And now, Wintelecom?
Microsoft, Intel laying plans to crack telecommunications field, report says
NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Microsoft and Intel, the dominant forces in the computer industry, are now setting their sights on the telecommunications equipment field, according to a published report.
The Redmond, Wash., software giant and the Santa Clara, Calif., chip behemoth are set to announce on Monday they are teaming up with Hewlett-Packard and Nortel to develop a new line of routers, switches and servers in an attempt to crack a market with $250 billion a year in sales, the British newspaper Financial Times said in its Monday edition.
Together, Microsoft (MSFT) and Intel (INTC) provide the software and hardware that drives the huge majority of personal computers, using the so-called "Wintel" standard.
Under the proposed new plan, the companies would work with the Canadian manufacturer Nortel to develop telecom gear for corporate networks that would use the Windows NT operating system and Pentium processors to handle both conventional voice traffic and fast-growing data and video transmissions, according to the Financial Times.
Hewlett Packard (HWP), of Palo Alto, Calif., also would participate in the development effort and would sell the resulting equipment under its brand name, the report said.
Most existing network gear relies on the Unix operating system, and typically each provider develops both its own hardware and software, the report said.
The companies were not available late Sunday to respond to the report.
cnnfn.com |
