The future of international service provider Teleglobe Inc. may change, according to its parent company BCE Inc. Executives at both companies are reviewing Teleglobe’s current business plan, according to a statement issued last month by BCE. The parent firm cited the continued weak global services market as the reason why it is looking for strategic alternatives for Teleglobe. The alternatives examined include potential business combinations, restructuring and additional funding sources. The Montreal-based telecom service provider says it may also consider other alternatives for Teleglobe, which will continue to operate while the company conducts its review. Teleglobe was scheduled to discuss the impact, if any, of its business alternatives on April 24 when the company was expected to release its first quarter results.
British Telecommunications PLC and AT&T Corp. have fully unwound their Concert Communications Co. joint venture and completed the return of assets to the parent companies, BT announced last month. BT also has completed the termination of its Canadian joint venture with AT&T through AT&T Canada. AT&T and BT announced last October that they were disbanding the international joint venture, which was launched in 1998 because of mounting financial losses. Former Concert customers have been split between AT&T and BT, based on their location, and the two companies have signed commercial agreements to ensure that customers receive uninterrupted service.
CommWorks Corp. last month announced a new messaging server aimed at allowing carriers to tie together voice and e-mail messaging for customers. The CommWorks 8250 Unified Communications System is an IP-based server that combines voice mail, e-mail and fax messages on a single interface for end users. The 8250 could be added to a service provider’s IP voice or “IP Centrex” service for business customers to add enhanced messaging capabilities, or for customers with public switched telephone network (PSTN)-based voice services. It is now available.