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 (ASND) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: djane who wrote (50413)	7/26/1998 10:36:00 PM
From: djane	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 61433

TSC article. Silicon Saturday: Apple, Equant, Ascend and Hadco thestreet.com By David Landis Special to TheStreet.com 7/25/98 12:15 AM ET A selection of some of the most intriguing tech stock ideas on the Web. The items presented do not represent the views of TheStreet.com; rather, the collection is offered as a service to our members who may be scanning the Web for stock-related information. Ascend Communications William Schaff (7/21) Shares of Ascend Communications (ASND:Nasdaq), a maker of networking equipment for businesses, telecommunications companies and Internet service providers, have more than doubled since last December to 51. The impressive rise is due less to improved fundamentals than to a change in perceptions, says William Schaff, chief investment officer for Bay Isle Financial in San Francisco. Ascend shares were depressed last year by a perception that Ascend wouldn't be able to stand up to increasing competition, particularly from Cisco (CSCO:Nasdaq), says Schaff. Investors also were concerned when Ascend executives were selling stock at 30. But the company has introduced a number of new products that have generated stronger-than-expected sales. Management has suggested that earnings per share will be about $1.20 in 1998 and $1.60 in 1999, up from $1.07 in 1997. There have been rumors that Ascend may be an acquisition target of Lucent (LU:NYSE) or Ericsson (ERICY:Nasdaq ADR), says Schaff. "Given Lucent's high share price, I wouldn't be surprised if it made a bid by offering its own shares in exchange for Ascend's," he said. More information can be found at: www.techweb.com

To: djane who wrote (50413)	7/27/1998 2:18:00 AM
From: djane	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 61433

Pulver Points(tm) on the Internet Telephony Industry pulver.com July 21, 1998 - Version 1.2 I've decided to chisel some of my current observations about the trends in the Internet Telephony space in digital stone since I hate being misquoted by the press (or at least quoted out of context). 1. The PSTN is NOT dead. Despite the hype and the noise from the Internet Telephony Industry, the PSTN will be around forever. 2. It's a done deal. Future Public Networks will be IP based. Until recently we all have been putting Data over Voice Networks. Now we will be putting Voice over Data Networks. 3. Not a 1998 Threat to Service Revenue. Despite the Hype propagated by the media and mis-informed market analysts - in the current US$ 400 Billion Dollar Global Minutes Marketplace - 1998 Revenue for IP Telephony Minutes will be no more than US$ 50 million. 4. Many PSTN/IP Gateway Vendors currently using PC platforms will start to support more than one operating system - most likely Microsoft NT and a favorite flavor of Unix (Solaris / HP-UX). 5. 1999 May be the year of Gateway Interoperability. As of July, 1998 there are very few PSTN/IP Gateways which interoperate with PSTN/IP Gateways of Multiple Vendors. Recent announcements - VocalTec/Lucent and Motorola/Inter-Tel are a good sign - but still waiting for actual interoperable products. Imagine if two Carriers got together and there was close to zero interoperability between their switches? This PROBLEM needs to be addressed and corrected by the Industry by early 1999. 6. Internet Telephony Technologies will become part of embedded systems of future IP devices. Look for many more Hybrid IP Telephony Appliances in 1999. Examples include the work Cisco, Symbol and Selsius Systems have been doing in this industry. 7. By the year 2000, look for IP to be a supported protocol on the Class 5 switches of Lucent, Nortel and Ericsson 8. H.323 will not be the ONLY protocol used by most carriers and service providers when they roll out their Internet Telephony Services. H.323 interoperability has been proven and implemented with PC to PC Internet Telephony Client Software. Same can be said for PC to Phone services. But don't count on Carriers and Service providers blindly accepting H.323 as the sole protocol to run on their Phone to Phone networks. 9. In 1998 Internet Telephony is all about cheap minutes. This is not hype but fact. The Internet "Applications" will start to show up in late 1998 and early 1999 - but it is the excitement of cheap minutes that has gotten the attention of the Global US$ 800 Billion dollar telecommunications industry. But it will be because of the contributions from the Internet Telephony Industry that the Global Telecommunications Industry will grow to a US$1.6 Trillion valuation in a time span much quicker than it took to grow to today's US$ 800 Billion. 10. The true value of Internet Telephony to carriers and Service Providers will become apparent only after the next generation of "Applications" become available. Short term profits are in Rate Arbitrage. Longer term profits comes as part of the payback for an investment in IP infrastructure. Once IP is supported - it will be the wide range of X over IP Services which will offer the obvious competitive advantages to support IP. By then IP Voice will just be one of the applications. Innovation will continue in the IP world. When was the last time there was true innovation in the IN world? 11. The Education of NextGen Telcos and PSTN/IP Gateway vendors has begun . Until recently there was no knowledge of the legacy IN environment demonstrated by many of the NextGen Telco Operators. During 1998 I have noticed a strong demand of experienced Telecom operators who have been joining the ranks of NextGen Telcos. 12. Run Internet Call Center applications on well managed Corporate IntraNets and ExtraNets. Forget about using the Internet for customer Care unless you really don't care much about caring for your customers The Internet is the world's largest test bed, it is not an environment which anybody can directly control and make QoS guarantees. The QoS on the Net is predictably unpredictable. 13. The birth of eTelephony. When eCommerce finally happens there will be a huge opportunity for Internet Telephony. This will be known as eTelephony. 14. If you are an ITSP - please note that your customers don't care about your technology and whether you are using Internet Telephony...Your customers look for consistent predictable quality between calls. Biggest complaint about current ITSPs is the current inconsistent quality between calls. 15. The Regulation of Internet Telephony will accelerate the movement of minutes off of the Public Switched Telephone Network and onto Virtual Private Networks. 16. IP based PBXs will start to ship in quantity during 1999 . Look for typical installations of 500 to 2,000 seats. Look for the entire PBX industry to start acting like it was "disrupted". During 1999 IP Telephony appliances will continue to gain acceptance and popularity. Jeff Pulver President/CEO pulver.com Feedback/Comments? Please mail: points@pulver.com. (c) 1998 pulver.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.