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Microsoft

Microsoft Buys Into Taiwanese Broadband ISP 28

Posted by Roblimo from the still-going-for-world-domination dept.
vivekb writes " C|Net reports that Microsoft and Hoshin GigaMedia Centre, Taiwan's cable ISP, will be jointly providing broadband services. The two companies will create a broadband version of MSN, financed by a rumored $31.5 million dollar investment by Microsoft to GigaMedia. The network runs on Microsoft's Commercial Internet Services platform. GigaMedia is part of Taiwan's giant conglomerate, the Koos Group, and [originally] partnered with 3Com to introduce their cable modem service."
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Microsoft Buys Into Taiwanese Broadband ISP More

Microsoft Buys Into Taiwanese Broadband ISP

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  • With Microsoft possibly being broken up into smaller companies, investing in other simmiliar companies may not be the worst thing for ms. If they get their foot in the door now with these other companies, if they get broken up they can still influence technology and consumers and thus still being able sell their products sucessfully
    Well thats what iThink anyway

  • Bought deal. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    "To help speed the roll-out of this new service, Microsoft will make an investment in GigaMedia, which is already providing high-speed Internet access to businesses and homes. Although the companies did not release details of the investment, Taiwanese media reports have said Microsoft was considering investing U.S. $31.5 million in GigaMedia"

    "'Gigamedia was an early adapter of the Microsoft Commercial Internet Services platform. Since April 1998, Microsoft has been providing technical support for GigaMedia."

    Note the two facts about most MS deals. MS usually ponies up the money and/or the partner and MS have a long term alliance.
  • Definitely a wise move!

    With Taiwan's economy shifting from manufacturing to service, Microsoft can make some nice bread providing Internet service technology to Taiwanese companies like GigaMedia. GigaMedia will embrace the technology, and most likely refine it so that -they- can sell Internet services technology to countries like China, the Koreas and Vietnam.

    No mistake about it folks, Taiwan is Silicon Island. This deal just helps reinforces the position of Taiwanese technology.
  • I don't know about this.

    Despite the earthquake, Taiwan's economy is doing very well and Taiwan itself contains a large, motivated, educated work force. They are willing to embrace technology, but the problem is not that lack of money to finance technology, but the lack of technologiy itself.

    I'm surprised to say this, but Microsoft is smart. They get some cash and help Taiwan gain new technology. Maybe 20 years from now, when Taiwan is licensing technology to Vietnam, they require Windows 2020 to be installed on all servers in Hanoi.

    I doubt the Taiwanese industry will be that affected by Microsoft. Taiwan can take care of itself and discover new options.
  • I really do believe that the rise of Linux poses a fundamental problem for MS: how do you compete against something which is a lot cheaper (ie: free!) and is good enough? Remember that MS didn't win because they were the best; they won because they were good enough (and because of the fact that IBM basically gave them a monopoloy on a silver platter). I also believe, that Linux will find it's inroads onto the desktop, although the move will be a slow one.

    Enter MS, buying up what seem poised to become software distribution channels in the next century. If they can manage to create MS exclusive distribution channels, than the whole war about the PC market will be a phyrric victory and we're back to squre one. Linux (and all other alternative OSs) will only be attractive to the users if it's available through the dominant distribution channels.

    Then again, with Judge Jackson's FoF, there is hope. At least now it's official that they are a monopoly and abused their position to keep others out of the market. Previous encounters with the justice department ended with MS getting slapped on the wrist; lets hope that this time they are not let off so easily. Still, their aquisition spree worries me ... yes, it's hard to fight a compnay that has more than 20 billion dollars in the bank ...

  • ..and think about buying a country instead. After all Bills $60 odd billion is greater than the GDP of a number of countries, and Microsofts $500 billion odd share value must certainly provide enough purchasing power.

    He should find a suitable sized island, move all the MS people there and declare himslf King Bill. Just think - no more DOJ judgements to worry about if you are head of the judiciary and the executive.

  • It is somehow understandable that they want to be able to control people when they are on the Internet from start to end in the US, but are they not taking it a bit far when they also want control over the people of TAIWAN? I mean, come on, Microsoft shouldn't be over there. This is really creepy, and I think it will only get worse...

  • Just because the submitter can't spell the name of the country doesn't mean you should follow suit, Rob. :o> It's "Taiwan." Please and thank you.

