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Microsoft Buys Into Taiwanese Broadband ISP

Posted by ryuzaki0 on 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."

6 of 28 comments (clear)

  1. Wise Move by Bryan_Crowl · · Score: 2

    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

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    Someday, we'll look back on this, laugh nervously and change the subject.
    1. Re:Wise Move by Redking · · Score: 2

      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.

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      Rangers Lead the Way!
  2. MS Aquisitions are worrysome by RNG · · Score: 2

    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 ...

  3. Re:The Taiwanese industry... by perky · · Score: 2
    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.

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    "The new wave is not value-added; it's garbage-subtracted" - Esther Dyson, Dec 1994
  4. Not a wise move by Ticker · · Score: 3

    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.

  5. ... by Signal+11 · · Score: 2

    Great. Now MS will just move in and define "slow" as the industry standard.........

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