Europe Intelligence Wire articles from August 2007

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from August 2007

Germany - 77% of German TV households digital by 2012 - study.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) By the end of 2012, 77 percent of German households with a TV will have gone digital, according to a new study by Goldmedia. The report "The Future of TV transmission" analyses the development of infrastructure...

Europe - Fon signs deal with student portal studiQG.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Wi-Fi community company Fon has signed a distribution agreement with European students' portal studiQG to offer its Fonera Wi-Fi routers to members for EUR 29.99, versus the standard price of EUR 44.95. The...

Austria - Yesss! to start mobile broadband with no fixed fees.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Austria's leading virtual mobile operator Yesss! is offering a broadband service to customers with no monthly connection charge. From 6 September, customers will be able to buy a starter pack for EUR 149 which...

Europe - LogicaCMG names new chairman.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) ICT services provider LogicaCMG has named David Tyler its new chairman, replacing Cor Stutterheim, who will retire. However the company has yet to find a new CEO, although it said progress has been made in the...

Sweden - SwitchCore in dispute with Synopsys.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Swedish data switches developer SwitchCore is trying to cut the company's costs by cancelling or renegotiating existing agreements. In line with this, SwitchCore had cancelled a contract with software supplier...

France - Altitude installing WiMAX in Haute Garonne.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Altitude Infrastructure has won a contract from the county government of Haute Garonne, France, to deploy WiMAX and Wi-Fi equipment in 141 towns and villages where ADSL service is not available. Silicon.fr...

Austria - Volksmusik launches on mobile channel.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Austrian music channel Volksmusik launches on 31 August in a format for mobile television. The channel, which is currently broadcast over Astra and several European cable networks, said it wanted to reach...

Portugal - Optimus launches exclusive tariff for Madeira SMEs.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Portuguese mobile telephony operator Optimus has announced the launch of the Rede Pioneira Madeira, aimed at small and medium enterprises (SME) located on the island of Madeira. The new product has a monthly...

Germany - ComBOTS launches Mobile 1.0 application.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German VoIP provider ComBOTS has commercially launched its mobile communications software at the IFA trade show in Berlin. The Java application is now out of beta testing. It offers a connection to the PC...

France - French CRM market to hit EUR 1.35 billion this year - study.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The French CRM software and services market is expected to be worth EUR 1.35 billion this year, up from EUR 1.25 billion in 2006, according to Pierre Audoin Consultants. This is the second year of consecutive...

France - DailyMotion looks for media group backer - report.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French video-sharing website DailyMotion has approached several French and American media companies to sell them a minority stake, writes Les Echos, citing a person familiar with the matter. Broadcaster TF1 and...

France - Lagardere Active to acquire internet media agency Nextedia.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Lagardere Active is acquiring 100 percent of French interactive media agency Nextedia for a EUR 50 million up-front cash payment, followed by additional earn-out payments in 2011 and 2013 up to EUR 50 million,...

Romania - RomTelecom moves to net profit, revenues flat.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Romanian operator RomTelecom posted a net profit of EUR 1.4 million for the second quarter, reversing a loss of EUR 4.2 million a year earlier. The result was helped by cost reductions, higher financial gains...

France - Jabil to cut jobs, outsource phone switch cards to China.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Jabil Circuit, a former Alcatel site, plans to cut up to 230 of 514 jobs in Brest, France, and to outsource production of phone switch components to Solectron China, CGT union delegate Herve Hall told AFP. The...

Greece - OTE reports Q2 net profit up 22%.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Greek operator OTE reported second-quarter net profit of EUR 136.6 million, up 21.9 percent from a year earlier, helped by lower tax rates and forex gains. Revenues improved 8.3 percent to EUR 1.551 billion, and...

France - StudioCanal, Universal to form video distribution venture.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Canal Plus film production and distribution affiliate StudioCanal and NBC Universal subsidiary Universal Pictures International Entertainment are forming a 50/50 joint venture to sell and distribute videos in...

Germany - SES Astra launches digital platform Entavio.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) European satellite services provider SES Astra will launch its digital platform Entavio at the international consumer show IFA in Berlin on 1 September. Entavio is a neutral platform which will offer satellite...

