Short Take: EmpowerTel Networks nets $54 million

EmpowerTel Networks, an Internet-based voice network equipment maker, received a $54 million round of funding, led by investment banks Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, D.B. Alex Brown, Sony Corp. and Anschutz Investment, among others. Created by the founders of Lara Technology, EmpowerTel manufactures voice-over-Internet Protocol switching gear.