One of the residual concerns in the wake of AT&T's announcement that it will acquire BellSouth has been the future of Qwest. Often forgotten by people who viewed big telco competition only as AT&T vs. BellSouth vs. Verizon, Qwest seems to have disappeared even further into the background as the industry considers the imminent AT&T vs. Verizon era.

The recurring question in a lot of the reader feedback we've been getting is, "Will Qwest be acquired?" I don't know, and if I did I'd be on E-Trade right now and not talking to you.

A different question, and one with an answer is, "What does Qwest do now to carve its own piece of the dwindling chunk of the industry that could be left in the shadow of AT&T and Verizon?" OK, it's a much longer question, too.

We're getting some of the answer this week as Qwest CEO Richard Notebaert is at VON telling the VoIP industry just what it wants to hear about net neutrality. And telling them, by the way, that Qwest has wholesale services that meet all their needs.

In currying favor with a segment of the industry alienated by and likely to get the brunt of competition from telcos now juiced like Barry Bonds, Qwest is taking some of the steps necessary to create a identity for itself as an independent ILEC and wholesale provider that is already thinking progressively about the IP-based content era. It needs to do this to survive. It also needs to continue its recent financial progress, and make good on its potential to return to profitability for 2006.

Qwest just might have a life of its own as AT&T and Verizon get bigger. Either that, or it will get bought before the year is done.

E-mail me at doshea@prismb2b.com.