[ALA. . .]
<<<the announcement boils down to "We'll go with tag switching and integrate IOS into our switches. In return, you use our ADSL throughout your product line, and resell our private voice communications solutions." The big win here for ALA is getting CSCO to
embrace Mietec ADSL. It's the major quid pro quo. If CSCO uses someone else's ADSL in six months, what is ALA getting out of the deal?>>>
It's possible. And if this is true I would imagine Cisco sees it as a win-win. They get Alcatel to incorporate tag switching and then if the ALA chip turns out to be no good --- which everyone I've talked to including NEC/Australia says is the case --- they say, "Sorry, nice try, we'll go with Amati's. . ." By that time tag switching's in place and they find some other way to smooth ruffled feathers.
What I believe is more true is that, yes, Cisco wants Alcatel to incorporate tag switching --- clearly this is the trust of the alliance --- and in return Alcatel gets Cisco's first ADSL bids. Cisco wants chips now. As I said yesterday, they could have chosen ADI/Aware's or a CAP solution. They didn't. Do you really think Cisco would mess up their chance at GTE's ADSL roll-out by hurting Amati in the way you suggest?
The alliance has a lot to do with ATM and tag switching and very little to do with ADSL. Yes, Cisco is using Alcatel's ADSL, but not in the way you think --- and until the chips come out, who can blame either company for making this move? Seems brilliant from my perspective.
In the meantime, I'm sitting tight.
Cheers!
Pat |
