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Technology Stocks : Alcatel (ALA) and France -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Steve Fancy who wrote (1082)12/28/1999 10:26:00 PM
From: Steve Fancy  Respond to of 3891
 
Alstom 'Disturbed' By Loss Of Taiwan Rail Project To Japanese Group

Dow Jones Online News, Dec 28, 1999 11:19 hrs

PARIS -(Dow Jones)- Anglo-French engineering group Alstom SA said Tuesday that the Eurotrain consortium is "disturbed" by Taiwan's decision to leave it out of negotiations to build the island nation's first bullet-train system.

Earlier Tuesday, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp., a consortium in charge of building a 340-kilometer high-speed train link between Taipei and the southern city of Kaohsiung, said it would give "priority negotiating rights" to a Japanese consortium, snubbing the European group.

In response, Alstom (ALS) said the Eurotrain consortium, which also includes Germany's Siemens AG, "will take all necessary action to protect its interests."

The French company added that the decision is disturbing because "the Eurotrain offer is the only internationally proven system," and because "Alstom has regularly won all high-speed export contracts until now."

The Eurotrain group also confirmed that the 12.10-billion-euro ($12.26 billion) Taiwan project hasn't been included in its order book and wouldn't have generated revenue before 2004-05.

The Taiwanese decision came as a surprise, as the European consortium was seen initially as the frontrunner to land the deal. After being pre-selected two years ago, the Siemens and Alstom consortium had submitted a bid last June to provide technology and equipment for the project.

Had its bid been successful, the consortium was planning to take a 17% stake in Taiwan High-Speed and supply a combination of French TGV rail-carriages and German ICE locomotives to the project.

The Japanese consortium led by Mitsui & Co. (MITSY), Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. submitted a bid at the same time as the European consortium. If the deal is concluded, it would mark the first export of Japan's Shinkansen bullet-train technology, the Kyodo economic newswire reported Tuesday. Other members of the Japanese consortium, which includes about 30 concerns, are Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Toshiba Corp., Central Japan Railway Co. and West Japan Railway Co.

In announcing the decision, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp. President Liu Kuo-chih said his company picked the Japanese consortium as its proposal is relatively flexible and its price is more competitive, Kyodo reported. Taiwan High-Speed added that the Japanese group offered better financing and maintenance terms.

Last year Alstom, in a joint-venture with an Australian company, was chosen to build the high-speed train between Canberra and Sydney. But the Japanese group's experience in earthquake-resistant infrastructure clearly played a role in the battle to win the deal in tremor-prone Taiwan.

A new round of talks will start in January with the Japanese consortium, and if the two sides fail to reach a deal Taiwan High-Speed will reopen negotiations with the European group.

The planned rail line will allow passengers to cross the island at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour in about 90 minutes.

Copyright (c) 1999 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

All Rights Reserved.




To: Steve Fancy who wrote (1082)12/28/1999 10:36:00 PM
From: Steve Fancy  Respond to of 3891
 
Alcatel Signs Wireless Equipment Pact With BreezeCOM

PARIS -- Alcatel SA (ALA) said Friday that it has signed an agreement with Israel's wireless systems maker BreezeCOM that will allow the French company to market a local radio loop system developed by BreezeCOM.




To: Steve Fancy who wrote (1082)12/28/1999 10:38:00 PM
From: Steve Fancy  Respond to of 3891
 
Alcatel Gets EUR14M Pipeline Contract From Wingas

PARIS -- Alcatel SA (ALA) Monday said it has received a EUR14 million contract to supply and install a 1,350 kilometer-long fiberglass cable for the German section of a gas pipeline operated by Russian-German joint venture Wingas.




To: Steve Fancy who wrote (1082)12/28/1999 10:40:00 PM
From: Steve Fancy  Respond to of 3891
 
PRESS RELEASE: Alcatel To Provide Pac-West Access Mgmt Sys

Dow Jones Newswires -- December 21, 1999

STOCKTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 21, 1999--Alcatel S.A. (ALA) and Pac-West Telecomm Inc. (PACW) announced that Pac-West, a rapidly growing provider of integrated communications services in the western United States, has chosen Alcatel to provide an access and subscriber management solution necessary to augment its corporate voice/data business model.

The system will support Pac-West's dial and broadband access wholesaling to ISPs and corporate customers.

With its SuperPOPs and Alcatel's network infrastructure, Pac-West will be able to provide wholesale dial-up and broadband Internet access services to ISPs, and remote access outsourcing services to enterprise customers.

The solution is composed of Alcatel's X1600 multiservice access concentrator and the recently announced Alcatel A1135 SMC service management center.

The solution will power Pac-West's network of SuperPOP (point of presence) ISP and corporate access wholesaling facilities throughout the western United States, and will integrate completely with its existing network of Alcatel MegaHub 600E Tandem switches. When implemented, the Alcatel solution will offer 40,000 dial-up ports in five U.S. states.

