newsfox.digest
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2003. Feb. 11., K, 01:10:55 CET
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News of the day
Message digest by newsfox from 02/11/2003
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1. Venture capital is focus of pan-European conference
Leading investors strive to "blend conservatism with innovation”
(pte030210020)
2. JacobsGibb faces suit over Romanian highways
Romanian government blames British engineers for potholes
(pte030210022)
3. [Photo] ucp morgen to deliver MMS software for Danger Inc.’s hiptop™ wireless solution
(pts030210024)
4. OMV launches offensive in Eastern Europe
Over 300 new petrol stations in Hungary, Slovakia and Germany
(pte030210030)
5. Surge in WLAN hotspots in western Europe
(pte030210033)
6. Romanian incumbent to sell its mobile arm
OTE will no longer provide financial support
(pte030210051)
7. Norway relaxes 3G roll-out requirements
additional 15 months to complete 3G coverage
(pte030210052)
8. Germany to allow online drug sales
Part of broader initiative to liberalise drug pricing
(pte030210055)
9. 600 companies apply for telecom licence in Romania
Mixed opinions on voice market deregulation
(pte030210056)
10. Finland struggles on internet censorship
Telecoms and media companies against proposed law
(pte030210057)
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Venture capital is focus of pan-European conference
Leading investors strive to "blend conservatism with innovation”
London (pte, Feb 10, 2003 10:46) - Venture capitalists from all over the
world will be meeting in London in April to exchange insights on the
international investment spectrum.
Known as Venture Journey Europe
http://www.venturejourneyeurope.com/index.html, the conference combines
the Ernst & Young Journey with VentureOne’s Venture Summit Europe.
The organisers are calling it "a single must-attend pan-European event
that offers up-to-the-minute insight on the burning issues facing today's
entrepreneurial and venture capital communities”. They say it provides
investors with an ideal chance to network and brainstorm along the motto
"blending conservatism with innovation”.
The conference will be held in the Hilton London Metropole from 2 to 3
April 2003.
In addition to venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and private equity
professionals, various service providers from Europe, the US, Israel, and
Asia will be present.
On the agenda are topics such as "The future of the VC industry”,
"Wireless: trends, market analysis, and outlook”, "Emerging markets –
China and India”, and "Valuations: assigning worth in a changing market”.
A keynote panel will discuss the question: "Can GPs deliver what LPs
demand, and what is the impact on entrepreneurs?” Industry-specific
sessions will be devoted to trends, market analysis, and a look ahead for
Life Sciences, Software & Infrastructure, and Wireless.
Among the investment firms and institutions who have signed up to attend
are: Ernst & Young, Deutsche Venture Capital, Wellington Partners, Intel
Capital, Merlin BioSciences, Silicon Valley Bank, Harvard Business
School, SAP Ventures, Nokia Early Stage Technology Fund, Sun Microsystems
and Barclays.
Information on registration can be found at
http://www.venturejourneyeurope.com/register.html
(end)
Submitter: pressetext.europe
Contact: Astrid Nolte,
E-Mail: editor at newsfox.com,
Phone: + 43 – 1 – 811 40 – 319
___________________________________________________________________________
+++ pressetext.europe +++ newsfox.com +++ pressetext.europe +++
JacobsGibb faces suit over Romanian highways
Romanian government blames British engineers for potholes
Bucharest (pte, Feb 10, 2003 11:00) - British engineering consultants
JacobsGibb are facing legal action by the Romanian government over claims
the company’s poor advice led to a botched repair job on a highway.
The Romanian transport ministry is demanding compensation from the firm
after it proposed a sand-based asphalt covering for a 70 mile stretch of
motorway between the Romanian capital, Bucharest, and the city of
Pitesti.
The ministry claims the highway, which was resurfaced with asphalt in
autumn 2000 based on JacobsGibb’s recommendations, is now dotted with
potholes.
Transport Minister Miron Mitrea told the daily ‘Evenimentul Zilei’: "We
are demanding all related damages from them. They offered the wrong
solution. Jacobs Gibb proposed an asphalt composition based on sand which
is usually good for car parks or playgrounds but never for a key highway.
