Dynamics Deal
Defense giant General Dynamics will acquire Motorolas Integrated Information Systems Group for $825 million in cash and debt. The Motorola unit “strengthens our position in communications and information technology for military government customers,” says Nicholas D. Chabraja, General Dynamics chairman and CEO.
Free for All — Not
Landlords of multitenant buildings have won a round in the battle for access to the telecom closet: The Massachusetts Superior Court has ruled that a state regulation giving telecom companies free access to buildings violates both the state and federal Constitutions. Carriers say they will appeal the state ruling, and will push for new laws.
No CacheFlow
Content distribution gear maker CacheFlow says it will slash its work force by 18 percent, mostly in its sales and administration divisions, as a cost-cutting measure. The company says it will report first-quarter results on Aug. 16; it expects a loss of 21 cents to 22 cents per share on revenue of about $20 million, which is better than analysts had expected.
Qwest for Gear
Qwest Communications International — which reported that second-quarter demand for Internet, data and IP services was up 41 percent from the same quarter a year ago — will buy Cisco Systems gear to bolster its long-haul and metropolitan networks.
China Syndrome
Yet another big deal has been inked that will spur the build-out of an optical backbone in China. This time, Alcatel agreed to supply equipment to help China Telecom boost capacity on its metropolitan network in Xian, Shaanxi Province.