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Technology Stocks : COMS & the Ghost of USRX w/ other STUFF -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Glenn D. Rudolph who wrote (10496)	12/10/1997 8:47:00 PM
From: Moonray	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 22053

Leading Vendors Agree to Expedite MCNS Interoperability Testing; Independent Developers to Begin Open Testing in January 07:01 p.m Dec 10, 1997 Eastern ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 1997--Major manufacturers of data-over-cable solutions today announced their intent to conduct joint interoperability testing of their Multimedia Cable Network System (MCNS)-based cable modem and headend products. The companies desire to accelerate the global deployment of data communications over cable networks, based on the Data Over Cable Service Integration Specification (DOCSIS), as specified by the MCNS partners. Their efforts, in conjunction with Cable Television Laboratories, Inc., will promote multi-vendor participation within the industry and enable interoperability among multiple systems. Cable modem technology will provide businesses and households the ability to access the Internet and other high bandwidth data services with unprecedented speed. The participating vendors include: 3Com Corp., Bay Networks, Cisco Systems, Harmonic Lightwaves, NEC America, Phasecom and Toshiba. Following their announcement in October to begin open interoperability testing, Bay Networks and 3Com engineers have drafted requirements and procedures to facilitate the testing of cable modems and headend products during development, and provide an opportunity for early identification of problems affecting multivendor interoperability. Technical staff from all participating companies will meet in January to contribute to the test plan and establish the initial product testing schedule. This program is designed to complement the testing being conducted by CableLabs and to achieve a high degree of interoperability when submitting products to CableLabs for evaluation. Further, the results of interoperability testing will be made available to the MCNS development community in order to reduce the product development cycle for all vendors and accelerate the availability of cost-effective and interoperable data-over-cable products and services. "We are very pleased to see these vendors come together toward the shared objective of interoperable systems," said Bob Cruickshank, director, digital network technologies for CableLabs. "Such cooperation bodes well for the growth of this industry and consumer choice and is at the heart of CableLabs' intent and goals." The DOCSIS protocols were initially drafted by the MCNS partners and are supported by CableLabs. The objective of MCNS is to provide a non-proprietary data-over-cable standard to promote multi-vendor participation in the cable market, which is estimated at 65 million households in the United States. "The industry's support of MCNS can only speed operators' deployment of end-to-end cable modem systems and enable subscribers to get online sooner," said John Dahlquist, vice president of marketing for Harmonic Lightwaves. "We will gladly work with other vendors to ensure the interoperability of all our products, which will give operators and consumers the freedom to choose." "NEC America looks forward to being part of this joint interoperability testing," said Dr. Kunihiko Niwa, associate senior vice president of NEC America. "This will help expedite the process of delivering a standards-based MCNS cable modem to cable modem to cable industry consumers and permit high-speed access to the Internet as well as other services." "Mass deployment of cable modems in the United States is dependent on the availability of standards-based, interoperable, low cost cable modems," said Shaul Berger, president and CEO of Phasecom. "All of us are aware of network and interoperability issues that will drive this market. We are committed to working with each other to ensure true standards-based interoperability at both ends of the spectrum -- the headend and the client modem," Berger said. "With broad interoperability, consumers will be able to purchase a cable modem from a variety of vendors at a reasonable price with the confidence that it will work on any MCNS cable system," said Sam Nalbone, vice president and general manager, Toshiba Multimedia Systems Division. "We are committed to universal interoperability and will take a very active role in this testing program." About 3Com 3Com Corp. enables individuals and organizations worldwide to communicate and share information and resources at any time from anywhere. As one of the world's preeminent suppliers of data, voice and video communications technology, 3Com has delivered networking solutions to more than 100 million customers worldwide. With global reach and local touch, the company provides enterprises, network service providers and carriers, small businesses and consumers with comprehensive, innovative information access products and system solutions for building intelligent, reliable and high performance local and wide area networks. 3Com has worldwide revenues of more than $6.0 billion and employs approximately 13,400 people in 45 countries. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at 3com.com Contact: Brian D. Johnson, 3Com Corp., 408/326-1962, brian_d_johnson@3com.com About Bay Networks, Inc. Bay Networks, Inc. (NYSE:BAY) is a leader in the worldwide networking market, providing a complete line of products that serve corporate enterprises, service providers and telecommunications carriers. The company offers frame and ATM switches, routers, shared media, remote and Internet access solutions, IP services and network management applications, all integrated by Bay Networks' Adaptive Networking strategy. With headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., Bay Networks markets its products and services around the world, providing 24x7 support coverage. For additional information visit the company's World Wide Web site at baynetworks.com or call 800/8-BAYNET. Contact: Matt Burke, Bay Networks, 978/916-1320, mburke@baynetworks.com About Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide leader in data networking for the Internet. News and information are available at cisco.com . Contact: Clare Whitecross, Cisco Systems, Inc., 408/525-2957, cwhite@cisco.com About Harmonic Lightwaves, Inc. Harmonic Lightwaves, Inc. is a worldwide supplier of highly integrated fiber optic transmission, digital headend and element management systems for the delivery of interactive services over broadband networks. These products are used by major communications providers, such as cable television operators, in bi-directional networks. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Harmonic Lightwaves was founded in 1988 and employs over 240 people. An ISO 9001-certified company, Harmonic distributes its products internationally and maintains sales and support centers in Philadelphia and the United Kingdom and an R&D facility in Caesarea, Israel. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.harmonic-lightwaves.com . Contact: John Giddings, Harmonic Lightwaves, 408/542-2692 john.giddings@harmonic-lightwaves.com About NEC America NEC America, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets a complete line of advanced communications products and software for public and private networks, including digital key telephone and PBX systems; ATM switching systems; PCS equipment; cellular telephones; pagers; facsimile equipment; videoconferencing equipment; fiber optic transmission systems; data communications products; digital microwave radio; satellite communications and network management systems. NEC America, Inc. is an affiliate of NEC America Corp., a leading provider of cable products in Japan. NEC America Corporation and its affiliates worldwide are a $40 billion global leader whose 152,000 employees are dedicated to providing leading-edge computer, communications and semiconductor products and services. Visit nec.com . Contact: Frank Scaraglino, NEC America, 516/753-7394, scaraglf@ccgate.ml.nec.com About Phasecom Phasecom Inc., based in Cupertino, Calif., is a privately held company specializing in the design, manufacture and marketing of voice and data communications products for CATV networks. The company develops standards-based cable modems that enable telecommunication and interactive multimedia applications over broadband HFC networks. Its customers include cable operators, telecommunications companies, and organizations that own private networks. For more information visit the company's Web site at www.speed-demon.com . Contact: Yvonne Avery, Phasecom Inc., 408/777-7799 yavery@speed-demon.com About Toshiba Toshiba, a world leader in high technology, is a manufacturer of products spanning information and communications systems. The company is dedicated to creating advanced systems and products and is highly sensitive to changing needs and demands. Toshiba America is in every sense a U.S. based company, a $6.5 billion diversified electronics and high-technology enterprise employing nearly 8,000 people across the nation. Contact: Karen Allen, The Benjamin Group, 714/245-7500 (See also: businesswire.com) o~~~ O

