CeBIT Australia News

GoCeBIT

2008-05-07T11:57:00.002+10:00

We have officially moved our blog section to http://gocebit.com.au/blog.

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Services market to hit $15b in 2011: IDC

2008-02-19T16:59:00.002+11:00

THE Australian technology services market will grow at a compound rate of 4.4 per cent annually to reach A$15 billion by 2011, according to research IDC, though skills shortages will present the sector with ongoing challenges.

The IDC report found the Australia services market in 2007 was worth $12.6 billion.

IDCs IT services research manager Margaret Banaghan said the outlook for the broader Australian economy and for IT services remains “buoyant” and that end user organisations were addressing a range of business issues that would underpin growth in the services sector.

“Executives are turning to IT services firms to assist with issues including Green IT, SOA (Services Oriented Architecture) and web services, selective sourcing including offshoring and mobility services,” Ms Banaghan said.

Meanwhile the report found the outsourcing market in Australia, which is approximately 50 per cent of the total IT services market, was as vibrant and dynamic as ever.

IDC research manager for outsourcing and BPO Aprajita Sharma said there would likely be a decline in so-called “global mega-deals” in the short-term, but that this would “result in increased and heated competition in the IT outsourcing segment, especially on the pricing front as players tread on competitor territory.”

The report said skills shortages in the services industry continued unabated, and that as a result “smaller players are finding themselves in greater demand by government and business clients alike, as they often possess skills in a particular technology that have become scarce.

The report also found that market consolidation activity in 2007 was solid. There was a healthy rate of acquisition activity in the Australia IT services arena over the past year which is expected to continue over the next 12–24 months as players strive for growth and an extension of skills or geographic reach.

For more Managed Service news, click here.

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Microsoft shakes up online management

2008-02-19T08:49:00.001+11:00

JUST as Microsoft appears ready to up the ante in its US$45 billion (A$49.6 billion) unsolicited takeover bid for internet giant Yahoo, the company has shaken up management of its online division.

And reports in the US say the management changes – announced by Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer – prepare the ground for a merge with Yahoo.

The company said former aQuantive chief executive Brian McAndrews – who joined Microsoft when the digital advertising firm was acquired last year – will take expanded roles in the Microsoft Online Services division.

Steve Berkowitz will step down as senior vice-president of the Online Services Group. He will remain with the company, focusing on a smooth transition of the business, until the end of August.

Mr Ballmer also announced the promotion of Satya Nadella to senior vice-president Search Portals & Advertising Group, and Bill Veghte to Senior VP of the Online Services and Windows Business Group.

Analysts in the US say the promotion of Mr McAndrews is significant and that he will most like be the top lieutenant in any Microsoft-Yahoo combination

Microsoft responded saying the raft of changes had nothing to do with the Yahoo bid, and that there had been other senior management changes also announced yesterday that were outside of the Online Services Group.

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SCO Group to do a Lazarus

2008-02-19T08:45:00.000+11:00

THE SCO Group, which claims ownership of Unix code used in the open source Linux operating system, is on the verge of emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after organising $100 million in new financing.

The company, which is embroiled in a legal action with both IBM and Novell over the ownership of some Unix program code, announced that Stephen Norris Capital Partners and its unnamed partners from the Middle East had agreed to provide up to $100 million in funding to finance a reorganisation plan.

As part of the financing, SNCP will take a controlling interest in the company, while taking it private. The immediate effect of the plan would be to allow SCO to emerge from bankruptcy protection.

The SCO board of director unanimously agreed the financing and plan of reorganisation was in the best long-term interest of the company, as well as its customers, shareholders, creditors and employees.

“Not only will this deal position us to emerge from Chapter 11, but it also marks an exciting future for our business,” SCO president and chief operating officer said Jeff Hunsaker said in a statement.

“This significant financial backing is positive news for SCO's customers, partners and resellers who continue to request upgrades and rely upon SCO's UNIX services to drive their business forward,” Mr Hunsaker said.

SNCP has developed a business plan for SCO that includes unveiling new product lines aimed at global customers. The reorganisation would also allow the company to see SCO's legal claims through to their full conclusion.

