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Technology Stocks : Voice-on-the-net (VON), VoIP, Internet (IP) Telephony -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Stephen B. Temple who wrote (1879)	11/16/1998 10:16:00 PM
From: Stephen B. Temple	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3178

MediaRing Launches New Version Of Internet Phone Software November 16, 1998 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.: MediaRing has a new version of its Internet telephony software, Talk99, ready to show at this year's Comdex/Fall trade show. The company offers unlimited phone calls, anywhere and any time, over the Internet for $4.95 per month. Using MediaRing Talk99 requires that the software -- which is available for free from the company's World Wide Web site at mediaring.com -- be on both the caller's computer and the computer at the receiving end. It also requires that both computers be switched on and their modems connected to telephone lines, but not that either computer be connected to the Internet before the call is made. When the caller initiates a call, the software automatically logs on to the Internet, a spokesman for the company told Newsbytes. It then rings the telephone at the other end and uses a patented process to signal the receiving computer to connect to the Internet. MediaRing Talk99 also provides voice mail. Voice messages are stored on a MediaRing server, the spokesman said, and the system sends an e-mail message to the recipient to tell him or her to pick up the voice message. The software also supports Caller ID, has an integrated telephone book and a call log that remembers all calls -- including those the recipient was not available to take -- and has a "Chat Box" for exchanging text messages during a conversation. MediaRing Talk99 requires at least a 133-megahertz Pentium processor with 16 megabytes (MB) of memory, seven MB of free disk space, a 14.4K-bit-per-second modem, a Windows-compatible sound card, a microphone and speakers or an earphone. It works with Windows 95 or Windows 98, the company said.

To: Stephen B. Temple who wrote (1879)	11/16/1998 10:18:00 PM
From: Stephen B. Temple	Respond to of 3178

Comdex preview/ What's the state of the 'wired home?' November 16, 1998 ZDNet News: With PC prices plummeting, and more and more people connecting to the Internet, pundits believe it is only a matter of time before the home becomes truly wired. For home PC users dreaming of digital utopia, this year's Comdex promises to be revealing. But first, the bad news: Digital homes will be slow in coming. "Well, Bill Gates has one," said Gerry Kaufhold, an analyst at technology watcher In-Stat, who estimates there are perhaps a million homes that could be called "wired for multimedia." Companies with the latest products, analysts with their latest estimates, and consumers who just want the best technology will exchange their visions for the digital home at Fall Comdex in Las Vegas. Home is where my network is Home networking will be the center of a consumer circus at this year's show. "It has been driven by Internet and digital satellite," said Skip Marsh, president and CEO of home multimedia wiring installer Digital Interiors Inc. The 60-employee company installs high-bandwidth wiring and "wiring closets" in new homes. What are the benefits of a wired home? Marsh has no shortage of examples. "When you leave the house and turn on the security system, your PC can turn off the heat and put the lights on a timer to make it look like someone's home," he said. "When your child comes home and enters their code, the lights will come on and you get paged to know your child made it back safely." For existing houses, two major alternatives -- phone lines and wireless -- are vying to be the way that people shuffle data about their homes. Recently, Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc. released its HomeFree wireless network kit that connects two PCs or more over a 1Mbps wireless network. Several other vendors -- including well-known Tut Systems Inc. -- are using technology that connects PCs over the existing phone lines in a house. Who needs PCs? Information appliances will also be scattered across the show. One of the coolest promises to be Diamond Multimedia's Rio PMP300 music player. The Rio is capable of playing compressed music files -- known as MP3 files -- that, until now, could only be player on the PC with a software player. "This device gets the music off the PC," said Bob Kohn, founder and chairman of online music seller GoodNoise Corp. "If you want to go rollerblading this lets you take your music with you." The Rio player's release was delayed by a suit filed by the Recording Industry Associate of America -- the latest round of which Diamond won. Another major appliance expected to make a strong showing is the Internet phone. One of the first is the iPhone created by InfoGear Technology Corp., which hopes to have iPhones in 10 percent of U.S. homes by the end of 2000. "The potential for Web phones is larger or as large as set-top boxes, because every home that has a TV has a phone," Dennis Tsu, vice president of marketing for InfoGear. While InfoGear is too new a company to have a booth at Comdex, Tsu thought that the product might be shown on the floor. Not for everyone Unfortunately, very few people will be able to turn their home into a digital wonderland. With products priced for early adopters, only a few will be able to buy into the dream. Yet, while the dividing lines are usually along income and education, geography also plays a major role. For services such as ADSL and data over cable, only certain privileged neighborhoods can get the service. If you look at the places where, for example, ADSL and cable are being rolled out, it looks like dots on the map. "There's what I call the freckle affect," said Kaufhold. "Those far-flung neighborhoods are the ones on the bleeding edge."

