Europe Intelligence Wire articles from March 2006

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from March 2006

Govt approves 380 million for flood-hit municipalities.
March 31, 2006... (From Czech News Agency) adds further info, statements from para 7 -------------------- Prague, March 31 (CTK) - The government approved the financial aid of 380 million crowns for the municipalities afflicted by the current floods,...

Pitr offers eight million to Barkova for her bail - press.
March 31, 2006... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, March 31 (CTK) - Businessman Tomas Pitr, charged with tax frauds, has offered eight million crowns for a bail to Libuse Barkova, a businesswoman and an acquaintance of the family of ex-PM Stanislav Gross...

Czech press survey.
March 31, 2006... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, March 31 (CTK) - Czech dailies today focus of the current floods threatening mainly southern regions in the Czech Republic. The four-year-old nightmare is becoming reality again, and politicians should...

Pitr offers eight million to Barkova for her bail - press.
March 31, 2006... (From Czech News Agency) adds Pitrs statements, further info thorughout the text -------------------- Prague, March 31 (CTK) - Businessman Tomas Pitr, charged with tax frauds, has offered eight million crowns for a bail to Libuse...

Schroder Defends His Pipeline Role.
March 31, 2006... (From The Moscow Times) As he took the reins of a consortium behind the North European Gas Pipeline on Thursday, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder dismissed criticism for accepting a job that will pay him 250,000 euros ($301,000)...

Ahead of IPO, Rosneft Hires First Western Exec.
March 31, 2006... (From The Moscow Times) Rosneft has hired U.S. investment banker Peter O'Brien as vice president in charge of strategic investment projects and external financing, the company said Thursday as it steams ahead with plans for an initial...

Secret Rules to Destroy Hijacked Jets Stir Fears.
March 31, 2006... (From The Moscow Times) After years of deliberations, Russia this month joined the handful of countries that allow hijacked airliners to be shot down to prevent the doomsday scenario of a plane slamming into a nuclear station. The...

Cabinet Backs Drive for More Troops.
March 31, 2006... (From The Moscow Times) Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on Thursday won the Cabinet's approval for legislation that would allow the military to enlist more conscripts, and he asked for more money to hire volunteer soldiers. The...

Church to Open a Rights Center.
March 31, 2006... (From The Moscow Times) The Russian Orthodox Church said Thursday that it would open a human rights center in an attempt to better reflect the values of most Russians. "A mistake by many rights activists today is that their...

Zhirinovsky Tops Poll of Funniest Politicians.
March 31, 2006... (From The Moscow Times) Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party, is the country's wittiest politician, while President Vladimir Putin is a distant second, according to a new poll. A total of...

Abramov, Vekselberg Named in U.S. Suit.
March 31, 2006... (From The Moscow Times) Minority investors in Ukraine's Nikopol ferroalloy plant were to file a lawsuit in U.S. federal court on Thursday accusing metals billionaires Alexander Abramov and Viktor Vekselberg, among others, of large-scale...

Court Freezes Yukos Asset Sales.
March 31, 2006... (From The Moscow Times) A Russian court has imposed a ban on the sale of Yukos assets as part of bankruptcy proceedings, a decision that could complicate the stricken oil company's attempts to sell its stake in Lithuania's Mazeikiu...

RusAl to Start Work on Smelter in 2006.
March 31, 2006... (From The Moscow Times) Russian Aluminum plans to start building the Boguchansky smelter later this year, part of a $6 billion combined metals and energy complex to be jointly owned and operated with HydroOGK, a unit of Unified Energy...

Old Man Lukashenko.
March 31, 2006... (From The Moscow Times) To Our ReadersThe Moscow Times welcomes letters to the editor. Letters for publication should be signed and bear the signatory's address and telephone number. Letters to the editor should be sent by fax to...

Punting for the weekend.
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) Previously on punting for the weekend... Those kind people at Blue Square have agreed to stump up GBP200 for our resident tipster, James Dart, to wager until the end of the season, in the hope he'll turn...

Call to make NHS independent.
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) The NHS should become an independent body similar to the BBC to prevent further financial crisis, the editor of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) said today. In an editorial, Fiona Godlee contends that...

Danny Grewcock.
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) Morning Danny, how's it going? All good, thanks. [After putting on its running shoes] Mention your name and the words "brute", "indisciplined" and "liability" seem to crop up. Does that bother you? ...

