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Cable operator NTL has reportedly received a bid of about EUR6.5 million for its three MMDS franchise licences, according to Business & Finance magazine. The bidder is Tallaght-based Off Air Electronics Ltd, which is owned by former RTE employee Pat Keys. Off Air is understood to have been joined in a consortium by Kevin Windle, the former managing director of Cablelink, and a number of other Dublin-based business figures.
Shares in mobile phone equipment giant Motorola plummeted by 17 percent on Wednesday amid fears that the company may miss its sales estimates for the fourth quarter and for 2003. Lehman Brothers analyst Tim Luke said the company could be hurt by a slower-than-expected recovery in the semiconductor industry and by a weak wireless infrastructure industry. Shares traded as low as USD8.08 before closing off USD1.45 at USD8.30 on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday. Motorola is due to issue an earnings report on 15 October.
A survey by Benchmark Research says that 83 percent of UK media companies have implemented text-messaging strategies into their business plans. The study, commissioned by Opera Telecom, found that over 40 percent of companies had run SMS quizzes, 30 percent used sports updates, while 23 percent had tried SMS voting. Nonetheless, just 20 percent of companies surveyed said they saw SMS as a significant source of revenue, with most taking the view that text messaging could be used as part of a multi-platform promotion.
Stockbyte, a Kerry-based distributor of digital stock photography, has been selected as one of the five finalists for this year's DHL Export Awards. The company, which employs 35 people, distributes royalty-free stock photography via its Web site, Stockbyte.com. Exports represent 97 percent of Stockbyte's business.
The majority of computers in China have been hit by viruses, according to a survey by the country's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre, cited by the China Daily newspaper. The survey found that at least 80 percent of computers had been infected, with only 16 percent of computer users saying they were free of virus attacks this year. The figure compares badly with last year, when almost one-third of users said they had not been attacked.
More than 32 million people visited on-line music sites in August 2002, according to analyst firm Nielsen//NetRatings. The August figures show an increase in visits of 148 percent since the beginning of the year. The number of visitors to music sites in August is the equivalent of over a quarter of the active on-line population.
Microsoft is planning an advertising campaign to promote the Macintosh version of its Office suite, according to a report on CNET News.com. In July, Microsoft said it had sold 300,000 copies of the Mac OS X version of Office, less than half the 750,000 copies the company had expected to sell by then. The ads, which will emphasise the compatibility of Macs and PCs, will be aimed at a Macintosh, business, technology and design audience. One ad features a Mac and a PC eating a Chinese take-away while watching a movie together.
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