European Tech Wire

EU and U.S. at Loggerheads over Governance of Internet

Geneva -- The EU has set the stage for a major showdown with the
U.S. after insisting the Internet be overseen by a UN body composed of
government representatives and the private sector. As it is, Internet
governance is the sole province of the U.S. Earlier this week in Geneva,
the EU pitched the idea of wresting U.S. control over the Internet --
particularly the management of its addressing systems and traffic
routing -- at the last preparatory meeting before November's pivotal
World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia. The U.S.,
however, has flatly rejected the idea. "We will not agree to the UN
taking over the management of the Internet," said Ambassador David
Gross, coordinator for international communications and information
policy at the U.S. State Department. "Some countries want that … we
think that's unacceptable."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4296646.stm
http://makeashorterlink.com/?I38A225EB
http://makeashorterlink.com/?E39A215EB
http://www.icann.org/

Cablecom Agrees to Liberty Takeover, Cancels Planned IPO

Brussels -- Cablecom, the largest cable operator in Switzerland,
announced that it has cancelled plans for an initial public offering (IPO)
later this year after accepting a 1.8-billion-euro takeover bid from
Liberty Media, the U.S.-based group controlled by media mogul John
Malone. Cablecom released the details of the IPO -- which would have
been the largest in Switzerland in four years, valuing the company at as
much as 2.2 billion euro -- on Thursday. Liberty is buying Cablecom
from a group of major shareholders led by Apollo Management,
TowerBrook Capital Partners and Goldman Sachs affiliates, which
acquired their stake as part of a debt-for-equity swap in 2004 after the
cable operator was spun off from NTL Inc.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?G5E8255EB

EU Proposes Creation of Market for Trading Radio Bandwidth

Brussels -- The European Commission has proposed the creation of a
single pan-EU market for the trading of radio bandwidth by the year
2010. Currently, each of the 25 EU member states runs a different
system for regulating bandwidths, which can vary from 400 MHz for
TV to 5,000 MHz for Wi-Fi. The Commission believes the status quo is
too inefficient and that a unified market would free up more of existing
bandwidth and ensure that a greater range of operators are able to use
parts of the spectrum. "Radio spectrum is fast becoming the lifeblood
of the Information Society, whether you use a mobile phone or watch a
TV broadcast," said EU Information Society and Media Commissioner
Viviane Reding. "The direct economic contribution of industries using
the radio spectrum is already considerable, between 1 and 2% of
national GDP in the EU, but could be greatly increased if national
regulators and all stakeholders can identify common approaches at EU
level to create a single market for equipment and services using radio
spectrum."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?M2B3513EB

Siemens AG to Acquire Germany-Based Garderos Software

Frankfurt -- Siemens AG, a Germany-based technology group,
announced that it has agreed to acquire Garderos Software Innovations
GmbH, a Germany-based start-up that specialises in software for
operational support systems (OSS). Siemens said Garderos's OSS
software would become a strategic part of the Siemens Wireless
Integration Platform, which allows the integration of WLAN, WiMAX
and Flash-OFDM networks with mobile and fixed networks. "Wireless
broadband networks are a very promising market for both mobile and
fixed network operators," said Siemens Mobile Networks Director
Christoph Caselitz. "Our Wireless Integration Platform ensures that our
customers can add wireless broadband services to their portfolio cost
effectively and thus generate extra profit from their existing
infrastructure." Financial terms for the deal were not disclosed.
http://www.siemens.com/index.jsp
http://www.garderos.com/

Belgacom Offers 483 Million Euro for Belgium's Telindus

Brussels -- Aiming to beef up service to corporate clients, Belgium-
based telecommunications operator Belgacom has made a 483-million-
euro offer to acquire Telindus, a Belgium-based network integrator.
Belgacom offered shareholders about 13.50 euro per share,
representing a premium of 31% on the value of the Telindus operations.
"This offer fits with Belgacom's strategy to grow its IT services
business in Belgium and offers additional international scope,"
Belgacom said. "The combination of Telindus with the NSI (Network
and Systems Integration) business of Belgacom is expected to create a
strong player for corporate IT services, based in Belgium and active
worldwide." Telindus said it would consider the offer, but declined to
comment further.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?I178255EB

