European Tech Wire - July 8, 2005

============================================
EUROPEAN TECH WIRE - July 8, 2005
============================================
Thames Tech Wire/European Tech Wire Networking Event
http://www.techwiremedia.com/londonevent.html

o European Commission Takes Action against 11 Member States
o Telefonica Buys China Netcom Stake for 240 Million Euro
o Report: Technology Firms Win 90% of Irish VC Financing
o Millipore to Buy Sweden's NovAseptic for 76 Million Euro
o Report: U.K. Website Performance Falters after Explosions
o Report: DVD Sales in Top European Countries Set to Boom
> Thames Tech Wire/European Tech Wire Networking Event
o Briefly Noted: Lloyds TSB Internet Banking-U.K. Passwords,
MicroOptical-Orange-Binocular Video Eyewear, Whale
Communications-Mike Betz
_____________________________________________

o European Commission Takes Action against 11 Member States

Brussels -- The European Commission announced that it has taken
action against 11 member states for failure to implement rules on
electronic communications. The member states in question include the
Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta,
Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Finland. The Commission said the key
issues at stake were the independence of national telecommunications
regulators, number portability and comprehensive subscriber
directories, designation of "universal service" providers and the
availability of the European emergency number 112. "The EU rules
opening up national telecommunication markets must be fully and
correctly implemented if European consumers and business users are to
get the full benefits of competitive electronic communications
services," said EU Information Society and Media Commissioner
Viviane Reding. "Our aim is to get the job done and to complete the
internal market in this key sector of the economy as soon as possible."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P2B82656B
_____________________________________________

o Telefonica Buys China Netcom Stake for 240 Million Euro

Madrid -- Telefonica, a Spain-based telecommunications group,
announced that it has entered the Chinese telecommunications market
after it agreed to acquire a 3% stake in Hong Kong-based China
Netcom for approximately 240 million euro. The Spanish company,
which ultimately hopes to increase its stake to 5% and gain a seat on
China Netcom's board, also announced that it has signed a strategic
alliance with the Chinese firm, currently the second-largest fixed-line
operator in the country. Under the terms of the agreement, the
Telefonica and China Netcom will cooperate on equipment purchasing,
research and development, marketing and business strategies,
Telefonica said.
http://www.telefonica.com/home_eng.shtml
_____________________________________________

o Report: Technology Firms Win 90% of Irish VC Financing

Dublin -- According to PricewaterhouseCooper's European Technology
Investment Report, Ireland-based technology firms received nearly
90% of local venture-capital financing last year. Total investment by
venture capitalists in the country came to more than 166 million euro,
56% of which was poured into IT firms and about 25% of which was
invested in medical and health companies. By comparison, European
technology companies last year received only a fifth -- or 6.4 billion
euro (17%) -- of total VC financing, down from 19% the year previous.
However, the report also found that the average amount invested in
each Irish company came to just 510,000 euro, well below the average
amount reported in the rest of Europe or the U.S.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P21B1356B
_____________________________________________

o Millipore to Buy Sweden's NovAseptic for 76 Million Euro

Stockholm -- Two days after announcing that it acquired a Dutch
provider of contract laboratory testing services, Millipore, a U.S.-based
bioscience company, announced that it has entered into an agreement to
acquire NovAseptic, a Sweden-based provider of processing
applications for biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.
The all-cash acquisition as priced at about 76 million euro.
NovAseptic's disposable sampling system is used by biotech and
pharmaceutical companies to take fluid samples from their drug
manufacturing processes. The company's other processing components
include high-performance mixers and valves, designed for performance
and reliability in stringent drug production environments.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X3EA2356B
_____________________________________________

o Report: U.K. Website Performance Falters after Explosions

London -- Many popular web sites in the U.K. experienced significant
performance problems following Thursday morning's terrorist attacks
in London, according to information released by Keynote Systems. The
websites of Sky News, the Financial Times and the BBC all
experienced what the firm called "significant slowdowns" in the hours
after the explosions, as people flocked to them for news. The
company's index of speed and reliability for 40 key U.K. sites showed
that average page-download times increased by about four times.
Naomi Luland, a spokeswoman for the BBC, which runs by far the
most popular website in the U.K., said that Thursday was most likely
the BBC website's busiest day in history.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?G6BA3156B
_____________________________________________