Elcoteq SE's 2001E warrants to the main list of the Helsinki Stock Exchange.
March 31, 2006... (From Hugin) Elcoteq SE Stock Exchange Announcement March 31, 2006 at 9.45 am (EET) With effect from April 1, 2006, the E warrants of the Elcoteq SE 2001 option plan will be combined with the 2001A, B, C and D warrants and...

Green TV site makes strong start.
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) An environmental internet TV channel which launches today has already scooped top spot on Apple's iTunes podcasting front page. Green.tv, which is backed by the United Nations and more than 30...

Emap TV chief leaves after six years.
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) The head of Emap's television channels, Shirley Renwick, has resigned after six years in charge of the media group's Q, Kerrang! and Kiss TV spin-offs. Ms Renwick joined Emap in 2000 after the...

Snobbery blamed on Doctor Who's lack of awards success.
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) The two people most closely associated with the hit revival of Doctor Who have criticised the broadcasting industry for failing to reward the success of the project. Russell T Davies, the lead writer, and...

Thule acquires Pewag, a leading global supplier of snow chains.
March 31, 2006... (From Hugin) Thule, the world leader in Sports Utility Transportation, announces the acquisition of Pewag Schneeketten Group, the Austrian based leading supplier of snow chains. Malmo, March 31st, 2006 - Thule, the world leader in...

Bourses seen starting lower on rate concerns.
March 31, 2006... (From FT Investor (Pulses)) Europes bourses were set to start Friday lower after Wall Street slipped late on as interest rate and growth concerns returned. Our opening forecasts are for the FTSE to start down 19 at 5,996, the DAX down 18...

ITV chiefs consider improved cash offer.
March 31, 2006... (From FT Investor (Pulses)) ITVs board was on Thursday night considering a new offer from the private equity consortium trying to take control of the commercial broadcaster. The latest proposal includes a cash alternative of 40p a share...

OFWAT PROPOSES A FINANCIAL PENALTY ON SOUTHERN WATER.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] OFFICE OF WATER SERVICES PN 13/06 31 March 2006 OFWAT PROPOSES A FINANCIAL PENALTY ON SOUTHERN WATER FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE FAILURES Ofwat today gave notice that...

India v England - live!
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) The story so far: Well, it's 8am so I'd better wish you all a very good morning. England skipper Andrew Flintoff, making his 100th ODI appearance, won the toss and chose to bat with his side looking to square...

Green TV channel makes strong start.
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) An environmental internet TV channel which launches today has already scooped top spot on Apple's iTunes podcasting front page. Green.tv, which is backed by the United Nations and more than 30...

ITV receives second bid approach.
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) ITV has received a second bid approach from the private equity consortium that wants to install Greg Dyke as chief executive of the broadcaster. It is understood the offer includes a cash alternative of 40p...

SDRL: Mandatory Offer Smedvig ASA.
March 31, 2006... (From Hugin) Reference is made to the Mandatory offer document dated 2 March 2006 in which SeaDrill Limited ("SeaDrill") has offered to purchase all remaining shares in Smedvig ASA ("Smedvig") at a price of NOK 205 per Class A share and...

Stora Enso share capital and North American stock options.
March 31, 2006... (From Hugin) Stora Enso Oyj Stock Exchange Announcement 31 March 2006 at 8:00 GMT Reduction in Stora Enso share capital Stora Enso's share capital has been reduced through the cancellation of Stora Enso shares held by the Company,...

Continuing success for Wartsila as engine supplier for LNG carriers.
March 31, 2006... (From Hugin) Wartsila Corporation Press release 31 March 2006 In the first two months of 2006, Wartsila Corporation won orders for a further 16 Wartsila 50DF dual-fuel engines to power four LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers...

Continuing order success for Wartsila DF engines in LNG carriers.
March 31, 2006... (From Hugin) Wartsila Corporation Press release, Trade & Technical Press, 31 March 2006 In the first two months of 2006, Wartsila Corporation won orders for a further 16 Wartsila 50DF dual-fuel engines to power four LNG (liquefied...

Milan stock market report for the session of Thursday 30 March 2006 (Listino su con le banche e il Lingotto).
March 31, 2006... (From La Stampa) There were strong gains as the Mibtel closed up 1.18 per cent to 29,469 points and the S&P/Mib climbed by 1.34 per cent to 38,206 points. The banks enjoyed a particularly good day, with BPVN (+3.78 per cent to 21.94...

Interview with Jean-Philippe Cotis, chief economist at OECD (M. Cotis : "Le systeme francais de l'emploi est porteur de precarite").
March 31, 2006... (From Le Monde) Jean-Philippe Cotis, chief economist at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, answers questions on the state of the French economy. When asked how France's unemployment rate compares...