Ireland - Cubic Telecom raises EUR 5 million.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Irish start-up Cubic Telecom has raised EUR 5 million to launch its international mobile services. The Cork-based company was founded in 2005 by Pat Phelan with an investment of EUR 3.5 million from private...

Romania - Orange offers Personal Space services in Romania.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Orange Romania is offering Personal Space services to its customers. The service is divided into three categories such as Backup and Restore, Messaging and Networking. The Backup & Restore category includes...

Malta - Maltacom posts drop in H1 profits.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Maltacom reported net profit for the first half of MTL 3.5 million, down from MTL 4.2 million a year earlier due to charges for restructuring its fixed-line business. Revenues edged up to MTL 12.7 million from...

Czech Republic - Telefonica O2 expands O2TV television channel packages.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Telefonica O2 Czech Republic will expand its O2TV digital television channel packages by launching O2TV Sport plus and O2TV Filmy plus from 1 September. The new sports package includes channels like CT1, CT2,...

Germany - Telefonica launches SIM-only service Fonic.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Telefonica has launched a SIM-only mobile service in Germany called Fonic. Operating on the O2 network and distributed online and in Lidl shops, Fonic offers calls and texts at EUR 0.099 to any network. Fonic...

France - Altice, Cinven to acquire Completel.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Altice B2B France, a private equity venture controlled by Altice and Cinven, have agreed to acquire 55 percent of French carrier Completel, valuing the group at EUR 660 million. Altice and Cinven already...

Germany - Freenet extends its summer promotion.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German operator Freenet said it is extending its summer promotion Kombi & Spar in shops until 31 October. Any customer who takes out a mobile contract or who buys a Freenet SIM card can choose one of three...

Switzerland - Cablecom offers Swiss half-price internet and TV.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Swiss cable operator Cablecom is offering internet for a year at half price and digital television at half price for six months. It said the deal, starting 1 September, would be available to new customers who...

France - Phone House France offers Mobisud services.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French MVNO Mobisud started offering its service at the 285 stores of Phone House France on 28 August, writes France Mobiles. Mobisud director general Cyrille Ferrachat said the deal with France's biggest...

Netherlands - Dutch businesses get tax relief on smartphones.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Dutch businesses can provide staff with smartphones and BlackBerrys tax-free if the device is used at least 10 percent for business purposes, according to a decision issued by Dutch finance secretary Jan Kees...

Germany - Unitymedia counts 550,000 digital TV subscribers.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German cable provider Unitymedia said it now has 550,000 digital television customers after starting the service in 2006. The company, which operates in Hessen and North Rhine-Westfalia, also said it had...

Europe - Palm updates Treo 750 to Windows Mobile 6.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Palm has introduced a free upgrade to Windows Mobile 6 Professional for owners of the Treo 750v and 750 smartphones in Europe. Improvements with the new operating system include better functionality and...

Lithuania - Nod Baltic, Lintel offer computer safety advice on phone.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Antivirus software provider Nod Baltic and TEO subsidiary Lintel will offer advice on computer safety and antivirus software on phone in Lithuania. Consultants will give advice on how to solve computer problems...

France - TF1 to show Heroes VoD 24 hours after US airing.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French broadcaster TF1 has signed an exclusive agreement with NBC to offer episodes of the second season of the hit TV show, Heroes, 24 hours after they are aired in the US. ZDNet France writes that starting on...

Germany - Ericsson wins managed services deal from Deutsche Telekom.
August 30, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Ericsson has formed a six-year managed services partnership with Deutsche Telekom. The contract covers the operation and maintenance of Deutsche Telekom's microwave network in Germany. As part of the...

Macedonia - Nine candidates for regional WiMAX licences in Macedonia.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Some nine companies have submitted a total of 30 bids for the tender that will award regional WiMAX licences in Macedonia. According to the Agency for Electronic Communications (AEK), Neotel and Istel were the...

Belgium - Belgian mobile operators appeal radiation rules.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Belgium's mobile operators Proximus, Mobistar and BASE have filed an appeal with the constitutional court over limits on electromagnetic radiation from mobile towers. A decision by the Brussels regional...

