Joe Nacchio

Talk about regrets. Consider these two the AT&T visionaries that got away.

Nacchio and Mandl, both former AT&T executives, are rethinking the way we will network over landline and wireless nets in the 21st century. Their plans most surely will come back to haunt their former employer.

Under Nacchio's command, Qwest is building the highest capacity digital multimedia network in the world, fully harnessing the power of light. Mandl is snipping the wires from Nacchio's vision. Teligent is playing a leadership role in providing broadband, wireless multimedia local services in key U.S. markets. The 18- to 24-GHz Teligent network will provide voice, high-speed data, Internet access and videoconferencing services in the nation's top 31 metropolitan areas.

Teligent's objectives recently were underwritten by a 12.5% equity stake from Japanese telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. With their respective visions for broadband networking, Nacchio and Mandl may be burning Rome while AT&T fiddles.

NEXT: Eckhard Pfeiffer