South Africa
Vodacom has released its interim financial results for the six months ended 30 September 2007. Total customers increased by 22,6% to 31,6 million, with the largest percentage-wise gains coming from African countries outside of South Africa. Revenue increased by 17,2% to R22,8 billion, while profit from operations increased by 15,1% to R5,7 billion.
In a move to synergise its global vision and local strategies, communications enabler, Nokia Siemens Networks has announced the transfer of 26% ownership of its South African holding company to BEE partners. The new partnership will see Sekunjalo Telecoms Holdings and Africom Telecom Holdings each acquiring 13% of Nokia Siemens Networks Holdings RSA, a holding company that owns 60% of the operating entity.
Reunert has released its reviewed financial results for the year ended 30 September 2007. Revenues totalling R9,574 billion were recorded, up 16% over 2006 results, while EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) increased to R1,393 billion from the R1,336 billion last year. Normalised headline earnings per share were 570,3 cents, up 15% from the 495,3 cents in 2006. Profit for the year was R646,9 million, down 31% from 2006 levels.
Spescom has reported an 88% increase in revenue to R380 million for the financial year ended 30 September, 2007, compared to the R202 million achieved for the same period last year. Headline earnings at R5 million compare favourably with the 2006 headline loss of R18 million. Attributable earnings have increased to 34 cents per share over the 2006 loss per share of 28,2 cents.
Cape-based outsourced manufacturing firm, Tellumat Electronic Manufacturing, has again boosted its capacity, gained a Gauteng presence and added to its BBBEE credentials, by buying the non-core PCB assembly facility from Denel Optronics. Denel Optronics, now Carl Zeiss Optronics, owned 70% by Carl Zeiss Optronics Gmbh and 30% by state-owned defence company Denel, specialises in the design, development, manufacture and support of electro-optical products for the military, aerospace and naval markets. It decided earlier this year to put its non-core mechanical manufacturing and PCB assembly business units out on tender.
Overseas
Business
For the fourth quarter of the 2007 fiscal year, Infineon reported revenues of Euro 1,13 billion. EBIT was negative Euro 25 million, compared to positive Euro 13 million in the prior quarter. EBIT included net charges of Euro 94 million, mainly relating to the sale of Qimonda shares, compared to net charges of Euro 3 million in the previous quarter. Excluding these charges, EBIT for the fourth quarter was Euro 69 million, up from Euro 16 million the quarter before.
Highlights for Epcos' fourth 2007 fiscal quarter include a 4% sequential increase in sales to Euro 376 million, up 8% year-on-year, and EBIT of Euro 25 million, compared to Euro 21 million in the previous quarter and Euro 17 million in the fourth quarter of 2006.
Micron Technology has announced results of operations for the company's first quarter of fiscal 2008, which ended 29 November, 2007. The company incurred a net loss of $262 million, or $0,34 per diluted share, on net sales of $1,5 billion for the quarter. These results compare to a net loss of $158 million, or $0,21 per diluted share, on net sales of $1,4 billion for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, and a profit of $115 million, or $0,15 a share, a year ago.
Companies
Infineon has announced a strategic technology collaboration for the development of optimised chip solutions for high-density (HD) SIM cards with Intel. Under the terms of the agreement, Infineon will architect modular chip solutions with Intel offering memory capacities from 4 MB to 64 MB. Infineon contributes its expertise in security hardware and will develop a 32-bit security microcontroller based on its existing SLE 88 family for use with HD SIM cards. Intel is contributing its leading-edge flash memory technologies, capabilities and manufacturing.
Industry
Increased investments and research in the micro sensing and biotechnology markets are driving demand for highly accurate and reliable biosensors. In addition to research and advancements in micro technology, a number of emerging end-user opportunities also encourage market growth. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan finds that the world biosensors markets earned revenues of $5,11 billion in 2006 and estimates this to double by 2013 to reach $10,62 billion.
Databeans estimates that the market for LED products in illumination applications currently constitutes less than 10% of the total LED market, which reached $2,8 billion in 2006. The market for LEDs for all applications is growing at a record pace of 15% on average each year. LED products are used in backlighting displays, indicator lamps in consumer and wireless electronics, and in vertical illumination applications, such as commercial signage and automotive. The market for LEDs in illumination applications is expected to grow much faster, at a compound annual growth rate of 35%. This would result in the market for LEDs used in general lighting applications reaching nearly $1,4 billion by 2012.
