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Technology Stocks : Softbank Group Corp -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TobagoJack who wrote (1385)	8/19/1999 1:40:00 PM
From: mact	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6018

jay, i feel ur pain...i made a huge mistake when i sold my 9984 a few wks ago...the last few wks have been quite un-bearable...i now have to get back in and although i havent lost a fancy sportscar, i have lost a honda civic...lol...in the big picture, no big deal really...this stock will do very well over the longrun and a few yrs from now, losing 60-70 points will not be a problem...well, thats what i tell myself to stop kicking myself anyway. mact

To: TobagoJack who wrote (1385)	8/20/1999 5:34:00 AM
From: Edwin S. Fujinaka	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 6018

Softbank seems to go it's own way regardless of the direction of the Internet Sector and even it's own subsidiaries. Anyway Softbank wound up the week at $296 on the Tokyo Market. Nikkei Net has a free trial offer going until 9/30 and some people might want to sign on for a trial. They had the following two stories: Thursday, August 19, 1999 ANALYSIS: Deregulation May Put NTT In Power Distribution TOKYO (Nikkei)--The deregulation of Japan's telecommunications market has thrown Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (9432) into intensifying competition against many start-ups. Now, with the partial deregulation in the electric power industry and recent changes to the Electric Utility Law, NTT is being attacked by an outsider with the potential of becoming a major rival. Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501) announced Aug. 11 that it would start a fiber-optics-based Internet access service jointly with Softbank Corp. (9984) and Microsoft Corp. The joint venture plans to use the fiber-optics network Tepco laid to monitor its facilities, and offer a fixed rate of 5,000 yen per month, half the monthly fee NTT apparently plans to introduce for a similar service. This face-off is only a part of the picture. The two public utilities have never engaged in direct business confrontation as regulations prevented it from happening. Deregulation has changed all of that. Both firms have vast network facilities and extensive capital. As Masanori Maruo, an analyst at Daiwa Research Institute Inc., sees it, these companies can become intense rivals. Power distribution and telephone service are difficult businesses to enter because they require huge initial investments. No problem here since it is relatively easy for power and telephone companies to offer services in each other's market with their existing facilities. For example, NTT will have little difficulty starting a power distribution service because the company's phone line facilities have enough room to accommodate power lines. In addition, NTT already has some know-how in power generation as it has been operating a backup power plant in the event of a blackout. The power distribution business was not deregulated in the current Diet session, as they saw one distribution line is enough and efficient in consideration of social resources. Many analysts, however, believe NTT desirously seeks to enter that business since Tokyo Electric opened a floodgate. The government and the electric power industry are expected to review the laws and the system in three years. They may have to do it earlier, depending on NTT's actions and public opinion, an official at Ministry of International Trade and Industry said. (The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Thursday morning edition) Copyright 1999 Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc., all rights reserved. Friday, August 20, 1999 Tokyo Electric To Lay Fiber-Optic Links To Big Users TOKYO (Nikkei)--Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501) will offer fiber-optic cable connections for all its biggest customers, which will be able to choose their electricity provider come March 2000, company sources said Thursday. Targeting completion by the end of March 2001, the company will spend around 10 billion yen a year to expand its fiber-optic network to about 3,000 large customers, 1,200 of which are connected at present. The aim is to set up hot lines for monitoring electricity usage and taking automatic meter readings as well as providing weather and other updates. In the future, Tepco may use the fiber-optic connections in a new Internet access service it plans to establish with Softbank Corp. (9984) and Microsoft Corp. Tepco will lay 5,000km of new cable, using existing power poles and underground conduits to reach all its largest customers, defined as those that consume over 2,000 kilowatts of electricity. (The Nihon Keizai Shimbun Friday morning edition) Copyright 1999 Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc., all rights reserved.