Corning moves into wireless space as Time Warner Cable buys into the cloud

Corning, known as much for its fiber optic telecommunications products as its dinnerware, is apparently expanding beyond the physical and into the air. The New York-based glass company has said it will spend between $150 million and $200 million to acquire MobileAccess Networks, a wireless solutions provider that designs and builds distributed antenna systems (DAS) to enhance indoor wireless coverage.

In a deal that seems a bit more synergistic, Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC-WI) is forking over $230 million to buy Navisite and enhance its ability to store data online. The move is part of an ongoing effort by Time Warner Cable to help its business customers store and manage electronic data and software offsite in the so-called Internet cloud.

The price of both these deals, incidentally, is a pittance compared to the $1.4 billion Verizon (NYSE: VZ) paid out to buy Terremark Worldwide and enhance its cloud computing capabilities.

For more:
- the New York Times has this story
- Bloomberg has this story

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