It was kind of ironic this week that on the same day Telstra was showing off communications of the future, with my blogger stable-mate Hugh Bradlow being beamed from Melbourne to Adelaide, our major competitor was out playing its same tired old political tricks. It was a big day for Telstra. Our Sensis colleagues also unveiled their new Trading Post auction site (www.tradingpost.com.au) aimed at taking on the global giant Ebay.
And while Telstra was focussed on investing, building new technology and being a global player, our major rival SingTel Optus was concentrating on trying to stop investment in Australia. The company was out flogging a report it commissioned that concluded Telstra should be broken up. Surprise, surprise!
SingTel has appointed the former NSW Treasurer Michael Egan to front its cartel which has changed its name from the G9 to that of a small yapping dog.
Taking up his new challenge, Mr Egan made no secret of what his employer's real agenda is.
In his first interview with the pro-Optus journalist Michael Sainsbury (www.theaustralian.news.com.au), he made it clear that Singapore won't be happy until the only the company capable of building a high speed fibre network in Australia is broken up.
Facts were once again the first casualty in SingTel's latest war on Telstra, with its constant claim that telcos the world over are being "structurally separated". In fact the reverse is true, but that didn't stop more gullible media types lapping up the idea.
On top of SingTel's OPEL debacle, this week we learned the man appointed to manage the new cartel appears to have parachuted out of another company (www.theaustralian.news.com.au) at a time of financial turmoil.
You have to wonder how someone with a distinguished public career like Michael Egan would allow himself to get mixed up a crowd of people who seem so desperate to see Australia go backwards.
But, he could be on a roll here. Perhaps Singapore's investment arm will get him to lobby for the break up of Qantas once he's finished trying to wreck Telstra?
Singapore Airlines would love that just as much as SingTel Optus would like to see Telstra ripped apart.