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 : NEXTEL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Roader who wrote (4623)	2/12/1998 5:14:00 PM
From: Jolie Renee	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10227

Roader, I wonder if this Paine Webber guru correctly picked any other take-overs besides DEC? Was this paragraph hidden way deep in some article?

To: Roader who wrote (4623)	2/12/1998 5:19:00 PM
From: Rono	Respond to of 10227

Roader, with McCaw and Motorola owning almost 50% of Nextel, how is this possible if said above choose not to sell? Ron

To: Roader who wrote (4623)	2/12/1998 5:35:00 PM
From: freeus	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10227

Re takeover, my oh my oh my. My first time on that side, usually I have the stock that buys the other and goes down, while the "bought" one goes up. Except it seems like we were hoping for 2002 and 100...1000....10000. But, as it says in "Fiddler on the roof" we may have to just wait somewhere else!!!! We will see! Best wishes for prosperity for all of you! Freeus

To: Roader who wrote (4623)	2/12/1998 8:15:00 PM
From: Mark McLeod	Respond to of 10227

Roader, the same information was in the WSJ about six weeks ago, but the article did not go into specifics as to who the acquiring company might be. Everyone surmised T, Bell South, World Comm or GTE. I called PW for some enlightenment and all I got was, an off shore company is sniffing around. No more specific than that. The fact that BTmay be interested in NXTL makes sense, particularly after its MCI misadventure. In addition, Barry West, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Nextel, was a long time British Telicom Senior Director, most recently Director of Value-Added Services and Corporate Marketing at Cellnet, the Cellular communications subsidiary of BT. Watch this baby corner. Mark

To: Roader who wrote (4623)	2/12/1998 11:03:00 PM
From: Arnie Doolittle	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10227

"March 2nds Forbes saying NXTL is a takeover target with a merger value of $45." Roader, I just got the Feb. 23 Forbes issue yesterday. How did you get info from the March 2 issue? Arnie

To: Roader who wrote (4623)	2/12/1998 11:07:00 PM
From: Mark McLeod	Respond to of 10227

Roader, in the spirit of the takeover rumor in Forbes, here's the latest on British Telecom. This is hot off the wire. I think Nextel is one of the wild-cards here. BT Posts 12% Profit Increase; Says Chairman Will Step Down Dow Jones Newswires NEW YORK -- British Telecommunications PLC, which is evaluating its options in the U.S. as the world's telecommunications giants race to forge alliances, Thursday announced a 12% increase in third-quarter pretax profit and said chairman Iain Vallance will step down to a part-time role as nonexecutive chairman in July. Until the appointment of Peter Bonfield as chief executive officer in early 1996, Mr. Vallance had served as both CEO and chairman. BT also played down various rumors about possible investments and alliances. There has been speculation this week that the company is again interested in Cable & Wireless PLC, a coveted partner on the world stage, following an aborted merger attempt in 1995. But Mr. Bonfield said "there are no discussions with C&W at the moment." BT's pretax earnings for the third quarter ended Dec. 31 jumped to 1.02 billion pounds ($1.67 billion), boosted by a breakup fee related to its failed attempt to acquire MCI Communications Corp. BT received the fee in November after MCI spurned BT and agreed to be acquired by WorldCom Inc. in a $37 billion deal. After relevant expenses, BT said it recorded an exceptional gain in the quarter of 238 million pounds related to the breakup. As part of the breakup, BT sold its 20% stake in MCI to WorldCom for $7 billion. Sales rose 4.8% to 3.94 billion pounds, which included mixed performances from BT's various divisions. Domestic call volume was unchanged at 1.22 billion pounds because of mandated price cuts and "intense competition." That competition saw BT's residential line connections dip by 340,000, or 1.7%, from a year ago. Revenue from overseas operations plunged 15% to 383 million pounds. BT's 60% stake in Cellnet, the U.K.'s second largest mobile-phone operator, provided a brighter picture as sales jumped 17% in the quarter to 284 million pounds. Other sales and services, which includes revenue from Concert, BT's international-calling arm, rose by 33% to 677 million pounds. The unit provides services to multinational corporate customers, an area that BT said is "growing strongly." Operating costs rose 6.4% to 3.07 billion pounds in the quarter, reflecting higher payments to other telecommunications operators, a gain in marketing costs and higher staff costs, although layoff charges fell. On the balance sheet, BT recorded a cash outflow because of payment of a 2.24 billion pound special dividend in September as well as spending 1.28 billion pounds on investments and acquisitions. Robert Brace, BT's finance director, played down the likelihood of acquiring the 40% stake in Cellnet held by Securicor Group PLC. "This is not high up our agenda," Mr. Brace said, citing a "lack of government enthusiasm" for an outright purchase. Mr. Brace also acknowledged that British Interactive Broadcasting, a joint venture BT controls with British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC, faces uncertain prospects due to scrutiny by European Union Commission competition authorities. There has been no shortage of rumors surrounding BT. In November, a team of BT dealmakers reportedly held talks with potential U.S. partners including GTE Corp., Ameritech Corp., Bell Atlantic Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. Analysts say BT, with its Concert international calling unit, is an extremely attractive partner to a North American telecommunications firm. Rumors made the rounds in London last month that Bell Atlantic might launch a bid for BT or vice-versa, but analysts were quick to discount the talk. The British government last year redeemed its so-called "golden share" in BT, which more or less made BT impervious to any bid. In late 1996, BT agreed to acquire MCI as a way to invade the U.S. market. Now its U.S. plans are up in the air. Immediately after it was spurned by MCI, Bell Atlantic, SBC and a few other firms made exploratory calls to BT inquiring about ways they might cooperate. In the past six years, BT has struck more than 50 alliances in 44 countries. But it's the two that got away -- fellow British carrier Cable & Wireless and MCI -- that have triggered criticism for BT's management. The loss of MCI cast a harsh spotlight on Messrs. Vallance and Bonfield. In the wild race to dominate the world's $650 billion telecommunications market, the giants have been spinning deals at such a dizzying pace that it sometimes seems as if every carrier is discussing a partnership with every other one. But the eventual winners may be decided by wild-card firms, with some of the keenest interest focused on C&W and Sprint Corp. No company can pretend to be a serious competitor in global telephone and data services without a well-established foundation in the U.S.