Updated from 1:40 p.m.
SBC Communications
(SBC)
announced a series of moves Monday designed to give the large telecommunications company a higher profile on the Internet.
The San Antonio, Texas-based company said it will open its first Internet data center, which will store Internet systems for its business customers. The center will cost $50 million to create and will be powered by equipment from
Cisco
(CSCO) - Get Report
. It is set to open July 31 in Dallas.
At the same time, SBC invested $100 million to buy a controlling interest in
InQuent
, the parent company of
WebHosting.com
. Through WebHosting.com, SBC will begin offering customers hosted Microsoft Exchange 2000 in coming months.
And finally, the company announced a strategic e-business alliance between its
Sterling Commerce
and
Commerce One
(CMRC)
, a deal that will combine Commerce One's e-commerce services with Sterling's expertise in e-marketplace development and e-business consulting, SBC said.
The moves were first reported Monday in
The New York Times
.
Investors gave a yawn to the news, with SBC finishing Monday regular trading up slightly 3/16, or 0.4% at 43 3/16.
