IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 18 January
18-01-2010
by Deirdre McArdle
Travel smart card rollout delayed | Alibaba criticises 'reckless' Yahoo
The Irish Times reports that farming organisations in Ireland are opposing the introduction of electronic tagging of sheep. On 1 January electronic tagging of sheep became mandatory EU-wide; however, Mervyn Sunderland of the Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers Association has suggested that the practice should be postponed until 2011 "or scrapped altogether" here. Farming organisations claim the current identification system is sufficient and say that electronic tagging would cost at least EUR50 million to implement.
According to the Irish Independent the smart cards that would allow Dublin commuters to hop between buses, Luas and trains will not be rolled out now until the end of 2011. It emerged over the weekend that a pilot scheme allowing passengers to use the integrated ticket would not begin until later this year because the computer system needed to operate integrated ticketing had not been fully tested. Now the Integrated Ticketing Board, part of the Railway Procurement Agency, which is behind the project, says it will be the end of this year before the first phase of testing begins. The system was originally slated for rollout in 2002.
The paper also says that Vodafone's Irish operation paid a EUR400 million dividend to its parent last year, bringing to EUR2.1 billion the total it has returned since 2007, according to accounts for the business seen by the paper. The accounts also show that Vodafone Ireland recorded an almost 5 percent drop in turnover to EUR1.19 billion in its last financial year, while operating profit fell 24 percent to EUR205.2 million.
The Wall Street Journal writes that Yahoo's internet partner in China, Alibaba, has said the search giant's statement last week in support of Google's stance in China was "reckless". Yahoo said last Wednesday it was "aligned with Google" in condemning the cyber attacks that Google said it experienced from hackers in China. Alibaba spokesman John Spelich said this statement was hasty, "given the lack of facts in evidence". Alibaba is an online commerce company in which Yahoo owns roughly a 40 percent stake.
A raft of technology IPOs could be on the cards this year, according to the Financial Times, which reports that electronic whiteboards provider Promethean is expected to be among the first with an announcement anticipated next month. Security firm Sophos is also planning to list, while AVG, another security firm, is likely to see how the Sophos IPO goes before announcing its plans, writes the paper. Betfair, an internet betting company; Codemasters, a computer games company; and 2e2, an IT services group, are all also said to be considering listings.
The Sunday Business Post reports that tech firm CA chose Switzerland to locate its financial services operation due to tax reasons. CA already has a small Irish operation, and Ireland could still be the recipient of other investments later this year from the firm, which could lead to the creation of a number of jobs. The IDA did not comment on the investment, but said a company of the size and brand of CA would be a target. The IDA is expected to announce a number of investments in the coming months
The same paper writes that Pure Telecom has slipped into a loss, according to its latest accounts. Recently filed accounts show the Dublin-based company made a EUR115,000 net loss for the year ending 31 December 2008, compared to a EUR226,000 net profit in 2007. The company does not disclose turnover figures.
The same paper writes that Microsoft is to launch a free stripped-down version of its Office software later this year. Users will require a Windows Live registration and it is recommended that Internet Explorer is used to access the software. Microsoft said the online version is expected to act as a companion to the desktop version, and will not be a full competitor.
The same paper reports that Nokia is attempting to take on Apple and Google in the mobile application market this year. The company acknowledged it was playing "catch-up" with the iPhone and Android systems with its own Ovi store, but said downloads from Ovi were reaching 1 million a day and growing rapidly. Ovi is available on about 1 million handsets in Ireland; however, it has only 7,000 applications online compared to Apple's 100,000 and Android's 20,000. Up to 500 Ovi apps or content are being added every week, Nokia said. The company said it will focus its marketing and advertising campaigns on the availability of Ovi apps, acknowledging apps are the future.
The paper comments on the recent battle between Google and the Chinese government. The Chinese government's response to Google's threat to pull out of the country was "tepid" in comparison to Washington, where officials praised the tech firm and pressured others to follow Google's lead. Chinese officials said the Google dispute would not damage trade relations between the nations and urged foreign investors to have confidence in China's market.
The Sunday Tribune writes that a number of Irish Facebook accounts have been hijacked to praise Thierry Henry. French fans are suspected to be behind the incidents, in which Irish users' names and profile pictures have been used on French accounts to insult the Irish. One fan said he had reported the incidents on several accounts to Facebook, but the page had not been removed. One duplicate site was taken down after the paper contacted Facebook, which said such behaviour was against the site's terms and conditions.
The paper also writes that plans are underway to install satellite navigation devices in Dublin Fire Brigade vehicles. Some already have the devices installed, but the plan is now to extend it to all vehicles. The paper cites one case where the Fire Brigade had difficulty locating the site of a small domestic fire at a Dublin house over Christmas after losing the relevant page on its map.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 