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Technology Stocks : Aware, Inc. - Hot or cold IPO? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill who wrote (5189)	12/5/1998 9:39:00 AM
From: David Lawrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9236

Aware Inc. Jumps 16%; Analysts Cite Optimism About ADSL By Dinah Wisenberg Brin, Staff Reporter PHILADELPHIA -(Dow Jones)- Shares of Aware Inc. climbed 16% and set a 52-week high Friday, movement the company and analysts attributed to general optimism about ADSL, a high-speed Internet access technology in which the company specializes. The Bedford, Mass., company had no specific news to drive the shares Friday, President and Chief Executive Michael Tzannes told Dow Jones. "There's just a lot of general momentum right now behind ADSL," Tzannes said, referring to asynchronous digital subscriber line technology, which moves voice and high-speed data over phone lines. Some other DSL stocks put in lackluster performances, but Tzannes said it's difficult to compare directly because Aware focuses purely on intellectual property, while other companies also manufacture the equipment. Aware shares (AWRE) closed Friday at $22.563, up $3.063 on volume of 1.3 million, nearly three times the 458,800 daily average. Earlier, the shares reached $22.75; the previous 52-week high was $21.688, set on Nov. 27, and the stock has soared since its low of $4.25 set on Sept. 11. Shares have been rising since Oct. 22, when the International Telecommunications Union adopted an ADSL technology standard for residential data service, G.Lite, that is driven by Aware intellectual property. "I think what you have is a continuing phenomenon of investors making a decision that ADSL is real, and then asking themselves how do they play it, and then looking at Aware as one of the most viable vehicles in which to play ADSL," Stephens Inc. telecommunications analyst Charles W. Pluckhahn said. On Monday, Pluckhahn raised his one-year price target for Aware to $32 from $18. Ever since the telecommunications union announcement, Stephens Inc.'s Pluckhahn said, several development milestones have been met, including Compaq Computer Corp.'s (CPQ) decision to install ADSL modems in its personal computers. SBC Communications Inc. (SBC), the parent of Southwestern Bell, has said it will offer ADSL phone service to customers in some areas. And on Thursday, Dell Computer Corp. (DELL) and 3Com Corp. (COMS) announced plans to deliver high-speed modems to match SBC Communication's ADSL service. That may or may not directly affect Aware, Pluckhahn said, but "I think people are probably connecting some dots. "I suspect that might be a part of it," he said, referring to Friday's price rise. Analyst Michael Neiberg of ING Baring Furman Selz Inc. said that over the last couple of weeks, "the assumption of just about every conference call you hear" is that the companies are more optimistic about the ability to sell ADSL to the phone companies in 1999. Investors like Aware's business model - unique in the ADSL market - in which it receives licensing fees from chipmakers that use its technology, Neiberg said. That protects it from vulnerability to price cuts, he said. Pluckhahn said Aware has a better chance of making money and generating growth in the near term than two other Internet pure plays, Orkit Communications Ltd. (ORCTF) and Westell Technologies Inc. (WSTL), because those companies also face the more competitive ADSL equipment market. Westell closed at $5.313, down 5.6%, on Friday, while Orkit ended at $15.063, up 2.6%. "They're the only pure play intellectual property vendor out there," he said of Aware. "It doesn't mean that everybody uses them ... but they have a very good position in the market." -By Dinah Wisenberg Brin; 215-656-8285 Copyright (c) 1998 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

To: Bill who wrote (5189)	12/7/1998 10:17:00 AM
From: Scrapps	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9236

End Users Cite High Satisfaction With DSL High-speed Internet Service Speed, Reliability, and Value Listed as Key Benefits of NorthPoint DSL(sm) in End-User Survey; 92% of Users Would Recommend DSL SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 1998-- Small and medium-sized businesses using DSL for their high-speed Internet access are overwhelmingly satisfied with the service, according to survey data released today by NorthPoint Communications, Inc.(sm), a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC). Conducted by independent IT market research firm ConStat, Inc., NorthPoint's first end-user survey catalogs the opinions of 100 randomly selected NorthPoint DSL(sm) users. These end users consider NorthPoint DSL a reliable, high-value solution that simplifies Internet access, makes businesses more productive, and provides a competitive advantage for the long term. NorthPoint DSL is currently available in seven cities across the country through the company's Network Service Provider (NSP) channel partners. ''NorthPoint's target end user is a business customer who sees the Internet as a vital competitive tool,'' said John Stormer, vice president of marketing at NorthPoint. ''As the survey shows, NorthPoint's local access network, which is optimized for data traffic, gives these users an affordable high-performance solution to maximize the potential of the Internet. NorthPoint lets small and mid-sized businesses take advantage of Internet applications previously available only to the Fortune 1000, including Web hosting, VPNs, e-commerce, Internet telephony, and remote collaboration. The result for business subscribers is higher visibility on the Web, increased efficiency, and stronger market effectiveness.'' All end users in the survey had been using NorthPoint DSL between one and ten months. The majority were long-time Internet users, half having Internet access more than two years. 93% installed DSL in a work location (business or home office) and use it for e-mail, information searches, searching web sites and transferring files. Nearly half (47%) host their own Web sites. ''This survey is the first report card on DSL from experienced, discriminating end users in the business community,'' said Bill Deaton, principal at ConStat. ''They perceive DSL as a high-value access alternative that solves their Internet problems, makes the Internet more enjoyable, and helps them compete better in the marketplace. The most telling hallmark of their satisfaction is that 92% would recommend DSL service to their peers.'' Other findings include: Main reasons for users' high level of satisfaction were speed and reliability. Nine out of ten users believe DSL is a ''good value'' (93%) and the ''benefits are well worth the cost'' (91%). Eight out of ten feel that DSL ''solves Internet problems'' (84%), ''makes them more productive'' (84%), ''makes the Internet more enjoyable to use'' (80%) and ''is a long term solution for their Internet needs'' (80%). Two thirds (63%) of all DSL users feel this technology will ''revolutionize the way we use the Internet.'' Users installed DSL as an upgrade to existing access such as analog dial-up (47%) and ISDN (45%). Five percent used NorthPoint DSL to replace T1 or Fractional T1 services. On average, business respondents who purchased NorthPoint DSL services for Internet access had more than 30 employees, distributed over multiple offices. Businesses surveyed covered a broad spectrum of vertical industries, including business services, computer hardware/software, finance/banking, manufacturing, legal services, engineering, and consulting. About NorthPoint Communications, Inc. NorthPoint Communications is a next-generation telecommunications carrier focused on providing optimized data networks to business end users through wholesale agreements with service providers nationwide. Founded by an experienced team of data communications and telecommunications professionals, NorthPoint's network and support systems are built to the highest standards of performance, efficiency, and reliability. The company offers a range of solutions for business-to-business data connectivity. Customers can order NorthPoint DSL services from NSPs today in the San Francisco Bay Area (including Silicon Valley), the greater Los Angeles area, Boston, New York, Chicago, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. By year's end, the service will also be available in Dallas, Detroit and Houston. NorthPoint plans to expand to 14 additional metropolitan markets by the third quarter of 1999 and to continually extend coverage within existing metropolitan service areas. For more information about NorthPoint Communications' data transport services, visit its World Wide Web site at northpointcom.com, or contact the company at (415) 403-4003. NorthPoint Communications and NorthPoint DSL are service marks of NorthPoint Communications, Inc. Other trademarks, service marks, and trade names belong to their respective owners. biz.yahoo.com