IN THE PAPERS
In the papers 7 September
07-09-2007
by Sylvia Leatham
Siteserv to buy Sierra Communications | BT to increase Chinese presence
The Irish Times reports that Horizon Technology Group announced interim pretax earnings of EUR4.68 million for the six months to the end of June. Read more on Horizon's results on ENN.
The paper also reports that Science Foundation Ireland has announced awards for scientific research worth almost EUR49 million. Read the full story on ENN.
The paper also says that building services group Siteserv is to buy power cable business Sierra Communications in a deal worth up to EUR52 million. Siteserv, which floated on the Dublin and London markets last year, said it will initially pay EUR46 million when the transaction is completed. It has agreed to pay up to EUR6 million more over the next three years, based on Sierra's performance and profitability growth. Sierra specialises in supplying and laying power and communications cables.
The paper also reports that the Digital Hub will showcase the potential of Ireland's nascent computer games industry next week with a series of events under the "Game: On" banner, as noted by ENN on Thursday.
The same paper notes that the Eircom Golden Spider Awards, which recognise excellence in web and digital creativity, and the BT Inspired IT Awards, which recognise IT managers for creating business value through the use of technology, are both seeking nominations. See www.goldenspiders.ie and www.inspiredawards.com for details.
The Irish Examiner says that Pure Telecom has bought NewTel Communications, as reported by ENN.
The Wall Street Journal says that HP and rival PC makers are launching new and cheaper gaming computers, in a move to bring costly high-performance features to the masses. HP has launched the Blackbird 002 desktop PC, its first HP-branded foray into the PC gaming market. The company says the sleek, black system will start at USD2,500. That's roughly half the cost of many high-end gaming PCs. Meanwhile, Gateway -- soon to be purchased by Acer -- plans to introduce a gaming PC in November called FX540 and follow up with gaming-oriented notebooks in January.
The paper also says that a US federal judge has struck down parts of the revised Patriot Act as unconstitutional, saying courts must be allowed to supervise cases where the government orders internet providers to turn over records without telling customers. US District Judge Victor Marrero said the government orders must be subject to meaningful judicial review and that the recently rewritten Patriot Act "offends the fundamental constitutional principles of checks and balances and separation of powers". The law had been challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union, which complained that the revised law allowed the FBI to demand records without the kind of court order required for other government searches.
According to the Financial Times, BT is to increase its presence in China by opening a research and development centre in Shanghai and by improving its services for the country's expansionist companies. The UK telecommunications group is to spend USD70 million on the Chinese initiatives, hiring about 75 staff initially. The decision will bolster the capabilities of BT Global Services, the division that has become the company's growth engine by serving the telecommunications and information technology needs of multinationals.
The paper also says that the US Department of Justice has thrown its weight behind telecoms operators, warning telco regulators against imposing so-called 'net neutrality' rules that would block operators from charging content providers premium prices to prioritise some web traffic. While the ultimate decision over whether to impose new regulations on how broadband internet providers transmit and deliver internet traffic over their networks rests with the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Justice's comments represent a significant blow to content companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and eBay. These companies have been pushing for net neutrality regulations in an effort to restrict the ability of big telecoms carriers that would like the option to charge some users extra fees for carrying certain web content such as video.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 