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Technology Stocks : MAPINFO: Any Thoughts -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Charlie Smith who wrote (208)	2/13/2000 3:11:00 PM
From: Alan A. Hicks	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 225

MAPS should qualify for the Russell 2000 Index this year. Each year the Russell 2000 index has to be reconstituted based on changes on the market capitalizations of the companies in the index. Changes take effect each May 31. MAPS current market cap is about $350 million. The smallest company in the index was around $185 million last year. This year the cutoff point should be higher but MAPS should qualify easily. Index funds tied to the Russell 2000 will have to buy MAPS shares to mirror the index. What has been happening the last few years has been that brokerage houses have been publishing lists of companies likely to be added or deleted from the index based on their market caps. Investors are buying or selling these shares ahead of the actual changes in the index. The Wall Street Journal has written articles about this the last couple of years. One study reported on showed that in the six weeks prior to the changes taking effect those companies being added rose 11% while those being deleted fell 9% on average. It will be one more positive impact on MAPS supply/demand equation for their shares over the next few months. MAPS will have officially graduated from a micro cap to a small cap company. The next milestone to reach will be a $500 million market cap. Most money managers will not buy companies under $500 million in market cap because they are just too small and liquidity is too thin. There is a saying among money mangers that when a company goes up it becomes "high enough to buy." It may seem illogical but it helps explains why larger caps have been getting very high valuations while small caps have remained undervalued. For example, Oracle has an 18 times revenue valuation while MAPS is still about 4 times revenues. Getting above $500 million market cap could attract a new round of institutional investors if MAPS keeps their growth rate up they way they have. I have had my own initial target of 5 times revenues for MAPS shares. But if MAPS can keep their growth rate going AND get their operating margins trending towards 20%, I do not think it would be unreasonable to see MAPS at half of Oracle's valuation which would be 9 times revenues. It would not be such a stretch since MAPS has been growing twice as fast as Oracle the last couple of years. And with the pipeline of orders they have in the telecom market and their relationship with Oracle, it looks like it they can keep it up for quite awhile. MAPS has also been investing heavily in new products and expanding their sales force to keep the growth going. The only brokerage houses to follow MAPS currently are Brean Murray, First Albany and Smith Moore. They have all published excellent reports and are quite bullish on MAPS. I think it is about time some analysts from some large brokerage houses get on board. From my perspective all the pieces are there to make MAPS a no brainer. At 9 times revenues of $130 million in calendar 2001 could put MAPS at about $110 per share by the end of next year. If we just get to five times revenues that is still $65 per share.

To: Charlie Smith who wrote (208)	2/28/2000 10:41:00 AM
From: Elvis Jones	Respond to of 225

