IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 9 November
09-11-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
Imagine unveils phone, broadband prices | Cecelia Ahern to undertake virtual tour
The Irish Times reports that consumers are set to benefit from a price war after Irish telecoms firm Imagine unveiled broadband and phone tariffs up to 50 percent cheaper than market leader Eircom. Imagine, which launched its WiMax 4G broadband network two weeks ago, says it can provide homeowners with a phone line and broadband access for EUR25 a month, half the price of Eircom's equivalent offering. For EUR20 a month, Imagine is offering a phone-only package with no line-rental fee; Eircom's Talk Anytime package costs EUR41.16 a month and includes unlimited calls to fixed lines in the 32 counties and Britain. Imagine is also offering users a broadband dongle from EUR5 a month.
The paper also reports on the launch of Science Week at the Sligo Institute of Technology. The coming days will see analysis and discussion of topics such as the source of meteorites, the possibility of an Irish tsunami, the relevance of DNA and the lessons to be learned from the discovery of 1,300 ancient skeletons at the site of the Ballyshannon bypass.
The Irish Independent says that author Cecelia Ahern is to undertake a world first as she conducts a global publicity tour for her new book from the comfort of her own home. Ahern will appear in several countries over the next two weeks via video appearances using Skype. Her publisher HarperCollins has teamed up with Skype to launch what they say is the world's first "Virtual Author Tour". Ahern will use Skype and a webcam to interact with fans around the globe.
The paper also says that a high-tech scanner costing EUR1.48 million has been ordered by the Government from China as part of its efforts to clampdown on cigarette smugglers. The mobile scanner, which will become fully operational in January, uses high-energy x-rays to generate an image of a full container or trailer at ports. A similar scanner is already in place but the new system from Nuctech is considered more advanced by the Revenue Commissioners.
The Irish Examiner reports that Ryanair passengers who forget to print out their own boarding cards will now be charged EUR100 by the airline. Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary has confirmed plans to increase the EUR40 charge to EUR100, saying the fee increase would help eliminate the number of passengers who show up at check-in desks without their boarding pass. O'Leary justified the increase on the basis that "only a tiny number of passengers" still arrive for a flight without a printed ticket. Ryanair has not formally indicated when the fee increase will come into effect.
According to the Financial Times, mobile giant Vodafone is preparing for a fresh round of cost-cutting as it tries to offset falling revenue. When Vodafone releases its interim results on Tuesday, CEO Vittorio Colao is expected to try to woo investors with a new target on cost-cutting. Vodafone already has a target of cutting its operating expenses by STG1 billion by March 2011, but analysts at Citi, the UK company's broker, said that goal might be increased to STG1.5 billion. Citi analysts are expecting Vodafone to report STG21.6 billion in revenue for the six months to 30 September, up 8.3 percent on the same period last year, and STG7.5 billion in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, up 2.8 percent from last year.
The Sunday Tribune writes that Christmas shopping has already begun, with online stores reporting a surge in Christmas-related purchases. Auction site eBay said Christmas shopping was up 65 percent on last year, while advertising site Gumtree said its seasonal activity was up 27 percent. Meanwhile, Buy4now said an increasing number of shoppers are choosing to forsake the high street and seek bargains online.
The same paper writes that popular micro-blogging website Twitter is proving a source of insecurity for celebrities. According to psychologist Dr Patrick Ryan, the feedback from followers can be negative. Celebrities can also hold themselves up to ridicule when they show a more vulnerable side.
The same paper says that the company behind Pigsback lost almost EUR5 million last year. Empathy Marketing was hit by falling demand for advertising services, with turnover dropping EUR1.3 million to EUR4.4 million. The company lost EUR4.9 million as it made a substantial investment in its UK subsidiary, lending it more than EUR4.8 million last year. Discounting the inter-company loan, the firm's loss for 2008 was EUR294,596.
The paper also reports that Google is fighting a EUR32 million fine imposed by the Turkish government in a tax investigation. The row centres on income generated in Turkey. The search giant maintains that since the ad network is run from Ireland it does not have to pay tax in Turkey. The government has been investigating Google for a year. Google said it was confident that it complies with Turkish tax law.
The Sunday Business Post reports that UPC is to bring a 100 Mbps broadband service to 600,000 homes. The company will invest EUR90 million next year to launch the service by August 2010. The service will be 50 times faster than current broadband speeds offered by Irish operators.
The paper also reports that gaming entrepreneur Dylan Collins has sold a stake in Jolt Online Gaming to retailer GameStop. Collins, who will continue to head up the business, could not be reached for comment on the deal, but it is believed that GameStop, which took a majority share in the business, plans to invest up to EUR20 million in Jolt in the coming two to three years. Jolt specialises in 'persistent browser games' -- video games played over the internet -- and has more than 2 million registered customers.
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Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 