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Technology Stocks : BroadBand Technology(BBTK) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tim Sohacki who wrote (1517)	11/14/1997 12:15:00 PM
From: Pancho Villa	Respond to of 1797

TS RE: BBTK research. Thanks a million. I will follow/learn more about the stock a bit longer. I see two things here the technology, and if they are good, the technical people it may also be a very inexpensive way of buying new talent not easy to come by. Do you know the people first hand? In this business one tends to find extremes! Regards, Pancho PS: Let me know if I can ever repay with something you need help with that I may know a bit about. One question, do you know enything about the current options for remote internet connection (e.g., via cell phone or satellite)

To: Tim Sohacki who wrote (1517)	11/28/1997 4:47:00 AM
From: Dale Baker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1797

Is this relevant to BBTK as a competitor? (BTW, the story comes from WSJ's Pointcast service so I assume it is not restricted like other WSJ material). Ericsson Says New Method Will Speed Up Internet Use By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL November 26, 1997 LONDON -- Swedish telecommunications group Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson said it has found a way to provide simultaneous telephone service and Internet access over the same regular phone line. The new technology, set for commercial rollout in the first quarter of 1998, will nearly quadruple the average speed for home Internet access, helping to overcome one of the Internet's biggest annoyances, Ericsson said. It also will give telecommunications companies a leg up in the fight for Internet customers, allowing them to offer attractive new packages of services and helping them relieve their overcrowded telephone lines. "This is a simple approach we've taken, based on technology we've known about for some time," said Hans-Erhard Reiter, Ericsson's general manager of marketing and sales for multiservice access. "But we believe it's going to have a big effect on the Internet market." A Wider Audience The new technology, called Home Internet Solution, is the latest entrant in what has become a market crammed with new ways of speeding up Internet access and bringing it to a wider audience. Cable companies are racing to pipe the Internet into television sets via special modems, phone companies are experimenting with new technology called ADSL that would increase a phone line's capacity, and electricity companies recently announced they had developed a way to let users access the Internet via the electric outlets in their walls. Analysts also caution that the service still won't make the Internet hassle-free. "Sure, any speed is welcome, but it'll take a factor of 10 before you notice huge improvements," said Ken Fraser, principal analyst at Dataquest, the market-research unit of U.S.-based Gartner Group. Still, Ericsson's new service offers advantages. It will be available for commercial deployment sooner than other technologies, many of which are still being tested and aren't expected to hit the market until late 1998. And the new technology eliminates the need to subscribe to an Internet-service provider. That could be a boon for Internet usage, especially in Europe, where high costs, low speeds and little content have kept many consumers off-line. Users would purchase a modem from their phone company for between $100 and $200 to plug into their computer and their phone line. Rather than dialing up a connection, users would be able to "switch" their Internet connection on and off. They'd also be able to receive and make telephone calls while the Internet connection was on, eliminating the need for a second line. A Boost for Carriers Connection speed, too, would increase. In effect, the new technology separates voice and Internet traffic once it enters the phone system. Voice calls continue to go over the regular network, while Internet information is switched over to a faster route. Internet connection speeds will jump to 115.2 kilobits per second, or nearly quadruple today's average home connection speed of about 28.8 kilobits per second. However, when the phone is in use, connection speeds drop to about 70 kilobits per second. Finally, the technology gives phone companies an added boost. While they'll need to install equipment at their switches to make the product work, Ericsson says that cost will be minimal. Once running, though, the companies will be able to offer phone and Internet packages. Tracking equipment will let them monitor both voice and Internet activity, allowing different billing possibilities. Operators might charge a flat fee, an hourly rate or a rate on the basis of how much information is accessed. Ericsson says Vaasan Laanin Puhelin Oy of Finland conducted successful trials this summer and will launch the product commercially in early 1998.