Germany - Motorola still plans to sell German unit.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Motorola still plans to sell its logistics division in Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, despite the offer of the regional government to subsidise the plant, reports Handelsblatt. The paper cited comments by...

Portugal - Vodafone Portugal simplifies Vodafone World roaming charges.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Vodafone Portugal is simplifying and reducing its Vodafone World roaming charges as from 29 August. Previously organised by zones and operators resulting in different prices, Vodafone World will now have a...

Italy - UNO Mobile signs top-up distribution deals.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Italian mobile telephony operator UNO Mobile, owned by the Carrefour Italia Group, has signed two agreements with Lottomatica Italia and with Sisal for the distribution of telephone top-up cards at the sales...

France - Numericable fibre passes over 1 million homes.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French cable operator Numericable announced that its very high speed network now passes over 1 million homes and that it intends to pass 2 million homes by the end of the year. La Tribune writes that the...

Macedonia - Cosmofon revenues up 18.2% in Q2.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Macedonian mobile telephony operator Cosmofon added 18,148 new subscribers to its customer base in the second quarter, bringing the total to 515,785. Revenues were up by 18.2 percent to EUR 15.2 million in the...

Austria - Mobilkom warns cyclists to use hands-free kits.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Mobilkom Austria is running a safety campaign to warn cyclists to use a hands-free kit if they talk while cycling. The mobile operator said it teamed up with the country's traffic safety board to interview...

Netherlands - Dutch mobile market grows 7.5% in Q2.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The Dutch mobile communication services market was worth EUR 1.6 billion in revenues in the second quarter, up 7.5 percent from a year earlier and up 3.9 percent from the first three months of the year....

Bulgaria - Globul net profit rises 72% in Q2.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Bulgarian mobile operator Globul, part of the Cosmote group, reported net profit of BGN 26.1 million for the second quarter, up 71.9 percent from a year earlier. Revenues increased 21.3 percent to BGN 195.3...

Germany - Samsung targets German bloggers with new handset.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Samsung is targeting German customers who want to write mobile blogs with a new handset. The company says the SGH-L760 which is UMTS enabled includes icons to allow customers to directly upload photos and...

France - Lagardere buys online ad agency ID Regie.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Lagardere Active has acquired online advertising company ID Regie for an undisclosed amount. ID Regie sells advertising space on over 30 websites, including Price Minister, Alapage, Top Achat, Abeille Musique,...

Greece - Cosmote Greece gains 255,000 subscribers in Q2.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Mobile operator Cosmote Greece added 254,708 nw subscribers in the second quarter, for a total 5.684 million at the end of June. The company claims it captured the majority of net adds on the market during the...

France - Alice France to include music downloads in broadband package.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Alice France will offer a music download service included in its broadband subscription by the end of the year, the company's director for media and content, Frederic Saint-Sardo, told Metro newspaper. The...

France - State Counsel approves decree on cable passage prices.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The French State Counsel has approved a decree setting the maximum price local authorities and utilities can charge telecommunication operators to pass their cables along roads, rivers, sewers and other...

Albania - AMC net profit drops 10 percent to EUR 9.9 million.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Albanian Mobile Communications (AMC), the Albanian arm of Greek mobile operator Cosmote, reported a 9.9 percent annual drop in second-quarter net profit to EUR 9.9 million. The result was hurt by a non-cash...

Romania - Zapp unveils new roaming plan for EU countries.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Romania-based mobile operator Zapp has unveiled a new roaming plan for voice calls made in roaming especially the EU countries. Under the new plan, outgoing calls, currently costing USD 0.79 per minute, will be...

Bulgaria - Bulgarian telecoms market grows 10% in 2006 to EUR 1.55 bln.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The Bulgarian telecoms market grew 10 percent in 2006 to a value of EUR 1.55 billion, according to the annual report of the national communications commission. Mobile communications accounted for 59.3 percent...

Germany - Deutsche Telekom unveils new triple-play, mobile pricing.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Deutsche Telekom unveiled new pricing for its mobile and triple-play services in Germany at the IFA trade show in Berlin, including expanded access to its IPTV service. From October T-Mobile customers will be...

