Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Ascend Communications-News Only!!! (ASND) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Immi who wrote (1150)	2/9/1998 6:32:00 PM
From: Maverick	Respond to of 1629

Bill Schaff on CSCO Cisco demonstrated why they are the power in networking. It is the only major networking stock not to suffer a major fundamental and share price setback in the past year. Their continued strong performance kept surprising investors on the upside (not unlike Microsoft). But as CEO John Chambers once mentioned awhile back, he expected that some day the company would disappoint analysts, but that should be expected since their orders are becoming larger and harder to time. However, it doesn't seem to have happened yet. The convergence of voice/data networks will probably continue to drive their top-line growth above 25 percent. However, even mighty Cisco is not immune to the Asian impact as they expect revenues to drop below 10 percent.

To: Immi who wrote (1150)	2/10/1998 6:06:00 PM
From: Maverick	Respond to of 1629

AT&T offers a voice-over-IP service By John Rendleman February 10, 1998 11:07 AM PST PC Week In an attempt to provide more cost-effective voice and data services to customers, AT&T Corp.'s new CEO, Michael Armstrong, is radically trimming expenses and wringing greater efficiency from the company's telecommunications infrastructure. AT&T's intention in revamping its network is to carry the greatest volume of services it possibly can at its highest potential efficiency, Armstrong told financial analysts last month in New York. To do that, the company is undertaking initiatives such as its new AT&T One Rate Online long-distance service, which lets voice customers sign up for service on the Internet, pay by credit card and receive calling services for 10 cents a minute plus a $1 monthly service fee. With no bills to process and low administrative costs, the service lets AT&T lower its per-minute rates, AT&T officials in Basking Ridge, N.J., said. Further, if One Rate Online users are also customers of AT&T's WorldNet Internet access services, they will pay just 9 cents a minute with no monthly surcharge. AT&T also will take advantage of its IP network by offering a voice-over-IP service called AT&T WorldNet Voice, with availability scheduled in seven to 10 cities by the second quarter [ a good opp. for ASND's TNT w/ voice capability]. The AT&T WorldNet IP voice service will be offered to prepaid AT&T accounts at rates between 7.5 cents and 9 cents a minute, with service available from any standard telephone, said AT&T President John Zeglis. The AT&T WorldNet voice service will be available to customers that have pre-paid their AT&T accounts with a credit card and will operate much like a debit card service, with minutes of use deducted from a customer's account. AT&T officials unveiled plans for the IP voice service during last month's analysts briefing, in which Armstrong also said that the company will trim its management ranks by 15,000 to 18,000 people through attrition and a hiring freeze.

To: Immi who wrote (1150)	2/10/1998 6:10:00 PM
From: Maverick	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1629

AT&T ofers voice-over-IP, part II AT&T's $7 billion network modernization program last year resulted in the completion of 32 SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) and fiber-optic network rings in the company's network, with the remaining 20 planned SONET rings scheduled for completion this year, said Armstrong. Each ring will carry traffic at OC-48 speeds. But AT&T has begun to test, and will deploy, dense wavelength division multiplexing equipment from Lucent Technologies Inc., of Murray Hill, N.J, that eventually will increase by a factor of 80 the amount of traffic carried on each fiber-optic circuit, said AT&T officials. In a move to align the architecture of its voice network more closely with its data network and to combine all of its voice, data and IP traffic on a single ATM backbone [ASND's OC-48 GX550 ATM core switch can fit here], AT&T also plans to de-emphasize its core 4ESS voice switches in favor of more decentralized 5ESS switches and Northern Telecom Ltd.'s DMS [voice] switches placed at the edge of its network, Zeglis said. In addition to Armstrong's strategic and architectural plans, AT&T officials have introduced the Interactive Advantage set of Web-based monitoring and management tools for its data services, an offering that competes with MCI Communications Corp.'s similar networkMCI Broadband View Web tools. AT&T also has introduced new service-level agreements for its frame relay, managed network and its WorldSource international services.

To: Immi who wrote (1150)	2/10/1998 8:59:00 PM
From: Maverick	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1629

EarthLink ISP targets AOL members [EarthLink has been using ASND's MAX TNT] Competitors aren't rushing to follow America Online Inc.'s lead by raising rates for unlimited access. But at least one Internet service provider, EarthLink (www.earthlink.net), is moving quickly to capitalize on AOL's move in an effort to attract new business. In addition to holding the line on its own $19.95 monthly access rate, EarthLink has announced a "Get Out of AOL Free" marketing offer that targets unhappy AOL members. EarthLink is offering to switch AOL members to its service at no charge and even send out special change of address e-mail messages to their friends. "AOL just raised the price of inferior service. We're sticking to our $19.95 per month pricing, and we'll continue to welcome new AOL graduates to the EarthLink family,'' said EarthLink chairman Sky Dayton.