"The highway has become a drivers’ nightmare with hundreds of holes.”
Mitrea said the government had ploughed 5 million pounds into the initial
project. He said it will have to invest millions more to repair the
damage and resurface the highway.
The government has not said how much money it will demand from the
company, but local media have suggested the amount could run into
millions of pounds.
JacobsGibb has made no comment on the legal action. (end)
Submitter: pressetext.europe
Contact: Mike Leidig,
E-Mail: editor at newsfox.com,
Phone: + 43 – 1 – 811 40 – 319
___________________________________________________________________________
+++ pressetext.europe +++ newsfox.com +++ pressetext.europe +++
ucp morgen to deliver MMS software for Danger Inc.’s hiptop™ wireless
solution
Santa Barbara, CA / Vienna (pts, Feb 10, 2003 11:35) - Danger
Inc. has chosen components of ucp morgen´s MMS software suite to enable
MMS functionality for Danger´s innovative hiptop wireless solution.
ucp morgen, one of Europe´s leading providers of mobile messaging
solutions for MMS and SMS, today announced it has signed a software
licensing contract with Danger Inc., Palo Alto. ucp morgen is delivering
MMS components of its VAS product "mobile media platform" including the
MMS Gateway and MMS Conversion Engine for Danger´s Service Delivery
Engine, a backend infrastructure solution for carriers, which will enable
users of hiptop devices to send, receive and compose MMS messages.
"Danger is an exciting, creative company and their hiptop device is
demonstrating how future communication behavior will evolve with Internet
enabled mobile devices. We are very happy to have won this pitch and are
in a position to contribute with our know-how and software to the further
success of Danger", says the CEO of ucp, Christian Lutz.
"This contract is also our first big project in the USA, which we expect
to be our major growth market this year. ucp morgen has unique expertise
with several commercially deployed GSM-carrier MMS-platforms and portals,
providing our customers a serious competitive advantage", Christian Lutz
adds.
"ucp morgen is an innovative mobile software company", said Hank
Nothhaft, Chairman and CEO of Danger Inc. "They have a broad range of
MMS-solutions available and were very flexible in delivering leading edge
technology and high quality services in a very short time frame. MMS will
be an important part of our hiptop wireless solution for carriers, and we
are pleased to have our agreement in place with ucp morgen to deliver
this technology to consumers."
Visit ucp morgen at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes (18th-21st
February, Hall 2, Booth F37) and at the CTIA New Orleans (17th-20th
March).
About ucp morgen (www.ucpmorgen.com):
ucp morgen is a leading provider of software solutions and hosted
services for mobile media. Founded in 1999, the company specializes in
bringing mobile messaging and entertainment to the mass market, and is a
pioneer in the field. ucp morgen’s core product line is the Mobile Media
Platform, a highly scalable carrier-class solution for mobile operators,
device manufacturers, portals and media/content providers. This leading
edge solution enables mobile users to send and receive multimedia
messages – text, pictures, photos, audio clips and animation, to other
users – on their mobile devices, via the web, and even to users of non
MMS-capable devices. ucp morgen also provides custom software development
of mobile Internet, intranet, and extranet applications on a wide array
of platforms, including SMS, WAP, EMS, MMS, J2ME, JAVA, and others. ucp
morgen is a venture-backed privately held company with offices in Santa
Barbara (USA), Vienna (Austria), Berlin, London, and Lugano
(Switzerland). More information about ucp morgen and its affiliate
companies can be found at http://www.ucpmorgen.com and
http://www.ucpag.com .
About Danger inc (www.danger.com):HYPERLINKHYPERLINK
Danger, Inc. provides a complete solution that enables wireless carriers
to offer innovative and affordable voice and data products to consumers
over next-generation wireless networks. Today, this solution includes:
the hiptop™ Data Services Framework—a back-end service delivery
infrastructure; the hiptop™ Development Platform—a platform for the
development of mobile applications using industry standard development
tools; and the hiptop™ Device Design—a hardware design for a wireless
all-in-one device, customized and branded by wireless operators. Founded
in January 2000, Danger, Inc. is a privately held company backed by
leading venture capital firms and corporate investors. Danger is based in
Palo Alto, Calif. Additional information about the company is available
at www.danger.com.