Germany - Huawei deploys ME60 gateway for QSC's IP network.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Huawei Technologies, provider of next generation telecommunications network solutions, has completed the installation of its multi-service control gateway (MSCG) ME60, in the All IP network of German...

Germany - One in three German firms spend more on e-business.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) More than a third of German businesses say they are spending more on e-business this year than last, reports industry group Bitkom. According to the survey eBusiness Barometer 2007/8, another 60 percent are...

Germany - QSC grows turnover 41% in Q2 boosted by wholesale.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German DSL network operator QSC reported a 41 percent year-on-year rise in second quarter turnover to EUR 79.6 million. The company said the result was boosted by the strong performance of its wholesale sector...

Ireland - Meteor Mobile standardises on BEA.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Irish mobile operator Meteor Mobile Communications has standardised on BEA technology to capitalise on convergence opportunities in the Irish market. Meteor is deploying BEA AquaLogic Integrator and BEA...

France - Netgem doubles first half profit to EUR 4.6 million.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French ADSL TV set top box maker Netgem reported an operating profit up 217 percent to EUR 4.6 million on a previously announced turnover up 125 percent to EUR 37.7 million in the first half. The Netbox's...

Portugal - Vodafone Portugal to deploy HP's fraud management system.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Vodafone Portugal will deploy HP's Fraud Management System (HP FMS) to mitigate fraudulent activity on its mobile and fixed networks. When it is fully deployed in autumn 2007, HP FMS will help Vodafone Portugal...

Portugal - Vodafone Portugal launches promotion on Duplex ADSL service.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Vodafone Portugal has launched a promotion enabling all customers who subscribe to its Duplex ADSL service by 30 September to benefit from speeds of up to 24-Mbps for EUR 9.90 a month until 31 March 2008. The...

Germany - Buecher.de launches music downloads.
August 29, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German online media retailer buecher.de has started offering music downloads, using the 24-7 Entertainment distribution platform. The download shop features content from a wide variety of genres and music for...

Ireland - Liberty Global buys stake in City Channel.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Cable operator Liberty Global has acquired a 35 percent stake in the Dublin TV station City Channel. According to local newspaper reports, subsidiary Liberty Ventures is thought to have paid around EUR 2.5...

Germany - H3 Netservice to market SES Astra's broadband internet.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) European satellite services provider SES Astra has signed a new contract to market its high speed internet access product Astra2Connect to end consumers in Germany. The contract has been signed with the German...

Netherlands - Mobile TV offers limited revenue opportunities - study.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Uptake and interest in mobile TV and associated advertising remains low in the Netherlands, suggesting limited revenue opportunities for the telecoms sector. According to Telecompaper's latest market survey,...

Italy - Sawiris may sell stake in Wind to Blackstone - report.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris is considering selling a 20-30 percent stake in his Italian telecoms business Wind to private equity firm Blackstone for EUR 1.5-2.0 billion, reports Il Sole 24 Ore, citing...

France - Infoblox acquires IP address management specialist Ipanto.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French IP address management (IPAM) enterprise software developer Ipanto has been acquired by US core network services provider Infoblox. With Ipanto's flagship product, Ipanto Suite the time-consuming...

Germany - StudiVZ partners with FON for Wi-Fi access for its members.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German students portal StudiVZ partners with global Wi-Fi community FON to offer Wi-Fi access to students. FON members receive a Wi-Fi router that can be connected to their broadband internet connection to...

France - Virgin Mobile France offers EUR 15 of calls with SIM cards.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) MVNO Virgin Mobile France is offering a "Welcome bonus" for prepaid customers this autumn, with EUR 15 of call credit for buyers of a EUR 15 prepaid SIM card. Customers who buy a phone and prepaid SIM card...

France - Neuf Mobile introduces three call packages.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French MNVO Neuf Mobile has introduced three blocked plans which charge half price on minutes to all operators between 17:00-24:00. Customers pay EUR 19.90 for one hour of calls or 199 SMS per month, EUR 24.90...

Netherlands - OPTA rejects match appeal on WLR services.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Dutch regulator OPTA has rejected a request from alternative operators to force incumbent KPN to provide a wholesale version of certain corporate line rental services. The operators Tele2, Atlantic Telecom and...