Shipments of GPS-enabled mobile phones will generate over $50 billion in revenues in 2008, rising to $100 billion in 2012, according to ABI Research. The market for these handsets is expected to grow from around 240 million units in 2008 to over 550 million handset shipments in 2012. At present, most current GPS-enabled handsets are CDMA devices, but increasing numbers of GPS-enabled handsets for 3G/WCDMA networks are expected to start appearing in the market from 2008 onwards.
The WiMAX Forum has announced that its lead certification lab in Spain is now open for formal Mobile WiMAX certification testing and evaluation of Mobile WiMAX products. Vendors can now begin submitting their 2,3 GHz and 2,5 GHz Mobile WiMAX equipment for testing. The WiMAX Forum expects its four other certification labs in the US, Taiwan, China and Korea to open for formal certification testing shortly. The WiMAX Forum expects hundreds of products to be submitted for testing, and predicts that certified Mobile WiMAX products will reach the commercial market in early 2008.
Technologies such as WiMax, IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), and long term evolution (LTE) are expected to generate demand for new products and upgrades from wireless protocol analyser manufacturers and network operators. Additionally, network convergence and its related complexities will likely drive demand for test equipment. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan finds that the worldwide wireless protocol analysers market earned revenues of $297,9 million in 2006 and estimates this to reach $308,2 million in 2013.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has submitted a report to the US Congress in which it states that "Chinese espionage activities in the United States are so extensive that they comprise the single greatest risk to the security of American technologies."
Technology
A team at MIT is developing a stackable car designed to ease congestion and pollution problems. The electric-powered vehicles are expected to be low-cost, and the vision is to one day have rentable units at all major transit facilities such as airports. At the heart of these vehicles is an omnidirectional robot wheel that incorporates an electric motor, as well as suspension, braking and steering systems. With no engine or mechanical parts between the wheels and the driver's controls, this design provides the flexibility to fold the car up. Six to eight folded and stacked cars can fit into one conventional parking space.
Researchers at the University of California in Berkeley have created the world's tiniest radio out of a single carbon nanotube. This nanotube radio could be combined with a sensor and injected into a patient's bloodstream to measure important factors such as blood sugar and transmit the data to an external monitor. Currently, the radio can only receive and not transmit, but researchers expect the problem to be surmountable, since the same physics apply.
Researchers at Eureka Aerospace have developed an electromagnetic system capable of stopping a vehicle in its tracks. The system emits pulses of microwave radiation powerful enough to disable the electronic control units that control a car's engine. The most obvious application of the technology is in law enforcement, but the system still needs some work before it can be deployed safely, without the possibility of 'collateral damage'.
A company called ConsumerPowerline is testing a system that could help electricity consumers manage their power use responsibly and avoid over-utilisation which generally results in blackouts. The company is distributing modules to participants in a test programme that glow red when power demand peaks, urging them to turn off appliances in order to conserve electricity.
The 1394 Trade Association has announced a new specification to quadruple the speed of FireWire to reach 3,2 gigabits per second. The new electrical specification, known as S3200, preserves all the advantages of FireWire and uses the cables and connectors already deployed for FireWire 800 products.
Researchers at MIT have developed unique 'optical tweezers' - super-focused beams of light that are used to study and manipulate tiny biological structures or even individual atoms. The technology exploits the fact that lights individual photons transfer minuscule amounts of force to particles they hit, to hold objects in a tractor beam-like embrace. What is new in this optical tweezer is that, by using infrared light, it can be used not just for study but to build structures on the surface of chips. The researchers proved their technique by placing 16 live E. coli cells to spell out 'MIT' on a chip. The system is envisioned to be applied to cram high-resolution sensors in very small spaces - for disease detectors, for example - and to connect silicon-based electronics to living tissues and other biological interfaces.
In an attempt to lure youngsters to the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology, researchers at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology have successfully printed the entire Hebrew Bible on an area measuring 0,5 square millimetres, which is smaller than the size of a pinhead.
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