For the record 2 July

02-07-2008

by Sylvia Leatham

Nokia's Navteq acquisition cleared by EU | Google enables Flash searches

Magnet Entertainment is launching an ultra-fast 50Mbps broadband service for residential customers in Ireland. "[...] With this kind of speed, a standard high-definition movie can now be downloaded in 4 seconds," said Mark Kellett, CEO of Magnet Networks. The new service will be available from mid-July as an upgrade to Magnet's current platinum 'triple play' offering for an additional EUR20 per month. A 24Mbps deal will also be available for an extra EUR12 per month. Kellett made the announcement at a conference in Dublin on Wednesday entitled 'The Real Broadband Alternatives', where the CEOs of Magnet, Digiweb and UPC concluded that real broadband competition was critical in order to give more choice, access and value to consumers in Ireland.

Users will now be able to index and search Flash media files, following an announcement from Google that it has added code to its indexing algorithm that will allow its indexing bots to gather text from the SWF files used to present Flash content. As a result Google users will be able to search through code contained within a Flash file itself, as well as Flash banners, buttons and menus. Previously, developing a site in Flash was problematic in that the content was not indexable by search engines.

The European Commission has given the go-ahead to Nokia's acquisition of US-based navigation software maker Navteq. Navteq provides digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices and internet-based mapping applications. Nokia said that the EU clearance will allow it to close the deal "within the next five business days".

Separately, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on how to make websites in Europe more accessible to people with disabilities. "I call on the web publishing industry and public sector administrations to make a much more determined effort to ensure the web is accessible to everyone. Those responsible should remember that in a few years time, they will probably find themselves amongst those having trouble to read the screen," said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for the Information Society and Media. The consultation is open until 27 August and interested parties can get more information and voice their views on the European Commission's website.

Subscriptions to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) will reach 150 million globally by 2013, with 42 percent from Western Europe. That's according to new figures from Informa Telecoms & Media, which says the 150 million will represent 3 percent of total mobile subscriptions worldwide. Despite its relatively modest share of the global mobile market, the MVNO sector remains robust, said Paul Merry, senior analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. Merry said this was mostly thanks to the development of sophisticated segmentation strategies by MVNOs keen to survive in highly competitive and penetrated markets.

SMART Technologies, a supplier of interactive whiteboards, says that it now has just under 40 percent of the interactive whiteboard market in Ireland, to make it the leading supplier of these products in the Republic. These collaborative tools, which resemble ordinary whiteboards but are linked up to a PC and can be written on with a stylus, are used in classroom or boardroom settings. Steljes distributes the SMART Technologies whiteboard in Ireland.