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

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (2616)	4/14/1999 5:51:00 AM
From: Darren DeNunzio	Respond to of 3178

Cisco In Deal To Get Geotel Telecom Unit Cisco Systems Inc. Tuesday agreed to buy telecommunications software company GeoTel Communications Inc. for $2 billion in stock -- Cisco's most aggressive move yet into a market now dominated by traditional phone equipment makers. GeoTel makes sophisticated so-called call-routing telecommunications software that can instantly match a customer's incoming call with his records. Cisco, the world's largest data networking company, said it eventually aims to marry the software with the Internet, allowing a Web surfer to ''click through'' and talk to a customer service representative. The deal is Cisco's first foray into software that directly interacts with customers and beyond its traditional software that runs its data networking gear, said Don Listwin, Cisco executive vice president. The deal also expected to jump-start Cisco's push into the corporate phone world, analysts said, noting that it ups the ante in the battle with Lucent Technologies Inc (NYSE:LU - news) ., the world's largest phone equipment maker and Northern Telecom Ltd (NYSE:NT - news), the second-biggest. ''This provides our software the vehicle for reshaping the call center marketplace'' that eventually will be based on Internet standards, said John Thibault, GeoTel's chief executive. He declined to comment whether there were other suitors for his company, which will retain its headquarters in Lowell, Mass. Founded in 1993, GeoTel has 310 employees. The acquisition would be Cisco's second-largest following its 1996 purchase of StrataCom Inc. for $4.5 billion. The offer values each GeoTel share at $60.50, a 37 percent premium to GeoTel's closing price of $44.25 on Nasdaq Monday. GeoTel didn't come cheap. At $2 billion, Cisco has agreed to pay $6.45 million per GeoTel employee and 45 times its 1998 revenues of $44.9 million. Analysts said the high price reflected the rising stakes in the battle between Lucent, Cisco, Northern Telecom and others as they race to sell gear that will power next-generation communications networks carrying voice, video and data simultaneously. ''This again shows how Lucent and Cisco are at war,'' said Michael Cristinziano, an analyst at Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co. in New York. ''Now Cisco's going into Lucent's backyard.'' Under the deal -- expected to close by the end of July -- Cisco will exchange 0.5138 shares of its common stock for each share and option of GeoTel, which on a fully diluted basis amounts to about 32 million shares. GeoTel surged $12.38 to $56.63 in afternoon trading on Nasdaq, while Cisco stock fell $2.63 to $115.13. Traditional telecommunications equipment companies such as Lucent, Northern Telecom and France's Alcatel already sell call center software, but, analysts said, it is now tightly integrated and bundled with older circuit-switched equipment. ''As of today, Lucent will stop trying to sell this (GeoTel's) product, as will (Northern Telecom),'' said Paul Sagawa, an analyst with Sanford Bernstein. ''But it's going to be a little while before Cisco can really integrate this into a full end-to-end offer for the call center market.'' As the pace quickens to migrate voice networks over to digital networks using Internet standards, Lucent and Cisco will increasingly find themselves looking to buy the same companies, analysts said. ''The old-world players are looking for new-world transition companies and we will see ourselves coming up against each other in deals from time to time,'' Listwin said. Just last week, Cisco agreed to pay a combined $445 million in stock for closely held Fibex Systems Inc. and Sentient Networks Inc. to acquire technology that helps combine voice and data on one network. Cisco agreed to pay about $100 million for Fibex, said a Cisco spokesman. And, according to people familiar with the deal, Lucent swooped in and offered to pay more but balked at paying twice as much Cisco was offering. Fibex ultimately picked Cisco. ''This strategy makes sense,'' Cristinziano said of the GeoTel deal. ''If you're going toe-to-toe with a Lucent, you need this kind of state-of-the art technology.'' Cisco shares closed Tuesday at $114.125, down $3.625

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (2616)	4/15/1999 11:38:00 AM
From: Frank A. Coluccio	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3178

