Comverse Technology

Article summary

Comverse Technology, Inc. was a technology company located in Woodbury, New York in the United States, that developed and marketed telecommunications software. The company focused on providing value-added services to telecommunication service providers, in particular to mobile network operators. Comverse Technology had several wholly or partly owned subsidiaries. The name "Comverse" is a fusion of the words "communication" and "versatility". The company was founded in 1982, and went public on the Nasdaq Stock Market in 1986. Led by co-founder and CEO Jacob "Kobi" Alexander, the company originally specialized in centralized hardware/software systems for voice and fax messaging and sold them to telecommunications companies and other large enterprises. Much of its funding came from Israeli government subsidies and tax credits provided to research and development for hi-tech firms. By the mid-1990s, one of its most successful products allowed legal authorities and intelligence agencies to record and store data collected from intercepted communications. Starting in the late 1990s, Comverse's voice messaging software became its main product and the company grew rapidly with the surge in mobile phone use, passing the $1 billion mark in revenues.…

Key claims

1. date of foundation: 1982 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. employees: 2500 employees — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. employees: 5,000 employees — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. employees: 4,000 employees — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. employees: 68 percent — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
6. employees: 4,000 employees — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
7. publication date: 2010 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
8. publication date: 2005 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of foundation is "1982". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the employees is "2500 employees". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the employees is "5,000 employees". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the employees is "4,000 employees". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the employees is "68 percent". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. The record states that the employees is "4,000 employees". What evidence would count against this claim?
8. The record states that the publication date is "2010". What evidence would count against this claim?
9. The record states that the publication date is "2005". What evidence would count against this claim?
10. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
11. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1373059293