The week in review

At home

THE ICASA Amendment Bill is published by the Communications Department. It aims to reduce the independence of the regulator for the communications and broadcasting sectors.

THE COMMUNICATIONS Workers Union unexpectedly comes to the defence of Telkom for its decision to suspend three high-ranking executives, reports Business Day.

EMPOWERMENT investment company Circle Capital Ventures buys a 35% stake in Nashua Cape Town, a supplier of office automation equipment. Circle Capital has the option to increase its stake by 5% to 40% in the future, says Business Day.

TELECOMS companies hope government will finally listen to their advice on how to slash the cost of voice and data services when a second colloquium on prices is staged this month, says Business Day.

RECORDS management group Metrofile Holdings turned around to a headline profit of 29.6c a share in the year to June from a loss of 132.3c last year because of increased market penetration and new government business after introducing government partners, it said, reports Business Day.

IT and telecoms group Beget Holdings reports a turnaround in the six months to end-June. It reports increases in gross revenue (up 180% to R8.7 million), profit (120%) and headline earnings (120%).

IT group Datacentrix reports disappointing interim results as costs rose and sales fell, particularly at its infrastructure division. Unaudited results showed net profit for the six months to August fell 49.3% to R12.3 million, says Business Report.

SHAREHOLDERS in listed automotive electronics com-pany Control Instruments approve the proposed acquisition of automotive aftermarket components manufacturer Dana SA for R114.7 million, writes Business Report.

RESIDENTS of Soweto, SA`s largest black township, are not able to enjoy the benefits of ADSL connections because Telkom apparently has no immediate plans to offer the service in the area, despite a growing demand from Soweto-based businesspeople, claims Tectonic.

Into Africa

UGANDA: MTN Uganda profits rose by 14% in the year to March 2005 to 229 million rand as subscriber numbers jumped 45% during the period, a company report said, according to New Vision.

ANGOLA`S National Department of Customs inaugurates in Luanda its Internet Portal, aimed at providing its customers with a wide range of information on its activity, reports the Angola Press Agency.

NIGERIA: The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria calls on the government to institute a judicial probe into the circumstances leading to the death of the MD of Mobitel, Engr. Charles Joseph, reports Vanguard.

KENYA: Six Kenyan schools will benefit from a Nepad e-learning project, following President Kibaki`s launch of the demonstration project at Isiolo that will eventually spread to nearly 600 000 African schools, reports The Nation.

ZIMBABWE: Government is set to introduce e-government through enhanced ICTs to enable quick and fruitful discussions between government and its citizens, says the Minister of Science and Technology Development Cde Olivia Muchena, according to The Herald.

KENYA: The Nation claims that competition in VOIP calling card services is set to heat up following last week`s entry into the market by Telkom Kenya.

PANAFRICA: Some 15 million Swiss francs are needed for the Tunis Summit, says the Highway Africa News Agency. A sum of only 3 842 390 Swiss francs has been raised from governments, international organisations, civil society organisations and the private sector. In Africa, only eight countries have responded to the appeal for donations, including SA.

Abroad

SONY boss Howard Stringer, under pressure to reverse a slump at the Japanese icon, announces 10 000 job cuts and a swathe of asset disposals, but renews his vision of the group as an electronics to entertainment colossus.

ORACLE CEO Larry Ellison says the business software maker would probably not make another major acquisition for at least another year to give the company ample time to assemble all the pieces snapped up during a recent $1 billion shopping spree.

MICROSOFT celebrates its 30th birthday in an upbeat mood, promising to deliver twice the number of new products and services it has during the past three years.

INTEL and Microsoft throw their support behind the next-generation DVD standard known as HD DVD, says Sapa-AP.

SECURITY firm Symantec is to acquire WholeSecurity, a California-based provider of security and anti-phishing technology, reports vnunet.com.

O2 is now the largest mobile operator in the UK by subscriber numbers, according to data collated by London-based analyst firm Continental Research. O2 registered a 24.1% market share in June this year, compared to 23.8% for Orange and 22.7% for Vodafone.

WATFORD Electronics buys the assets and brands of Time and Tiny Computers in a deal that could make it the largest UK manufacturer of PCs, reports vnunet.com.

MOTOROLA would sell more than 6 million cellphones for less than $30 each in a new programme to bring cheap handsets to developing markets, the GSM Association, an industry body, said according to Reuters.

SANYO Electric, the world`s third-biggest supplier of digital cameras, will eliminate 10 000 jobs by January and forecast a second year of losses as competition increases from Chinese electronics makers, says Bloomberg.