IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 2 December
02-12-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Genband to create 100 Irish jobs | BBC iPlayer to become iPad app
The Irish Times reports that US tech firm Genband plans to invest EUR8 million to employ more than 100 people at a new international headquarters in Galway. Genband, a developer of internet protocol (IP) infrastructure, serves fixed, mobile and cable service providers around the world and has 600 customer networks in more than 80 countries. The new Irish investment is supported by IDA Ireland. The Galway base will have positions in finance, supply chain management, customer support, software development, human resources, and legal and administrative activities.
The Financial Times reports that UK software firm Sage's new chief executive has said he is considering acquisitions and has revealed a new management line-up. Speaking as he delivered full-year pre-tax profits ahead of forecasts, Guy Berruyer said that while small and medium-sized companies had been slow to emerge from the downturn, Sage was "seeing some signs of improving markets" and was "cautiously optimistic" about the outlook for 2011. Paul Harrison, chief financial officer, will be given additional responsibility for mergers and acquisitions. Paul Stobart, head of UK and Ireland operations, will add Germany, Poland and Switzerland to his existing portfolio. Sue Swenson, chief executive of North America, will retire and be replaced by Pascal Houillon, head of Sage France.
The paper also says that Verizon Wireless will launch its next-generation high-speed mobile broadband network this week in 39 US markets and 60 airports. Monthly service plans will cost from USD50 for 5GB of data, the same price as most existing data plans. Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Vodafone, is the first US mobile operator to launch a 4G network based on the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard. The new network will operate alongside Verizon's existing 3G network.
The same paper reports that the BBC will launch an international version of its iPlayer video-on-demand service as an application for Apple's iPad. The US will likely be the first market to be able to use the application, for which there will be a charge. The Global iPlayer, which is in pilot form until it passes scrutiny by the BBC Trust, will be available only outside the UK. Luke Bradley-Jones, managing director of BBC.com, said it was too early to say what the BBC would charge for the Global iPlayer but said it would be a monthly subscription and that the US would be among the first markets to come online.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the top telecoms regulator in the US has endorsed the idea that broadband providers can charge extra for providing heavy internet users with lots of data, such as online video or videogames. Julius Genachowski, chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, backed "usage-based pricing" while outlining proposed rules that would bar internet providers from deliberately tampering or slowing legal web traffic. Genachowski's support for pay-as-you-go pricing represents a victory for cable and telecoms companies because it clarifies whether broadband providers had the power to charge by what users consumed.
The paper also says that Hulu wants to expand its online video service internationally and would be willing to take on new investors to help it do so, according to Jason Kilar, chief executive. Kilar said there is an "unmet need" for an online television service in markets around the world, but he declined to specify what countries Hulu is targeting or its time-frame.
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