Colin C. Haley

BOSTON — Tim Berners-Lee acknowledges that the next-generation Semantic Web is difficult to explain, but he’s not concerned about the pace of its adoption. “We’re at the stage of getting people to use the Semantic Web on the small scale,” the inventor of the Web said at the 10th anniversary gathering of the World Wide […]

BOSTON — A former colleague of Tim Berners-Lee was rummaging through his desk recently when he found an old memo from the World Wide Web inventor. The document sketched the basics of a decentralized, yet interconnected, electronic system that could cross-reference reams of data. Atop this printout, the computer scientist scrawled his initial reaction: “Vague […]

Cingular is making over AT&T Wireless Stores with new signage, but the changes are more than just window dressing. Thanks to spectrum gained in the $41 billion acquisition, Cingular said it will build a third-generation network in several U.S. markets, starting next year. The nation’s largest mobile carrier didn’t specify which cities would be first, […]

When it comes to fighting fraud and terrorism, you can never have enough technology. That’s the message from Pakistan, which has tapped Viisage Technologies as part of an upgrade of its smart passport and national ID program. The Billerica, Mass., firm’s biometric and database systems will become part of a wide-ranging security initiative that combines […]

To clear the way for its merger with AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless has sold spectrum licenses in Dallas and Detroit to MetroPCS for $230 million, the companies announced today. The transaction mirrors a $170 million deal Cingular struck with Alltel on Friday for airwave space in Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. Both […]

SBC is defending a proposal to charge VoIP providers for a more efficient method of completing calls to its customers after the plan drew fire from FCC Chairman Powell. At issue is the regional carrier’s proposed True IP to PSTN (TIPTop) offering, which would allow VoIP providers to connect IP traffic to circuit-switched network through […]

Level 3 Communications has launched a partner program in Europe, allowing resellers to offer Voice over IP services to small and medium businesses. The offering debuts in the United Kingdom today and will expand to other countries throughout 2005, the Broomfield, Colo., backbone network operator said. It will mirror the company’s efforts in the United […]

Cingular Wireless will cut about 7,000 jobs, a little more than 10 percent of its workforce, as it integrates its $41 billion acquisition of AT&T Wireless. CEO Stan Sigman disclosed the cost-cutting blueprint in an interview with the Associated Press today. Previously, Cingular officials have declined to comment on the impact of the merger on […]

SBC Communications’ Wi-Fi service is now available at 600 Barnes & Noble bookstores nationwide, as it continues its partnering strategy. Bibliophiles can pay $3.95 for a single two-hour session or buy an annual membership with unlimited access to all 5,000 SBC Wi-Fi hot spots for $19.95 per month. Destiny Belknap, an SBC spokeswoman, said the […]

Jumping into a new area with both feet, IBM will acquire Liberty Insurance Services (LIS) to become a significant player in life insurance and annuity processing and administration, the companies announced today. The exact price paid to Liberty’s parent, RBC Insurance of Canada, was not disclosed. However, a source close to the transaction classified it […]

Internet telephony provider Vonage has increased its presence in Canada, drawn by a high broadband penetration and tech-savvy population. The firm has announced that RadioShack Canada will sell its flat-rate service in 550 stores across the country. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed. This is Vonage’s first retail channel deal north of the […]

Looking to regain its footing, Computer Associates will reportedly tap IBM veteran John Swainson as CEO. Swainson would face the dual challenge of restoring the management software maker’s business and reputation after an accounting scandal that broke in April. Swainson has spent 26 years at IBM and holds the title vice president of worldwide sales […]