation reunites three main divisions: Verizon Wireless which is considered to be the most reliable network of its type in the U.S.A., Verizon's landline segment, "the most advanced wireline broadband and video network in America today", and Verizon Business, the latest coordinate added to the company's profile after the MCI acquisition, addressing to large businesses and government (http://investor.verizon.com/profile/history/index.aspx).
             An overview of the telecommunications market
             For a superior understanding of Verizon's actions, one should make a few steps into the telecommunications industry's general background. Specialists have come to the conclusion that this is marked by three major trends which consist of commuting from analog to digital, from wired to wireless, and from narrowband to broadband technology. These tendencies are perfectly backed up by the following figures: more than 70% of the American households are connected to the Internet and by the end of 2010, 62% of them are expected to embrace broadband access; in 2004, the number of long distance calls made over wireless networks exceeded the number of those made in wireline networks; the U.S. population having wireless phones amounts to more than 180 millions. In addition to all these, it should be menti...