The Wrap: Anonymous man makes unsolicited bid for unwanted telco

Robert Clark
21 Sep 2007
00:00

It was the week when a man no-one knew launched a bid for a telco no-one wanted.

Hong Kong inventor Nelson Wong Kam-Fu announced a takeover offer for PCCW on Wednesday, claiming he had the backing of the Chinese government. PCCW dismissed it as "not credible" but optimistic investors thought otherwise and the stock spiked nearly 5% in heavy trading Thursday.

Across the world D-Day looms for iPhone as the world's most headlined product signed up O2, TMobile and Orange as partners in its European assault. Brits can lay their hands on its touchscreen for a mere $1,800.

As the sun rises on the iPod, investors fear Palm is in its twilight moments after a 43% slide in profit in the fourth quarter. While the handset majors put out bigger and sleeker smarthones, the Palm OS still can't cope with voice and data at the same time.

The action in mobile is taking its toll on China Telecom. For the first time its customer base shrank last month by 380,000 subs, while rival China Mobile added 5.59 million, taking its total to 344 million.

Criminal hackers are becoming increasingly professional, says a Symantec report. They've built an underground economy where phishing and malicious code toolkits are available for as little as $1,000. Or $12 on eBay.

Weeks after dumping iTunes, NBC will offer free downloads of TV shows such as Heroes and The Office. It said in an announcement that "viewers want to be in control of how, when and where they consumer their favorite entertainment."

Viewer control doesn't extend as far as ad-skipping, though, and to prevent piracy, the program self-destructs after a week. "Kind of like "ËœMission: Impossible,' only I don't think there would be any explosion and smoke," guffawed NBC Universal chief Jeff Gaspin.

Ofcom began a consultation over the possible opening up of 900 and 1800MHz 2G spectrum for 3G, while the FCC called for comments on how to deal with the 2.1GHz band.

Moore's Law has "at least another decade" to run, according to Dr Moore himself.

Related content

Follow Telecom Asia Sport!
Comments
No Comments Yet! Be the first to share what you think!
This website uses cookies
This provides customers with a personalized experience and increases the efficiency of visiting the site, allowing us to provide the most efficient service. By using the website and accepting the terms of the policy, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with the terms of this policy.