o Report: DVD Sales in Top European Countries Set to Boom

Dublin -- The value of DVD sales and rentals in the five major
European markets -- the U.K., Germany, France, Italy and Spain -- will
grow from 7.8 billion euro (£5.3 billion) in 2004 to more than 14
billion euro (£9.6 billion) in 2009, according to a report from Dublin-
based Research and Markets. Fighting for consumers' attention with
DVD will be digital TV services, including cable, satellite and free-to-
air digital terrestrial services. While growth of cable TV is expected to
remain flat to slightly negative through 2009, satellite TV is expected
to grow by 6%. Free digital terrestrial services will jump from 4.9
million subscribers in 2004 to 23.7 million in 2009. "New digital
delivery services such as digital terrestrial and IPTV are not likely to
supplant the DVD business, but rather bring digital entertainment to
people by adding … convenience, mobility or improved accessibility,"
the firm said.
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c20397 
_____________________________________________

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Thames Tech Wire/European Tech Wire Networking Event

Meet dozens of other Thames Tech Wire and European Tech Wire
readers at the Samuel Pepys pub in Blackfriars, London, on July 13.
The event will be very casual, running from 6pm to 9pm. Attendance is
free, and you are welcome to bring colleagues and associates. Please
RSVP by emailing your name and contact information to:
londonevent@thamestechwire.com 

The Samuel Pepys
Stew Lane
London EC4V 3PT
6pm to 9pm, Wednesday, July 13

For full details and directions, visit
http://www.techwiremedia.com/londonevent.html

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(London) When it comes to choosing safe passwords, Brits still just
don't get it, according to a new report by Lloyds TSB Internet Banking.
The report found that as much as a fifth of U.K. Internet users select
their own names as passwords. Worse still, more than 70% of the
survey's respondents admitted that they use the same passwords on
several websites. Much to the delight of hackers worldwide, about 20%
of Brits said they kept their passwords on their PCs instead of
memorising them. And perhaps worst of all, Lloyds found that the most
commonly used words for passwords included pet names (17%), family
names (12%) and first names (12%).
http://makeashorterlink.com/?G5BB2456B

(Taunton, Massachusetts) MicroOptical Corp., a U.S.-based maker of
"binocular video eyewear", announced that France-based wireless
network operator Orange SA will distribute its video eyewear along
with Samsung SGH-D600 handsets as part of its Orange World
wireless multimedia service. The video eyewear, which contains two
full-colour, QVGA microdisplays made by Kopin, will allow users to
view TV, movies, photos and broadband Internet content with "a big
screen viewing effect". The service will be offered to Orange
subscribers from October.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050707/75402.html 

(London) Whale Communications, a U.S.-based provider of virtual
private network (VPN) technology, announced that it has appointed
Mike Betz as managing director of the company's operations in Europe.
Betz most recently served as vice president of Central Europe
Operations for SMARTS. Whale has been growing its EMEA sales
over 65% annually, has tripled its European channel partner base over
the past six months and is increasing its presence throughout the region,
which currently accounts for more than 45% of the company's global
sales.
http://www.whalecommunications.com

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

> Reach Beyond Your Local Metro Area for Event Attendees

Hosting a webinar or seminar with a broad geographic appeal? Post
your event announcement on all of the Tech Wire publications for one
price. Reach 80,000 subscribers from technology and emerging growth
companies, many of whom attend seminars and networking events on a
regular basis. A 5-day ad across all 7 Tech Wires is $750. For more
info, go to http://www.potomactechwire.com/Event_Form.html

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

============================================

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.techwiremedia.com/europe

Questions, comments, news tips, press releases. Send email to:
jim@europeantechwire.com

Copyright: CapWire Inc. 2005