IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 18 February
18-02-2008
by Stephen Errity
Web Reservations International looks to expand | Government's approach to broadband roll-out criticised
The Wall Street Journal reports Alibaba, the Chinese internet company part-owned by Yahoo, has hired advisers to help it negotiate for expanded management independence in the event Yahoo is acquired by Microsoft, a person familiar with the situation said. The plan by Alibaba management follows concerns about how the Chinese government would view a combination of Microsoft and Yahoo if the software giant's bid is successful.
According to the Fincancial Times, Blu-ray's victory in the DVD format war appeared complete after Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, said on Friday that it would commit itself exclusively to Blu-ray and no longer stock Toshiba's rival HD-DVD. Wal-Mart said its decision to carry only Blu-ray discs and players was a response to customer preference. It follows similar moves by other large retailers, including Target, Best Buy, Netflix and Blockbuster.
The same paper says Deutsche Telekom is investigating opportunities to provide mobile phone services outside its existing markets in Europe and the US, and could invest in new networks rather than buying established operators. Rene Obermann, chief executive of the German telecoms group said: "I would not exclude that we could buy into a market further away from our footprint". His words suggest some concern that Deutsche Telkom could start to lag behind European rivals, which are surging into emerging economies to make up for slowing growth rates in their traditional markets.
The Sunday Business Post reports that Irish online travel booking firm Web Reservations International is targeting international expansion after appointing a new chief executive and chairman. New CEO Feargal Mooney, who has taken over from company founder Ray Nolan, said the company was targeting the Asian and American markets with the opening of offices in China and New York. The company has also hired Davy Corporate Finance to advise on the possible flotation of its website Hostel.com that could value it at EUR450 million. WRI also operates the boo.com travel and social networking portal.
The same paper also reports that NitroSell and Irish 'software-as-a-service' (SAAS) firm has secured funding of EUR600,000 and is considering launching a further campaign for EUR2 million later this year. President of the Cork-headquartered company Tom Keane said the firm was rapidly approaching break-even point and that the time was ripe to tap into the demand for its products in the US and other foreign markets. NitroSell provides solutions that allow retailers to integrate their traditional shop-based sales channels with a web-based store.
The paper also says that Galway IT firm Celtrak has raised EUR1.5 million with its latest funding round, EUR1 million of which came from the French engineering concern Egis. The remainder was provided by Celtrak's existing investors. The company's core business is vehicle tracking systems, but it is now set to collaborate with Egis on the development of an information exchange system for the National Roads Authority, with the possibility of more joint projects in the future.
The same paper also reports on the EUR320,000 raised by Athlone's 3Touch in its latest round of funding. The audio-visual software firm, which is run by former Xerox Ireland boss Joe Browne, reported a loss of EUR1.1 million in it most recent set of accounts, bringing accumulated losses at the end of April 2007 to EUR4 million.
The paper also says that Acision has won the contract to supply O2 in the UK with a new text message gateway technology that will allow businesses to list their brand name as the number from which texts are sent to customers, rather than a five-digit numerical code.
The same paper also reports on a new survey which claims that 95 percent of the e-mails received by Irish small businesses are spam. IT security firm Espion monitored the amount of spam, viruses and phishing attempts received by a sample group of companies last month. On average, just over 2,200 of 48,000 e-mails received were genuine. The survey results are being published to coincide with the Government's 'makeITsecure' campaign.
The Sunday Tribune reports that fraudsters looking to steal bank details are now targeting people via their mobile phones. The scam involves a text message sent from the number 51101, which purports to warn users that a skimming device has been found at a certain ATM and advises them to change their PIN number by responding to the text message.
The same paper also reports that the Irish subsidiary of French IT services firm Anovo has been acquired by the mobile phone distributor Commercial Wireless. The deal is reported to be valued at hundreds of thousands of euro and is said to be part of Commercial Wireless' bid to establish a branded mobile phone repair service in Ireland. The 16-strong workforce at Anovo's Clondalkin office in Dublin will be retained and the outlet merged with Commercial Wireless' other Irish operations.
The paper also says that the Opposition has criticised government plans to roll-out broadband in Ireland using electoral areas. Opposition politicians have accused the government of making a 'political football' of the issue, while companies involved in the bidding process for the plans say such an approach could give rise to legal challenges.
The Sunday Times reports on new proposals that would compel developers to install high-speed broadband infrastructure in newly-built homes. The measure is part of a draft policy paper on next-generation networks (NGNs) currently being prepared by the Department of Communications.
The same paper also reports on the formation of a broadband lobby group by some of Ireland's top business figures. Among those involved in the 'informal' group are John McEligott of eBay Ireland and Vivas chief executive Oliver Tattan as well as the heads of bookmaker Paddy Power, prepaid credit card firm 3V, property website Daft.ie and online travel agents Ebookers. They are seeking a meeting with the Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan to demand better broadband services from the Government.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 