Stefanini owns up to Unipol mistakes (L'autocritica di Stefanini: 'troppi errori e ingenuita nella scalata su Roma').
March 31, 2006... (From La Stampa) Pier Luigi Stefanini, the chairman and CEO of Unipol, has conceded that the Italian insurance group made mistakes in its failed takeover bid for Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL). He said that the complexity of the...

Increased efficiency in government calls for new operating models.
March 31, 2006... (From Hugin) TietoEnator Corporation Press Release 31 March 2006 10.00 AM EET - Joint Nordic study by TietoEnator and Etla sought solutions to productivity problems Existing public sector structures and operating models make it...

RAF RECEIVES BIRTHDAY PRESENT: FIRST OPERATIONAL TYPHOON SQDN.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] MINISTRY OF DEFENCE 090/2006 31 March 2006 RAF RECEIVES A BIRTHDAY PRESENT: FIRST OPERATIONAL TYPHOON SQUADRON FORMED The first operational Typhoon squadron, No....

Fidelity International Limited 's holding in Metso decreased to 3.98 percent.
March 31, 2006... (From Hugin) Metso Corporation has been inforReutersabout an decrease in the holding of the Fidelity International Limited and its subsidiaries of the paid up share capital of Metso Corporation. On March 29, 2006, Fidelity International...

London little changed as Man Group rises.
March 31, 2006... (From FT Investor (Pulses)) London equities were little changed on Friday, with increased profit guidance from Man Group providing upside but not enough for investors to take the index further after its 56 point advance yesterday. The...

Bourses start slightly lower on rate concerns.
March 31, 2006... (From FT Investor (Pulses)) Europes bourses started Friday slightly lower after Wall Street slipped late on as interest rate and growth concerns returned. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 eased 0.2 per cent to 1,377.00 with the Xetra Dax off 0.1...

India v England - live!
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) The story so far: Well, it's 8am so I'd better wish you all a very good morning. England skipper Andrew Flintoff, making his 100th ODI appearance, won the toss and chose to bat with his side looking to square...

Snobbery blamed for Doctor Who's lack of awards success.
March 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) The two people most closely associated with the hit revival of Doctor Who have criticised the broadcasting industry for failing to reward the success of the project. Russell T Davies, the lead writer, and...

PLANNING APPLICATIONS.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER 068 31 March 2006 PLANNING APPLICATIONS Statistical Release DISTRICT PLANNING AUTHORITIES Planning applications In...

STATISTICAL PRESS NOTICE: NHS WAITING LIST FIGURES.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 2006/0124 31 March 2006 STATISTICAL PRESS NOTICE: NHS WAITING LIST FIGURES - FEBRUARY 2006 Main Points This Month Waiting times -...

PROPOSED FINANCIAL PENALTY FOR SOUTHERN WATER.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] CONSUMER COUNCIL FOR WATER CCWater_sn606 31 March 2006 PROPOSED FINANCIAL PENALTY FOR SOUTHERN WATER WELCOMED BY LOCAL WATER WATCHDOG The Consumer Council for...

Deutsche Telekom to cooperate with Premiere (Premiere und Telekom schliesen Pakt).
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Times Deutschland) German telecoms group Deutsche Telekom is reported to have agreed on the main points of a cooperation plan with Premiere, the German pay TV company. In future, Premiere is expected to produce Deutsche...

Frankfurt stock market report for session of Thursday 30 March 2006 (Salzgitter bricht nach Gewinnwarnung ein).
March 31, 2006... (From Die Welt) Germany's Dax share index was up 0.5 per cent at 5,945 points at 4.30pm yesterday, which brokers attributed to optimism regarding the development of the global economy. The MDax gained 0.6 per cent to 8,653 points, while...

Salzgitter has more than 1bn euros at its disposal for potential acquisitions (Salzgitter beteiligt sich nicht an Ubernahmeschlachten).
March 31, 2006... (From Borsen-Zeitung) Salzgitter, Germany's second largest steel group after ThyssenKrupp, announced yesterday that it has liquid funds of more than 1bn euros at its disposal for potential acquisitions, but highlighted that it was not...

Le Havre aims to enter world top 10 (Le Havre veut compter parmi les dix premiers ports mondiaux).
March 31, 2006... (From Le Monde) The Port of Le Havre in Normandy has announced that it is aiming to increase its operations to the point where it becomes one of the world's 10 biggest ports, compared with the 35th biggest at present. By 2010, it hopes...

