Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: t2 who wrote (22604)	5/12/1999 8:38:00 PM
From: taxman	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 74651

"YUP" you must have a lot of guts. congratulations on being right. regards

To: t2 who wrote (22604)	5/12/1999 9:06:00 PM
From: Maverick	Respond to of 74651

MSFT is in talks to buy as much as 30% of cable TV firm CABLE & WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS FOCUS-CWC jumps on Microsoft talk By Kirstin Ridley LONDON, May 12 (Reuters) - Shares in British cable market leader Cable & Wireless Communications Plc leapt five percent on Wednesday after a newspaper report that U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp might buy a 30 percent stake. The Wall Street Journal Europe said Microsoft, which is building up a position in two of CWC's rivals, had turned its attention to the biggest of Britain's big three cable operators and was in talks to buy a stake that could fetch $4.0 billion. Citing people close to talks, the paper said Graham Wallace, the chief executive of CWC's main shareholder Cable & Wireless Plc , spoke to Microsoft's Chief Financial Officer Greg Maffei on Tuesday, but that completion of a deal was not imminent. "We're just not commenting," Wallace told a telephone conference call on the parent group's annual results. But he added: "We do continually talk to Microsoft. We've got a joint venture with them in Hong Kong, trialling their software on our broadband network; they want to supply software to us in the UK and Australia. So we continually have contact. "That's the way this business works but that does not mean you should read any more into it than that." Shares in the CWC subsidiary hit a high of 685 pence before settling at 658p, a rise of 30p or 4.8 percent, by 1120 GMT. Analysts predicted last week that Microsoft might seek a deal with CWC after the U.S. group snatched a 29.9 percent stake in Britain's second biggest cable group Telewest Communications Plc . Microsoft has already taken an effective five percent stake in number three player NTL Inc . With Telewest and CWC already in merger talks, some analysts believe Microsoft might broker a marriage between all three cable companies and speed consolidation. In an industry which has sunk billions of pounds into cabling Britain's streets, size matters to cut vast billing and marketing costs. Analysts have long predicted a further shake-out that could leave one cable giant capable of serving 17 million homes and with enough clout to take on Rupert Murdoch-controlled satellite TV giant BSkyB and British Telecommunications . Britain might just be the first step for Microsoft magnate Bill Gates, who is expected also to buy deeper into mainland Europe to standardise the software of the cable platform and influence investors. Microsoft, which already holds a stake of around eight