VTSS.PK
Vitesse Q208
Vitesse provided a “State of the Company” update, most likely it’s last ad-hoc quarterly call as audited results are expected to be made available by next quarter. We analyze their core business trends, including discussions about Chinese GE-PON, an update on EDC/SFP+ 10GbE, and the impact of removing distributor incentives. While Vitesse is cheap when compared to peers the risk of an unanticipated short-term revenue decline poses an unseen risk.
Just off the Vitesse Q208 Investor Conf Call. Not sure what kind of logic goes into an investor asking a CEO why he doesn’t resign – such questions should be addressed to the Board, not the CEO. If he is so burnt up there is a market for his shares and he should sell them.
The incident is positive in a way: I have found that many small-cap companies simply don’t take calls from anyone they don’t know. The fact that VTSS takes calls from all in the queue is a sign of openness. Other companies, including IKAN and others (yes I keep a record) practice what I call “Queue Management”, taking calls only from people in the queue they know to be friendly.
So, to the investor who asked the question – at least recognize the fact you were allowed to have a voice in the first place. Most companies wouldn’t have allowed you even that. And next time just take your loss and don’t waste my time.
10GbE and SFP+ – This Time It’s Different
One of our more popular theme pieces (see “Five Misconceptions About the 10G Optical Market“) examined the state of the 10GbE market and sought to identify the gaps between market perception and reality. It’s time to publish an update with the facts we have collected and opinions we’ve formed since then.
Continue reading
Google’s Secret 10GbE Switch
It is our opinion that Google (GOOG) has designed and deployed home-grown 10GbE switches as part of a secret internal initiative that was launched when it realized commercial options couldn’t meet the cost and power consumption targets required for their data centers.
This decision by Google, while small in terms of units purchased, is enormous in terms of the disruptive impact it should have on 10GbE switching equipment providers and their component supply chains. It is as if a MACHO just arrived in the Enterprise networking business and the orbits of the existing satellites have begun to shift without observers knowing why – until now.
LightReading Ethernet Conference Notes
This is a collection of notes and observations gathered during the LightReading Ethernet Conference that didn’t merit a standalone article. Unless noted, these conclusions were from conversations I had while at the conference, and not the opinions of presenters.
Vitesse Sells Storage
After dropping hints in an earlier conference call (see Vitesse Q207 Conference Call Notes) Vitesse announced the sale of a portion of their storage products to Maxim (MXIM). The $63M transaction has a provision for an additional $12M if certain milestones are hit. The company will use the proceeds from Maxim and $30M in new convertible debt to repay the junk debt to Tennenbaum Capital. (see Tennenbaum and Vitesse).
Three months ago I expected the sale of the entire storage unit to fetch 3.5x revenue. Subsequent research and discussions led me to believe this estimate was inaccurate, something reflected in comments I made (see here).
MRV Communications- Vitesse Redux?
The consolidation of MRV (MRVC) & Fiberxon is a healthy force for the industry but one made at the near term expense of shareholders (see MRV, Luminent, and Fiberxon). The rest of the optical component industry will see the benefits of consolidation, but MRV shareholders have lost nearly 30% of their investment since the merger was approved.
The Madness of the Carrier Chipset Market
There is an excellent editorial today by Lee Goldberg that explores the lack of new R&D in SONET/SDH and PDH chip sets. While I don’t agree with the conclusion it is a worthy topic of exploration and he highlights something missed by the mainstream tech media.
The networking industry may be about to hit a hidden speed bump as the number of semiconductor companies actively involved with developing products to support SONET/SDH, PDH, and other TDM-based technologies can now be counted on one hand.
Lee thinks this is a big problem. This is not a problem at all. It is the only logical solution to the madness of the past 6 years.
PMC-Sierra Adjusts Channel Accounting
In a trend I expect to snowball, PMC-Sierra (PMCS) announced they will begin using sell-through accounting as opposed to sell-in accounting with distributors. This is a trend which traces it’s origins back to the accounting issues at Vitesse Semiconductor (VTSS.PK). (see “The Trickle Down Economics of Channel Stuffing“)
AMCC – Further Down the Spiral
AMCC (AMCC) held a conference call last Friday to review preliminary FQ108 results. The company indicated in April that FQ108 would be $60M down from $70M in the previous quarter (see “AMCC Kicks the Distribution Habit“). The final tally now puts it closer to $50M, a quarter over quarter decline of nearly 30%. This is worthy of detailed examination.