To: Stephen B. Temple who wrote (1879)	11/17/1998 7:17:00 AM
From: Stephen B. Temple	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3178

Summary: GTE To Sell Wholesale Internet Access To ISPs November 17, 1998 BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE) New "ISP Direct" Service Gives Internet Service Providers Access to GTE Internetworking's High-Speed Internet Backbone and Dedicated Support Staff at up to 40 Percent Cost Savings GTE Internetworking, a division of GTE Corporation (NYSE:GTE), today announced the availability of ISP Direct, a new service designed to give U.S.-based Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and University customers access to its tier-one Internet backbone. Unlike other wholesale offers that simply allow ISPs to re-sell their Internet connections, ISP Direct includes a dedicated support staff and prices that can generate savings of up to 40 percent. ISP Direct is offered in two service levels and is available immediately to customers with a number of connection types and bandwidth options, including fixed or flex T1s and T3s, Multi-T1 and fractional T3s. The premium service level allows GTE Internetworking experts to monitor and troubleshoot a customer's local loop circuit, while the standard service allows customers to monitor and troubleshoot their own local loop connection. Ethernet connections are also available in selected cities. GTE Internetworking assists with limited router configuration support during the provisioning process and provides sales, implementation and technical support groups dedicated to ISP Direct customers. "As a business-oriented Internet provider, we have customers who demand high up-time and fast, reliable connections," said Ralph Jenson, vice president of operations for gofast.net. "We've found that GTE's ISP Direct service is reliable, dependable and affordable solution for our Minneapolis/St. Paul customers. GTE's robust infrastructure helps us provide high quality service at very reasonable rates, while ISP Direct's dedicated support means we can respond quickly to our customers' needs." ISP Direct gives ISPs immediate access to all levels of support through GTE Internetworking, while the customer retains responsibility for ordering and maintaining all equipment, as well as ordering, provisioning and payment of all local loop circuits. Service providers who want to expand their markets without extensive overhead costs or build-out fees have the option of using the ISP Direct equipment collocation service. Currently available at the Chicago, Metropolitan Area Exchange West, Seattle and Minneapolis Points of Presence (POPs), the collocation service provides customers with all the necessary power and environmentals needed to quickly and cost effectively establish their service delivery point. "With the combination of GTE's network infrastructure and a dedicated support team, ISP Direct provides quality, dependable network connections and client support at substantial cost savings," said Susan Birkenheier, ISP Direct Service Line Manager. "We are anticipating customer needs by providing the connection, service and management they require to build a competitive local or national ISP offering." GTE's current backbone consists of OC3 and OC12 links to major metropolitan cities around the country and uses primary public and private peering locations for seamless connections to the Internet. The Global Network Infrastructure (GNI), GTE's new OC192 backbone, integrates the latest networking technologies, offering customers more bandwidth, quicker throughput and greater reliability. Available by year-end 1999, this new high-speed fiber network will enable mission critical applications and services such as ISP Direct. GTE Internetworking also offers ISPs ATM, Frame Relay and Private Line services based on the GNI. About GTE Internetworking GTE Internetworking, a unit of GTE Corporation (NYSE:GTE) offers customers, from consumers to Fortune 500 companies, a full spectrum of integrated Internet services using IP networking technologies. GTE Internetworking delivers complete network solutions, including dial-up and dedicated Internet access, high-performance Web hosting, managed Internet security, network management, systems integration, and Web-based application development for integrating the Internet into business operations. GTE Internetworking draws upon its expertise in funded research and development of advanced technologies, including satellites, digital radio, multigigabit routers, security, and speech, and GTE's strong existing telecommunications services, including local and long distance, wireless, paging, video, and Internet. GTE is one the world's largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated voice, video and data services. More information about GTE Internetworking and GTE Corp. can be found on the Internet at gte.com. Internet Advantage is a service mark of GTE Internetworking Corporation. CONTACT: John Vincenzo, GTE \| 781-262-5644, jvincenz@bbn.com \| or \| Jennifer Fishkind, FitzGerald Communications Inc. \| 617-588-2294, jfishkind@fitzcomm.com [Copyright 1998, Business Wire]