German football league has option to participate in Arena (Bundesliga sichert sich TV-Einstieg).
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Times Deutschland) The German football league (Deutsche Fusball Liga, DFL), is keeping open its option to participate in Arena, the new TV subsidiary of German cable group Unity Media. In the prospectus for the bond...

WAITING LISTS CONTINUE TO FALL DESPITE WINTER PRESSURES.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 2006/0123 31 March 2006 WAITING LISTS CONTINUE TO FALL DESPITE WINTER PRESSURES The NHS is still delivering fast access to hospital care and...

GOVERNMENT DEFICIT AND DEBT UNDER THE MAASTRICHT TREATY.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] NATIONAL STATISTICS MAASTRICHT 31 March 2006 GOVERNMENT DEFICIT AND DEBT UNDER THE MAASTRICHT TREATY Coverage United Kingdom Theme The Economy In the...

Statuto a man for Four Seasons (Statuto si compra l'hotel Four Seasons).
March 31, 2006... (From La Stampa) It is understood that Italian property tycoon Giuseppe Statuto has reached an agreement to buy the prestigious Four Seasons hotel in one of Milan's most exclusive areas. The deal, for which the financial details have not...

EDF shares continue to rise (EDF poursuit sa hausse).
March 31, 2006... (From Le Figaro) EDF, the French electricity group, saw its shares gain a further 6.40 per cent yesterday in Paris, closing at 46.55 euros, as investors continued to applaud the news that it has sold 80 per cent of Light, its Brazilian...

COMMUNITY JUSTICE COURTS GET SENTENCE REVIEW POWERS.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] DEPARTMENT FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS 092/06 31 March 2006 COMMUNITY JUSTICE COURTS GET SENTENCE REVIEW POWERS Offenders going through two community justice...

Endesa to pay guarantee in connection with suspension of Gas Natural's takeover offer (Miranda asegura que Endesa depositara el aval que paraliza la OPA).
March 31, 2006... (From El Pais) Rafael Miranda, chief executive of Spanish electricity group Endesa, announced yesterday that the company's board of directors would approve the payment of the 1bn-euro guarantee in connection with the suspension of the...

DIS to be removed from stock exchange (DIS AG will von der Borse gehen).
March 31, 2006... (From Handelsblatt) German temporary employment agency DIS is to be removed from the stock exchange following the takeover by Swiss rival Adecco. The company says that this is logical in view of its future shareholding structure and that...

Banca Intesa to invest in Sigma-Tau (Banca Intesa prende le medicine Sigma Tau).
March 31, 2006... (From La Stampa) Banca Intesa is set to acquire a 5 per cent stake in leading Italian pharmaceuticals group Sigma-Tau. The Italian bank will invest around 70m euros, which values Sigma-Tau at 1.5bn euros. The deal is part of the...

Vivendi Universal down 0.17%.
March 31, 2006... (From La Tribune) Vivendi Universal, the French media and communications group, was one of only two CAC 40 members which ended the day in the red yesterday in Paris (down 0.17 per cent, at 28.65 euros). The other was drinks group Pernod...

Franco brothers sell stake in Codere (Los hermanos Franco venden su 42% en Codere por 350 millones).
March 31, 2006... (From El Pais) Jesus and Joaquin Franco, founders and owners of Spanish company Recreativos Franco, are to sell their stake of 42 per cent in Codere, the Spanish company which manages slot machines, bingo halls and casinos, to the...

NEW CONTROLS ON AGRICULTURAL WASTE.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS 150/06 31 March 2006 NEW CONTROLS ON AGRICULTURAL WASTE Regulations made today apply waste management controls...

EXPERTS INVITED TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS 149/06 31 March 2006 EXPERTS INVITED TO SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY Companies working at the...

Constantin forecasts turnover improvement for 2006 (Constantin wendet sich vom Kinogeschaft ab).
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Times Deutschland) German film and television production company Constantin Film is looking forward to the release of what it describes as the biggest film in the history of the company - 'Perfume'. At a budget of around...

ITV rejects frsh offer valued at 130p in cash.
March 31, 2006... (From FT Investor (Pulses)) Shares in ITV fell 0.6 per cent to 124.3p in morning trade after it rejected a renewed bid from a consortium of venture capitalists including Apax which valued the company at 130p per share in cash. The...

ITV rejects fresh offer valued at 130p in cash.
March 31, 2006... (From FT Investor (Pulses)) Shares in ITV fell 0.6 per cent to 124.3p in morning trade after it rejected a renewed bid from a consortium of venture capitalists including Apax which valued the company at 130p per share in cash. The...

