Colin C. Haley

Scott Petrack has a unique take on how far Voice over IP has come and how far it can still go. After earning a doctorate in mathematics from Oxford University, he worked as a research fellow for IBM and later principal technologist of IP networking at VoIP pioneer VocalTec Communications. He became interested in guiding […]

UPDATED: Covad’s long-running antitrust action against BellSouth is still alive after an appeals court remanded the case to district court, the company announced today. The San Jose, Calif., broadband provider failed to convince the U.S. Supreme Court to examine BellSouth’s alleged violations of the Telecommunications Act, but said that doesn’t prevent it from pursuing “price […]

After months of testing and tweaking, Google formally launched its desktop search tool in order to help users find a variety of information on their PCs. The move opens a new front in the search wars, in which Google and deep-pocketed players like Microsoft , Yahoo and Ask Jeeves have designs on users’ desktops. Google […]

UPDATED: Just at it was gearing up to tout its rapid growth of more than half a million customers, IP telephony player Vonage was hit with a software glitch that knocked out service to half of Vonage subscribers on Friday afternoon. The outage affected about half of inbound and outbound traffic for approximately 45 minutes […]

The SCO Group announced today that it will restate financial statements for the first three quarters of 2004 because of accounting errors related to its employee stock compensation program. The anticipated corrections should not impact the company’s previously reported net loss or its earnings per share for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2004, the […]

After a successful partnership, telecom equipment giant Alcatel is acquiring transport specialist Native Networks for $55 million in cash, the companies announced today. The buy enhances Alcatel’s ability to help large service providers deliver the so-called triple play of voice, data and video services over a single network platform. Laurel Bowden, a general partner at […]

Verizon has granted MCI two weeks to weigh a rival acquisition offer from Qwest , the companies announced this morning. “It is in the best interests of the stakeholders of both Verizon and MCI to address recent market speculation regarding Qwest’s claims that it can deliver greater value to MCI’s shareholders,” Verizon said in a […]

TowerStream, a provider of fixed-wireless broadband services, is optimizing its network to handle Voice over IP traffic. The company recently completed a one-month trial near its Middletown, R.I., headquarters that allowed VoIP traffic to enter its pre-WiMAX system via Wi-Fi access points. It now plans beta tests in New York, where users will ride the […]

Qwest posed a simple question to MCI today: Why is Verizon’s $6.7 billion merger offer better than Qwest’s $8 billion bid? “We’re looking for some feedback,” Qwest CEO Richard Notebaert said during a meeting with financial analysts today. Qwest submitted a revised proposal for the long-distance and network services provider last week. But Notebaert has […]

UPDATED: If Qwest’s quest for MCI fails, it won’t be for lack of effort. The Denver regional telecom is willing to recast its $8 billion bid a second time, provided MCI comes to the negotiating table, according to a report in today’s Wall Street Journal. There is no deadline attached to the offer to restructure […]

The long-awaited telecom industry consolidation is here, and it’s changing everything. It began with SBC’s bid for AT&T , which prompted Verizon and Qwest to scrap over MCI . Strong in local calling and home and small business broadband, the Baby Bells lack the large network operators’ IP data service deals with government agencies and […]

UPDATED: Qwest’s first bid for MCI was met with silence, but its second might not be so easy to ignore. The Denver-based regional carrier today restructured its $8 billion offer for the network operator, accelerating the cash payout to shareholders. The offer stands at $26.40 per share — $9.10 in cash, $15.50 in stock. The […]