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Technology Stocks : AUTOHOME, Inc -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Still Rolling who wrote (28738)	7/26/2001 2:48:22 PM
From: JayPC	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29970

Shaw spent .274 Billion CDN building its own network (that's .178 Billion USD). Perhaps they should of just waited and bought @HOME. Shaw tackles @Home woes calgaryherald.com Subscribers frustrated by recent disruptions at Shaw Communications Inc.'s high-speed Internet service will see quicker and more reliable service following the opening of a $56-million data centre in Calgary, the company said Wednesday. Shaw has spent $274 million to build its own high-capacity data network and wean itself from California-based Excite@Home's infrastructure. The service was blamed for causing headaches for Shaw@Home customers, who complained of being unable to log on to the Web or send or receive e-mail for hours, and in some cases for days, at a time. "Last year, Shaw recognized that we needed to take control of our Internet distribution network and develop our own infrastructure," said chief executive Jim Shaw. "At the time, our confidence in @Home as a principal part of our Internet infrastructure was in doubt," Shaw said. Excite@Home will continue to provide specialized service, but Shaw will increasingly take control of the network and build it beyond its current capacity and usage, he said. The new Internet data centre -- the largest in Western Canada -- can store approximately 32 billion e-mails and support 1.6 million accounts. Shaw's 525,000 customers will be provided with an @shaw.ca address. Each e-mail, Web hosting and applications server in the data centre is doubled, ensuring backup in the event of a server failure. Generators are ready in the event of a power failure. Construction is underway to build additional data centres in Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Edmonton and Winnipeg. "What we've done today is raise the bar in terms of performance -- we want to be number 1," said Shaw president Peter Bissonnette. "To do that, you have to put your money where your mouth is, and $330 million is an investment we're absolutely sure will translate into the ability to drive services and develop content." Toronto-based Rogers Communications Inc. also wants more control over its troubled high-speed @Home service but, unlike Shaw, is not planning to build a replacement network. Frustrated with the service, five of Rogers' customers recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the firm, seeking $70 million in damages and $5 million in punitive damages. "All the cable companies built so fast and couldn't scale -- that's the problem," said Shaw. "Service levels were dropping and we decided right away to take control of the situation." It's estimated that 54 per cent of Albertans pay for Internet connectivity in their homes, with 31 per cent of users choosing high-speed service. The bolded part of the story: Excite@Home will continue to provide specialized service Shaw owns 50% of Excite Canada. I suspect the "specialized service" will be mostly content. Regards Jay