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Technology Stocks : METRICOM - Wireless Data Communications -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: rrufff who wrote (872)	11/1/1998 6:15:00 PM
From: HVN	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3376

Here's something for you to think about. When you are mobile and want wireless access, the most important thing you want is - ACCESS! Right? Not speed or access, or ANTHING else. You want to be able to get access to the internet, etc. For that you need coverage. It's relatively easy and cheaper to build this coverage when you have large area coverage licences. I know, I know - in MCOM's case they don't need a license. But they sure need permission from the towns - it's the equivalent of getting a zillion small licenses. And even after that, they have to invest to string up the cell sites. And it takes time. Do they have time to beat anyone else? Have you heard of circuit-switched CDPD. I'd suggest you look in to that, and then tell me what you think of MCOM's chances of making it through and their technology. Take CDPD for example, it's in about 3000 cities around the country and all the major cities, save LA (though that's going to change very soon), New Orleans, Atlanta. Speed of transmisson is slow, but coverage is excellent, where it's availbale. And modem costs have fallen significantly and there are large cos. like AT&T, Ameritech, SBC, GTE, Bell Atlantic, etc. trying to sell this hard for about 2-3 years now. And yet it hasn't taken off - the coverage is still not deemed good enough or reliable. So, if these guys are struggling, what makes you think MCOM can do it? If their business or technology approach were to leap-frog over the competitive attempts to breaking this market, I'd say they have a shot. Otherwise, for now, I see them dead in the water.