Bay acquisition could drive switch prices down. (Bay Networks acquires NetICs) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)

Bay Networks' acquisition of a Fast Ethernet technology company last week is expected to bring swift response from other major networking vendors and take 100Mbps switch prices to a new low.

Bay Networks said it will use ASIC technology from NetICs Inc., a start-up in Acton, Mass., in a Fast Ethernet workgroup switch that will ship in March 1997 for $250 per port. The stand-alone switch will feature 16 autosensing 10/100Mbps ports. Similar switches are priced from $500 to $700 per port.

An official at Hewlett-Packard said his company and others will match Bay Networks' price by the time the switch is released.

Fred McClimans, founder of Ashburn, Va.-based …