For more Information please contact:
Pacific Time Zone: Sasha Globa, ucp USA, Tel: +1 805-637-2793, email: sasha.globa at ucpmorgen.com
GMT Zone: Thomas Reiter, ucp Europe, Tel: +43 676 66 88 611, email: thomas.reiter at ucpmorgen.com (end)
Submitter: UNIVERSAL COMMUNICATION PLATFORM GmbH.
Contact: Thomas Reiter,
E-Mail: thomas.reiter at ucpmorgen.com ,
Phone: +43 676 66 88 611
___________________________________________________________________________
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OMV launches offensive in Eastern Europe
Over 300 new petrol stations in Hungary, Slovakia and Germany
Vienna (pte, Feb 10, 2003 11:57) - Austrian oil and natural gas group OMV
has further tightened its grasp on the market in central and eastern
Europe.
The company announced today that it had purchased 313 Aral and BP
stations from Deutsche BP AG in southern Germany, Hungary and Slovakia.
The cost of the acquisition is estimated at 377 million euros and the
purchase is to be financed through bank loans.
OMV has thereby expanded its central and eastern European network to
1,615 stations, which corresponds to a market share increase of 12 per
cent. The transaction is expected to boost profits as early as 2003.
The listed oil group also purchased a 45 per cent stake in Bayernoil, a
network of three refineries in Ingolstadt, and an 18 per cent stake in
the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL), which supplies Bavarian refineries from
Triest.
OMV general director Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer said: "This acquisition is
part of our strategy to increase growth and value. It should help us
achieve a leading position in Bavaria and strengthen our presence in the
EU candidate countries Hungary and Slovakia.”
He also believes these acquisitions will help OMV achieve its goal of
doubling its market position by 2008. "Our goal is to have 2,000 petrol
stations in our core region. This acquisition will strengthen our market
leadership in central and eastern Europe in the long term,” said
Ruttensdorfer.
OMV’s long term goal is to increase its market share to a full 20 per
cent in its core regions. The recent wave of expansion brings its market
share in Bavaria up to 10 per cent.
These acquisitions come on the heels of another broad round of purchases
early this year. The transactions are to be completed during the second
quarter of 2003.
(end)
Submitter: pressetext.europe
Contact: Astrid Nolte,
E-Mail: editor at newsfox.com,
Phone: + 43 – 1 – 811 40 – 319
___________________________________________________________________________
+++ pressetext.europe +++ newsfox.com +++ pressetext.europe +++
Surge in WLAN hotspots in western Europe
Amsterdam (pte, Feb 10, 2003 13:03) - The number of wireless LAN public
access points increased dramatically in western Europe last year,
according to a study by market researchers IDC http://www.idc.com.
The report shows that the number of so-called ‘hotspots‘ jumped by 327
per cent to 1,150 locations in 2002, after a phase of near total
stagnation in 2001. Analysts expect the number of market players to
continue growing this year.
IDC senior research analyst Evelyn Wiggers said: "In the year 2003 even
more players are going to enter the WLAN market. We expect an increase in
companies specialising in WLAN, as well as for mobile network providers
and telecommunications firms to start including WLAN in their range of
services."
IDC attributes the slow start of WLAN in western Europe to legal hurdles.
Once these had been cleared the market exploded, with Scandinavian
countries leading the pack.
Along with the number of hotspots, the market saw a sharp increase in new
providers, although these were mostly small local companies. The market
is therefore highly fragmented, and very few companies have roaming
agreements with other providers. Only Telia customers have access to
hotspots in Scandinavia, while metronet users are limited to Austria.