"We are very pleased Pac-West has partnered with Alcatel for deployment of new wholesale dial and broadband (DSL) access services to its ISP and enterprise customers," said Bruce Barton, senior director of product line management for Alcatel's access server products. "Alcatel is leading the industry in providing complete POP solutions for network operators offering wholesale access services.

"Pac-West's deployment is a strong validation of our approach."

Pac-West will also be able to provide a total voice and data solution by coupling the X1600 and SMC platform with the Alcatel MegaHub 600E Tandem switches currently deployed in the Pac-West network. The integration of these two powerful platforms will enable Pac-West to achieve TDM/packet switch integration and allow voice and data calls to be transited across the data network.

"With Alcatel's technology in place in each SuperPOP, we can now offer our wholesale customers a virtual dial-up and broadband access footprint in a very standardized and cost-effective manner," said Jason Mills, vice president of network operations for Pac-West.

"The Alcatel solution provides all of the pieces, including integrated service and support, to quickly build and administer our SuperPOP regional access network."

The Access Wholesale Model

As an Internet access wholesaler, Pac-West is building a large Internet access network, which it then offers to ISPs and corporations that otherwise would need to build their own Internet access networks.

These ISPs can enter the market for V.90 56 Kbps and ISDN dial-up modem connections and consumer- and business-grade ADSL and SDSL packages at a fraction of normal start-up costs. This enables the retail ISPs to focus on marketing these services to consumers and businesses.

"ISPs and corporations need to focus on marketing their services, not building, financing and administering a widely distributed access network," Mills explained. "By providing and maintaining the access network, we enable service providers to focus their resources and expertise on marketing their services."

The complete POP solution will be used by Pac-West to: *T

-- offer Pac-West's ISP customers a virtual access network spanning
a large geographic area;

-- perform networkwide proxy authentication, authorization and
accounting (AAA) of dial-up and broadband users from a central

location;

-- integrate with ISP customers' RADIUS/TACACS servers and allow
them to pool IP addresses across the entire region for efficient

IP address allocation;

-- route and track thousands of users to their host ISPs and
corporations;

-- provide each ISP with its own view of their virtual access
network including port utilization, subscriber profiles, and

billing and accounting information. *T

About Alcatel

Alcatel builds next-generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data communications solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 21.3 billion ($25.0 billion), Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.

For more information, visit Alcatel at alcatel.com or the U.S. Web site at usa.alcatel.com.

About Pac-West

With headquarters in Stockton, Pac-West is a rapidly growing provider of integrated communications services to usage-intensive customers in the western United States, including Internet service providers (ISPs), small and medium businesses, and enhanced communications service providers.

Pac-West is a leading supplier of Internet infrastructure services to ISPs who can either collocate and maintain their own equipment at Pac-West's switching sites, or subscribe to an integrated managed modem service that includes access lines, modems, routers, authentication services and technical support.

In addition to local access lines, Pac-West offers ISPs a full suite of innovative services, including DSL, to help them attract and retain customers, generate new revenue streams, and differentiate their service offerings.

For the small and medium business market, Pac-West offers business customers the ease and convenience of one company and one bill for all their telecommunications needs. Through its exclusive Direct Digital Telephone Service (DDTS), Pac-West bundles an advanced digital phone system with local and long distance service, high-speed data transport and voice mail.

The entire package, including system design, installation and maintenance is offered on a monthly subscription basis and requires no capital expenditure.

To meet the growing demand for integrated and customized telecommunications services, Pac-West is expanding into other Western states, and expects to have operations in 10 Western states by the end of 2000.

The company's corporate office is at 4210 Coronado Ave., Stockton, 95204. Telephone 800-PAC-WEST (800/722-9378); Web site www.pacwest.com.

--30--JC/la* JAP/la

CONTACT: Alcatel

Dave Rodewald, 818/878-4976

drodewald@xylan.com

or

Pac-West

Jason Mills, 209/926-3343

jmills@pacwest.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELECOMMUNICATIONS Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet

with Hyperlinks to your home page.

URL: businesswire.com





To: Steve Fancy who wrote (1082)12/28/1999 10:43:00 PM
From: Steve Fancy  Respond to of 3891
 
Norway Viking In DEM300M Cable Deal With Pirelli, Alcatel

BERLIN -- Norway's Viking Cable AS Wednesday signed contracts worth DEM300 million for Italy's Pirelli SpA (I.PIR) and France's Alcatel SA (ALA) to produce a 580-kilometer power cable. Viking - a unit of Germany's PreussenElektra AG (G.PEL) and Norway's Statnett SF - will operate the 600-megawatt Germany-to-Norway cable when it comes on-line in 2004.




