[USRX, etc.]
<<< Whether or not the merger solves these strategic issues is still an open book. The same analyst was much more bullish on the Asend/Cascade merger.>>>
I've heard this from several reliable sources. The question arises, what's ASND/CSCC doing? I'm beginning to get dizzy watching these companies negotiating, positioning, bluffing, whatever you want to call it. Even Microsoft's need to comment on the USRX/TI product announcement puzzles me. They certainly don't stand to gain if USR gets a foothold in the DSL retail market. Wouldn't they rather have the codes on their operating systems and eliminate the need for USR altogether?
If we think for a minute Microsoft and Intel aren't involved in the bandwidth war, we're beyond naive. It's trying to figure out who's doing what that's driving me nuts.
Okay, from all I can gather from the conference call and subsequent conversations with TI and Amati, USR made today's announcement to assure the networking world they're developing a DMT solution that will be ANSI-compliant and software upgradeable. Their first announcement in March at CeBit was for a CAP solution. When asked if today's hybrid solution would include CAP, the answer was: "Our goal is to get DMT on; after that we'll see how to get CAP onto the hybrid program." When I asked Amati about this I was told it's not possible.
At any rate, USRX is determined to have a DMT solution and they want to do it in software using Aware as a consultant. The question remains whether they'll succeed. They claim they'll have a product out "first half of '98."
I asked TI's media representative if she'd seen Aware's modems and she said she hadn't. I asked if anyone had and she said she couldn't comment.
She made it clear the USR/AWRE solution will use TI's basic C6x and that it has nothing to do with TI's development with Amati. She also emphasized that the USR solution will be ANSI-compliant and that Aware will be the one to license. Wonder if they'll make any money at all considering Amati said they'd make more from licensing than from what USR was willing to pay for co-production.
Looking at the current state of affairs between USRX/AWRE and TI, am I the only one who thinks something's wrong with the picture????
Cheers!
Pat |
