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Technology Stocks : Ascend Communications (ASND) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bindusagar Reddy who wrote (56689)	11/3/1998 1:56:00 PM
From: Hagar	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 61433

I am concerned about Ascends ability to move forward, let me outline my thinking. 1 - The build out of the new networks are in the initial stages where the fundamental aspects of them are are not set i.e. Pure IP over DWDM, ATM at the core, MPLS ... 2 - Ascends ability to execute in those areas are based on their business units in Westford (formerly Cascade) and Minn. (formerly Netstar). The market/technical visionaries from Westford are out of the picture (possibly driven out). The Minn. group failed to meet the market window (don't know reasons) so the jury is out there. Who has the vision now? I have seen no appointments that comfort me in this area. I have heard the presentations offered by both the previous Cascade people (Deshpande, Hassan Ahmed) and by Mory and Jeannette Symonds (CTO???) and I am actually nervous for Ascend's future. 3 - Announcements out of Alameda lately seem focused on reports of who is number one in what RAC/RAS/ATM markets. "Where's the beef?" 4 - Ascend's Dial in access seems focused, ATM and Frame Relay switching is well established but Ascend's IP story is murky at best. In an area that is possibly the forefront of the new networks, this confuses me. I see the Westford group focusing on "IP Switching" ala MPLS and the Minn. group doing Routing. Why isn't one platform doing both? Is one platform for the edge only and the other for the core only? While we are sort of on the subject of new product development, I have heard about the follow on to the largely unsuccessful GRF and some of their work on voice, but what else is there? It seems that the requisite amount of time has passed for the next RAC and core switch directions to be articulated to the public. Wrapping up - For a company that has "worked" hard on their earnings picture I don't see what I think are the hard decisions being made. I don't see their future being articulated in terms of market and product. And I don't see replacements for their early visionaries.

To: Bindusagar Reddy who wrote (56689)	11/4/1998 10:43:00 AM
From: The Phoenix	Respond to of 61433

I agree that ASND has more upside potential. CSCO is trading near its all time high and given it's revenues it will be more difficult to grow them - percentage wize. As for your opinions about CSCO's #1 and #2 positions...these numbers are reported by a variety of analyst firms so please give up on blaming CSCO for double counting. Either you believe these firms or you don't. For what it's worth I don't give them much credit myself but I have noticed that many here on the thread point to these same reports when ASND is #1 in ATM switching... Finally, your comment that CSCO does more talking than shipping product. Well...at $10B+ in revenues (projected FY99) I'd say they do fine shipping products. Your comment about shipping products to next generation networks - well, I can guarantee you that every network that ASND is shipping to so too is CSCO. OG