THL eyes Yahoo’s US ops

by : http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/30/business/9998734&sec=business

NEW YORK: Thomas H. Lee Partners (THL) is interested in buying the US operations of Yahoo Inc, breaking away from other bidders that are for now eyeing either a minority stake or teaming up with the Internet giant's partners in Asia, sources said.

THL was hoping to do a leveraged buyout of Yahoo's US business which could be worth US$5bil to US$6bil and draw on its experience running other media assets such as Nielsen Co, Clear Channel and Univision to turn around the ailing company, the sources said.

In taking this approach, THL was charting a different path than other private equity firms such as Silver Lake, KKR and TPG, which were expected to put in bids for a stake of up to 20% in the company, sources said.

Microsoft Corp was helping to finance a possible Silver Lake investment in Yahoo, which had a market value of about US$19bil, the sources said. Another group of firms, including Blackstone Group, Bain Capital and Hellman & Friedman, was in talks to team up with China's Alibaba Groupand Japan's Softbank Corp, they said.

Another twist: Bidders are jockeying for the best position to eventually forge a deal for Yahoo, betting they can turn around the company’s fortunes with better management.— Reuters

Any deal for Yahoo is still some time away. But THL's interest adds yet another twist in the behind-the-scenes maneuvering as bidders jockey for the best position to eventually forge a deal for Yahoo, betting they can turn around the company's fortunes with better management.

The Internet pioneer has seen growth stagnate in recent years due to competition from the likes of Google Inc and Facebook, and is currently without a permanent chief executive officer as it tries to regain relevance in the new dotcom era.

Yahoo's board fired CEO Carol Bartz in September and started the strategic review, which has been complicated by the different agendas of players with a say in the situation, including its Asian partners, co-founders Jerry Yang and David Filo, the board and shareholders.

Yahoo, THL, Microsoft, Blackstone, KKR and Silver Lake declined to comment. The other private equity firms were not immediately available for comment.

Several other parties including THL were expected to sign confidentiality agreements later this week which would give them access to Yahoo's financial information, the sources said. TPG, KKR, Silver Lake and Microsoft have already signed confidentiality agreements with Yahoo over the last few weeks allowing them to prepare offers for a minority investment in Yahoo.

Their investment could come in the form of a private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction. PIPE investors typically received stock at a discount to the public market valuation, so price could prove to be a sticking point in a deal, especially when the board might have other options before it, the sources said.

The board “is going to make decisions on how to pursue a PIPE deal,” one of the sources said, adding that the company and the suitors had different value expectations.

Keeping the initial investment below 20% would allow Yahoo to avoid putting the proposal up for a shareholder vote.

“Yahoo has to decide whether they need to cram it down shareholders' throats,” the source said. - Reuters

New Nokia smartphone fails to turn tide

by : http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/22/business/20111222091750&sec=business

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia's long-awaited Windows phones may be too little, too late in the smartphone war dominated by Apple and Google, despite positive reviews by handset critics.

Its first Windows model, the Lumia 800, has won little interest from consumers, with only 2 percent of Europeans in the market for a smartphone saying they would pick it, according to a survey by Exane BNP Paribas.

Analysts said there was nothing particularly wrong with the sleek-looking handsets, other than a sofware glitch on some models affecting battery life, but consumers were just not biting.

Smartphones using Microsoft software have just a 2 percent market share, compared with Google Android at around 50 percent and Apple at 15-20 percent.

"There isn't much room left for a third ecosystem. The smartphone market is consolidating fast," said Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu who rates Nokia a "sell".

Nokia's shares have fallen over 20 percent since the October 26 launch of the new phone, with investors fearing Nokia would be unable to claw back the market share it has lost in the past several years to rivals like Apple.

Phones using Nokia's old Symbian software, which it decided to dump in favour of Microsoft, are still in circulation and outsell Windows phones 10 to 1.

But as Nokia keeps shifting to Windows, sales of Symbian have a lot of room to disappoint over coming quarters and some analysts are warning of lower dividends and weaker-than-expected earnings ahead.

Now even Microsoft has started to hedge its bets, making its software increasingly available for rivals to Windows Phone.

Smartphones are built on mobile computing platforms, and the most modern combine web browsers, navigation systems, cameras and portable music systems. A so-called "feature" phone -- a market Nokia still dominates -- has far fewer of these applications.

FIRST STEP?

Nokia officials defended the Lumia, and a spokesman said there was "positive momentum" while declining to give any data. One executive argued that Nokia had never counted on the first Lumia phones to lead to a quick turnaround but instead expected it to be the first step towards recovery.

In fact, there are just as many analysts recommending a "buy" on the shares as there are "sell" ratings.

Those who are keeping the faith believe the new assault on the smartphone market may be enough to give Nokia a place at the table.

