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

To: Jack Whitley who wrote (35788)	2/22/1998 2:29:00 AM
From: DX	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 61433

We should worry about CISCO rather than ASND. Conventional routers made by CISCO are going to be replaced by new and faster switches since new technology like DWDM multiples backbones' capacities and no need to use routers to compute optimal routes anymore. As a matte of fact, ASND's FR and ATM switches are tens times of faster than routers and what is more, they provide multi-services which are exactly what telecos deadly need for new generation networks that provide both voice and data services. Regards,

To: Jack Whitley who wrote (35788)	2/22/1998 8:35:00 AM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 61433

I've stated before here that what worries me most (related to ASND)about this exponential increase in bandwidth in the core is that it will lessen the need for(and thus the value of) core switches. I mean, there is such bandwidth coming that it is not a scarce resource anymore and all packets can move efficiently enough without as much need for the traffic-flow optimization provided by switching. Jack, It appears I need to do a lot more research. My "specialty" is not networking switching and bandwidth. Am I under the mistaken impression that WDM only increases the amount of packets through a fiber pipe? Therefore, the packets would need to be switched. That had been my belief but I really do not know. I do agree a lot of bandwidth is coming but bandwidth is still very scarce. I cannot think of one area that has an adequate amount. You make a good point about deadlines being missed by tech companies, but as a customer of LU, I have seen them become much more aggressive since they were split from AT&T. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. They announced on 01/28 a WDM system offering 3.2 Terabits per second down an 8 fiber bundle (to ship, as you said, in Q498). This would be 4 times the throughput of the new 100 Gbps system Ciena is supposed to start shipping this month. Nortel is also hard at work in this area. I am not knocking Ciena, but they are getting company now from the players. I am under the impression there is room for a lot of players here. Am I wrong? I need educated<G> Glenn