Mark Skousen's FORECASTS & STRATEGIES May 1999 newsletter says this about Quest. (I am not a subscriber - this comes from an advertise mailing). The theme for the newsletter was "Common Sense on Y2K"
YOUR BEST HANDS-DOWN TECHNOLOGY STOCK.
Qwest Communications (QWST, $82) is a key player in transmitting information to combat data and programming losses created by Y2K glitches. No other telecommunications company can transmit more data at a faster rate than Qwest. And while Qwest's stock price has risen more than threefold since January 1998 when I first recommended it, it continues to be an excellent buy.
Qwest is the brainchild of Philip Anschutz, a Denver oil baron and Union Pacific's largest shareholder. Anschutz took advantage of his Union Pacific connection by negotiating an easement allowing Qwest to place telecommunication lines beside 11,700 miles of the company's railway tracks. The total network, spanning 18,500 miles and serving 130 million cities [he must mean 130 million people], is on the verge of completion.
Qwest's network has a transmission capacity of two trillion bits of multimedia information per second (the equivalent to transmitting the complete contents of the Library of Congress across the country in 20 seconds). In an age where speed is everything, Qwest can carry more information than any other U.S. communications network. The ability to transfer a lot of data swiftly means that Qwest can move long-distance voice and data more cheaply than its competitors, namely AT&T and MCI.
"Qwest is about moving images in the 21st century as easily as the telephone companies moved voice in the 20th century," says Nacchio.
Each Qwest information pipe contains 96 strands of fiber, half of which will be sold to competitors and half of which Qwest will retain. And unlike most fiber-optic lines that are in place, Qwest's network is designed with upgrades in mind. Next to each fiber-fillled pipe, Qwest is also laying a spare.
The price of Qwest has risen threefold since I recommended it, but I've heard some news that could push Qwest's stock much higher. Look for more good news on Qwest in the next issue. Until then keep checking my Web page (free to subscribers). As soon as I flush out the story on Qwest, you'll be able to read it at:
www.forecasts-strategies.com |