(end)
Submitter: pressetext.europe
Contact: Astrid Nolte,
E-Mail: editor at newsfox.com,
Phone: + 43 – 1 – 811 40 – 319
___________________________________________________________________________
+++ pressetext.europe +++ newsfox.com +++ pressetext.europe +++
Romanian incumbent to sell its mobile arm
OTE will no longer provide financial support
Bucharest (pte, Feb 10, 2003 20:57) - OTE Telecom, the Greek majority
shareholder in Romanian telecom incumbent Romtelecom, recently announced
plans for the financial rehabilitation of the telco, without the
inclusion of Cosmorom, its mobile telephony arm.
http://www.romtelecom.ro/
"With respect to Cosmorom, OTE will no longer provide financial support
to this alternative communications operator and is currently looking into
several options for the future, options that include Cosmorom’s full sale
to a third party," said Iordanis Aivazis, executive vice-president of OTE
International.
He added that Cosmorom is currently operating at a loss, with debts
estimated at E172m. He also expressed serious doubts that a full sale
would generate total recovery of the losses.
Analysts say the current negative outlook at Cosmorom is due to
insufficient investments in the company. The company appeared to have
entered the market too late. Another cause lay in the fact that Cosmorom,
as an operator, doesn’t benefit from national coverage of its services,
thus being unable to compete with the other two mobile operators on the
market, Orange and MobiFon.
In the first nine months of 2002, Cosmorom recorded E41.9m in net losses
and only E12.2m in operational income. The operator also reported EBITDA
losses of E21.9m. By September,
2002, Cosmorom had only around 45,000 subscribers and some 50,000 users
of pre-paid services. At the same time, Cosmorom’s competitors each had
equal an estimated 2.5 million customers.
(end)
Submitter: pressetext.europe
Contact: Newsfox Editorial Desk,
E-Mail: editor at pressetext.at,
Phone: ++43-1-81140-319
___________________________________________________________________________
+++ pressetext.europe +++ newsfox.com +++ pressetext.europe +++
Norway relaxes 3G roll-out requirements
additional 15 months to complete 3G coverage
Oslo (pte, Feb 10, 2003 20:59) - Recognising that mobile operators are
indeed facing technical and financial difficulties in their attempts to
roll out 3G networks, the Norwegian government has moderated its
requirements for the provision of the new service.
Now, operators have an additional 15 months to complete the roll-out of
3G coverage, although the government has yet to announce what sort of
compensation the companies will
have to pay for this relaxation.
Having awarded four licences in 2000, Norway has since seen one operator
go bankrupt, and another return its licence, complaining that, in the
end, a 3G network was too expensive. The two returned licences are to be
auctioned off again, this time, with a reduces coverage demand of 30 per
cent, compared with the previous 40 per cent.
(end)
Submitter: pressetext.europe
Contact: Newsfox Editorial Desk,
E-Mail: editor at pressetext.at,
Phone: ++43-1-81140-319
___________________________________________________________________________
+++ pressetext.europe +++ newsfox.com +++ pressetext.europe +++
Germany to allow online drug sales
Part of broader initiative to liberalise drug pricing
Berlin (pte, Feb 10, 2003 21:03) - The German government is to allow drug
sales over the internet, arguing that it will increase quality and reduce
costs for patients. German law currently forbids online sale of
pharmaceuticals and restricts the ownership of pharmacies to trained
pharmacists, who are also allowed to own no more than one shop.
The legalisation of online drug sales is part of a broader initiative
planned by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs to liberalise drug
pricing. Having forced pharmaceutical companies to offer health insurers
a six per cent rebate in January, the government is now also to allow
ownership of multiple pharmacies. Draft legislation is to be tabled in
April. http://www.bmgesundheit.de/ (end)
Submitter: pressetext.europe
Contact: Newsfox Editorial Desk,
E-Mail: editor at newsfox.com,
Phone: ++43-1-81140-319
___________________________________________________________________________
+++ pressetext.europe +++ newsfox.com +++ pressetext.europe +++
600 companies apply for telecom licence in Romania
Mixed opinions on voice market deregulation
Bucharest (pte, Feb 10, 2003 21:08) - Effective as of January 2003, voice
market deregulation in Romania has produced optimism from the authorities
and skepticism from market analysts. Commenting on the initial results of
the deregulation, Communications and IT Minister Dan Nica said, "The fact
that almost 600 companies have already submitted notifications with the
National Authority for Communications- ANRC for becoming voice operators
makes us very optimistic about the future of Romanian
telecommunications."
