Dale, you have mentioned that the high profile, well financed competition will/could spell the end of XSNI. You have a valid point. Without focusing on all of the other "issues" surrounding XSNI I would like, however, to suggest the following.
First, there is no dispute that XSNI is in a hot market of free ISPs in the UK. It is the correct business model at the present time as witnessed by the flood of competition entering it.
Second, there is no dispute it is a growing market. I believe there are reports there will be 20M Brits on-line by 2003.
Let's draw a parallel and look at a recent phenomena in the U.S. On-line trading.
First, it is a hot market. More and more brokers, big{Merril Lynch, Schwab}and small {too numerous to name}, are all pushing and shoving their way in to it.
Second, it is a growing market. Reports indicate there are about 7.5M of us doing it now with an expectation of there being 10M by the end of this year alone.
Schwab, Merrill, E-Trade get all of the publicity and have tremendous resources but what is happening to the little guys? Well WITC is trading at 30, TWE at 24, JBOH at 13, etc. It seems there is room for smaller, less well known companies in this market.
Who is to say this is not the case in the free ISP market in the UK? Again, I am not comparing the mysterious XSNI to any of the small brokers listed above. I am just suggesting that X-Stream might not just fade away in the night. Jeff
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