Many of them say the range of concerns over the Finnish company are fully priced into the shares, while the company's strong cash position and some prized patent assets could attract a takeover approach.

"With current, and upcoming models, Nokia can win back market share in both -- in feature phones and in smartphones," said Swedbank analyst Jari Honko, who rates the shares a "buy". "Today's share price does not take into account any recovery in the Nokia market position."

Optimists also cite an improvement in Nokia's product portfolio, which looked out of date when Stephen Elop took over as the chief executive in September 2010.

And while some argue there is no room for a third alternative to Google and Apple, some developers and operators do see room for more competitors in this market.

The 2012 Windows 8 upgrade could also attract a wider audience by making the way smartphones, tablets and PCs work more similar.

For investors, the biggest positive surprise could be an acquisition offer. After Nokia signed a deal with Microsoft, rumours of full takeover by Microsoft or at least buyout of smartphone unit have made rounds on a weekly basis.

Last week the stock jumped 4 percent when Danske Bank suggested Microsoft could buy Nokia's smartphone unit.

But even if investors do not get a rich buyout - online gambling company Unibet is putting odds on Microsoft buying Nokia in 2012 at just 1 out of 15 - analysts say the company's relatively-solid finances should at least offer some security.

Nokia had 1.36 euros per share of cash at the end of the last quarter. It also has a strong patent portfolio - on its own worth more than a euro per share - and owns top digital mapping firm Navteq and half of No. 2 mobile network gear maker Nokia Siemens Networks

Tech revolution saving the rice capital of Japan

By RASHVINJEET S.BEDI
rashvin@thestar.com.my

NIIGATA Prefecture in Japan is renowned as the country's rice capital. Some locals claim that the best rice and sake (rice wine) come from this region located about 250km from Tokyo.

To maintain the quality of the product, The Japan Agricultural Cooperative Echigo Santo in Niigata works hard to grow high value-added rice.

A lot of work goes into determining the best protein content of the rice as well as the ideal time for harvesting.

Once upon a time, the cooperative staff had to visually inspect the vast rice fields. Needless to say, this involved a lot of energy, time and resources.

Now that a satellite imaging and analysis system has been introduced, the cooperative staff no longer have to make painstaking visits to the rice fields.

They can now prepare, in the comfort of their office, “harvest maps” or “rice protein content maps” that predict the appropriate harvesting period.

As travelling to the rice fields is not necessary anymore, carbon dioxide (CO2) emission has been reduced by about 98%.

The system is one of Fujitsu's Green Policy Solutions, which makes use of ICT to reduce the load on the environment.

According to Atsuhisa Takahashi, Fujitsu Corporate Executive Advisor (Environmental Strategy), ICT is broadly and deeply penetrating every field and every corner of society.

“As we anticipated long ago, the effects include improved efficiency and quality and lower costs. ICT is also helping lower environmental load,” he says.

Until recently, he adds, ICT has been used mainly in the logistics, manufacturing, and financial fields.

“The Fujitsu Group wants to apply ICT to also help stimulate agriculture, forestry, and other primary industries directly linked to food and people's lives,” he says.

Fujitsu Group uses a diagnosis and evaluation tool called ECOCALC to quantitatively evaluate environmental load reduction effects.

The tool calculates costs and CO2 emissions based on a variety of factors including consumption of goods, transportation, office space, warehouse space, power consumption of ICT and quantity of data communications, Takahashi explains.

“We propose ways for our customers to use ICT to lower their environmental load,” he says, adding that solutions were tailor-made for the circumstance.

Other Fujitsu Green Policy Solutions include farmland management systems, production planning systems, distribution centre systems and electronic medical chart systems.

Takahashi says the last was introduced at the Anjo Kosei Hospital in Aichi Prefecture.

After the introduction of an electronic chart system and medical treatment imaging system, the hospital discarded about 300,000 X-ray films and reduced its film storage space from 200m2 to about 15m2.

While the quantity of film and warehouse space is reduced, electric power consumption by the ICT systems, however, will increase, he points out.

But after taking all the variables into account, CO2 emissions dropped by 21%.

ICT is also used in the forestry business, says Takahashi, citing the town of Nakatosa-cho in Aichi Prefecture, which is 84% forested and has an artificial mixed forest of cedar and cypress trees.

Takahashi says the town has undertaken an aggressive CO2 offset programme to maintain the soundness of this forest and to stimulate forestry.

To calculate the quantity of CO2 the trees absorb, a detailed vegetation distribution map of this forest must be prepared. A physical fact-finding survey would be costly, time-consuming and even dangerous.

However, using an image analysis technology employing high pass spectrum cameras, no personnel is needed to identify the types of trees.

Takahashi says the system can differentiate between “cedar and cypress”, a process that is difficult for people other than specialists to do by visual observation.