Still, despite the high number of notifications, analysts remain
pessimistic when it comes to immediate future. "True enough, there were
almost 600 companies submitting notifications to become operators," said
Varujan Pambuccian, head of the IT Commission of the Parliament, "but I
don’t see any more than ten real players acting in this market in the
near future."
Among the ten players Pambuccian mentioned are incumbent operator
Romtelecom, GSM operators Orange and MobiFon, CDMA-2000 operator Zapp,
several ISPs and a couple of potential operators that are the
communications arms of public utilities like the national railways.
Most experts share his opinion, and they see the local loop as the main
obstacle for the future public operators. Currently, Romtelecom owns the
local loop, and investments to create parallel infrastructures are
thought impossible under such circumstances.
Long distance and international calls are then seen as the only fields
where there can be real competition in the voice market for the
foreseeable future. Indeed, several companies have already launched
international calling services - mainly based on pre-paid cards, with
prices as low as 60 per cent of Romtelecom’s prices.
In the medium term, though, the situation may change dramatically. One of
the alternative telecom operators, RDS, an ISP and CATV company, recently
announced it would launch pilot projects for generating local loop in
urban areas.
"There are cities like Oradea and Brasov, where we have a market share of
more than 90 per cent," said Radu Jugaru, CEO of RDS. "By using cable
internet, we think we will be able to create local loops within such
communities, thus generating real competition to Romtelecom.”
The move followed a similar action by Atlas Telecom Romania, which, a
couple of days ago, announced it would build fixed-line infrastructure in
20 Romanian local communities, providing them local loop as an
alternative to Romtelecom.
According to Adrian Boca, CEO of the company, local loop services are to
be provided by using radio infrastructure, while calls between the cities
will be achieved via third party carrier services. (end)
Submitter: pressetext.europe
Contact: Newsfox Editorial Desk,
E-Mail: editor at newsfox.com,
Phone: ++43-1-81140-319
___________________________________________________________________________
+++ pressetext.europe +++ newsfox.com +++ pressetext.europe +++
Finland struggles on internet censorship
Telecoms and media companies against proposed law
Helsinki (pte, Feb 10, 2003 21:16) - A coalition of Finnish telecom and
media companies are leading the fight against proposed government
legislation which they say will stifle freedom of expression on the
internet. Telecom operator TeliaSonera Finland http://www.teliasonera.fi/
is among companies that have spoken out against government plans to
censor internet message boards.
In a campaign supported by ICC Finland - the Finnish affiliate of the
ICC, the business association - a statement was delivered to the Finnish
Parliament yesterday stating that "excessive domestic regulation of
internet content would create significant uncertainties for business and
have a chilling effect on commercial communication."
The Parliament of Finland is currently considering the proposed internet
censorship law and Parliament's constitutional committee is expected to
make a decision on legislation in the coming weeks. Critics of the
proposed legislation say that current regulation is enough and that the
plans amount to "using heavy artillery to kill flies".
According to Marja-Liisa Virtanen, Development Director of TeliaSonera
Finland, messages sent to most message boards go straight into
publication. Illegal and offensive material is deleted mostly upon
request of visitors, but also to some extent on the own initiative of
webmaster. "In proportion to the mass of messages, there are very few
problems on the message boards."
The proposed law gives the same status to message boards on web sites as
that of letters to the editor pages of newspapers. It would make owners
of the message boards liable for all content in the same manner as
publishers of printed press. Defenders of free speech on the internet
argue that message boards are better compared to ad-hoc discussions, such
as those that take place in bars. (end)
Submitter: pressetext.europe
Contact: Newsfox Editorial Desk,
E-Mail: editor at newsfox.com,
Phone: ++43-1-81140-319
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