MapInfo and Northwood Announce Release of deciBel Planner 2.0 Powerful New Functionality and CDMA Module for Effective Wireless Network Planning biz.yahoo.com You realize they held these for introduction at the CITA Wireless show in New Orleans. Think the MMs knew when would be a good time to shake the tree? Happily Long MAPS, Duke (full story follows) ------------------------------------------------- Monday February 28, 8:29 am Eastern Time Company Press Release MapInfo and Northwood Announce Release of deciBel Planner 2.0 Powerful New Functionality and CDMA Module for Effective Wireless Network Planning NEW ORLEANS, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2000--MapInfo Corporation (Nasdaq:MAPS - news) and Northwood Geoscience Ltd. today announced the release of deciBel Planner© 2.0 for MapInfo, the latest version of their innovative wireless network planning solution. New features and enhanced functionality in deciBel Planner 2.0 optimize engineering workflow, provide a streamlined and intuitive user interface and offer full support for Oracle8i. In addition, a new Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) module for network planning is now available. The CDMA module and new features in deciBel Planner 2.0 will be demonstrated at the CTIA Wireless 2000 show, in MapInfo's booth #1974 and Northwood's booth #7907, being held in New Orleans February 27 through March 2, 2000. ``deciBel Planner's accuracy and high-quality maps have enabled us to strategically build and maintain complex wireless networks,' said Mark Pack, Southwestern Bell Wireless' regional manager, RF operations. ``This product has been a fundamental part of efficiently expanding our network, offering superior customer service, and planning future growth.' ``In the wireless industry, effective network planning is critical to delivering top-notch service and increasing customer retention,' said Aileen Heal, MapInfo's telecommunications market director. ``Network planning and design process is one of the most crucial pieces of the wireless business, as the network defines where a provider can deliver services and what services can be sold to whom. Working with our partner Northwood, deciBel Planner's interface has been adapted and a CDMA module has been developed in order to meet the dynamic networking demands of wireless carriers. In recognition of the incredible pace at which the wireless industry is growing, MapInfo continues to develop technologies to help our customers charge ahead of the competition.' The new CDMA module for deciBel Planner 2.0 enables engineers to determine the optimal balance of system parameters for complex CDMA networks, providing customers with clear, high quality calls. The new module is compliant with IS-95A and IS-95B standards. In addition, it provides flexible modeling to accommodate the rapidly advancing requirements of next-generation subscribers. Some of the unique features of the CDMA module include allowance for different local attenuations at each receiver location (e.g., in-building vs. mobile subscribers), comprehensive optimization capabilities (referencing call density distributions), and the accommodation of many different types of receivers. CDMA is one of the fastest growing wireless technologies in the world, and CDMA networks are used by virtually all major wireless carriers in North America, Latin America and Asia. ``This latest version of deciBel Planner is the result of months of close cooperation with a number of key wireless carriers,' said Phil Wyatt, vice president of technology at Northwood. ``It emphasizes the workflow of the RF engineer, providing a streamlined interface that is highly intuitive for new users while experienced RF engineers will appreciate the enhanced network analysis capabilities. The CDMA module, in particular, allows engineers to troubleshoot existing networks and more accurately predict performance of new networks.' About deciBel Planner deciBel Planner is a Windows-based wireless network design software application fully integrated with MapInfo Professional©. deciBel Planner 2.0 seamlessly combines RF prediction capabilities and spatial analysis, enabling wireless companies to efficiently build and optimize complex wireless networks. Wireless engineers can now quickly pull together various types of data, such as terrain and clutter maps, streets, towers and demographic boundaries, in order to accurately design networks and achieve optimal coverage at the lowest cost. Pricing and Availability deciBel Planner 2.0 will be available in March 2000 at a cost of $18,995. The CDMA module will also be available in March at a cost of $9,995. Upgrade pricing is available for current users from deciBel Planner 1.5 to 2.0. A fixed wireless module and additional frequency planning tools will be available early summer. About Northwood (www.northwoodgeo.com) Northwood Geoscience Ltd. is a leading developer and provider of specialized spatial information management (SIM) software products that are distributed in over 45 countries by more than 200 accredited partners. The company also sources, builds and markets geospatial data sets that enhance the capabilities of its grid-based SIM technology. Northwood is a Strategic Partner of MapInfo Corporation and the 1999 MapInfo Canadian Partner of the Year. About MapInfo MapInfo Corporation enables customers to use location to transform information into business advantage. A global company and technology leader, MapInfo provides business intelligence solutions that are deployed across organizations to help them better understand their markets and customers. MapInfo solutions are available in 21 languages through a network of strategic partners and distribution channels in 58 countries. Headquartered in Troy, NY, MapInfo Corporation is on the World Wide Web at www.mapinfo.com. MapInfo, MapInfo Professional, MapInfo logo, MapInfo MapX, MapInfo MapXsite, MapInfo MapXtreme, MapInfo StreetPro, MapInfo TargetPro and MapInfo SpatialWare are registered trademarks, and Coverage Locator, CallingAreaInfo, and ExchangeInfoPlus are trademarks of MapInfo Corporation in the United States. Other products named herein may be trademarks of their respective manufacturers and are hereby recognized. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact: MapInfo Corporation Barbara Pilliod or Debbie Sgroi Geraci (518) 285-6000 barbara_pilliod@mapinfo.com debbie_geraci@mapinfo.com or Schwartz Communications Lauren Arnold or Laura Sexton (781) 684-0770 lauras@schwartz-pr.com or Northwood Geoscience Ltd. Jane Frarey Wark (613) 224-2020 x331 jfrareywark@northwoodgeo.com