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Technology Stocks : Westell WSTL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: steve s who wrote (16855)	8/12/1999 2:08:00 PM
From: R. Murphey	Respond to of 21342

Steve, I personally believe, during the "transition" period over the next few years, that the device I want to have will be the dual mode (ADSL/V.90). This holds particularly true for portable computers where the type of phone service may vary from place to place, or where ADSL service is slowly "evolving". Since a number of computers sold today already have a NIC (expecting networks), attaching to an external unit is not a herculean task and many ADSL users will benefit from the availability of POTS splitters, and routers to help control overall communications costs. One opinion. Regards, Bob

To: steve s who wrote (16855)	8/12/1999 4:07:00 PM
From: Harry J.	Respond to of 21342

Steve - some comments/questions ". . . To provide DSL service, a phone company usually needs to splice a phone wire outside a person's home and run the portion of the wire intended for the DSL connection into the desired room. The service provider then connects the phone jack to the computer with an external modem and opens up the computer to install a special communications card." Is this part about "splitting" the wire externally true? Can't I (a) use one of the many phonejacks already installed throughout my fifty year-old house (seems like every owner wanted phones in different places in different rooms), (b) purchase a "Y" connection at Home Depot and install it at my desk's phonejack? ". . . With a DSL-ready computer, the phone wire would still need to be spliced, but there's no need for an external modem and no need to install special equipment in the PC." But why (and this is a rhetorical question) does it matter, as the previous comment indicates, whether the splitter is inside the house or outside? Also, it seems to me "there's no need" to install special equipment because IBM has already installed it. In English, we call that tautology, not logic. What's the difference between IBM cracking the case and installing a card and CompUSA doing it (instead of me) other than quality control, of course? Note I didn't take sides on whose quality 8-) Finally, ". . . Pacific Bell is waiving the $198 set-up and equipment charge." Does this mean there is no equipment that Pac Bell must set-up or does it mean there is no charge for either the equipment or/and the set-up that Pac Bell will provide? In short, I can't tell if this signals the "death" of add-on ADSL or if it is the first sign of what modems did and video cards are doing: I can use the built-in slow modem (which I don't) or the really fast PCMCIA card modem over a T1 line at work (which I do) which also allows me to haul my laptop home and plug in to my TTP in the kitchen without reconfiguring anything (which I also do)? I also can't tell if IBM is warranting that its built-in ADSL modem will work with my local phone company's switches (let alone with any connection I may establish while on the road - in downtowns of major cities near RBOC central offices, of course). Will it and will they? Also finally, maybe this announcement will allow me to lose my lunch every time I try to balance add-on market growth against OEM contract growth in the ADSL market like I do in the video card market. I think we have some time until all this user turmoil settles down (but I didn't own Hayes so what do I know?) although I have to say that stodgy old oil stocks are looking better and better (hahaha). Regards, Harry

To: steve s who wrote (16855)	8/15/1999 4:24:00 PM
From: steve s	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21342

Wow has this thread really dried up over the last few days. I find it hard to believe that none of the regulars responded to my post. Thanks to the ones that did. I guess its not as big a deal as I thought. We will have to see what the future ADSL'ers think. What does this mean for the future of External ADSL modems? Notice the wording carefully, how they compare an External ADSL modem installation to an Internal ADSL modem. Having to buy a 100mhz ethernet card and open up the computer compared to NOT having to for an Internal ADSL modem. Is this a real threat to Westell 6 months to a year from now? I am asking everyone that reads this thread to please respond with your opinion. Thanks.......... infobeat.com 07:58 PM ET 08/11/99 IBM PC Offers Built-In Digital Modem IBM PC Offers Built-In Digital Modem By BRUCE MEYERSON= AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) _ IBM is introducing personal computers with built-in digital modems, another major step in a sudden scramble to make high-speed Internet access commonplace in the home. The new internal modems, made by Texas Instruments, are being offered as an optional feature with IBM's Aptiva line of computers, boosting the price by about $100, IBM said Wednesday. Aside from that added expense, a built-in modem would likely make it easier and cheaper for people to switch from a dial-up Internet connection to the speedy, ''always-on'' technology known as DSL, or digital subscriber line. While dial-up and DSL both transmit over a regular copper phone wire, DSL is 50-to-100 times faster than a standard connection using even the fastest non-digital modem. ''To download a graphic-rich Internet page with audio using a (standard) modem, it'll take 1{-to-2 minutes. With DSL at lower speed, it's about 15 seconds,'' said Marc Cetto, a marketing executive with Texas Instruments. Another advantage of DSL over dial-up is that a person can use the phone and the Internet connection at the same time with only one phone line. A person who signs up for DSL generally pays hundreds of dollars in equipment and installation fees and a monthly service charge of $30 and up, depending on the speed. To provide DSL service, a phone company usually needs to splice a phone wire outside a person's home and run the portion of the wire intended for the DSL connection into the desired room. The service provider then connects the phone jack to the computer with an external modem and opens up the computer to install a special communications card. With a DSL-ready computer, the phone wire would still need to be spliced, but there's no need for an external modem and no need to install special equipment in the PC. The new DSL-equipped Aptivas, which are only available direct from IBM, represent the first broad rollout of an internal digital modem by a PC maker. Compaq Computer has equipped two of its Presario models with a DSL modem, while Dell Computer can equip its machines to work with a DSL service offered by U S West. Until recently, DSL service was still unavailable in most of the country as local telephone companies avoided the expense of upgrading their systems. But with AT&T leading a sudden charge to sell consumers high-speed Internet access and phone service over cable TV wires _ committing billions to cable system upgrades _ the telephone companies began scrambling to deploy DSL. Numbering less than 50,000 at the beginning of the year, DSL subscribers are expected to reach more than 800,000 and maybe 1 million by the end of 1999, according to Texas Instruments. And even though DSL service is fairly new throughout the country, prices are already falling sharply with numerous rivals leasing the local phone monopoly's lines to sell the service. In April, U S West cut its monthly DSL fee to $30, which doesn't include the $20 or so a subscriber would also have to pay for Internet access through a company like America Online. Likewise, in conjunction with the rollout of its DSL-ready Aptivas, IBM announced a marketing initiative in the San Francisco area with Pacific Bell, the local phone company serving California. Consumers in the San Francisco area who buy an 800E model priced at $948 or a 902E priced at $1,398 can sign up for a year of DSL service for $39 a month, excluding the monthly Internet charge. For the first six weeks of the promotion, Pacific Bell is waiving the $198 set-up and equipment charge.