“We saw a tremendous investment opportunity in SCO and its vast range of products and services, including many new innovations ready or soon to be ready to be released into the marketplace,” said Stephen Norris, managing partner for SNCP.

For more Open CeBIT news, click here.

Skilled migrants to provide skills relief

2008-02-19T08:38:00.001+11:00

IMMIGRATION Minister Chris Evans has announced an expansion of skilled migration to take some of the inflationary heat out of the employment market.

While the scheme announced by Senator Evans takes broad aim at the mining and construction industries, the measures – which include the expansion of 457 long-stay skilled visas – should also have a positive impact in the ICT sector.

As an immediate measure, the Skilled Migration program will be increased by 6000 places in 2007-08. The increase will be made up of permanent employer-sponsored visas and General Skilled Migration visas.

The additional 6000 places will bring to 108,500 the total number of permanent visas granted under the Skill Stream of the migration program this financial year.

Senator Evans has established an external reference group to investigate skill requirement, including the expansion of the Temporary Business (Long Stay) visa (subclass 457), which allows businesses to recruit skilled labour from overseas for temporary entry to Australia for between three months and four years.

The reference group will advise the Minister on current and anticipated future employment trends and the need for overseas recruitment in the identified sectors.

“The group will provide me with specific advice on ways to ensure the temporary work visa system, also known as the subclass 457 visa program, operates as effectively as possible in contributing to the supply of skilled labour,” Senator Evans said.

Senator Evans said he was also expanding the working holiday visa program to provide relief to Australia businesses. Last financial year there were 126,000 people on working holiday visa in Australia. And the number expected to extend their visa by a year is expected to soar this year by more than 50 per cent to 10,000.

For more Skills Alley News click here.

IP protection key to export success: Carr

2008-02-14T20:13:00.002+11:00

THE Federal Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research has launched a national seminar series aimed at reducing risks faced by small businesses in trying to protect their intellectual property when exporting.

Innovation Minister Kim Carr said the seminars, to be conducted in all Australian states and territories between now and the end of the month, were a tool for small businesses unsure of how to protect their intellectual property when venturing overseas.

The ‘IP Passport’ seminars explain how Australian businesses can better protect their valuable IP, including patents, trade marks and designs, before they export their goods and services.

“IP protection overseas can be a minefield for businesses, particularly in Asia” Senator Carr said. “I encourage small businesses to familiarise themselves with the IP laws in export markets so they can effectively manage their IP assets when dealing with overseas business partners.”

Recent research estimates there are over 40 000 exporting businesses, with around 15 per cent of all small to medium enterprises (SMEs) now actively engaged in exporting.

Many SMEs are also moving beyond traditional exporting and importing and are globally engaged through licensing, franchising, strategic alliances and global supply chain. IP can be an integral bargaining chip in negotiating deals to access new markets overseas.

“Intellectual property is something that a business needs to get right from the start if they want to be successful,” IP Australia director general Phillip Noonan said.

“If you make an IP mistake when you first commence exporting, it can be virtually impossible to recover.”

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Sun acquire open source Innotek

2008-02-14T20:08:00.002+11:00

SUN Microsystems has announced it is to acquire the German open source virtualisation company Innotek, which makes VirtualBox software that lets users more easily run different operating systems on a single box.

The company said that enable developers to more efficiently build, test and run applications on multiple platforms, VirtualBox would extend Sun’s own xVM platform.

Sun did not say how much the stock purchase agreement is worth.

Innotek's open source VirtualBox has had more than four million downloads since January 2007. The product lets desktop or laptop PCs running the Windows, Linux, Mac or Solaris operating systems to run multiple, different operating systems side-by-side, switching between them with a click of the mouse.

This means software developers can more easily build multi-tier or cross-platform applications, or power-users to take advantage of applications that may not be available for their base operating system of choice.

“VirtualBox provides Sun with the perfect complement to our recently announced Sun xVM Server product,” Sun Software executive vice-president Rich Green said.

“Where Sun xVM Server is designed to enable dynamic IT at the heart of the datacentre, VirtualBox is ideal for a laptop or desktop environment.”

