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Technology Stocks : Qualcomm Moderated Thread - please read rules before posting -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Biddle who wrote (30684)	1/3/2003 5:10:22 PM
From: John Biddle	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 196994

Verizon Wireless IPO may emerge Fund manager eyes $5 bln deal as tech, telecom revive By Steve Gelsi, CBS.MarketWatch.com Last Update: 10:41 AM ET Jan. 2, 2003 cbs.marketwatch.com NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - The ice jam on the $5 billion Verizon Wireless initial public offering may thaw in 2003 as tech and telecom deals start to revive, IPO watchers said. Verizon (VZ: news, chart, profile) filed the massive IPO for its wireless unit in late 2000, only to postpone the deal soon after. In 2001, it took the IPO out of mothballs, but has yet to move ahead with the deal by filing an expected price range or planning an IPO road show. But as IPO insiders look toward 2003, hope for the Verizon Wireless IPO is on the rise. Paul Bard, analyst with the Renaissance Capital IPO Plus Fund (IPOSX: news, chart, profile), said the IPO may move forward, given the size of the deal, a rebound in wireless stocks, and analyst upgrades in the sector. "We feel it is a deal that has a good shot of making it out the door in 2003," he said. "Obviously, this is predicated on a gradual rebound/upturn in economic and stock market conditions." Although Verizon Wireless is in a tough sector, it possesses attributes such as its leading market position, strong cash flow, potential dividend yield, and growth opportunities, Bard said. As investors absorb the doom and gloom of the past three years, some optimism for 2003 is emerging for tech and telecom. Seagate Technology (STX: news, chart, profile) managed to go public last month in the largest tech IPO in nearly two years -- although the deal is now trading below its offering price. The Wall Street Journal reported that five technology and telecommunications companies are expected to issue IPOs as soon as this month. The Nasdaq ($COMPQ: news, chart, profile) has risen 20 percent since late- September in another positive sign for IPOs. But plenty of skepticism abounds on the tech sector. Goldman Sachs on Thursday said the latest results of an information technology survey suggest that spending sentiment has taken a "nasty turn for the worse." The firm concluded that technology sector valuations remain "at lofty levels" relative to the S&P 500, due to a lack of catalysts resulting from faltering demand, an absence of "game-changing" technologies and little pent-up demand. Janus Capital kicks off trades Stilwell, the parent company of Janus Capital, will begin trading under a new symbol as the fund manager's reorganization laid out last year takes effect on Thursday. Janus Capital and Stilwell Financial Inc. merged, with the Janus name replacing Stilwell as the nameplate for the company. Janus Capital Group Inc. (JNS: news, chart, profile) begins trading on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. Stilwell had previously traded under the symbol "SV." Shares of Stilwell rose 4 cents to $13.07 on Tuesday. Steve Gelsi is a reporter for CBS.MarketWatch.com in New York.

To: John Biddle who wrote (30684)	1/14/2003 5:17:05 PM
From: waitwatchwander	Respond to of 196994

MSN Intros Always-On IM for 3G CDMA instantmessagingplanet.com January 14, 2003 By Colin C. Haley Christopher Saunders Software giant Microsoft (Quote, Company Info) is rolling out the first Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) phones with "always-on" connections to its MSN Messenger public instant messaging network, through a partnership with wireless carrier Korea Telecom Freetel. The move may serve as a springboard for wider deployments. Much of Europe and mainland Asia rely on Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) as the basis for their cellular communications, but the competing CDMA standard is in use in South Korea, Japan and the U.S. While the higher-speed data upgrade to GSM -- called General Packet Radio System (GPRS) -- supports always-on connections and has a fair number of IM applications, it's far rarer to find public instant messaging clients that support CDMA2000 1X, the 3G upgrade of CDMA. One reason is that partnerships struck between Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft and carriers and handset-makers -- which would see CDMA2000 support in devices based on its Pocket PC and Pocket PC Phone operating systems -- aren't expected to ship until later this year. Similarly, the software giant's Smartphone OS also support CDMA2000, but CDMA phones using the OS will debut in third quarter. As a result, the agreement with Seoul-based KT Freetel is the first to embed always-on MSN Messenger connectivity into a CDMA2000 device. That's a boost for Microsoft, since America Online's competing AIM service has been widely available on devices based on the Palm OS -- a number of which support either GPRS or CDMA2000. It's also a milestone in other ways. All of KT Freetel's handsets will feature a special button with the MSN butterfly logo, which users press to access MSN Messenger. While the companies manufacturing the phone for Freetel are not known, it will be the first time that handset-makers have added such a specialized, branded button to their devices. The move is designed to hook broadband-friendly South Korean mobile users into also becoming MSN users. South Korea leads the world, percentage-wise, in the number of homes with broadband connections. The country also leads in rollout for CDMA2000 1X services, with KT Freetel, SK Telecom (Quote, Company Info) and LG Telecom having operated systems for more than a year. In a statement, MSN Vice President Yusuf Mehdi said KT Freetel is a strong partner because of its advanced network as well as its 11 million subscribers, who are "well-suited to incorporating mobile data into their lifestyle." There are additional reasons to promote 3G CDMA access to MSN Messenger as well. For one thing, CDMA technology remains on the rise overall. According to the CDMA Development Group, the technology's adoption has increased 31 percent since last year, rising to about 135 million subscribers. While that's still a fraction of the estimated 787 million GSM subscribers, CDMA remains more popular in the U.S. In addition to expanding MSN Messenger, the move also comes as part of Microsoft's broader effort to deepen its presence in technology and services beyond the PC. Last year, the company escalated its battle with Palm (Quote, Company Info) in the hybrid phone/PDA market with the debut of Pocket PC Phone, while also announcing its intent to go head-to-head with the established Symbian system through Smartphone. The company also offers subscription services via MSN Mobile to consumers in 16 countries through 35 carriers. Microsoft isn't alone in the effort, however, as America Online has been working briskly to add more non-PC capabilities to its services. In December, the company began beta testing a version of AIM that supported sending IMs to mobile phones via Short Messaging Service. Christopher Saunders is managing editor of InstantMessagingPlanet.com. Colin C. Haley is managing editor of boston.internet.com.