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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 (2130)	12/15/1998 8:49:00 AM
From: Stephen B. Temple	Respond to of 3178

Great point from Sprint> Sprint Cautions FCC Against SBC/Ameritech Merger December 15, 1998 WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/The proposed merger of SBC and Ameritech will strengthen their monopoly grip on local phone service and result in consumers having no choice in their local phone carrier and paying more for service, Sprint general counsel Richard Devlin told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) at a hearing today. The FCC called the hearing to listen to merger participants and opponents as the commission considers action on the SBC/Ameritech merger and the proposed mergers of Bell Atlantic and GTE, and AT&T and TCI. Sprint also opposes the Bell Atlantic/GTE merger, another marriage of monopolies. Of the SBC/Ameritech merger, Devlin said, "This country has spent many years and many billions of dollars to break up telecom monopolies and create competition. We simply cannot afford to go backwards, to recreate Ma Bell, where prices were high and customer choice was virtually non-existent." He added, "Just like the former Bell System leveraged its monopoly power to distort competition in other markets, a combined SBC-Ameritech would predictably impede competition in local markets, in long distance markets and the markets for new innovative services." As an example of competition thwarted by the merger, Devlin cited Ameritech's plans to provide competitive local service in SBC's St. Louis, Mo. market -- plans that will end if the companies join. He also noted that the merger will reduce the number of telecommunications firms that regulators can use to set standards for quality of service, and will decrease rivalry in innovation. These problems are in no way offset by claimed benefits of the merger, including the suggestion that the merged company will enter 30 new markets, he noted. The companies have made no firm commitments to back up that pledge, and in fact could individually enter those markets now, but have chosen not to do so, Devlin said. SBC has previously said publicly that it "does not contemplate out-of- region entry into local exchange markets without the merger." In comments filed with the FCC last month, "SBC and Ameritech now explain that the real reason they can't each go it alone is because their investors would not be happy with the resulting stock market values," Devlin noted. He told commissioners that the FCC review, along with concurrent merger reviews by the U.S. Department of Justice and state regulatory and executive agencies, is highly important because of the potential impact of the merger on the telephone industry. "If the FCC does not exercise its authority now to ensure an efficient market structure, surely we will all pay the price in the future," Devlin said. He concluded, "The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was supposed to open up local telephone monopolies. What we got instead was stonewalling, incessant legal challenges and greater concentration. The mergers of large regional telephone monopolies can only move us further away from the goal of local competition. Thus, the merger applications should be denied." Sprint is a global communications company -- at the forefront in integrating long distance, local and wireless communications services and one of the world's largest carriers of Internet traffic. Sprint built and operates the United States' only nationwide all-digital, fiber optic network and is the leader in advanced data communications services. Sprint has $15 billion in annual revenues and serves more than 16 million business and residential customers. SOURCE Sprint

To: Stephen B. Temple who wrote (2130)	12/15/1998 11:04:00 PM
From: Stephen B. Temple	Respond to of 3178

From what I read about 14 months ago, this should be a great product. Its a shame the timing wasn't better with most of the coverage going to DSL. Nortel Networks' 1-Meg Modem Provides the Technology for Largest Consumer Deployment of Mass Market High Speed Data Access FYI December 15, 1998 -- Nortel Networks* [NYSE: NT/TSE: NTL] announced today that Bell Global Solutions, a subsidiary of Bell Canada, the largest Canadian telecommunications operating company, is launching high-speed data access services using Nortel Networks' award-winning 1-Meg Modem to customers in four major regions. The large-scale rollout, which was implemented on Dec. 9, 1998, covers 100 central offices at Bell Canada, making high speed data access services available to consumers in Ottawa/Hull, the greater Toronto area, metropolitan Montreal, and Quebec City. The deployment is the largest of its kind in Canada, and demonstrates Bell Canada's commitment to Nortel Networks' 1-Meg Modem as the mass-market solution for high speed Internet access. The Bell Sympatico High Speed Edition service offers consumers easy to use, high-speed access in the home. Bell Canada's use of the 1-Meg Modem requires no rewiring in the home, no installation service call and only slight modifications to equipment in Bell's central offices. Customers will have the choice of self installing or having an expert technician perform the installation. "Nortel Networks' 1 Meg Modem offers Bell Canada robust performance and an ease of integration into our existing networks and operations," said John MacDonald, president and COO, Bell Canada. "The ease of deployment has allowed us to quickly enter this market and deliver to our subscribers a truly enhanced Internet experience. In fact, with Nortel Networks' assistance we launched the service with only seven weeks of preparation." "As one of the preeminent service providers in North America, Bell Canada is delivering on their commitment to offer innovative solutions that meet their customers' requirements for high speed access to the Internet," said Nortel Networks' Clarence Chandran, president and general manager of the Carrier Packet Networks division. Nortel Networks' 1-Meg Modem solution is a cost effective, plug-and-play, integrated voice and data solution that will allow access to data applications from individual's homes at speeds of up to 30 times faster than traditional dial-up modems. Bell Canada's customers with 1-Meg Modem service will be able to access the Internet, send and receive e-mails, and download files at megabit speeds through their existing residential telephone lines - giving them dedicated high-speed access to the Internet. The 1-Meg Modem also provides users the capability of accessing voice calls while connected to the Internet. More information on Nortel Networks' 1-Meg Modem is available at nortel.com. Bell Canada, the largest Canadian telecommunications operating company, markets a full range of state-of-the-art products and services to more than seven million business and residence customers in Ontario and Quebec. Bell Canada's Internet web site is located at: bell.ca. News releases, speeches and background information are in the Newsroom under the About Bell main menu. Nortel Networks works with customers worldwide to design, build, and deliver telephony and IP-optimized networks. Customers include public and private enterprises and institutions; Internet service providers; local, long-distance, cellular and PCS communications companies, cable television carriers, and utilities. Nortel Networks' common shares are listed on the New York, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and London stock exchanges. Nortel Networks had 1997 revenues of US$15.5 billion and Bay Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nortel Networks, had revenues of US$2.4 billion during its most recent fiscal year. The combined company's workforce totals approximately 80,000 employees worldwide.