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Technology Stocks : Winstar Comm. (WCII) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DavesM who wrote (8451)	10/4/1998 10:16:00 AM
From: Rono	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12468

New area code being assigned By Bob Diddlebock Denver Post Business Writer Oct. 2 - US West said Thursday that it has begun to set aside the new 720 area code for its own use, as well as for paging, wireless-telephone and long-distance companies. It may be a few months, however, before the new tag starts to turn up in the fast-growing Denver metro market because U S West and some of its competitors still have some 303 numbers left. U S West is using the 720 area code, as well as the new 10-digitdialing system, to address the growing volume of requests for new residential and business telephone service in the Denver area. On Thursday, U S West assigned the 720 tag to 24 batches of telephone numbers, each starting with a different, three-digit prefix. Each prefix batch includes 10,000 phone numbers. Among the recipients of the 720 designations, besides U S West and its U S West Wireless division: Denver-based ICG Netcom, NextLink, Teleport Communications Group, Sprint Wireless, Western Wireless, AT&T's local service division, Winstar Communications Inc. and Nextel. The 720 area code assignment was welcomed by Winstar, which has been delivering wireless telephone services to businesses primarily in downtown Denver, Cherry Creek and the South Colorado Boulevard corridor since June. "This is terrific news,'' said Randy Garlington, the vice president and general manager of Winstar's local operation. "There are a lot of service areas we haven't been able to get into because there aren't enough telephone numbers.'' With the 720 area code, he said Winstar, based in the Denver Tech Center, will be able to move into the lucrative DTC, Meridian and Inverness business park areas, as well as into other sectors throughout the metro area. Garlington said new Winstar customers will probably begin to get the company's first 720 areacode numbers in about 60 days. ICG, also in the Tech Center and another U S West competitor along the Front Range, said it will begin to assign the 720 area code when it uses up its 10,000-unit batch of 303 tags. That could be late this year or in early 1999. ICG, which has been delivering local, long-distance and Internetbased telephone service over a wired network from Fort Collins to Pueblo, is now pushing state regulators to institute so-called "number portability.'' That would let U S West customers keep their telephone numbers if they switch to another service provider, which ICG says would help competitors challenge U S West. Emily Harrison, a U S West spokeswoman, said the company's major service centers in Aurora, Littleton and Boulder also have been given the go-ahead to use the 720 area code. However, the telephone company hasn't assigned a telephone number with the new 720 tag yet, and may not for the time being, she added. The reason: Some phone numbers with area code 303 remain available in U S West's network. Harrison also said U S West will continue to hold on to 303 telephone numbers that customers may disconnect, and then reassign them. She added that more batches of new 720 area-code phone numbers will be released throughout October. Despite some customer dread about the advent of 10-digit dialing, Harrison said it has been "quiet'' on the complaint front from U S West's point of view. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission reported no major problems Thursday stemming from 10-digit dialing, which went into effect last month.

To: DavesM who wrote (8451)	10/5/1998 10:56:00 AM
From: dougjn	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12468

<<Some believe that if inflation is taken into account, the US stock market was in a bear market for the entire decade of the 70's.>> Absolutely right. And that is the only reasonable way of measuring the market. (Actually what one really need is inflation adjusted dollars plotted on a semi-log chart -- the latter being the sort Yahoo uses for periods of a year or more.) <<Though dividend yields are at historic lows, much of this is due to the fact that the market prefers corporate repurchases of stock over dividends.>> Perfectly valid point which many of the traditionalist ignore. However, the effect of the often very substantial amounts of overhanging option grants as a substitute for (recently rapidly increasing high level) wages also has to be considered. Many tech company buybacks only keep pace with (or even don't) their option exercises. In a slowdown, or downturn, when trailing PE's contract due to risk, and earnings also come down, yet prior option grants continue to time vest (and new grants continue to be made, albeit at a bit slower pace, these can suddenly rear their heads - and further hit stock prices. Expect to start hearing a lot more about this. Doug