A new report from Analysys Ltd in Cambridge, UK has found that providers in
countries where telecommunications has been liberalised continue to deliver
cheaper telephony than those in countries where a monopoly remains, and
business customers benefit the most from competition. The conclusion is not
as obvious as it may seem, since state-owned monopolies tend to go hand in
hand with heavy subsidies – for example, Germany continues to have
significantly lower ISDN rates than the liberalized US market.
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As part of its plan to become the UK’s leading information technology supply management company Technology Plc, an ICL Plc company, has initiated a 10m British pound project to build a leading edge customer logistics center near its national headquarters near Warrington, Cheshire. The company has decided a name change is required for its new corporate image and has settled on Tplc.
Concord, Massachusetts-based GenRad Inc said its advanced diagnostic solutions unit, headquartered in Manchester, UK, received a contract from BMW AG motorcycles division, Munich, valued at $8m to $10m. The GenRad unit will provide specialized diagn ostic equipment for BMW motorcycle service centers throughout the world. Delivery of the test systems to BMW is planned for 1997.
Motorola Inc is likely to reconsider future investments in Israel if proposed changes in the country’s investment law are adopted, said Hanan Achsaf, managing director of Motorola Israel. As part of a government-approved plan to cut next year’s budget, grants to companies establishing factories in outlying areas would be lowered to 20% from a maximum of 34%. It said Motorola has considered setting up a $1,000m semiconductor plant in Israel; Motorola’s Israeli subsidiary had sales in 1995 of $7 50m.
L M Ericsson Telefon AB has signed a contract with PTT of Bosnia-Herzegovina for a Groupe Speciale Mobile turnkey telephone system. The system will initially cover Sarajevo and three other big cities with capacity for 20,000 subscribers.
British Telecommunications Plc yesterday reiterated its view that the structure and powers of the Office of Telecommunications must change. BT agrees that the regulator needs to become more of a competition authority, chairman Sir Iain Vallance to ld the annual meeting.
Reuters Information Services (Canada) Ltd and the Toronto Stock Exchange have signed a pact to develop a trading workstation for Toronto Exchange member firms. The Torex Tradestation, will be available later this year and will be designed to provide competitively priced, reliable access to Toronto and the other Canadian exchanges.
Sounds as if something is amiss at Dutch software house Multihouse NV. Samas Group disclosed that it sold its 12.94% stake in the company, and Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten said it had sold its 7.41% stake in it.
The European Commission will investigate plans by Belgacom NV to raise prices, Competition Commissioner Karel Van Miert has announced.