To: Glenn D. Rudolph who wrote (10496)	12/11/1997 7:18:00 AM
From: Moonray	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 22053

FOCUS-Asia contagion spreads as S.Korea won plunge HONG KONG, Dec 11 (Reuters) - A sharp plunge in the South Korean won on Thursday spurred weakness in Hong Kong and Taiwan, proving that even the region's healthiest economies were falling victim to Asian currency contagion. ''Hong Kong and Taiwan are not immune. They have their own set of problems,'' said Daniel Lian, head of Asian markets research at ANZ. ''Given the tremendous trade linkage to Hong Kong and the rest of Asia it is very hard to justify these two currencies staying immune.'' The South Korean won nosedived at the open, reaching the 10-percent limit-down within the first four minutes of trade. The free-falling won shook the Hong Kong dollar off its perch at HK$7.7450/7480 as rates soared. The Hang Seng stock index fell more than six percent to 10,305.61 points. The Taiwan dollar was also sharply softer, and sentiment remained poor with Taiwanese stocks off 2.74 percent at midday. Some were forecasting at least another 10-percent slide in the Taiwanese currency from current levels at T$32.523. ''There are limits to everything but I don't know what's going to stop this,'' said Eric Nickerson, managing director of currency research at Bank of America. Concern was mounting that South Korea had now hit a debt wall, and that it continued to procrastinate over implementing a record, US$57 billion International Monetary Fund program in the absence of foreign exchange reserves. ''I don't see this stopping unless the rules of the game are changed -- and people are getting nervous about that as well,'' said Nickerson. But capital controls were unlikely to have much effect, given that demand for U.S. dollars to meet debt repayments rather than speculation was behind the currency weakness. Callum Henderson, managing analyst at MMS International, warned that any failure by South Korea to restore confidence would lead to a systemic collapse of its banking system. This would stretch beyond Northeast Asia, and probably prompt a one-session drop of 1,000 points from Japan's Nikkei 225 index and a 500-point slide in the Dow Industrials. "Every market in the world would go down," Henderson said. But Nickerson warned that even the fear of a systemic banking collapse in Korea could prompt traders and fund managers to re-open books now closed for year-end in order to raise cash aggressively and avoid a major shake-out. ''The upside gains between now and the end of the year are far smaller than the downside risks, which are obvious because we've seen them for the last couple of days,'' Nickerson said, referring to Asia-linked slides in the Dow Industrials. ''And this is not just Asia, it's the U.S., Europe and all markets that have been posting strong gains.'' South Korea's looming presidential elections next week and concern about implementation of the IMF programme topped market worries, but there was also scepticism about the integrity of published levels of short-term foreign debt, which Korea confirmed this week were US$100 billion rather than US$67 billion. ''If they've got that wrong, either deliberately or not, what else have they got wrong?'' said Henderson. ''If they restate to US$100 billion, hey, maybe it's US$200 billion.'' Markets were also reacting to a debt rating downgrade by Moody's Investors Service Inc and the prospect of a huge, US$2.0 billion 10-year bond launch by Korean Development Bank. Traders said a new KDB bond suggested Korea wanted to borrow its way out of difficulty rather than bow to IMF discipline. All these factors had pushed the won into overshooting territory, analysts said. Sentiment would dictate future moves, which would be exaggerated by thin liquidity. Sentiment was also responsible for Northeast Asian contagion rather than fundamental links. ''There is no direct, fundamental link to Korea. What they are looking at are the absolutely horrifying problems in Korea and thinking maybe there are problems here,'' Nickerson said. Lian said that while Hong Kong and Taiwan did not have the high levels of foreign debt that prompted sharp depreciations in other Asian nations, they were both leveraged economies. About 30 percent of Taipei's stock market was margin trade, while Hong Kong banks were exposed to an inflated and rate sensitive property sector that accounted for about one-third of Hong Kong's stock market capitalisation. The Japanese yen was relatively steady, its trading dictated more by domestic issues than the won, dealers said. o~~~ O