Pat,
Last year Sprint has partnered with CSCO and awarded CSCO access part of ATM.
Since then Sprint has experienced serious performance issue, which were brought by analyst, I would like to emphasized analyst on NN's recent CC in February.
Similar problems experienced MCI-WorldCom ( analysts comments on NN cc).
CSCO ATM edge switches ( about 100) crushed this year MCI-WorldCom network this year.
If this will allowed NN revisit CSCO access accounts I do not know, but core ATM has not been awarded by Sprint and MCI yet.
I have not heard recently CSCO winning core ATM contracts, only access, simply they do not have right ATM platform
About 4-5 quarter ago J.Chambers on CSCO cc stated that not access part but core platform is the key to success (repeated business, higher margins)
Now he is singing that access is providing more revenue. Correct but at lower margins and access part is not so demanding from technical point of view. Every expert is this field will acknowledge that it is easier enter access part. Also any failure on core network is the disaster, where on on access will effect only specific customer.
This would explain why CSCO is winning with some success access part, but is loosing both hands core ATM or soon core IP/ATM.
As for possible shrinking margins( CSCO recent filing with SEC), if they stop buying competitors gears ( of course where deployment is small) and sell they gears close to cost they margins would go up. However, this is the only way CSCO may get some attention form large carriers.
Let remember that interview does not guarantee the job, specially for longer time.
Zbyslaw |
