NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 21 May
21-05-2009
by Emmet Ryan
Dublin firm wins Russian contract | New tech jobs for Newry
Dublin firm i-conX Solutions has secured a contract with Russian GSM mobile telecoms firm Tele2Russia. The contract was announced by the Minister for Trade and Commerce Billy Kelleher during the Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Russia. The Dublin firm provides billing services to telecommunications firms. Financial details of the deal were not revealed.
Dublin-based software company Softedge Systems is to establish a centre of excellence in Newry, Co. Down, to support the development of products based on Microsoft's Silverlight internet media platform. The STG700,000 investment will be assisted by Invest Northern Ireland. The Newry operation will focus initially on developing software using Silverlight, which enables streaming of high quality video, animation and interactive features online. Softedge expects the move will create 15 new jobs over the next three years.
Xerox has announced that its chief executive Anne Mulcahy will retire on 1 July. Mulcahy will remain on as chairman of the printing giant. Ursula Burns, who is the currently president of Xerox, will take over as the new chief executive. Mulcahy is widely credited for turning things around at Xerox since she took up the top role in 2001.
Revenues at Cable and Wireless were up 16 percent year-on-year at STG3.65 billion in the firm's annual results, which were released on Thursday. Profits at the telecommunications firm also rose to STG822 million, up 36 percent from last year. Cable and Wireless is predicting profits of approximately STG1.03 billion for its next financial year.
An online presence can be the most economic tool for driving sales and product distribution, according to Ronan Harris, director of online sales and operations at Google. Harris told attendees at the Irish Internet Association's annual congress that the value of the internet in reducing marketing and distribution costs during the current economic slowdown is being realised by more companies than ever. "There is an armoury of free tools available on the internet that can help businesses to maximise online sales," he said.
Magnet Business is to partner with multi-service router manufacturer OneAccess to introduce a new line of routers for business broadband subscribers. News of the partnership comes as Magnet launches a new business product range, which features speeds of up to 12Mbps and 24Mbps.
Dublin-based PopCap Games has launched Bejeweled Twist Mobile, a mobile adaptation of the popular PC game. This is PopCap's fourth title for mobile phones and the game is available across a wide array of European operators with more set to follow over the coming weeks.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 