Claude,
Certainly a possibility, but the LU-ASND rumors have been so prevalent and met with so little comment or denial that I have to assume it is practically a done deal, as was the case with BAY and NT. ASND does seem to be holding out for LU, which makes sense as that's where the greatest growth is going forward.
There seems to be this perception that ASND is the state of the art behind CSCO, although I would have to add way behind, and also point out that there have been persistent rumors about the reliability of ASND products. Perhaps LU can deal with these problems, and hopefully ASND has put its own problems behind it to the point that they are a more worthy fit for LU.
My concerns have more to do with LU minimizing the impact of any deal, particularly an ASND one, on LU shareholders, and I have written to the company requesting that that be the case. They have not responded, as I would have expected under the circumstances, but I wanted my concerns made known. I realize LU and NT believe they need networking technology to assure their future growth; I just wish they didn't have to buy companies that are essentially dogs to do it. Excuse my rant, but I've got a real bee under my bonnet on this issue. I lived through the networking blood bath the first time; I have no desire to relive it in the telecom sector, although judging from NT's recent action it may be inevitable. Maybe the networkers will find a way to drag the PC sector down with them next, which would be funny if INTC weren't considering buying COMS.
Paul |
