European Tech Wire - July 7, 2005

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EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - July 7, 2005
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Thames Tech Wire/European Tech Wire Networking Event
http://www.techwiremedia.com/londonevent.html

o U.K. Networks Struggle to Cope with Aftermath of Explosions
o EU Report Calls for Reform of Internet Licensing for Music
o Microsoft and France Telecom to Offer Array of Mobile Services
o Report: Mobile Content Downloads Set to Triple Next Year
o Philips Agrees to Pay 235 Million Euro for U.S.-Based Stentor
o Millipore Acquires Dutch Firm MicroSafe for 7.8 Million Euro
o MCI Completes Acquisition of U.K.-Based ICF Software Line
> Thames Tech Wire/European Tech Wire Networking Event
o Briefly Noted: The Welsh Development Agency-Gareth Wilson,
Loudeye-Exabre, Spot Image-Herve Buchwalter
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o U.K. Networks Struggle to Cope with Aftermath of Explosions

London -- London's mobile and fixed-line networks suffered severe
congestion after a series of explosions rocked the capitol early
Thursday morning. U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair said the explosions
appeared to be the work of terrorists, although their exact cause was
still unclear at midday. London's mobile networks were overwhelmed
for large periods of time after thousands of frightened people began
phoning friends and family. "There are so many people making calls at
the moment, it is taking a while for people to get through," said a
Virgin Mobile spokeswoman. "The volume of calls has really surged."
Vodafone Group, the largest mobile-phone operator in the world, said
its London mobile network was running at full capacity. The company
said it planned to free up part of its capacity for emergency services and
that some of its customers might experience "temporary problems".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4659737.stm
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o EU Report Calls for Reform of Internet Licensing for Music

Brussels -- The European Commission has published a report
proposing a number of reforms for the way that music is licensed for
use on the Internet. The Commission said it concluded that the main
obstacle to the growth of legitimate online content services was the
difficulty of securing attractive content for online exploitation. The
Commission said that the present structures for cross-border collective
management of music copyright particularly prevented music from
fulfilling its "unique potential as a driver for online content services".
The report said "entirely new structures" for cross-border collective
management of copyright were required and that the most effective
model for achieving that would be to allow right-holders to authorise a
collecting society of their choice to manage their works across the
entire EU.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S3FF1336B
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o Microsoft and France Telecom to Offer Array of Mobile Services

Paris -- Microsoft announced that it has forged a partnership with
France Telecom in which the two companies will offer Windows-based
mobile services. The U.S.-based software giant said the first products --
which will deliver voice, data and video services over phone networks -
- would be available in 12 to 18 months. The two products currently
under development are LivePhone -- a mobile phone with Wi-Fi
wireless capability -- and Homezone -- a device with mobile, Wi-Fi and
Internet-telephony protocol technologies. "This is about accelerating
convergence to provide consumers and enterprises with much richer
and simpler experiences," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
"Innovating together, we will deliver new digital devices and better
integrated end-to-end services that combine Microsoft's expertise in
software with France Telecom's expertise in broadband and mobile
networks."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X3F32346B
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o Report: Mobile Content Downloads Set to Triple Next Year

London -- Consumer demand for downloadable mobile-phone content
is expected to triple over the next year, creating a 7.6-billion-euro
global market for mobile content, according to a report from U.K.-
based market research firm LogicaCMG. About 20% of the world's 1.5
billion mobile users have already downloaded content to their phones, a
figure expected to rise to 60% over the next year. Ringtones, games and
music are currently the most popular downloads, with subscribers
spending an average of $7.54 per month on mobile content. About 10%
of mobile users also expect to be able to download video to their
phones within the next year. "Mobile phone users are starting to
experiment with their phones' capabilities but, drawing a parallel with
the popular SMS experience, it is clear that the service needs to be
simple, safe and intuitive from initial browsing through to payment and
download," said LogicaCMG COO Paul Gleeson.
http://www.logicacmg.com 
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o Philips Agrees to Pay 235 Million Euro for U.S.-Based Stentor

Brisbane, California -- Royal Philips Electronics, an electronics giant
based in the Netherlands, announced that it will acquire Stentor, a
California-based provider of picture archiving and communication
systems (PACS) used for storing, managing and distributing digital
radiology images throughout hospitals and healthcare facilities. Under
the deal, Philips will pay approximately 235 million euro in cash for
Stentor in a deal already approved by Stentor's shareholders. Stentor
expects 2005 sales to grow to approximately 42 million euro and 2006
sales to increase another 50%. Stentor will be incorporated into the
Healthcare IT business of Philips's Medical Systems division, with
California becoming the global headquarters of Philips's overall PACS
business.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050706/55782.html?.v=1
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o Millipore Acquires Dutch Firm MicroSafe for 7.8 Million Euro

Billerica, Massachusetts -- Millipore, a U.S.-based bioscience
company, announced that it has paid 7.8 million euro to acquire
MicroSafe, a Dutch contract laboratory that develops assays and
provides a range of testing services. The company employs 30
professionals and is based in Leiden, the Netherlands. "(MicroSafe has)
a loyal client base and the expertise that will help us expand the scope
of service we offer to our biotech and pharmaceutical customers,
particularly in the area of virus and mycoplasma testing," said
Millipore CEO Martin Madaus. "Their application knowledge will also
help us accelerate development of products and systems for rapid
process monitoring."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050705/55472.html?.v=1
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o MCI Completes Acquisition of U.K.-Based ICF Software Line

Ashburn, Virginia -- MCI, a U.S.-based telecommunications firm that
has agreed to be acquired by Verizon, announced that it has completed
its acquisition of the ICF (Interactive Content Factory) software line
from TWI, the media arm of U.K. production company IMG. Though
financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, MCI said the deal would
give it a remote editing platform built to consolidate the work processes
of the broadcast, iTV, broadband, web and mobile mediums. MCI plans
to continue to sell ICF as a software product and support current ICF
customers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050706/nyw057a.html?.v=1
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Thames Tech Wire/European Tech Wire Networking Event

Meet dozens of other Thames Tech Wire and European Tech Wire
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o Briefly Noted:

(Cardiff) The Welsh Development Agency (WDA) announced that
Gareth Wilson has been named managing director of the e-Business
Support Programme in Mid Wales. The WDA said Wilson would assist
companies with their applications to receive high levels of e-business
support and specialist consultancy services to help improve their
business efficiency and profitability. "Hundreds of businesses across
Wales have already benefited from the programme, and as such, I am
totally committed to ensuring that businesses in Mid Wales are given
the same opportunities to apply and transform their business processes
using IT," Wilson said.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?W2601346B 

(Seattle) Loudeye, a U.S.-based provider of branded digital music
stores, announced that it has partnered with U.K.-based Exabre to
incorporate the company's music recommendation technology into its
network of digital music stores. Exabre's recommendation system takes
a mix of users' search, sampled, streamed and purchase history and
compares it with other users' data and external information. "We
believe this personalised music technology can be valuable for assisting
consumers in finding and discovering new music they may want to
purchase through an intuitive and engaging experience," said Loudeye
Europe General Manager Ed Averdieck.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050706/sfw045.html 

(Chantilly, Virginia) Spot Image, a France-based supplier of
geographic information derived from optical and radar satellite
imagery, announced that it has named Herve Buchwalter as its new
chairman and chief executive officer. Buchwalter succeeds Jean-Marc
Nasr, who has accepted a new position within the EADS group.
Buchwalter most recently served as the head of international business
development at the Earth Observation, Navigation and Science
Business Division of Astrium.
http://www.spot.com/html/SICORP/_401_473_486_890_.php

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