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To: Bosco who wrote (24883)	11/28/1997 9:27:00 AM
From: Jeff Jordan	Respond to of 61433

Wednesday November 26 12:24 PM EST EU dangles WTO threat on U.S. telecom rules BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said Wednesday it could take action in the World Trade Organization if the United States does not change a plan for implementing a global telecommunications trade pact. Spokesman Nigel Gardner said the European Union executive was especially unhappy about provisions, agreed on Tuesday by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, that allow Washington to restrict foreign operators to protect the public interest. "We reserve the right to take WTO action if the U.S. does not meet its obligations (under world trade rules)," he told Reuters. The FCC adopted the rules, which ease the access of foreign operators to the U.S. market, to carry out a landmark WTO pact that takes effect on January 1, 1998. The accord, agreed last February by 69 nations and designed to ease trade barriers in much of the $600 billion global market for phone, cellular, satellite and other communications services. The FCC will replace its existing entry terms for foreign operators with an easier and more streamlined process and will no longer require them to prove that their home market is open to U.S. communications companies. However, the FCC, the U.S. Trade Representative's office, the State Department or the Defense Department could block entry if they feared a company could hurt competition on the U.S. market or raise trade, national security or other concerns. European carriers have argued that such a "public interest test" is vague and leaves U.S. authorities with too much room to block deals. "We are concerned with what the FCC proposed, especially in the context of the national interest test, which is open-ended," Gardner said. He said the Commission hoped Washington would change the plan before the January 1 deadline.

To: Bosco who wrote (24883)	11/28/1997 9:41:00 AM
From: Jeffery E. Forrest	Respond to of 61433

In-Stat Analysis Shows Remote Access Server Market Grew 28% While Routers Grew 7% in Sales over First Three Quarters of 1996 01:16 p.m Nov 24, 1997 Eastern SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 24, 1997--In-Stat released its Q3 Networking Quarterlies results for Routers and Remote Access Servers (RAS). RAS sales grew 28% and port shipments grew 43% for the first three quarters of 1997 over the same period in 1996. Although unit shipments were flat the first two quarters of 1997, Routers rallied in Q3, primarily driven by a double-digit up-tick in branch office router shipments. The RAS market experienced a lull in Q3 1997, dipping 6%. Sales dipped 7%, with the strong dip in Access Concentrators being the primary driver. "Access Concentrators, which demonstrated strong market demand in the past, posted a 7% dip for port shipments and sales. We believe this was caused by three factors: confusion over 56k solutions, less than ideal economies in Europe and Japan, and a major player in the market experiencing a 25% drop in Access Concentrator sales due to company-specific issues," explained Jeremy Duke, director of In-Stat's Communications Market Services Group. In-Stat believes this lull will not continue into the next quarter. "The Access Concentrator market is being driven by two fundamental factors that show no sign of slowing. Large organizations continue to build out enterprise-wide access for their employees, customers, and partners, and service providers continue to build their infrastructure in an effort to keep up with demand for Internet services to commercial and consumer markets," Duke added. There are several points worth noting in the Q3 1997 Access Concentrator market: 3Com/USR ranked number one in Q3, Cisco continued to gain share quarter-to-quarter, and Ascend continued to lose market share quarter-to-quarter. The router market has been experiencing flat revenues for the prior five quarters, teetering at about $1.5 billion each quarter, with Q3 coming in slightly lower at $1.47 billion. Unit shipments softened, showing a decrease in Q1 and only a slight increase in Q2 1997. However, Q3 unit shipments jumped 7% quarter-to-quarter. The first three quarters of 1997 show unit growth of 26% and a sales growth of 7% over the same period last year. Duke believes the router market is being affected by significant trends in the networking industry. Demand for low-end routers shows signs of slowing from the hyper growth experienced in prior years. A strong element of anticipation exists over the new breed of routers (Layer 3 Switches) to hit the market during the first half of 1998. And service providers appear to be moving from think mode to spending mode. "Q3 1997 RAS Market Analysis" No. CQ9704M3, and "Q3 1997 Router Market Analysis" No. CQ9704M2 are Duke's new reports for In-Stat's Networking Quarterlies Service. They include more depth on market shares, key vendors, and a rolling three-quarter forecast of the Routers and Remote Access Servers markets. Each of these reports is specially priced at $2,495, which includes analyst inquiry privileges on the topics covered. To purchase these reports or for information about the Networking Quarterly program or In-Stat's Communications, Semiconductor, and Computer Services, contact Dennis Ashton at 602/483-4471, email dennisa@instat.com. In-Stat is a full service, high-technology, market research and information company serving the semiconductor, communications, computer, and multimedia marketplaces. In-Stat is part of Cahners Publishing Co., the largest publisher of specialized business publications in the United States. Visit In-Stat Online at instat.com . (See also: businesswire.com)