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Technology Stocks : AUTOHOME, Inc -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hiram Walker who wrote (2567)	7/25/1998 4:43:00 AM
From: StaggerLee	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29970

I have a question about ATHM's "internet" connection. Do ATHM subscribers have access to the entire internet? I don't see how ATHM can access a web page on my server at lightning speed, if I'm connected to the 'net via a normal phone line. Would part of the 'net be a slower connection than other areas?

To: Hiram Walker who wrote (2567)	7/25/1998 12:53:00 PM
From: ahhaha	Respond to of 29970

I thought you knew the difference. You were involved in the discussions here last year. The ATHM advantage lies is the RDC management, the caching server model, the ATMIP configuration, when we are talking about plant, and the content and its organization when we are talking about presentation. It is possible to imitate this model, but it isn't cheap. The cost of entry barrier is what keeps ATHM out! Or slows the rate of buildout as we all are painfully aware. Others, like Road-Runner use traditional modes of delivery. This constrains what and to what extent you can deliver. It is an issue that Frank tangentially is suggesting makes everyone's system similarly cheap and barely profitable. ATHM is addressing this through the quiet developments going on at @Media. Remember them? We hardly ever talk about what that division is doing and they don't make much of it public. If a utility puts in a bare bones cable distribution system and provides WAN and global systems interconnect, they have to have sound financial reason for doing so. They have to sell the use of their net to non-residential users and their net must have the capability to handle that utilization. Why must they do so? Because TCI will have that capacity incidentally in conjunction with providing digital tv through ATHM. Now you can see the added value advantage of the more expensive superior distribution model. I do admit however that TCI upgrades to HFC. That's fine for 1.5, but cable doesn't really leave all pretenders behind until it starts moving out at 10 or 20 mbps. It is practical to do up to 37 mbps now, but you can't do that on HFC, you need fiber only cabling. Now if a utility pulls fiber only and they have the management, deep pockets, and vision, to stay with it, they could keep TCI at bay. Then there's the issue of offering telephony too. It is possible to sign up an LD carrier like FON hungry for presence, but all the above has yet to be realized anywhere. Williams has LVLT, QWST, Ameritech, NT and others, to contend with whose competition will give priority to major metropolitan centers for telephony local loop to LD. A utility company trying to sign up with one of these may find they have a year's wait depending on whether they are located in Podunk. Tacoma may be Podunk. In that case it is wiser for the municipality to stay with TCI until the smoke settles down. They can always switch later. This is an important issue and I haven't covered a tenth of the critical factors. Hope we can get into it here.