Telstra set to slash staff

A massive overhaul of Australian telco Telstra's operations will probably be overshadowed by big job losses today when the telco outlines its vision for the future.

Telstra's new chief executive Sol Trujillo will host a five-hour briefing with analysts and media to reveal the results of his four-month examination of the telco.

Independent telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said yesterday around 15,000 jobs would have to be cut from the company's 46,000-strong workforce if it was to maintain its profitability.

He said Trujillo was now in a position to flag to the market that 15,000 jobs would be cut, of which 10,000 would go in the next two years.

Budde's prediction is higher that the 9000 job losses most analysts are expecting