IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 22 November
22-11-2007
by Sylvia Leatham
EU telecoms shake-up could open door to price hikes | Deutsche Telekom to sell unlocked iPhone for EUR999
The Irish Times reports that the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland has said it might award the three digital terrestrial television (DTT) multiplex licences to just one firm, if this proves to be the most viable way of operating the system. "The BCI position is to leave open the possibility for applicants to apply for one or more multiplexes, thereby maximising the possibility of a greater number of applications," the BCI said. It is not clear who will pitch to operate the multiplexes but industry sources have suggested that UPC, Sky, Eircom and BT Ireland could be among the likely applicants.
The paper also says that Trintech posted a net loss in the third quarter of USD1.2 million. Read the details of Trintech's results on ENN.
The same paper says Galway-based Celestica is to recruit an additional 120 staff as part of an expansion plan, as reported by ENN.
According to the same paper, Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes has issued a stark warning about the dangers of Irish public bodies suffering the same embarrassment as their counterparts in the UK, where discs containing the personal data of 25 million people have gone missing. Hawkes said he had serious concerns about the levels of data security in some public bodies that handle large amounts of information about citizens. He hoped the breach of data security in the UK would be a "wake-up call" for ministers and for Irish bodies that need to improve their standards.
The Irish Independent says that Irish consumers could be in for a hike in phone charges following a plan by telecoms watchdog ComReg to remove price controls on fixed-line calls. As part of an overhaul of the telecoms market, the European Commission is removing calls from a basket of telecom services due to be reviewed, freeing up controls on call prices. The move will not affect other aspects of the telecoms market, such as line rental.
The paper also says that education publisher HM Riverdeep's bankers are at an advanced stage in selling down USD7.15 billion of debt in the group -- mainly relating to its planned USD4 billion deal to buy Reed Elsevier's Harcourt US education business. The debt placing, which is expected to price next week as US investors return to their desks after the Thanksgiving weekend, is in defiance of ongoing turbulent conditions in the global credit markets.
The Financial Times reports that Deutsche Telekom has been forced to start selling the iPhone in Germany without obliging customers to sign a mobile phone contract with T-Mobile, following a court injunction brought by Vodafone. The German operator said the iPhone would cost EUR999 without a contract with immediate effect, compared with EUR399 for a handset with a subscription from T-Mobile, its wireless division. Customers who bought an iPhone from 19 November could also have the SIM card, which locked the handset to Deutsche Telekom's network, removed, the company said. The company also pledged to fight the court decision.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a US federal appeals court has upheld a USD1 billion punitive-damage award against members of Turkey's Uzan family in a case where Motorola alleged massive fraud regarding loans to Telsim, a Turkish mobile operator. In an opinion issued Wednesday, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments by the Uzan family that the punitive-damage award constituted an "economic death sentence".
The paper also says that the US International Trade Commission has dropped Nokia's patent infringement case against Qualcomm due to pending arbitration. Nokia spokeswoman Laurie Armstrong said the case was being dropped because of the pending arbitration, and not due to the merits of the case. Still, she expressed disappointment at the outcome. The two companies have become bitter rivals in the intellectual property game of wireless technology. Qualcomm has its own separate complaint against Nokia pending with the ITC.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 