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EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - Nov. 22, 2004
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To Subscribe: http://www.europeantechwire.com
o Telecom Italia Fined 152 Million Euro for Abusing Position
o Birdstep Technology Agrees to Acquire Alice Systems AB
o Cambridge-Based Adiabatic Logic Voted Start-Up of Year
o ISP Group UKIF "Disappointed" with Recent Ofcom Review
o FT: Virgin Mobile USA Considering IPO for Next Year
o U.K. Retail Giant Dixons Decides to Stop Selling VCRs
o Survey: FDI Generates More Than £38 Billion for London
o Report: Kids Ages 2-11 Lead Growth in Web Page Views
o Briefly Noted: Apple Store-London, Burst.com-U2-Microsoft,
Nokia-Tero Ojanpera-Matti Alahuhta, TA Associates-Western
European Investment, In-Fusio-Eidos
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o Telecom Italia Fined 152 Million Euro for Abusing Position
Milan -- Italy's antitrust authority has fined Telecom Italia SpA, the
largest phone company in Italy, approximately 152 million euro for
abusing its dominant position in the local fixed-line market. The
antitrust probe was launched at the behest of a group of
telecommunications operators led by Wind-Infostrada SpA, e.Biscom
SpA, Tiscali SpA, Albacom SpA and Colt Telecom Group Plc. Italy's
authority ruled that, two years ago in a public tender, Telecom Italia
offered prices that smaller competitors could not match because the
incumbent's offer was lower than the tariffs it charged rivals to connect
to its network. Telecom Italia, which plans to appeal the decision, says
the ruling seriously limited its possibility to participate in future public
tenders and thereby damaged the telecommunications services of final
users.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?W2FD327D9
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o Birdstep Technology Agrees to Acquire Alice Systems AB
Oslo -- Birdstep Technology, a Sweden-based connectivity services
provider for the Nordic operator market, announced on Monday that it
has agreed to acquire Alice Systems AB, a Sweden-based technology
firm specialising in client manager services that allow operators'
customers to connect to wireless networks. "Alice Systems is a world
leading provider of wireless client manager software, while Birdstep
has the most advanced Mobile IP solution in today's market," said
Birdstep Technology CEO Jorgen Bredesen. Bredesen also said the two
companies, which established their first commercial partnership more
than a year ago, know each other well and have complementary
operations "both on the technology and the market side". Under the
terms of the deal, Alice's shareholders will receive 5.4 million euro in
cash and 3.1 million shares in Birdstep, the companies said.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/041122/lnm007_1.html
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o Cambridge-Based Adiabatic Logic Voted Start-Up of Year
Cambridge, England -- Adiabatic Logic Ltd., a Cambridge-based
intellectual property (IP) firm in the low-power technology arena,
announced that it has been voted "Start-Up of the Year" at the
European Electronics Industry Awards, which recognise excellence in
the electronics industry across the U.K. and the Continent. "We are
delighted to have been recognised at these prestigious, pan-European
awards, particularly as the judges were focused not just on a company's
commercial success, but also on other criteria, such as the use of
funding resources and the originality of the product," said Adiabatic
Logic Chief Technology Officer Geoff Harvey. Adiabatic Logic, which
develops a low-power Intelligent Output Driver for microchips used in
portable devices such as laptops, smartphones, PDAs, digital cameras
and MP3 players, was spun out of the Cambridge Technology Group in
2002.
http://www.adiabaticlogic.com/news_19-11-04.htm
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o ISP Group UKIF "Disappointed" with Recent Ofcom Review
London -- Ofcom's most recent review of the U.K. telecommunications
sector has disappointed a group of some of the country's smaller
Internet service providers (ISPs). The group, dubbed UKIF, said it
hoped the communications and media watchdog had opened up the
U.K. market to more competition, innovation and investment. As it
was, Ofcom caught many analysts, investors and companies by surprise
last week when it decided against breaking up telecommunications
incumbent BT Group Plc. The UKIF on Monday particularly lamented
that fact that Ofcom said it was seeking a "significant shift in BT's
behaviour", yet was relying on BT's management "to provide prompt
and clear proposals" to create that behaviour. "Ofcom has missed a
golden opportunity to open up the U.K. communications market," the
UKIF said. "If Ofcom will not regulate, then what is its function?"
http://www.ukif.org.uk/
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o FT: Virgin Mobile USA Considering IPO for Next Year
London -- According to the Financial Times newspaper, Virgin Mobile
USA is mulling over an initial public offering (IPO) in the second half
of next year. The joint venture between U.S.-based Sprint and U.K.-
based Virgin Group could be valued at as more than 1.5 billion euro
(£1 billion), analysts said. Quoting unnamed sources close to Virgin
Mobile USA, the Financial Times reported that British billionaire Sir
Richard Branson was waiting to see what happened with U.S. market
conditions -- and especially with newly floated Virgin Mobile -- before
making a final decision on the matter. The Financial Times also
reported that five banks were currently being considered to advise on
the IPO. Virgin Mobile USA has not commented on the report.