To: Stephen B. Temple who wrote (1879)	11/17/1998 7:23:00 AM
From: Stephen B. Temple	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3178

Frost & Sullivan: RBOCs Preparing to Battle the Wholesale Market, What Strategy Should They Follow? November 17, 1998 MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/The U.S. telecommunications services industry is in the midst of a revolution. Driven by deregulation which began with the divestiture of AT&T and continued with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and by the rapid pace of technological innovation, the competition for increased end-user spending is escalating. The wholesale segment is among the least developed of the U.S. telecommunications service markets. Recently, market participants have emerged with their sole focus on wholesale accounts. According to new strategic research from Frost & Sullivan (www.frost.com), U.S. RBOC Wholesale Strategies, many incumbents, especially the regional Bell operating companies (RBOCs), are pursuing the wholesale market in full force. The revenues for the wholesale RBOCs telecommunications services were $14.4 billion in 1997. "Prospective entrants into the telecommunications markets must choose between high capital investment in network infrastructure or resale of an incumbent's services," say the telecommunications consultants at Frost & Sullivan. "Some of the companies may choose the option with the lower initial cost, purchasing and reselling RBOC lines and services. This strategy enables competitors to quickly gain access to consumer and business markets while avoiding the high costs of establishing their own networks." For the purposes of this study, the market has been segmented into six sections: Voice telephone service, wireless service, Internet service, enhanced voice service, operator and card service, and data service. Voice telephone services include local/local toll voice service, and long distance. Wireless services include cellular, paging and personal communications service (PCS). Internet service covers Internet access. Enhanced voice services add value to plain old telephone service (POTS) with call waiting, caller identification, and three-way calling. Operator and card service covers operator services and calling and prepaid card services. The data service section covers private line service and public data service. Multiple issues and concerns currently pose serious challenges to the RBOCs and other competitors pursuing the provisioning of the telecommunications services in the wholesale sector. Challenges presently faced by market participants include the continued mergers and acquisitions which breed uncertainty and reseller indecision. Regulatory obstacles and delays are slowing the market growth while major interexchange carriers (IXCs) find local market penetration difficult, resulting in reduced market potential. Competitors unable to account for and overcome these challenges will face difficulties in an environment filled with resourceful companies and dynamic profit margins. Growing demand for all types of telecommunications services is attracting new entrants to the wholesale market. Service providers unable to proactivley retain customers in an increasingly competitive environment will face swift, negative consequences. The technologies reviewed include asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL),asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), centrex, code division multiple access (CDMA),digital data system (DDS), frame relay, frequency division multiple access (FDMA), fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC), hybrid-fiber coax (HFC), global system for mobile communications (GSM), integrated services digital network (ISDN), local multipoint distribution service (LMDS), multichannel multipoint distribution service (MMDS), near video-on-demand (NVOD), open video system (OVS),private branch exchange (PBX), personal communications service (PCS), switched digital video (SDV), T1, time division multiple access (TDMA), video on demand (VOD), and generic digital subscriber line (xDSL).