DSL Prime News Briefs

Yes, 10 million of 13 million Internet users in South Korea have broadband. Lucent is looking up, but Oresis filed for Chapter 7 liquidation. Metalink is optimistic about the future. Is SBC involved in satellites serving Latin America?

by Dave Burstein DSL Prime [December 6, 2002]

E-mail

• "Is your report accurate, that 10 million Korean homes (out of 13 million) have broadband?" Two readers asked, apparently because The U.S. is so far behind, apparently it's hard for people to believe the results in Asia, and many asked me to confirm them. Korea Telecom (KT), citing government figures, is the source for the 10 million broadband homes, out of 13 million total. Elementary school teachers now require students to submit their homework over the Web.
  
  
• Lucent's Jason Ripper wrote not to underestimate Lucent's future role in access. Poland has purchased $17 million of Stinger, and AnyMedia is part of Korea's remarkable plan to rebuild their entire network. That will be the first true "next-generation network" in the world, and they expect cost savings will more than repay the investment. KT is probably the most innovative telco in the world.

Briefs

• Oresis, unfortunately, is liquidating under Chapter 7. Andrew Hendry, once Intel's representative to the DSL community, is one of those displaced.
  
  
• Net to Net's appointment of Pradeep Joshi to represent them in India points to the largest undeveloped DSL market.

People

• Tzvika Shukhman, CEO of Metalink, has just bought 606,300 shares on the open market. At over $1 million, that's a powerful vote of confidence. Metalink has some important wins for both VDSL and G.shdsl. Similarly, officers of NHC contributed to the recent funding, believing their automation systems for central offices will soon find a large market.
  
  
• Dennis Young, ex-Pairgain/ADC and Siemens ICN, is now advising Actelis, whose bonded DSL systems are now coming to market.
  
  
• Samer Salameh, married to the niece of Telmex's Carlos Slim and former head of Slim-controlled Prodigy, takes over as CEO of RStar/Gilat, the current incarnation of satellite service Starband Latin America. Gilat looks to emerge from bankruptcy in a few months, and presumably Slim has satellite plans. The role of SBC is unclear; Slim is an influential board member, who was overpaid $100 million or more by SBC, but remains critical of SBC's Whitacre, who is on the road to retirement.
  
  
• Brad Ketch took over from Tom Cooper at New Visual, hoping to turn around a very difficult situation.

Wall Street

• AIG and its Emerging Markets Partnership are considering investing $700 million and rolling up Lucky Group Telecom, Hanaro, and other Korean CLECs, Asher Bolande reported in the Wall Street Journal. D.C.-based EMP is led by former international bureaucrats, employed Henry Kissinger, and has additional funding from the government of Singapore and the Sultan of Brunei. This would be an intensely political deal, with Bolande anticipating Hanaro's chief executive, Yun Sik Shin, will lose major backing when President Kim Dae Jung leaves office.

Copyright 2002 Dave Burstein.
The DSL Prime Newsletter is reprinted with permission.

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