http://news.ft.com/technology
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o U.K. Retail Giant Dixons Decides to Stop Selling VCRs
London -- U.K.-based electrical retail giant Dixons announced on
Monday that it plans to stop selling VCRs before the holiday season
because of the overwhelming popularity of DVD players. Dixons said
customers increasingly preferred portable and recordable DVD and
hard disk drive machines to video recorders, leading to company to
shift its focus toward the "next generation" of home entertainment
systems. "The video recorder has been with us for a generation, and
many of us have grown up with the joys, and occasional frustrations, of
tape-based recording," said Dixons Marketing Director John Mewett.
"We are now entering the digital age, and the new DVD technology
available represents a step change in picture quality and convenience."
Dixons said it currently sells about 40 DVDs for every VCR it sells.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H527127D9
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o Survey: FDI Generates More Than £38 Billion for London
London -- According to a new survey by inward investment agency
Think London, foreign direct investment (FDI) generates more than
£38 billion for London's economy, or about 23% of the U.K. capital's
total output. The survey of international companies investing in London
also found that overseas companies currently employ more than
500,000 people -- about one out of every seven jobs in the capital.
"Consistently voted Europe's best city for business, London is the key
destination for the world's most dynamic and forward-looking
companies," said Think London Chief Executive Michael Charlton.
"We now know just how vital this investment is, not only for the health
and wealth of London's economy, but for everyone living and working
in the capital."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?L24A127D9
http://www.thinklondon.com/
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o Report: Kids Ages 2-11 Lead Growth in Web Page Views
New York -- Web pages viewed by kids ages 2 to 11 grew more than
any other demographic group last month, according to a new report
from Nielsen//NetRatings, a provider of Internet audience measurement
services. The average number of web pages viewed by kids in the age
group increased to 264 in October, up 36% from the year before and
more than 100% since October 2002. "While kids are not necessarily
spending more time online, they are digesting more content at a faster
pace," said Charles Buchwalter, vice president of analytics for
Nielsen//NetRatings. Web users on average viewed 911 pages during
the month. In October, there were 12.8 million kids connected to the
Internet.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F272547D9
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o Briefly Noted:
(London) U.S.-based computer and technology group Apple opened its
first European retail store in central London on Saturday. News reports
estimated that more than 5,000 customers -- some of whom waited in
line for more than 24 hours -- visited the store within an hour of its
inauguration. "The Apple Store Regent Street will offer the first
opportunity to experience Apple's unique retail stores in Europe, where
customers can shop for and learn about the company's innovative
products and solutions," Apple said. The company also said that the
new state-of-the-art store on Regent Street contains two specially
equipped studio classrooms and a cinema where customers can attend
workshops and demonstrations.
http://www.apple.com/uk/retail/regentstreet/
(Dublin) Burst.com Inc., a small technology firm in which Irish rock
group U2 has invested 1.3 million euro (£913,000), announced that it
has taken Microsoft to court in the U.S. for allegedly destroying legally
sensitive internal documents and e-mails "in anticipation of litigation".
The California-based company is also suing Microsoft for theft of its
patented technology and anticompetitive practices. U2 used
Burst.com's data-streaming technology to broadcast its PopMart
concert over the Internet in 1997.
http://www.burst.com/new/home.htm
(Helsinki) Finland's Nokia, the largest mobile-phone maker in the
world, announced on Monday that Tero Ojanpera will be appointed its
new chief strategy officer. Ojanpera currently heads the Nokia
Research Centre, Nokia's corporate research and development unit.
Acting Chief Strategy Officer Matti Alahuhta, a member of the
executive board, will leave the company at year's end. Alahuhta has
been appointed president and COO of Kone, a manufacturer of
elevators and escalators.
http://press.nokia.com/PR/200411/969789_5.html
(Boston) TA Associates, a U.S.-based private equity and buyout fund,
announced that it has raised a new 613-million-euro (£431 million)
fund, primarily from non-U.S. investors. The fund will concentrate on
the technology, financial and business services, healthcare and
consumer industries, with individual investments planned in the 23
million euro to 230 million euro (£16-£162 million) range. TA said it
would invest the new fund primarily in North America, but added that
it would also pursue investments in Western Europe.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?A306263D9
(Bordeaux, France) French mobile game developer In-Fusio announced
that it has signed a licensing deal with game developer Eidos to create a
mobile version of the company's popular "Tomb Raider" title.
Originally developed by Iomo, In-Fusio's version was produced by
France-based BeTomorrow and is available for wireless platforms
including ExEn, EGE, Java, Symbian, BREW, I-mode and Windows
Mobile.
http://corporate.in-fusio.com/corpweb
http://www.betomorrow.com
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