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Technology Stocks : VIASAT (VSAT) - BIG UPSIDE POTENTIAL??? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tuan Phan who wrote (64)	3/24/1998 11:14:00 PM
From: Andrew Furst	Respond to of 81

What I like about VSAT is not just the products they are selling now, but those they are capable of developing. VSAT has a nice business with their military products, 90% of sales in 1997. Net income in the last quarter grew 58% (the eps growth was lower, due to more shares outstanding). Cash flow turned positive last year, and the balance sheet is very strong. New orders have been booked for the future. Even more exciting is the development of technologies which may have viable commercial applications in the future. In a way, VSAT is like 2 companies in one - the steady defense business, plus the "future" commercial applications. I feel one can nearly justify the current share price with the defense business alone, so the commercial side is almost "free". It also has huge potential, IMO. While I wouldn't expect the price to run much above $20 in the short term, if/when these commercial applications become viable the stock could go a lot higher, to a price impossible to estimate at this time. Of course, as the company points out, these developmental technologies may amount to nothing. Even so, VSAT would still have the defense business, which is steady and profitable.

To: Tuan Phan who wrote (64)	3/29/1998 11:07:00 PM
From: Matt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81

Hello Taun, Your Hybrid Investor web site guided me to SI which has been a great discovery for me. Yes I am a web novice. Thanks for your excellent web site. Bruce Rowe, VSAT IR, answered some basic questions in a lengthy voice mail the other day. One comment caught my attention: He stated that most StarWire systems are sold outside of USA. That leads to some more questions which I haven't had a chance to pose to Mr. Rowe. I want to submit them to thread for discussion. Who is the typical StarWire customer? What is the typical StarWire customer? Multi-national corporation? Government agency? Why isn't StarWire aggressively sold to US customers? What is the closest direct competitor to StarWire? Does it (competitor) have a strong hold on the US customers because its already established and StarWire is so new (Kinda like how Parametric Tech. only in the last few years has blown away Autodesk which owned the market for so long). I am confused because I believe StarWire techonolgy is leading edge. VSAT and StarWire are similar to NATI in the way they replace hardware functions and capabilities with enhanced software. Hence, StarWire should present a less expensive and much more versatile solution than its competitors. So why isn't this better technology being sold to US customers? I know that VSAT's business is 90% military. However, I focus upon StarWire because I perceive it to be the growth engine of VSAT. Finally, when you go to the GE Spacenet web site (an official VSAT distibutor), there is no mention of StarWire. Does GE Spacenet rename the technology? Tomorrow, the GE Spacenet IR officer returns from vacation and I intend to ask her how much VSAT and StarWire business they conduct. Look forward to some discussion. Cheers, Matt