EU to Hold Technology Venture-Capital Summit in London

Brussels -- The EU announced that the European Commission and the
U.K. Presidency are holding a conference in London (Oct. 5-6) to make
recommendations on how risk capital should support the "establishment
of Europe as a leader in innovation, growth and enterprise". One topic
of discussion at "Risk Capital Summit 2005: Investing for Growth and
Competitiveness in Europe" will be the European Technology Facility
(ETF), a start-up finance scheme that provides equity to venture-capital
funds investing in young SMEs with growth potential. Organisers cited
Luxembourg-based Skype Technologies SA as the perfect example of
how venture capital can lead to "spectacular technological and
commercial breakthroughs". Skype, whose Internet telephony service
allows people to talk to each other by linking their PCs, received an
EFT two years ago when it was still a fledgling company. Just two
weeks ago, online auctioneer eBay acquired the company for about 2.2
billion euro.
http://www.riskcap2005.com

Survey: Most Consumers Say Web Poses Threat to Children

London -- The vast majority of consumers believe that the Internet
poses a threat to children, especially from online predators and
pornography, according to a new poll conducted by Harris Interactive
for Zone Labs. The survey shows that 94% of consumers believe that
the Internet presents a threat to children, with 61% citing predators in
chat rooms as the biggest threat and another 16% citing pornographic
websites. The survey also showed that only 23% of respondents had
installed software to secure their personal computer against such
Internet threats, while 78% said they felt no safer online now than they
did a year ago.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H2E0315EB

EU Funds MONA Optics and Nanotechnology Project

Brussels -- The European Commission announced that it has agreed to
fund a collaborative project to coordinate research in photonics and
nanotechnologies. Under the Sixth Framework Programme, the
Commission has earmarked about 950,000 euro (£647,500) for the
MONA (Merging Optics and Nanotechnologies) project. Scheduled to
run for 25 months, the MONA project is designed to work out what
projects should be supported in the forthcoming seventh framework of
European collaborative research. The partners set to use the funding
include IMEC, Acreo AB, Aixtron GmbH, ASM International NV,
Schott GmbH and Yole Development.
http://www.cistrana.org/

Ireland's ThirdForce Acquires Creative Learning Media

Dublin -- ThirdForce Plc, an Ireland-based e-learning firm listed on the
London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market, announced
that it has acquired Creative Learning Media (CLM) Ltd., a U.K.-based
specialist in e-learning, for approximately 8.1 million euro (£6.8
million). "This strategic acquisition expands our business into a wider
range of e-learning categories and advances our growth in the U.K.,
which is a key market for our principal operating company Electric
Paper," said ThirdForce CEO Brendan O'Sullivan. "CLM is a dynamic
young company with a successful and proven range of products."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F2E7325EB

Wolfson Microelectronics Opens Second China Office

Edinburgh -- Wolfson Microelectronics Plc, a Scotland-based
semiconductor maker, announced that it has opened its second office in
China with a new operation in Shanghai. Wolfson now has seven sales
and engineering offices Asia, including Taipei, Shenzhen, Shanghai,
Seoul and Singapore, as well as Tokyo and Osaka in Japan. The
company also has a logistics hub in Ipoh, Malaysia. "We are seeing a
large number of new companies in the area that are producing goods
for both the domestic Chinese and international markets, especially in
the (mobile) handset arena, for which Wolfson's new devices that bring
hi-fi quality audio to mobile phones will be a natural target," said
Wolfson Marketing VP Julian Hayes.
http://www.wolfson.co.uk/whatsnew/press/PI178/