overview

to 1900

to 1919

to 1939

to 1949

to 1959

to 1969

to 1979

to 1984

to 1989

to 1994

to 1999

to 2004

2005 -









































related
Notes:

telco
M&A

other
M&A

IPOs

dotcom
bubble

     1995 to 1999

This page highlights ICT industry developments from 1990 to 1999.

It covers -

• 1995
• 1996
• 1997
• 1998
• 1998

Context is provided by the broader media and communications timeline elsewhere on this site.

    1995

• EDS buys AT Kearney for US$600m
• Microsoft launches Windows 95
• Cisco buys Grand Junction for US$348m
• Microsoft establishes DreamWorks Interactive with DreamWorks SKG
• Microsoft establishes MSNBC
• Microsoft abandons merger with Intuit

    1996

• Microsoft buys Vermeer Technology (repackaged as Microsoft FrontPage)
• Cisco buys Stratacom for US$4.8bn
• Novell sells WordPerfect and Quattro Pro to Corel for US$180m
• Microsoft forms Interactive Media Group
• Apple buys NeXT for US$425m
• TRW sells remaining interest in Experian
• Microsoft and NBC create MSNBC all-news cable tv channel
• IBM's Deep Blue v Kasparov
• Microsoft creates Slate magazine

    1997

• Microsoft buys internet video streaming developer VXtreme
• Ascend Communications buys Cascade for US$3.7bn
• Microsoft buys 10% of RealNetworks
• Compaq acquires Tandem Computer
• Microsoft invests US$150m in Apple
• Frankel develops Winamp MP3 tool
• Microsoft pays US$1bn for 11.5% stake in Comcast
• Sixdegrees.com founded
• Microsoft buys set-top box maker WebTV Networks for US$425m
• Microsoft buys Hotmail for US$400m
• GTE buys BBN, unsuccessfully bids for MCI
• Scitor rebranded as Equant
• Microsoft buys banner ad network LinkExchange
• Microsoft launches Internet Explorer 4.0; is sued by DOJ

    1998

• Microsoft invests US$200m in Qwest
• WorldCom buys MCI for US$40bn and Brooks Fiber Properties for US$1.2bn
• BMC buys Boole & Babbage for US$900m
• GTE and Bell Atlantic announce US$53bn merger as Verizon
• Microsoft invests in UK-based Telewest
• AOL buys Netscape (for US$4.2bn)
• Nortel buys Bay Networks for US$9.1bn
• ICANN created
• AOL buys CompuServe and ICQ
• Sixdegrees.com acquired by YouthStream for US$125m
• Microsoft invests in TV Cabo
• Nortel buys Cambrian Systems
• APEC Singapore Declaration for the Asia Pacific Information Infrastructure
• Cisco buys Netspeed
• Microsoft buys Firefly Network
• Uniform Electronic Evidence Act in Canada
• Equant floated on NYSE
• digital mobile phone sales overtake analogue phone sales
• US Digital Millennium Copyright Act

    1999

• Microsoft forms Asian joint venture with Global Crossing and Softbank
• InfoSeek sold for US$2.5bn
• Fanning founds Napster
• Nortel buys Qtera for C$5bn
• Microsoft buys 5% stake in UK-based NTL cable tv network for US$500m
• BCE spins off most of stake in Nortel for C$73bn
• Microsoft partners with United Pan-Europe Communications cable (for US$300m) and Liberty Media in Europe
• Cisco buys Pirelli Optical Systems for US$2.1bn
• Microsoft invests US$600m in Nextel Communications
• AOL buys Frankel's Nullsoft for US$100m
• auDA established to manage dot-au TLD
• Microsoft invests US$250m in WebMD
• Compaq acquires Shopping.com
• Microsoft invests US$5bn in AT&T
• Yahoo! added to S&P 500 index
• Yahoo buys Geocities for US$5bn
• John Doerr says "Believe it or not, the Internet is actually underhyped"
• Excite acquired by @Home for US$7.2bn
• Australian Electronic Transactions Act
• Excite@Home pays US$780m for Blue Mountain

   next page (2000 to 2004)