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

To: H.A.M. who wrote (57189)	11/14/1998 12:46:00 AM
From: Bindusagar Reddy	Respond to of 61433

Ascend Is Expected to Announce Investment in Networking Firm Dow Jones Newswires Networking-equipment maker Ascend Communications Inc. is expected to announce Monday that it is investing in tiny networking-products maker HydraWeb Technologies Inc. HydraWeb is a maker of networking "load-balancing" hardware that more efficiently routes computer traffic in banks of server computers. Such technology essentially ensures that various kinds of traffic can be rerouted if a particular system is overloaded with requests. Ascend, of Alameda, Calif., is a leader in the sizzling market for remote-access servers, which allow users to dial into company networks and Internet services. Ascend has recovered from last year's dumps, when software problems caused product malfunctions and the merger with Cascade Communications Corp. sapped management resources. Just about all of the major telecom companies -- ranging from the traditional leaders such as AT&T Corp. and the Baby Bells to emerging independent carriers -- are spending heavily to add bandwidth and upgrade their networks to handle data traffic and integrate voice and data. Many analysts say Ascend is a attractive target for a big telecommunications-equipment company looking to expand beyond voice equipment into data gear. Analysts say a bidding war for Ascend isn't out of the question. Rumors have persisted that Lucent Technologies Inc. is interested in Ascend, but another has started circulating that Ascend's fierce rival Cisco Systems Inc. might throw its hat into the ring.

To: H.A.M. who wrote (57189)	11/14/1998 12:48:00 AM
From: Bindusagar Reddy	Respond to of 61433

"Bidding war" sounds exciting...EOM

To: H.A.M. who wrote (57189)	11/14/1998 10:34:00 AM
From: Norman Fogelsong	Respond to of 61433

Wow!!! Even though there is no love lost between Mory and Chambers, and in spite of the considerable product overlap between the two companies, it could make sense for CSCO to step up and bid for ASND. If they win, they have a truly dominant combined product line and they prevent LU from increasing its competitive position. If they lose, they have in all likelihood ensured that the ultimate buyer, whoever that turns out to be, will have paid full price. Very interesting!!!