The agreement to acquire innotek follows Sun's announcement on January 16 of a definitive agreement to acquire MySQL, the popular open source database.

Sun said the acquisitions reaffirm the company’s status as the largest commercial open source contributor.

For more Open CeBIT news, click here.

News Corp enters Yahoo discussions

2008-02-14T20:02:00.002+11:00

RUPERT Murdoch’s News Corporation has entered discussions with Yahoo about an alliance that would combine the News-owned MySpace with the internet giant, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The talks add both flavour and drama to what is becoming a fight for Yahoo. The WSJ says the discussions are part of a strategy to thwart Microsoft’s US$45 billion (A$49.9 billion) unsolicited bid for Yahoo.

According to unnamed sources, the deal would involve News Corp getting a stake of 20 per cent or more in Yahoo. The IT industry blog TechCrunch is also reporting the discussions.

News and Yahoo have held discussions about a tie-up in the past that focused on the MySpace property being used to swap for Yahoo equity, but those talks have previously broken down over the valuation of MySpace.

But since Microsoft’s hostile takeover bid earlier this month, Yahoo has aggressively pursued other strategic alliances that would keep the company outside of Redmond’s grip.

The Yahoo board formally rejected the Microsoft earlier this week saying it undervalued the company. But Microsoft responded saying it would take all necessary steps to consummate the deal, and is likely to come back with a revised offer.

Meanwhile, TechCrunch is reporting that the first of the “inevitable” lawsuits have started to be filed against Yahoo from shareholders unhappy that the company rejected the Microsoft offer.

The web site reports that more shareholders are expected “to pile on board” legal actions as Yahoo further resists the Microsoft overtures.

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Opel funding may be at risk: IDC

2008-02-14T19:57:00.002+11:00

THE $900 million in Federal funding for the Opel consortium to build telecommunications infrastructure in the bush may be at risk of being cut because of Telstra’s plan to switch on its ADSL2+ network, according to research group IDC.

The group says that inflationary pressures, and the Rudd Government’s commitment to trimming Federal budgets, means the Commonwealth might decide against going ahead with the funding plan.

It says that the Telstra decision to switch on ADSL2+ in 900 exchanges nationwide means that rural and regional telecommunications will be substantially improved regardless of the Opel funding plans.

“We believe that the announcement from Telstra to activate their remaining ADSL2+ ready exchanges as a result of Ministerial assurance and the Government’s requirement to cull more than $10 billion dollars of funding are related,” said IDC telecommunications program manager David Cannon.

“As a result the Opel Pty Ltd funding will potentially be a casualty of larger macro economic inflation management processes,” he said.

“The activation of the ADSL2+ exchanges gives regional and rural communities metro-like broadband services and will counterbalance any negative public sentiment should the Opel funding be withdrawn,” said Cannon.

Opel is a joint-venture between Optus and Elders.

But with Optus already saying will not build its 3G network to cover 96 per cent of the population – instead rolling out only to major metropolitan and regional areas – and Vodafone apparently under pressure to reassess its own 3G plans, IDC says a lack of competition in the bush will mean continued higher prices for regional and rural Australia.

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LiMo’s Lino announced on 18 phones

2008-02-14T19:53:00.002+11:00

THE LiMo Foundation, an open source consortium that has developed a Linux-based platform for mobile devices, has announced 18 mobiles phones from leading manufacturers that use its platform.

Announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Foundation said the announcement was just the first wave of handsets that will use the LiMo Platform.

The initial LiMo handsets confirmed at MWC are from by industry leaders including LG Electronics, Motorola, NEC, Panasonic and Samsung.

“The breadth of the initial wave of LiMo handsets—18 models from 7 vendors—consolidates LiMo’s role as the unifying force within Mobile Linux and highlights the strong momentum established in the 12 months since LiMo was launched,” Limo Foundation executive director Morgan Gillis said.

The LiMo Platform leverages standards and other open-source projects, and is a modular, hardware-independent architecture built around the Linux operating system. It offers a secure run-time environment for support of downloaded applications.

