ZO, cool name. NN is sig. bigger therefore sig. more risk to ALA. I'll take your word that ALA have changed their colonial attitude toward their new serfs but doubts remains. ALA & NN & DSC et al are totally different beasts than NT & Bay. Roth have a clear vision of what NT can do for networking world, ie. comprehensive, end-to-end networks, from optical level switchings to network-aware application and application-aware networks. When was the last time you've heard something earth-shattering from ALA ? All NN technologies are being challenged on all fronts but let's supposed NN got the best ATM gizmo. So what ? Service providers do not want/need a piece meal solution. They want somebody to give them a turnkey, complete, solution so they can concentrate on marketing and make $$$.
If you were an cable operator, you want to provide your subscribers with a network that allow them access to cable, phone, and data services, who do you call ? NT.
If you were a phone company, you want to provide your subscribers with a network that allow them access to cable, phone, and data services, who do you call ? NT, again !
If you were an enterprise, you want to provide your employees with a network that allow them access to video, phone, and data services, who do you call ? you know...NT! :)
BTW, your networks can be anything from X.25, FrameRelay, ATM, IP, Sonet, or telephony and everything else. On top of that, you can apply policy services to your subscribers, monetize your bandwidth by differentiating levels of bandwidth access.
This is why NN was dying by itself, incomplete solution. Pearse Flynn will need ALA resources to fix up NN, and co-operation from other divisions to patch together a solution somewhat. It's a lot harder than it looks. Who's to say other divisions will agree w/ PF's vision or ALA HQ in France ? W/ no strong, convincing vision for the future of networking from ALA, ALA is simply throwing good money after bad. BTW, I don't see CSCO shaking in their boots on ALA+NN merger, do you ? ALA culture is the deadweight that will drown them. :)
cheers,
tt |
