BT pushes AT&T over Concert as demerger begins
The
Financial Times and Daily Telegraph report that BT is to begin the
demerger of its Wireless mobile phone business with a analysts
meeting on 5 September. The Financial Times leads with the attempts
being made by BT to reach an agreement with AT& T of the US
over the break up of its joint venture Concert. BT chairman Sir
Christopher Bland has told those negotiating with AT&T that a
deal is vital before the demerger process can move forward.
In another BT story the Financial Times reports that the company is
to invest £50m in high-speed broadband connections to help foster a
new financial services district on the banks of the Clyde in
central Glasgow.
Microsoft backs down over Kodak
The Guardian, Times and
Daily Telegraph report that Microsoft has agreed to make changes to
its Windows XP operating system in order to make it easier for
users to access Kodak software and services. Kodak had complained
that the new software package would steer digital camera users away
from Kodak software and print services. The Guardian's tone is more
agressive than the other papers, describing how Kodak has extracted
"important concessions from Microsoft."
Public sector spending on IT bolsters Torex
The
Financial Times and Times report how the fortunes of Torex, the
software maker, have been buoyed up thanks to government spending
on IT. The Oxfordshire-based supplier of software for the health
and retail sectors more than doubled first half pre-tax profits
after benefiting from strong demand from healthcare agencies.
Marconi shares dive on fear of another profit
warning
The Independent, Daily Telegraph and Times all
report a further dive in Marconi's share value, following rumours
of another profit warning. The Daily Telegraph opens its report on
the company with the question, "Can Marconi do anything
right?"
Tiny relocation to provide hundreds of jobs in
Scotland
The Independent reports that Tiny Computers is to
relocate some of its operations from Asia to Scotland, creating
hundreds of jobs. The company is to open a new factory at Prestwick
on the west coast of Scotland to supply computers to the UK
market.
Best of the rest
The Independent reports
- Siemens, the electronics and engineering business, is
considering a further cost-cutting operation that could see another
3,000 jobs go.
The Times reports
- Goldman Sachs, the investment bank, has predicted a recovery in
the PC and mobile handset markets by the fourth quarter of this
year.
The Financial Times reports
- International criminal gangs are using technology to steal
thousands of credit card numbers at a time from trusting
shoppers.