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Technology Stocks : Westell WSTL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steven A. Annese who wrote (8054)	11/27/1997 11:10:00 PM
From: Skiawal	Respond to of 21342

Thanks Steve, the split was before my WSTL days...When was that?

To: Steven A. Annese who wrote (8054)	11/27/1997 11:46:00 PM
From: Skiawal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21342

I found this update on Bell Atlantic's Home Page under ADSL. It was entered sometime last month. ADSL/BROADBAND ADSL technology has the potential to deliver efficiently the high-speed, competitively-priced data services that consumers have requested for Internet access, video, telecommuting and other network services. Background Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is a super-fast data communications technology that converts existing twisted-pair copper telephone lines into access paths for multimedia and high-speed data communications. ADSL technology can help alleviate some of the pressure that the tremendous increase in Internet usage is placing on the public switched network. By allowing the data traffic that flows to and from a user's personal computer to be connected directly to a packet switch or router and sent over an efficient high-speed packet data network, ADSL prevents such traffic from congesting the public switched network. With ADSL, customers can have high-speed data communications capability over regular telephone lines. And, unlike cable modems, ADSL provides dedicated bandwidth, widespread coverage, and secure communications. Key Issues There are a number of issues, primarily related to deployment of the service and unbundling of its component parts that will affect ADSL's future. Among them are: Technical Considerations: ADSL technology can be used to deliver services to customers whose copper loops are within 12 kilofeet (about 2.3 miles) of a central office, or are served by up-to-date digital loop carrier (DLC) systems. There will be cases where some customers may be "loop qualified" for ADSL, while others served by the same central office are not because they more than 12 kilofeet from the central office. Thus, while high-speed data services eventually will reach most of Bell Atlantic's customer base, there may be technological challenges to deploying ADSL services in some areas. Market Considerations: Market penetration by personal computers and location relative to ADSL-capable central offices will play a key role in determining Bell Atlantic's ADSL deployment plans. As a result, the service may not be deployed in areas where distance limitations and PC market concentrations make it infeasible. Competitive Resale of Service: Physical unbundling, as required by the FCC Local Competition Order and the 1996 Telecommunications Act, could lead to inefficient use of existing communications facilities. The requirement that the underlying network components be made available to competitors in order to permit them to offer service based on these elements in any manner they desire could permit competitors to offer the data channel separate and apart from the voice channel. This would require additional facilities to offer traditional voice service, ultimately causing an increase in overall costs to end-user customers regardless of whether they are served by Bell Atlantic or a competitive local exchange carrier Bell Atlantic Position ADSL is a very useful technology that can provide broadband services to many customers in the very near future. With appropriate regulatory flexibility, ADSL will allow Bell Atlantic to satisfy the growing demand for bandwidth while continuing to build a fiber-to-the-curb, switched broadband network, which will provide higher speed services to more customers. Bell Atlantic is working towards deploying high-speed network services throughout the region. In those areas where ADSL service may not be deployed because of distance limitations and PC market concentrations, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) will continue to be widely available throughout the region and will continue to be a competitive high-speed data solution in most areas where ADSL is not available. For example, Bell Atlantic's ISDN Anywhere offering makes the service available to all customers throughout the southern part of the region. In the northern area, 90% of our customers can order ISDN today. Position of Other Key Stakeholders BellSouth is currently conducting a technical trial in Atlanta, Georgia, of both Internet and intranet access using ADSL technology and a market trial in Birmingham, Alabama, of Internet access and possible telecommuting. U S West is currently conducting a technical trial of ADSL Internet access and telecommuting in Boulder, Colorado. GTE is conducting a technical trial of ADSL Internet and remote local area network (LAN) access in Irving, Texas; Redmond, Washington; Durham, North Carolina; and West Fayette, Indiana. Pacific Bell is conducting an ADSL technical trial of Internet access, telecommuting, and remote LAN access in San Ramon, California; Danville, California; and Palo Alto, California. Ameritech is conducting a trial of ADSL Internet access and telecommuting in Wheaton, Illinois. SBC is conducting a technical trial in Houston, Texas of ADSL Internet and remote LAN access. Status Bell Atlantic is currently engaged in the following trials of ADSL technology: Boston, Massachusetts: Technical trial with 60 employees of Lotus/IBM who are using 1.5 Mbps/64 Kbps ADSL in their homes for remote access to their office LAN. Northern Virginia: Market trial of 1.5 Mbps/64 Kbps ADSL service with 250 customers Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Technical trial of 1.5 Mbps/64 Kbps ADSL service with students from Carnegie Mellon University. Bell Atlantic recently announced it would begin a commercial offering of ADSL service to consumers in mid-1998, followed shortly with an offering to business customers.