Owners whose systems use either gas or oil could ordinarily switch to the lower-cost alternative, but that will not be effective this year.

"Our customers are simply not willing to pay higher prices when they have a lower-cost alternative."

Viable lower-cost alternatives could be extremely attractive to chief information officers.

With networks avoiding repeats, they must have lower-cost alternatives.

The most important is cost pressure, he said, adding that "the payers are looking for lower-cost alternatives to inpatient treatment."

In the early 1980's, Perceptron developed a lower-cost alternative using lasers and cameras.

In so doing, these tactics allow the brand companies to keep charging high prices and delay the arrival of lower-cost alternatives.

The airport is a major lower-cost alternative to Pearson for cargo air service.

The company also said it would consider moving from its Cambridge, Mass., headquarters and was studying lower-cost alternatives.

Historically it was a lower-cost alternative to a fabric topology.