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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ed who wrote (22395)	5/9/1999 2:54:00 PM
From: RTev	Respond to of 74651

What is the problem of dial_up ? Speed is the problem. Once you're connected, you're looking at things at a max of about 40-56Kbps. Overcoming that speed limitation is what this talk of broadband is all about -- and it's the reason Microsoft has spent billions of dollars in the past few months on various broadband deals, including the AT&T agreement, and investments in QWST, RTHM, and NPNT, plus the European cable deals. But there's more than speed at issue. Broadband connections -- whether from DSL, cable, or fixed-point wireless -- change the user experience because they provide a permanent internet connection, obviating the need for a dialer and for the log-on/log-off process. So the broader issue is one of general business plans. Several folks on this board have suggested that Microsoft should somehow copy AOL's business plan. Based on what I see of the two companies, I don't agree with that, but I'm trying to get a better notion of why folks think that AOL might be better positioned than MSFT for the future of internet business.