|
Well..it looks like based on the article below that 3RD QUARTER is the likely delivery date for the Verizon version of the Treo 600. I discovered this site over the weekend while researching whether or not I should switch to Sprint just to get this phone. I got all giddy when I read this thread now I'm disappointed and confused about whether or not I should wait for Verizon or just go with Sprint. DAMN!!! 
Financial Post Investing
Analyst cuts target on Sierra: TD Newcrest's Lee says risks outweigh upside potential
Stuart Weinberg
Dow Jones
608 words
14 May 2004
National Post
National
IN3
English
(c) 2004 National Post . All Rights Reserved.
TORONTO - Sierra Wireless Inc. shares are down 41% since it released its first-quarter financial results on April 19, but it's still a risky bet, according to one analyst.
In a research note yesterday, TD Newcrest analyst Andrew Lee listed the positive catalysts and the potential risks ahead for Sierra and found that the bad outweighs the good.
"We believe the risks to our outlook outweigh the positive catalysts," Mr. Lee wrote, noting that, even with the recent share-price decline, Sierra doesn't trade at a relative discount to wireless peers such as Novatel Wireless Inc., Option NV, Research In Motion Ltd. and PalmOne Inc.
Mr. Lee cut his target on the stock to $28.50 from $37 and maintained his hold rating. He doesn't own Sierra shares and TD Newcrest doesn't have an investment-banking relationship with the company.
On the catalyst side, Verizon Wireless is expected to offer a CDMA version of PalmOne's Treo 600 smartphone, Mr. Lee wrote. The product could be available by the third quarter of 2004, he wrote. Sierra, a Vancouver-based wireless modem maker, makes the embedded modems for the CDMA version of the Treo 600.
Verizon is also expanding its high-speed EV-DO network, another potential catalyst for Sierra, Mr. Lee wrote. Sierra is the sole supplier of PC card modems for this network, a fact that should accelerate revenues, he wrote. However, Sierra won't have the field to itself for long, as Novatel will launch a competing EV-DO offering in the second half of 2004, he wrote.
On the risk side, industry observers have suggested PalmOne will switch modem makers when it introduces its next-generation Treo devices, Mr. Lee wrote. "We believe it is reasonable to assume that PalmOne is requesting proposals from multiple wireless module vendors, but are unaware of any final decisions at this time," he wrote.
PalmOne declined to comment on its product plans when contacted by Dow Jones in late April.
Another risk exists in Europe, where Sierra has yet to introduce any PC card products for next-generation UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) networks. While Sierra's UMTS PC cards are expected to be commercially available in the first half of 2005, Novatel and Option have already launched UMTS products, effectively shrinking Sierra's European and Asia Pacific market opportunity, Mr. Lee wrote.
In support of this argument, Mr. Lee noted that Novatel has received $50-million in orders for UMTS PC cards since it began shipping in the fourth quarter of 2003. "We believe Novatel has a leading UMTS PC card market share, having shipped PC Cards to five Tier 1 operators in seven different countries in Europe and Asia Pacific in the first quarter of 2004," Mr. Lee wrote.
In addition, Option has shipped its UMTS PC cards to carriers, including Vodafone Group PLC, in seven different European countries, Mr. Lee wrote.
Finally, Mr. Lee questioned the "competitive advantage or uniqueness" of Sierra's Voq smartphone. The product is based on the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system, as are smartphones from much larger companies, such as Motorola Inc. and Samsung Corp., Mr. Lee wrote.
The Voq contains an embedded modem made by Siemens AG, which is available to competing smartphone manufacturers at a low and commoditized price, Lee wrote. "We believe Sierra could not develop a GPRS module at a comparable cost," he wrote.
On Nasdaq yesterday, Sierra shares were up US35 cents to US$25.44 on volume of 578,000.
|
|
|