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Technology Stocks : IDT *(idtc) following this new issue?* -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hawaii60 who wrote (7472)	5/8/1999 12:34:00 PM
From: Jules B. Garfunkel	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 30916

All, Earlier this week I asked the thread to consider the implications of the ATT acquisition of Media One. Although, I did not mention it at the time, the later announcement by Microsoft, that they would invest in the new ATT venture, underscored the dynamic changes that are taking place in the Internet Industry. These significant changes were highlighted this last week by the acceleration of the "Internet over Cable" approach. I asked the thread twice to consider what implications these announcements might have on IDTC. Unfortunately, I only got two replies to my request, and neither conjectured what impact it might have on IDTC. It appears to me, that it is no coincidence that the traditional Internet stocks have all been dropping in price ever since AT&T announced its intent to acquire Media One. Subsequent to those announcements, a new urgency has emerged. An urgency that has dictated that the more traditional, "Internet over Copper Telephony line" companies must respond to.... and respond to quickly. These "Internet over telephone lines" companies must now rapidly revamp their broadband growth plans. If they do not respond quickly, they risk loosing the momentum that has clearly been established over the last two years, and loose control over their own destiny. It is for these reasons, I believe, that the anticipated announcements from IDT have been delayed. (I do not buy IDT's explanation that they must have 100% of the bonds converted, before they make their anticipated series of announcements). However, more significant for us IDTC shareholers,in my opinion, is that the value of IDT has gone up dramatically subsequent to the ATT, MSFT, Media One announcement. The ability of a company to offer Voice Over the Internet is a unique application. It is an application that AT&T is vulnerable to. It is an application that AT&T will not be able to match with its Internet over Cable for many years to come. Add to IDT's Net2Phone; their Fiber Optic Network already in place, their expanding reliable ISP business, and their existing 5000 subscriber Geni base, all here NOW, and you have a VERY VALUABLE company for many of these Internet companies. Adding IDT's applications to a Internet company's traditional offerings, I believe, will go a long way in lessening the threat of the Internet over Cable, and allow these companies to have a stronger position from which they can continue to control their own destiny. My conclusion therefore, is that whatever IDT was worth a month ago, it is worth much more subsequent to the AT&T, MSFT and Media One announcement. Calculating exactly how much more, is what, I think, is taking IDT the time to figure out over the last three weeks. It is why, I believe, they have delayed their announcements with Softbank, and the Net2Phone IPO, final plans. Just my opinion, Jules

To: Hawaii60 who wrote (7472)	5/8/1999 10:11:00 PM
From: vinh pham	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 30916

Another Cheerleader for Internet Telephony: --------------------------------- Points Of Presence BY LAURA GUEVIN Associate Editor, INTERNET TELEPHONY® [May 7, 1999] VoIP + Imagination = Talking Cats And IP Ferraris I admit it. When I first began working for Internet Telephony® magazine last year, I hadn't heard of voice over IP and all the trimmings that come with it. Of course, being familiar with the Internet on a general basis, I realized it had the potential to become a major medium for all sorts of communications. But I had never used it for anything beyond e-mail, instant messaging through ICQ and AOL Instant Messenger, Inter-Relay Chat (IRC), and interactive gaming with text chats. And it was only with the gaming that I truly realized the latency involved with real-time video communication over IP. Now it's difficult for me to keep from becoming an Internet telephony cheerleader. True, I read about the latest product developments and industry news on a daily basis. But I'm beginning to see more about this technology in the mainstream and niche press. Take my father, for example, who works for a company that manufactures static-protective laminate. That's a pretty specific market, with a well-entrenched customer base. He came across an introductory article on Internet telephony in a recent issue of Compliance Engineering, a trade magazine that covers international regulatory compliance, mainly for the electronics industry. The article discussed the economic benefits of implementing this technology, and mentioned recent developments in existing private networks that have improved quality and bandwidth -- the issues so often associated with voice over IP. I find that pretty impressive, especially since the article cited figures from Forrester Research that the voice over IP market will take away about $3 billion from U.S. phone companies by 2004. And a recent article in Newsweek said that more than 16 million people around the world use the Internet as their long-distance carrier. I could go on. Killen & Associates say about 18 percent of Fortune 1000 voice traffic will travel over IP by 2002. The possibilities for this market are endless. But how will it evolve and what types of products will utilize IP for voice and video communications? WHERE WILL IT LEAD? Right now, if you want to make a voice call over IP, all you have to do is pick up your phone and dial one of various local or toll-free access numbers through an Internet telephony service provider to connect the call over their network. Or, if you have multimedia capability on your PC, you can call directly using free software available from a multitude of companies including: Net2Phone, Delta Three, Big Bits Software, MediaRing, VocalTec, and White Pine. Better yet, if your business utilizes IP for voice communications, you have a transparent connection to the Net directly from the phone on your desk. But where will the future of voice over IP take us? A report from Forrester Research says that by 2004, future devices -- mainly the telephone, television, and PC, will use smart packs to deliver focused, personalized Internet content to consumers. The smart packs will utilize low-cost microprocessors, and phone and wireless Internet connections to deliver IP-based voice and video. A common use could be phones that link to personal and public address listings and seek out information like movie listings........ Read the rest of the article at the link below and you can also register there to win an interactive Ferrari. Just kidding. tmcnet.com