    J.
    damned vulpine
  • why do you say that MS are incompetent? As far as I am aware, their OS is the most widely used in the world, and they are amongst the most profitable companies in the world. I am *NOT* saying that win98/NT is the best OS for all purposes, and neither am I condoning their abuse of monopoly power and the FUD that they have spread.

    However, I am saying that you have no idea that they will screw up this Taiwanese ISP, adn I'm sure that the decision to partner MS on their broadband venture was made on Microsoft's ability to provide content as well as the technology behind the venture. They are not stupid, and do not need to be "protected" from MS.

  • And what happens when China takes back Taiwan? Will Microsoft still be allowed to run the Internet there, now with Linux as the official Chinese OS? :)

  • Not a wise move (Score:3)

    by Ticker ( 79929 ) on Saturday November 13, 1999 @08:42AM (#1536534) Homepage
    With the Findings of Fact, I think this really turns out to be a dumb move on Microsoft's part. One of the things that Judge Jackson stressed the most in the decision (and I've read the entire thing) is that by attempting to control the Internet as a possible middleware platform, Microsoft was illegally protecting what he calls the applications barrier to entry.

    This looks like yet another attempt for Microsoft to control the Internet, thus trying to keep as much of it as possible Internet Explorer/Windows-dependant, and thus control the applications barrier to entry in the Operating Systems market.

    I found it very interesting that development of content was a part of this deal. I wonder how much of it will use "features" only found in Internet Explorer, like ActiveX. With the deals in the past that MS has made (with Disney, Pointcast, etc), I also wonder if there is actually a legal requirement in this deal for some Internet Explorer dependancy.

    I wonder how the DOJ and Judge Jackson will react to this move when it comes time for the final decision in DOJ v. Microsoft. It definately doesn't look good to me. If anything, it seems to me that MS still feels they are invincible and can still do anything they want, even things that Judge Jackson specifically and expressly condemned. If Judge Jackson has any emotions, which with his being human is pretty likely, I wouldn't be surprised if he was pretty pissed off at MS right about now.
  • and right after all those big quakes, too!

    ;)
  • Microsoft is like a big parent, they have money, the smaller companies don't have alot, or need more to do what they want microsoft gives them money, the company does well, they both make money, and then microsoft screws them. Hmmm.. okay, lets not have Microsoft posts, ummm this has been up for a while, and only had 19 comments.... why are we wasting bandwidth/cpu usage for it? Oh heck why am I wasting time writting this? Its five o'clock somewhere, lets get a drink
  • There are roumors about an MS and T-Online joint venture. T-Online is the biggest ISP in Germany.
    Article in german on Heise Online [heise.de]
  • It may not necessarily be their choice to continue to go forward with this. You are forgetting that this deal could have been in the works for several months. It is entirely possible that the deal was made weeks ago and there is already a contract (if necsesary). Of course that would mean that MS cannot back out of the deal.

    Also I doubt the DOJ has much interest in what MS does in the Tiawanese market right now.

  • ... (Score:2)

    by Signal 11 ( 7608 )
    Great. Now MS will just move in and define "slow" as the industry standard.........

    --
  • He should find a suitable sized island, move all the MS people there and declare himslf King Bill. Just think - no more DOJ judgements to worry about if you are head of the judiciary and the executive.
    Except that's far more risky for Bill. Should he piss off the US (or a fair few other places) his lawyers arn't going to be much use against soldiers and bombs.

  • Micro$oft is at it again. Buying and controlling everything in site. The techno-entroprenour's dream used to be to unseat microsoft from power. Now it is to be purchased by them. Depressing. Sure, in this case MS did not buy them. They only used their money to control them. "Be nice to MS and we will give you the world...otherwise we will crush you!"
    I hope that they keep this kind of thing up because I think that their arrogance will prove to be their undoing. You can only thumb your nose at the law for so long before the law has enough. This will not be like the IBM case. MS seems to really believe that they are right. If they are right, why should they change (or at least soften) their business practices? The day of the big announcement of Findings of Fact also came an investment in Telligent by MS. Then came Hoshin GigaMedia Centre and RadioShack. It will be interesting to see how they try to appeal the judge's Findings of Fact in court while proving them in their business practices.
    What do you all think? Will these type of actions affect their appeal process?

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