By Johna Till Johnson, Network World, 10/31/05

Ericsson's recent acquisition of Marconi for roughly $2 billion strikes a bittersweet chord.

In various incarnations, the British firm of Marconi has been a telecom icon. The company, originally known as the General Electric Co., was founded in 1896 and went public in 1900. In 1968 it acquired the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co., founded in the late 19th century by Guglielmo Marconi, and which in 1901 achieved the first transatlantic transmission of wireless telegraphy. After many twists and turns, the combined company was renamed Marconi Corp. in 2003.