European Tech Wire

Alfa Rejects Telenor Proposal to End VimpelCom Dispute

London -- According to a report by the Wall Street Journal,
Russia's Alfa Group has rejected a plan by its partner Telenor, a
Norway-based telecommunications operator, to end a protracted
dispute concerning which of them controls VimpelCom. Earlier this
week, Telenor said it was willing to offload its stake in Kyivstar, a
Ukraine-based mobile operator, to VimpelCom, but only under the
condition that whichever of them puts a higher value on
VimpelCom buys the other out (Telenor and Alfa are currently the
largest shareholders in both VimpelCom and Kyivstar). Telenor is
urging Alfa to reconsider the proposal, the Wall Street Journal said.
http://online.wsj.com/public/page/technology.html?mod=1_0013

DoubleClick to Acquire Germany-Based Falk eSolutions

Frankfurt -- DoubleClick, a New York-based provider of digital
advertising technology, announced that it has agreed to acquire
Falk eSolutions, a Germany-based provider of advertising delivery
and marketing management technology. Financial terms were not
disclosed. DoubleClick said the acquisition would increase its
global presence and localisation capabilities and nearly double its
European headcount with a technology development team in St.
Petersburg and additional offices in Dusseldorf and Amsterdam.
http://www.doubleclick.com/

Worldwide Sales of Chip-Making Equipment Fall by 11%

London -- Worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing
equipment totalled about €27.1 billion (£18.8 billion) last year, a
decrease of 11% compared to 2004, according to a new report by
industry group SEMI. "This past year marked an anticipated
decline in the global semiconductor equipment industry following a
large expansion in 2004," said SEMI President Stanley Myers.
"However, 2005 still posted the third all-time strongest year for the
semiconductor equipment industry." The South Korean region
grew the most in 2005, growing by 26%, while Chinese market
contracted by 50%. Equipment markets in Europe and North
America decreased by 5% and 2%, respectively.
http://wps2a.semi.org/wps/portal/_pagr/117

Ofcom Looking to Eliminate Price Curbs for BT Group

London -- A new plan presented by U.K. telecommunications
regulator Ofcom this week could pave the way for incumbent BT
Group to set its own prices for domestic phone lines and calls. The
plan -- scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 1, but still subject to
public consultation -- would effectively bring an end more than 22
years of price controls in the U.K. Ofcom said the high level
competition in the U.K. telecommunications market justifies its
decision. More than 10 million U.K. households now use BT rivals
for phone calls, and about 31% of all U.K. voice call minutes now
originate from mobile phones, rather than fixed lines. Since 1996,
prices have fallen by more than 50%.
http://ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2006/03/nr_20060321

IAP Worldwide Acquires U.K.-Based G3 Systems Ltd.

London -- IAP Worldwide Services, a U.S.-based government
contractor, announced that it has acquired G3 Systems, a U.K.-
based company that provides logistics, contingency, engineering,
project and facility management services. G3, the former U.K.
subsidiary of Denmark-based DCS Group, has about 150
employees and project personnel at seven major sites in
Afghanistan, Germany, Iraq and the U.K. G3 is also an approved
supplier for the U.K. Ministry of Defence and NATO. Financial
terms for the deal were not disclosed.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060320/dcm049.html?.v=36

Report: U.K. Online Advertising Soars in 2005

London -- Yet another report -- this time by the World Advertising
Research Centre (WARC) on behalf of the Advertising Association
(AA) -- shows that Internet advertising is booming in the U.K. The
report found that spending on online advertising soared by 73% in
2005, taking ad revenues to more than £1.13 billion and dwarfing
the amount of advertising spent on magazines, radio and cinema.
Online classified advertising increased by 78% to more than £748
million over the same period, while online display advertising
increased by 64% to about £383 million.
http://www.adassoc.org.uk/
http://www.warc.com/

U.K.-Based iPLATO Raises First-Round Financing

London -- iPLATO, a U.K.-based supplier of mobile healthcare
messaging services to the NHS, announced that it has raised an
undisclosed amount of first-round venture-capital financing. The
investment was led by The Capital Fund, a £50-million fund that
invests in fast-growth companies in the Greater London area and
whose investors include the DTI and the European Investment
Fund. Under the terms of the investment, Phil Sissons, former
Industry Liaison at the National Programme for IT, will join iPLATO
as a non-executive director.
http://www.thecapitalfund.co.uk/materials/pr-iplato.pdf

Sweden's Ericsson Makes Bid to Acquire Riverstone Assets

Stockholm -- Ericsson, a Sweden-based telecommunications
group, announced that it has made an eleventh-hour, €146-million
($178 million) offer to acquire the assets of Riverstone Networks
Inc., a U.S.-based manufacturer of high-speed routers. "We have
made a bid for the firm worth $178 million, and there will be a
public auction," said Ericsson spokeswoman Kristina Hagg-
Blecher. "We have bought Marconi and, through that, strengthened
our position in the broadband market, and this company's products
will strengthen our offer even more." Riverstone filed a petition
under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code earlier this year.
http://www.riverstonenet.com/news/pr_2006/2006_03_17.shtml

Report: Israel-Based YCD Multimedia Secures €7 Million

Jerusalem -- According to a report by Globes Online, YCD
Multimedia, an Israel-based company that manages and
distributes media for businesses, has secures €7 million (£4.8
million) in venture-capital financing. U.K.-based venture-capital
firms Pitango Ventures and Arts Alliance led the round, Globes
said. YCD told Globes it planned to use the funds to speed up its
expansion in the U.S. and Western Europe. Founded in 1999, YCD
has so far been financed by private investors including Eyal
Waldman (co-founder of Galileo Technology and founder of
Mellanox Technologies) and Brian Cooper, co-founder of Retalix.
http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/DocView.asp?did=1000072978&fid=1725

Actel Opens European Processor R&D Centre in Ireland

Dublin -- Actel Corp., a California-based single-chip programmable
logic firm, announced that it has opened a new European
processor research and development centre in Ireland with the
support of IDA Ireland. The centre has been set up to define and
develop new processor and processor-related technologies in
support of Actel's Programmable System Chip (PSC) strategy, the
company said. "The availability of designers with in-depth
intellectual property and microprocessor experience made Dublin
an appropriate choice for Actel's European Processor R&D
Centre," said Actel Engineering Senior Vice President Fares
Mubarak.
http://www.entemp.ie/press/2006/20060320a.htm