DPM'S AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES 2006.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER 072 31 March 2006 DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER'S AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES 2006 Inspirational projects that are making a...

CLICK-USE LICENSING ACROSS PUBLIC SECTOR.
March 31, 2006... (From Government News Network (Was Hermes-Government Press Releases)) ] CABINET OFFICE CAB 014/06 31 March 2006 CLICK-USE LICENSING ACROSS PUBLIC SECTOR OFFICE OF PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION The Office of Public Sector Information...

Belgium - Ale-Teledis, Brutl form triple-play joint venture.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Belgian cable operators ALE-Teledis, based in Liege, and Brutl, in Brussels and Charleroi, have formed a joint venture to promote triple-play services. The venture, which will launch in...

Belgium - Telenet claims over 1 million VoD transactions.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Belgian cable operator Telenet said its customers have used its video-on-demand service over 1 million times since the launch of the service in September 2005. The most popular of the films and...

Belgium - Belgacom TV service sales disappoint.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Sales of Belgacom's TV service have been slower than expected, De Tijd reports. Around 40,000 households have signed up for the service so far. Belgacom originally targeted 250,000 customers...

Bulgaria - Vivatel launches two postpaid plans.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Bulgarian mobile operator vivatel has launched two new postpaid plans, 'Non-Stop' and 'My Time'. My Time costs BGL 5 per month, which includes 50 free minutes for calls to other vivatel...

Austria - Tele2UTA introduces DSL-only service for Austrian SMEs.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Austrian fixed network operator Tele2UTA has introduced a DSL service for Austrian SMEs, called BizNet Solo. The service cost EUR 29 per month and includes a DSL connection with 512/128 Kbps...

Europe - Tiscali revenues grow 12%, net loss drops to EUR 12.8 mln.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) European ISP Tiscali Group has published its final financial figures for full year 2005, reporting a revenue growth of 12 percent from EUR 655.1 million in 2004 to EUR 736.2 million in 2005....

France - French ISP association to dispute electronic records law.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) French ISP association AFA will seek the intervention of the State Counsel over a recently passed law on storing electronic communications. AFA argues that the decree was adopted despite three...

Germany - Deutsche Telekom in cooperation talks with Premiere - report.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Deutsche Telekom is in talks with German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere about cooperation possibilities including acquisition of a stake in the company, according to reports in the German press....

Germany - E-Plus expands mobile data flatrate services.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) E-Plus will expand its mobile data flatrate portfolio to three varieties. Next to the existing E-Plus Online Flat for EUR 39.95 including unlimited mobile data use, E-Plus will also offer...

Germany - Tiscali Germany's revenues, ADSL users drop, EBIT loss is up.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Tiscali Germany's revenues dropped 6 percent during 2005 from EUR 94.8 million to EUR 88.8 million on 31 December. The number of ADSL customers decreased to 215,000 fuelling the ADSL revenue...

France - Interxion to open data centre in Paris.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Netherlands-based data services group Interxion plans to open a new data centre in saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris, Les Echos reports. The investment of around EUR 15 million will open next...

Germany - Mobile phone jamming in prisons is not feasible - Bitkom.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) The German federation for ICT and new media Bitkom criticises the Baden-Wrttemberg initiative in the federal council to prevent illegal mobile phone traffic around penal institutions. The...

Netherlands - SES completes New Skies takeover.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES Global has completed the takeover of smaller, Netherlands-based rival New Skies Satellites. The USD 1.15 billion takeover received the final US...

Netherlands - Dutch MP calls for ISP action against child pornography.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) The Dutch Socialist Party has called for internet providers to take more responsibility for preventing child pornography online. SP member of parliament Arda Gerkens called in a parliamentary...

Netherlands - Irdeto scores with Dutch cable operators.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Dutch smartcard maker Irdeto has won orders with eight Dutch cable operators to use its equipment in set-top boxes for secure digital TV delivery. CAI Westland, Delta Kabelcomfort, Kabel Noord,...

France - UPC-Noos raises download speeds to 20 Mbps.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) French cable operator UPC-Noos is rolling out internet service on its network with download speeds of up to 20 Mbps. Subscribers to its 10 Mbps-service can upgrade to the faster speed at no...

Netherlands - Casema passes 100,000 telephony subscribers.
March 31, 2006... (From Telecompaper Europe (Was RDSL Europe)) Dutch cable operator Casema has attracted over 100,000 subscribers to its telephony service since the launch eight months ago. The company repeated a forecast for this to rise to around 240,000...