“Using this technology, it is easy to assess large-scale forest assets and to accurately judge the amount of CO2 absorbed by a forest consisting of different kinds of trees.

“These tasks have been difficult until now,” he says.

International Conference on ICT for Africa 2011

Wednesday March 23, 2011 - Saturday March 26, 2011

Covenant University and Bells University of Technology

Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria 

Organization:The African Society for Information and Communication Technology

Website:http://asictonline.org/

Register Online:http://www.ictforafrica.org/

Practitioners and academicians in the ICT sector will discuss modalities for sustaining and closing the ICT development gap in Africa. Workshops will focus on new frontiers in tele-medicine, e-learning for African universities, international grant-seeking opportunities for ICT research and projects, and the danger posed by cybercrime to the development of the ICT sector in Africa.

Numerous gatherings and research have x-rayed the potentials and impetus for development resultant from a fullscale adoption of ICT in Africa. Emphasis has been on creating awareness, identifying potentials and building capacity. The fact that current challenges relating to infrastructure, security and government policies can slow down the benefits accruable from a virile ICT growth has also been highlighted. Empirical evidences on ICT adoption and diffusion in Africa reveals an upward growth. This fact is supported by the rapid increase in mobile telephone subscribers, online banking, the proliferation of e-government portals and electronic commerce. Firm-level variables such as financial capacity and technological absorptive capacity have also influenced the intensity of the adoption of ICTs thereby suggesting that globalization has also influenced the adoption of new technologies in Africa. Unfortunately, the developmental trend has concentrated in cities, metropolis and urban communities in Africa with millions still out of reach of the ICT development wave. This scenario raises two basic questions in the mind of ICT technocrats, practitioners and the academia. How can we sustain the present developmental momentum? What can be done to extend the reach of ICT to the unreached? There is an urgency to keep pace with ICT development and its benefits while also addressing possible areas of developmental benefit of ICT to other target groups. Rural dwellers, farmers, extension officers, health workers and social workers must be empowered to use and apply ICTs much more creatively and pragmatically to development problems beyond the internet-enabled PC telecenters. There is also the challenge of the non-involvement and imbalance of gender, dearth of sound ICT-roadmap and strategies by policy makers resulting in uncoordinated and unsustainable ICT-development activities.

These are the issues that ICT4Africa 2011 conference is determined to address. The conference will initiate research and practice agenda where ICTs will aid the academia, organizations - public and private and non-governmental to improve socio-economic conditions and directly benefit the disadvantaged in some manner. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and The Louisiana Board of Regents, we are pleased to announce The International Conference on ICT for Africa 2011 themed "ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA – Sustaining the Momentum and Extending the Reach".

This conference will bring together a fine mix of practitioners and academicians in the area of ICTs for sustainable development. The conference will explore the possibilities of continuity in terms of contributions from Africa to the ICT for Development discourse as well as initiate pragmatic measures needed to extend the ICT reach. The objective is to highlight the synergy of collaboration between African countries and other developing countries, and between African countries and the developed countries towards development solutions. Discussions and panel debates will focus on what can be done to sustain the developmental pace and close the ICT gap still existent in Africa. Workshops will examine international grant-seeking opportunities for ICT research and projects, the menace of cybercrime as a limiting factor on ICT for development and e-learning for African universities and new frontiers in telemedicine.

In this respect, we highly appreciate your participation to enrich the diversity of perspectives and contents to be presented. We believe that your invaluable experience, insight and comments will add to what is potentially a very important discussion for developing nations.

The 15th International Telecommunication, Information Technology Trade Fair and Forum of the Middle East and North Africa, Cairo ICT 2011 was held from 25-28 May after its postponement due to the events of January 25th.

by : http://www.cairoict.com/bigplayersplay/ In its 15th round, Cairo ICT toke a new dimension. Being it the first year in the second decade of the third millennium, 2011 is a special year worldwide. The year is also special as it is the year of full recovery from the financial crisis and the beginning of a new phase. Cairo ICT 2011 presented itself as an opportunity to open new markets, consolidate presence in existing markets and a chance to meet with peers on a platform which is neither too large to prevent networking or too small to allow for that. Cairo ICT is generally a focused go-to-market based event, where both the exhibition ground and the forum halls stand on equal footing in terms of importance. Meeting clients from important emerging markets of the region – Middle East and Africa – with Egypt of course at the centre of such countries, is unique to this event. Cairo ICT is a platform for new technologies and trends, but the twist that makes it stand different from other international events, is the tailoring of technologies and trends to conditions of the targeted markets. The visitor profile is rich, covering government, enterprise, SMBs, Academia and consumers on different levels and according to event sector. An excellent opportunity to network, meet with your peers and open new vistas for business are only some of the benefits you achieve by being part of this leading regional event.
Cairo ICT 2011 Opening Session
Exhibition Snapshots