Hi lml:
a) Re. DSL consolidation. The Telecom act does not govern
DSL equipment manufacturers. Antitrust issues would arise
only if the consolidation is excessive, which is essentially
impossible, given that CSCO, ALA, NT, LU are all in this market.
I may be wrong, but I would be surprised if any of the DSL
companies (PAIR, AWRE, ORCF, WSTL) remains independent.
The options are essentially to merge or die (WSTL?). Given
its low valuation, PAIR makes a very attractive target at
current levels. I hate to speculate idly on possible
buyers, but it is rather obvious that over the long run, ILECs
will want to deal with companies which offer complete
systems, i.e DSL + networking + optical infrastructure.
b) Like you, I have also ISDN at home. I would not bother
with IDSL. The difference will probably be barely noticeable.
Wait until cable modem or ADSL (the price will be a big issue for
ADSL) service comes to your neighborhood. I believe that Hughes
is offering a satellite service (DirectPC?) but do not know
anything about it (price, data rates, dish cost, etc...)
Best regards,
Bernard Levy |
