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

To: Arnie Doolittle who wrote (9343)	9/8/1999 10:36:00 PM
From: Jane4IceCream	Respond to of 10227

Nextel will be trading at $100 sometime early year 2000. Mark my words. Jane

To: Arnie Doolittle who wrote (9343)	9/9/1999 3:02:00 AM
From: Bux	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10227

Re: Compatibility of iDEN with CDMA. Arnie, you seem to have some misunderstanding of the compatibility issues. The iDEN air interface uses TDMA equipment to transmit and receive the digital signals between the base stations and the numerous handsets that are on at any given time. This equipment is not compatible with any CDMA based air-interface. That means that if Nextel deploys a 3G CDMA system of any type, then; 1) iDEN handsets will not be able to use the new spectrum unless a dual mode (iDEN/CDMA) device is manufactured. This would be an uncompetitive expense, increase handset sizes and limit the selection of handsets. 2) Users assigned to the iDEN spectrum will continue to only receive the benefits of iDEN, not CDMA. 3) The spectrum assigned to iDEN can support less than half of the billable minutes than if the same spectrum was assigned to CDMA(IS-95, upgrades increase the CDMA advantage) 4) Nextel will have two different air interface to keep tuned and running smoothly. Hopefully the field technicians will be equally adept at CDMA as TDMA but are willing to work at the same pay. You are under the impression that iDEN is compatible with 3G CDMA? Only if the iDEN air interface is ditched including the iDEN handsets. Or maybe you are simply stating the two can co-exist and utilize the same connections to the fiber-optic backbone at each base station (if it hasn't already been done, it could be worked out) but CDMA networks have the more cost-effective and versatile upgrade. Re: Europe replacing GSM with 3G CDMA. You think it won't happen? Well, it won't happen as fast in Europe as it will in the U.S. because European operators won't have the CDMA competition forcing them to adopt CDMA or be left behind which I believe is already beginning to happen in the U.S., and I think the U.S. comprises 97% of Nextel's revenue. You can argue technology doesn't matter, I just happen to see it differently. Only time will tell who's perception is more accurate. Over the last two years I have been directing some of my old investments and all of my new investments into Qualcomm. Many people told me during this time that the technology doesn't matter, including last fall a personal e-mail from Jim Jubak who argued that the best technology doesn't always win. Look at Beta vs. VHS, etc... Over the same time period I have argued, with wireless, technology matters because of the competitive advantage CDMA provides. This year alone my CDMA investments have returned over 600% so far. I think people are beginning to see the light. Some people think the rapid rise of Qualcomm has spawned an irrational religion but I know it is based on science and economic theory. The real religion is is McCawism, those that think Craig McCaw is infallible. He's a smart guy but that doesn't grant him the ability to overcome the laws of economics and physics. Bux