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Technology Stocks : LAST MILE TECHNOLOGIES - Let's Discuss Them Here -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Gregory Rasp who wrote (5289)	9/18/1999 9:42:00 PM
From: Curtis E. Bemis	Respond to of 12823

Here is a good URL for your DSL interests- Good investing- dslreports.com

To: Gregory Rasp who wrote (5289)	9/20/1999 7:58:00 AM
From: MikeM54321	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 12823

"I have been given the task of researching DSL with an eye toward investment opportunities." Gregory, And quite a task it is! Nothing is more confusing than DSL technologies. Not only are there so many flavors, but each flavor requires significantly different infrastructure upgrades and new hardware. Most of which is incompatible with each other. Not only that, some legacy equipment is only compatible with equipment made by the same vendor! All the details are in a lot's of post upstream. I gave myself your same task, and put a lot of time into it and never did come up with any clear cut answers. Very few dispute Alcatel is the leader, but it's a relatively small part of their business and you have to wonder how competitive a company based in a somewhat socialist system can compete in a worldwide marketplace. But that sure doesn't keep Sweden and Finland from being wireless powerhouses. MikeM(From Florida)

To: Gregory Rasp who wrote (5289)	9/21/1999 9:08:00 PM
From: D. K. G.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12823

Fast Net-Access Technology Quickly Building Gear Rivalries Small DSL Gear Makers Face Bigger Competition Date: 9/21/99 Author: Reinhardt Krause The little guys better watch out. A dozen or more small companies have been jostling for position in the battle to sell gear that lets phone companies offer customers fast Net access via digital subscriber lines. But as phone companies respond to DSL demand, the big makers of phone and computer networking gear have rapidly entered the fray. DSL speeds up Internet access over traditional copper wires. The latest of the big boys to roll out its own DSL products, last Tuesday, was Lucent Technologies Inc. Already in the market are the other two leading gear suppliers, Cisco Systems Inc. and Nortel Networks Corp. Demand for fast Internet hookups has spawned DSL gear providers over the last several years. The smaller firms target market niches they hope will grow rapidly, but some will struggle while others have been, and likely will be, bought by larger firms. ''Is it possible to be a stand-alone DSL supplier? Yes,'' said Rick Gilbert, chief executive of one of them, Copper Mountain Networks Inc. ''But a lot of smaller players are disappearing.'' Copper Mountain's second-quarter sales boomed to $22.9 million from only $1.3 million in the year-ago period, when it was just getting started. Among the big boys, Cisco moved first. In 1997, it bought up-and-comers NetSpeed Inc. for $236 million and Dagaz Corp. for $124 million. Helped by its acquisitions, Cisco supplies DSL gear to regional Bell US West Inc. and recently said it will do the same with Sprint Corp. Another large company, Nokia Corp., bought start-up Diamond Lane Communications Corp. for $125 million in February. Diamond supplies gear to upstart carriers such as Covad Communications Group Inc. ''Within the next few years we'll see only three or four global DSL vendors that have a viable business for profitability,'' said Pekka Mielonen, vice president of sales and marketing at the new high-speed access unit at Nokia, better known as the leading seller of cell phones. ''Smaller ones will be struggling to find niches to survive.'' Enter Lucent To get ahead, small equipment sellers may form marketing pacts with bigger suppliers. Start-ups can offer leading-edge technology, while big suppliers often have longtime relationships with carriers. ''To be a successful player in a niche market, you need to be aligned with one of the big three (Lucent, Cisco or Nortel),'' said Gilbert. Lucent has sold Copper Mountain's products to its customers. So Lucent's product rollout last week spooked Copper's investors. Copper's stock fell 4% that day. Lucent acquired DSL know-how as part of its $20 billion purchase of Ascend Communications Inc. in January. But Gilbert says Lucent and Copper Mountain still need each other because carriers need many types of DSL gear. DSL equipment that Lucent acquired through Ascend is used mainly by large carriers such as the regional Bells, analysts say. Copper Mountain's gear targets new entrants in local phone markets called competitive local exchange carriers. CLECs compete for small-business customers against the Bells. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Copper Mountain's biggest customers are CLECs NorthPoint Communications Inc. and Rhythms NetConnections Inc. Copper Mountain last year ranked No. 1 in shipments of DSL gear to businesses, says market researcher Dataquest Inc. of San Jose, Calif. But the stakes are getting bigger. Bullish On DSL Prodded by competition from cable TV firms, the regional Bells are upgrading networks to DSL. Cable firms are selling high-speed Internet access to consumers via their thick coaxial wiring. The Bells are fighting back with DSL services geared for residential customers. Bell Atlantic Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. have both stepped up DSL rollouts this year. The leading supplier of DSL consumer-style gear has been France-based Alcatel SA's telecom unit, says market researcher Dataquest Inc. ''(Consumer) DSL is being dominated by Alcatel and Cisco,'' said Dataquest analyst Kathie Hackler. ''Some of the other suppliers have focused on CLECs such as Covad and have done quite well.'' The Bells are expected to start selling more DSL services to small businesses, analysts say. To do that, the Bells may need new equipment. In addition, all carriers are eyeing more advanced versions of DSL technology now in the labs. ''Service providers will be re-evaluating their (DSL) selections based on new offerings in the market,'' said Claudia Bacco, an analyst at market researcher TeleChoice Inc. Dataquest says sales of DSL just for central offices, a big chunk of the total market, will climb to $1.5 billion in 2003 from $214 million last year. Makers of DSL gear include Netopia Inc., Cabletron Systems Inc.'s Flowpoint unit and Tollbridge Technologies Inc. Also chasing a piece of the DSL pie are Orkit Communications, Efficient Networks Inc., Tut Systems Inc. and Pairgain Technologies Inc. Small players need to stay ahead of the technology curve, analysts say. Next-generation DSL gear will handle multiple voice calls and send faxes as well as provide Net access. That's where start-ups Jetstream Communications Inc. and CopperCom Inc. hope to excel. (C) Copyright 1999 Investors Business Daily, Inc.