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: Sonny who wrote (52357)	8/19/1998 10:15:00 PM
From: djane	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 61433

If Lucent buys Cisco's competitor Ascend (ASND:Nasdaq) -- something all three Cisco analysts featured in this story think is possible -- Cisco's horizon will grow cloudy this winter as the two behemoths raid one another's backyards. Even if the merger doesn't occur, Lucent will become a fierce competitor by the spring. (TSC article) These 2 sentences provide confirmation while at the same time are annoying. Anything's possible -- what's their best opinion about a LU acquisition? If not ASND, who will LU buy? C'mon, Kevin Petrie. Can't you interview anyone or is this info reserved for institutional clients? And, how the heck is LU going to become a "fierce competitor" of CSCO by Spring 1999 without buying ASND? I would love to hear a persuasive argument. Who else is there? COMS? Lots of product overlap and lower-end commodity/edge focus without the ASND customer based lusted after by LU. Heck, NT (LU's sworn enemy and further along in data networking than LU) decided that it needed BAY to take on CSCO. Oh yeah, the infamous Bell Labs (which may or may not have a competitive RAC product available by 10/1/98 almost 1 year after acquiring Livingston) will crank out next-generation ATM/FR/RAC/VoIP/VPN/SS7/dsl/etc./etc./etc. products which will induce a trance state in ASND's quite satisfied worldwide, premium installed base and carriers/ISPS, cause them to want to undertake expensive and difficult retraining of all of their personnel, rip out ASND equipment and buy new, expensive and unproven LU equipment. Get real. P.S. Sorry for the rant. I'm really am looking forward to deconstructing disinformation/rumors in the next 1.5 months before the 10/1/98 d-day. Hey, LU wants to get ASND cheap -- that's the way the game is played.