To: Steve Fancy who wrote (1082)12/28/1999 10:44:00 PM
From: Steve Fancy  Respond to of 3891
 
Alcatel: EUR300M Exceptional Gain From Framatome Sale

PARIS -- French telecommunications equipment supplier Alcatel SA (ALA) said Thursday that its previously announced deal with nuclear engineering group Framatome SA will result in an exceptional gain of EUR300 million, which will be reflected in Alcatel's 1999 results.

According to the agreement, Alcatel will exchange about 80% of its stake in Framatome for 9.45% of the capital of defense electronics group Thomson-CSF (F.CSF), and a cash payment pursuant to Framatome's reorganization of its capital structure, Alcatel said.

Alcatel has to retain an 8.6% stake in Thomson-CSF for at least two years, but this could be shorter, should Framatome be publicly listed before the end of the period.




To: Steve Fancy who wrote (1082)12/28/1999 10:48:00 PM
From: Steve Fancy  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 3891
 
TIP SHEET: Pittsburg Likes Developing Communications
By DWIGHT OESTRICHER

NEW YORK -- In the future Jeff Pittsburg envisions, consumers in the U.S. catch up to their brethren in international markets and use their cellular phones and personal computers for myriad duties. So he has his sight set on the stocks best prepared to take advantage of the coming digital age.

"More and more people will buy wireless phones in the coming year as roaming charges disappear and new features are added," said Pittsburg, head of Pittsburg Institutional Inc., an institutional research "boutique" that will trade in the names it covers "from time to time."

Growth in the wireless industry could pump AT&T Corp.'s (T) stock price to $65 a share in 12 months from the current low 50s, while Bell Atlantic Corp.'s (BEL) stock could reach $75 - compared with the current mid-60s range, he said. 3Com Inc.'s (COMS) wireless access and digital subscriber line operations could prove to be as big as the company's Palm Computing unit, which the company plans to spin off next year, Pittsburg said. Shares of the networking company, which were in the mid-$40 range recently, could rise to the $60 to $64 range in 12-to-18 months, said Pittsburg.

Sprint Corp. PCS (PCS), a leader in the wireless field, doesn't make the cut, Pittsburg said, because its price is very rich, having hit a 52-week high of 114 7/16 on Dec. 14.

Taking a look at the initial public offering market, Pittsburg said he thinks Airnet Communications Corp. (ANCC), could make great gains as its wireless business delivers more to the top line in the next two years, he added. Airnet's IPO of 5.5 million shares was priced at $14 each on Dec. 7 and rose to $45 that day. Pittsburg said the stock, which has been trading in the mid-to-high $20s range lately, could touch that high again within a year.

Pittsburg said he likes the DSL group because of the gains it will make as more businesses adopt the service. His favorite in the group is Northpoint Communications Group Inc. (NPNT), whose shares are "correcting" since falling off from a 52-week high of 48 3/4 set May 6. Capturing even more market share should enable Northpoint's stock to reach 48 next year, said Pittsburg. The stock, which hit a 52-week low of 17 5/8 Aug. 10, has been trading in the mid-to-high $20s range recently .

Shares of Alcatel ADS (ALA), another DSL stock, would be attractive if they fell into the mid-$30s again, said Pittsburg. The stock hit a 52-week high of 45 on Dec. 6.

Pittsburg said companies with satellite operations will also be big winners in the next two years as demand for wireless telephony, broadband video, voice and data, and other services increases. His favorites in the group are General Motors Corp. Class H (GMH) and Loral Space & Communications Ltd. (LOR).

Now that DirecTV, a unit of Hughes Electronic Corp., can offer local stations with satellite television service, the subscriber base should increase, Pittsburg said. In response, Class H shares of parent General Motors Corp. (GM) should reach about $120 a share in 12 months, from its current price in the low $90-range, he said.

As for Loral, it's in a rebuilding state and the shares are "dirt cheap," Pittsburg said, ahead of the profitability that should take off in two years. Within that time frame, shares of Loral should reach $50 a share, compared with its current high-teens level.

A pairing of defense and satellite operations should pay off for Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) and Boeing Corp. (BA) in the short term, Pittsburg said.

"I think we will see a lot more transmission via satellite of voice and data as cellular phone service expands into places where it's not available," Pittsburg said. "And defense budgets are going up in the world to a certain degree."

Families keeping in touch by passing photos over the Internet will prove to be a boon for Eastman Kodak Co. (EK), Pittsburg said. A healthy economy and the pace of new computers in homes will benefit sales of the company's digital cameras, which allow people to develop pictures on their computers and transmit them over the Internet.

Kodak's digital operations are undervalued by the market, said Pittsburg, who has a 12-month price target of $87 on Kodak shares, which have been in the low-$60 range lately.

-By Dwight Oestricher, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5266