Ireland - ComReg consults on inflight mobile services.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The Irish regulator ComReg is seeking views on the use of mobile communications on board aircraft. The purpose of the consultation is to explore the regulatory approach appropriate to facilitating the use of...

France - NRJ Mobile promotes Live Messenger service.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French MVNO NRJ Mobile has introduced promotional offers until 13 November. The company is offering three months of free Windows Live Messenger service to new subscribers to the NRJ Mobile unlimited plan. From...

Netherlands - Dutch govt to continue mobile radiation research.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The Dutch government will continue with a multi-year plan to investigate effects of electromagnetic radiation from mobile base stations. Responding to questions from Socialist MP Remi Poppe, economic affairs...

Spain - ONO offers faster broadband, new TV packages in Spain.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) ONO, specialist in broadband-based communications and entertainment, has revamped its offer of phone, TV and internet services, with greater bandwidth and new TV packages. The company is offering three versions...

Germany - German consumer electronics revenues to reach EUR 13.1 bln.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The German market for consumer electronics is expected to grow 3 percent during this year to reach EUR 13.1 billion, according to German federation for new media and ICT Bitkom citing a report from GfK for...

Europe - YOC revenues grow by EUR 1.1 mln to EUR 5.8 mln.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Germany-based European mobile marketing services provider YOC saw its revenues for the first half of this year grow to EUR 5.8 million compared with EUR 4.7 million in the first half of 2006, driven by strong...

France - Breizh Mobile applies Eurotariff, unveils new phones.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) French cellular operator Breizh Mobile, which is present in Brittany, started applying so-called Eurotariff roaming rates in mid-August for all of its customers, one and half months before the deadline. The...

Spain - Ibercom deploys RAD Data's RVS VoIP system in Spain.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Spanish carrier Ibercom has selected a VoIP system from RAD Data Communications, developer of network access product solutions, enabling it to launch IberVOZ Directo in the Spanish market. Using the VoIP...

Germany - Alcatel-Lucent to demonstrate DVB-H, DVB-SH during IFA.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) During the German consumer electronics trade show IFA 2007 in Berlin, Alcatel-Lucent will be broadcasting IFA Mobile TV, a dedicated mobile TV channel for the show. The program will feature interviews of...

Croatia - Metronet pays HRK 80 mln for Vodatel.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Metronet Telekomunikacije acquired Croatian rival Vodatel for HRK 80 million, vs the initially reported figure of HRK 50 million, said president of the board of Metronet, Igor Paurevic. Paurevic announced that...

Ireland - Eircom revenues up 4% to EUR 500 mln in Q4.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Eircom reported revenues for the fiscal fourth quarter to June up 4 percent from a year earlier to EUR 500 million. Fixed-line revenues dropped by EUR 5 million to a total EUR 410 million amid a fall in voice...

Portugal - Apritel questions PT contract in Portugal.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) The Portuguese Association of Telecommunications Operators (Apritel) views as 'totally unacceptable' the direct awarding to Portugal Telecom of a communications services contract by the Ministry of Internal...

France - Universal Music wants Deezer to remove its tracks.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Universal Music France has attacked music streaming website Deezer.com (formerly Blogmusik) for making available tracks from its catalogue without authorisation. Deezer resumed operations last week after...

Germany - Talkline launches mobile data roaming tariff WebSessions.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) German mobile service provider Talkline offers a mobile data roaming tariff using the Vodafone Germany network called WebSessions. The prepaid tariff offers low-cost mobile data access in 29 European and 5...

Europe - Cosmote net profit up 25% in Q2.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) Mobile operator Cosmote reported second-quarter net profit up 24.6 percent from a year earlier to EUR 101.6 million, helped by its takeover of the Germanos retail chain and forex gains. Revenues rose 36.6...

Portugal - MIPS Technologies to acquire Chipidea Microelectronica.
August 28, 2007... (From Telecompaper Europe) MIPS Technologies, provider of processor architectures and cores for digital consumer, networking, personal entertainment, communications and business applications, will acquire Chipidea Microelectronica,...