Colin C. Haley

Prescription drug ads are everywhere: broadcast on television and radio; printed in magazines and newspapers; plastered on NASCAR quarter-panels. Some pitches are so obscure they leave viewers guessing and others so suggestive they leave them blushing. Taste aside, a number of legislators and regulators have seen enough. They contend the ad deluge pushes consumers to […]

Bob Plaschke’s timing has been spot on during the last five years. He was CFO and vice president of business development at e-commerce tool maker Prio when it was sold to InfoSpace at the height of the Internet bubble. He stayed a year at InfoSpace, but wouldn’t move his family from the Bay Area to […]

Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) said it would buy Teleglobe International for $239 million in cash, a move that helps it compete with U.S.-based networking powerhouses AT&T and MCI. It’s the second major purchase for the Indian telecom and Internet services wholesaler, which added Tyco’s undersea fiber-optic network in November for $130 million. With Teleglobe, […]

Verizon Laboratories is working with Columbia University to research ways to improve the security and functionality of Voice over IP services. The collaboration focuses on two areas: protecting voice packets from being compromised while traveling over converged networks; and improving presence features that let callers know the availability of their contacts. When the project concludes […]

Like a pro sports team drafting college prospects, Cisco Systems continues to acquire small companies to strengthen its lineup. The San Jose, Calif., network equipment giant this morning said it will pay $97 million in cash and options for Sheer Networks. The price tag could jump another $25 million if Sheer meets product milestones after […]

Voice over IP leader Vonage plans to offer a new Motorola gateway to make home networking easier. It combines broadband telephony and home networking functions in one device. Motorola’s VT2442, which is powered by Texas Instruments TNETV1060 chipset, has two lines of telephone service supporting call waiting, call forwarding and caller ID. Additionally, it has […]

Camera phones have gone from a novelty to standard in a just a couple of years, but if you want to zip pictures from your phone to a friend’s handset you can’t unless your respective carriers have laid the groundwork. Verizon Wireless and Sprint did just that today, announcing a multimedia message pact for their […]

In a bid to expand its home networking product line, Cisco Systems announced today that it will pay $61 million in cash and stock for Denmark-based KiSS Technology. The San Jose, Calif., equipment vendor said KiSS’ platform, which is used in DVD players and recorders, provides access to content on the Internet or other devices […]

FiberTower, which specializes in backhaul networks for wireless carriers, has raised $150 million in fourth-round financing to expand into new markets in 2006. It’s believed to be the second-largest technology-related venture capital investment of the year, trailing only VoIP giant Vonage’s $200 million windfall in May. Crown Capital International was lead investor, contributing $55 million […]

Microsoft announced the go-to-market name for the next-generation version of its Windows operating system: Vista. The company said it expects to release a test of Windows Vista Beta 1, targeted at developers and IT professionals, by August 3rd. But expectations are that it could leak out sooner. In a video announcement broadcast online this morning, […]

Taking its battle against cable operators into Virginia, Verizon Communications has secured a video franchise agreement with the town of Herndon. The 15-year pact, which was unanimously approved by the Town Council, allows the regional telecom carrier to offer its Fios TV service to 22,000 residents over a new fiber-to- the-home network. Verizon will pay […]

BOSTON –- IPTV advocates like to talk about the technology enabling new services, however the discussion usually returns to the familiar voice, video and data triple play. In part, that’s because it’s early. Telecoms, network equipment makers, system integrators and software developers are still deploying miles of fiber-optic cable across the United States and running […]