IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 29 June
29-06-2007
by Sylvia Leatham
Silcotec may cut 40 jobs in Galway | BT Ireland labour row could lead to dispute
The Irish Times reports that Denis O'Brien has not abandoned plans to enter the telecoms market in the US, in spite of pulling back from that market earlier this year when he restructured Caribbean mobile operator Digicel. Speaking in Haiti, O'Brien said he would look again at a launch in the US, probably in 2009. "We haven't given up on America," he said. "We'd like to do it but it'll probably be 18 months to two years away." O'Brien is believed to have considered launching in the US as a mobile virtual network operator and was planning to float the company on the stock market there.
According to the same paper, more than 80 jobs may be lost as a result of restructuring within two companies in Connemara and Mayo. Udaras na Gaeltachta has confirmed that it is in discussions with Silcotec Europe over the loss of about 40 jobs at its manufacturing plant in Carraroe, Galway, where it makes cable harnesses for the electronics industry. Meanwhile, in Westport, Mayo, the printed healthcare packaging company Field Boxmore intends to make 42 redundancies.
The same paper says that electronics manufacturer Sanmina-SCI to invest EUR30 million in an expansion which will create 50 engineering jobs, as noted by ENN on Thursday.
The paper also reports that mobile payments firm Valista has appointed John Lowry as chief executive. Read more on this story on ENN.
The same paper reports that Belfast-based IT consulting firm Kainos has posted a 13 percent rise in turnover to EUR18.5 million for the year ended in April 2007. Profits for the period also increased substantially to just under EUR1 million. The company credited its strong financial results to a healthy sales performance and an increase in demand for technology consulting in the UK and Ireland.
According to the same paper, software maker Oracle's profits beat Wall Street expectations this week and gave a positive growth outlook for the current quarter. Read more on Oracle's results on ENN.
The paper says that the Communications Workers' Union (CWU) has warned that a row over trade union representation rights at telecoms firm BT Ireland could lead to a dispute. The union said on Thursday that BT Ireland had refused to engage with it for collective bargaining purposes on behalf of members in the company. The CWU said it had been pursuing the issue of representation with the company for about a year. The matter is currently before the Labour Relations Commission.
The paper also notes that Apple is to launch its much-anticipated iPhone in the US on Friday. Read more on this story on ENN.
The Irish Independent notes that Puca Technologies, a Dublin-based firm specialising in mobile marketing technology and services, has won the Ulster Bank Invoice Finance and Irish Independent Achievers Award for June.
According to the Wall Street Journal, strong sales of Research in Motion's new line-up of consumer devices bumped its fiscal first quarter profit up 73 percent. RIM competitor Palm didn't fare as well, however, posting a 43 percent decline in net income and a 1 percent drop in revenue in its fiscal fourth quarter. Palm reported record sales of its Treo smartphones, but it is facing rising competition from companies such as RIM, Apple, Motorola and Nokia.
The Financial Times says that MySpace is likely to change its technology strategy to allow other online companies to "plug" their web services directly into its social networking site, according to Chris DeWolfe, one of its founders. The move would mark a new step in the evolution of social networks into fully fledged internet platforms, while opening a new front in the battle for audience share among the web's fastest-growing companies. The expected change in approach is a reaction to the success of rival Facebook, which last month unveiled a similar step to open its network to outside developers.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 