Cisco to buy combined messaging from Active Voice

NEW YORK: Cisco Systems Inc. said on Friday it has agreed to acquire the

Internet messaging operations of Active Voice Corp. for $266 million in stock.

Seattle-based Active Voice is a provider of Internet-based unified messaging

services combining e-mail, voice and fax messages into a single, common mailbox.

San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco, the world's No. 1 maker of Internet network

gear, expects a one-time charge for research and development expenses not to

exceed 2 cents per share.

Cisco said it would also pay $30 million in stock for Active Voice's

voicemail business after the close of the primary transaction, expected in the

second quarter of Cisco's fiscal year 2001.

The acquisition is meant to advance Cisco's communications capabilities by

unifying text and voice messaging, and drive the adoption of Internet-based

telephony.

(C) Reuters Limited 2000.