Excel Announces New IP Telephony Enhancements to Its ONE Architecture Family of Products thanks to j garcia on the xlsw thread This comes two years after I first prodded this co to do something in their boxes... LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 1999--Excel Switching Corporation (NASDAQ:XLSW - news), a leading provider of open telecommunications platforms for voice and data networks worldwide, announced today at Voice on the Net '99 (Booth # 605) that it has added comprehensive Internet Protocol (IP) transport and signaling capabilities to the ONE Architecture(TM) family of scalable open programmable telecom solutions. With the addition of the new Voice Data Access Concentrator (VDAC) card to the EXS family of programmable switching platforms, Excel offers Voice over IP (VoIP) New World packet technologies to its extensive portfolio of partner-produced enhanced service applications and Excel's Open Infrastructure Tandem and End-Office switching solutions. The VDAC card is the first product to be announced as part of Excel's strategy for Next- Generation network solutions. (See related news release: Excel Announces the EXS Media Gateway.) The VDAC card is integrated into the EXS platform at the EXS Signaling layer allowing application developers and Excel's infrastructure solutions customers to easily and quickly IP enable the EXS based solutions. With this platform, incumbent and next-generation carriers are able to leverage Excel-based solutions, to combine the best of ''New World'' IP based technologies and ''Old World'' Public Switched Telephony Network (PSTN) features and services. ''By extending our programmable technology to the VoIP space, Excel and its partners form a unique solution that can offer open carrier-grade solutions to Next Generation carriers,'' said Robert Madonna, president and CEO of Excel. ''Our commitment to open and programmable technology makes it possible for incumbent and emerging carriers to deploy differentiated services - regardless of current or future network technology.'' VDAC is a modular IP packet engine interface card which can provide 160 channels of VoIP over dual 100MB Ethernet interfaces, when inserted into Excel's carrier class EXS platform. Implemented with Excel's flexible and patented Programmable Protocol Language (PPL) Technology to customize PSTN protocols and offer unmatched flexibility to Next Gen IP networks, the VDAC card is designed with the latest generation Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), microprocessors and integrated components to offer future proof IP vocoding algorithms and IP protocol support. Excel's open gateways are able to support multiple PSTN and IP protocols in a single system, by leveraging Excel's EXNET fiber optic network. The EXS platform can scale up to 14,400 of VoIP and 14,400 PSTN circuits in a single non-blocking architecture. A single fully redundant EXS 2000 9U 19'' NEBS-III shelf can be configured for 960 VoIP channels and corresponding PSTN circuits including a full array of PSTN signaling protocols such as SS7 and ISDN and DSPs for general telephony tone treatments, conferencing and announcements. Excel's multi-protocol capability and open architecture product are a cost-effective solution for carriers to deploy a wide range of services and applications and require minimal software changes with new or enhanced network protocols for either the PSTN or IP networks. Excel's comprehensive IP transport and signaling capabilities will enable Excel Partners to quickly provide new services regardless of the mix of circuit-switched or IP interfaces in a carrier's network. Excel's solution will enable carriers to continue to generate revenues as they make the transition to new technologies as their IP-based networks evolve. ''With Excel's industry leading open programmability and new VoIP technology, we can offer enhanced services applications to any carrier -- regardless of their network architecture or protocol requirements,'' said Jeff Paine, vice president of marketing for Magellan Network Systems. ''It opens up new markets for our existing product while giving us a proven platform to offer new IP and Web-enabled services.'' With over 150 developers, Excel supports a large portfolio of third party, telco-grade features and services in the telecommunications market today. Applications available from Excel Partners and developers include: unified messaging; prepaid calling and calling cards; Surf'n Call; Web enabled call centers; voice activated dialing; text-to-speech & speech-to-text; Remote Access Servers (RAS) personal assistants and messaging agents. About ONE Architecture ONE Architecture defines Excel's strategic technology framework for its state-of-the-art Expandable Switching System (EXS). It enables carriers and developers to integrate network routing, enhanced services and media support on a single, highly-scalable switching platform. With its product and services, Excel provides a scalable network solution regardless of legacy signaling protocols, switching capacity, or billing and subscriber services offered from the PSTN (Public Switch Telephone Network) switch. About Excel Switching Corporation Excel Switching Corporation is a leading provider of open switching platforms for telecommunications networks worldwide. Excel develops, manufactures, markets and supports a family of open, programmable, carrier-class switches that address the complex enhanced services and wireless and wireline infrastructure needs of network providers. Excel's products are currently deployed in telecommunications networks worldwide. Visit Excel's Web site at xl.com.