Launched in January 2007, LiMo Foundation is open to all vendors and service providers in the mobile communications marketplace, including device manufacturers, operators, chipset manufacturers, independent software vendors, integrators and third-party developers.

“We look forward to the continued, rapid rollout of LiMo handsets, further expanding LiMo’s market reach and unifying the Mobile Linux ecosystem,” said LiMo Foundation chairman, Kiyohito Nagata of NTT DoCoMo.

“The mobile industry is embracing Linux and openness as the key enablers of lower device development costs, increased flexibility and quicker time to market for innovative services of all kinds. LiMo Foundation is driving these trends.”

For more Open CeBIT news, click here.

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T-Mobile dumps Google for Yahoo

2008-02-14T19:49:00.001+11:00

EUROPEAN mobile phone giant T-Mobile is to end its relationship with Google as preferred search provider, instead signing a strategic partnership with rival Yahoo.

From March 30, Yahoo will become the preferred search provider for T-Mobile in Europe with the companies cooperating on developing industry-leading mobile search solutions.

T-Mobile said Yahoo’s oneSearch quickly and easily delivers relevant results and instant answers to search queries, removing the need for consumers to navigate through a sea of PC Web links.

“This cooperation agreement offers significant advantages to our mobile Internet customers, and creates the foundation for successful cooperation in the future,” T-Mobile International chief executive officer Hamid Akhavan said.

“With Yahoo, T-Mobile has entered into a partnership with a true Internet pioneer,” he said.

T-Mobile is also expanding partnerships for its social web services by cooperating with communities such as YouTube, MySpace, Flickr and bebo, the company said.

“Cooperation with YouTube, MySpace, Flickr and bebo allows T-Mobile customers to develop and expand their personal networks whenever and wherever they like,” T-Mobile International Group Product & Innovation Officer Christopher Schläffer said.

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EU regulators raid Intel offices

2008-02-14T19:39:00.002+11:00

ANTITRUST regulators in Europe have raided the offices of processor giant Intel and several computer retails as part of an investigation of restrictive trade practices.

In a prepared statement, the European Commission said its officials had carried out “unannounced inspections at the premises of a manufacturer of central processing units (CPUs) and a number of personal computer retailers.

Intel has since confirmed that it is the manufacturer whose offices were raided. The German consumer electronics retailer Media Markt and Britains DSG are also understood to have been raided as part of the investigation.

“The Commission has reason to believe that the companies concerned may have violated EC Treaty rules on restrictive business practices (Article 81) and/or abuse of a dominant market position,” the Commission said in a statement.

The investigation and the premises’ raids are thought to be the first stage of a response to complaints to the EC about Intel market behaviour from rival Advanced Micro Devices.

Intel is already the subject of formal EU charges of monopoly abuse of market power, for allegedly customer rebates at below cost and for allegedly bullying customers into staying away from AMD.

Intel has said it would cooperate with the regulatory authorities.

For more Components & Peripherals news, click here.

Yahoo ramps video with Maven

2008-02-14T19:36:00.002+11:00

THE air around Yahoo might be thick with anticipation over what Microsoft’s next move might be in its hostile acquisition bid for the company, but that hasn’t stopped it getting on with business.

Yahoo has announced a major expansion in the video content sector, acquiring online video platform provider Maven Networks for US$160 million (A$177 million).

The company said the acquisition gives Yahoo the opportunity to expand both its consumer video services and its video advertising offerings.

“Video is projected to be the fastest growing segment of the online ad market, and Maven will significantly help advance Yahoo!'s strategy, expanding the video opportunity for publishers and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness for advertisers,” said Yahoo Global Partner Solutions executive vice-president Hilary Schneider.

The acquisition better positions Yahoo to take advantage of the growing market for online news and entertainment, and to offer advertising in video bundles. Research group eMarketer estimates the advertising spend on internet video will triple over the next three years to US$4.3 billion.

Yahoo says it already has the largest library of professionally produced legally licensed video content and has video advertising relationships with over 75 per cent of the top TV advertisers. It also has advertising relationships with a growing number of premium publishers including eBay, Comcast, Forbes.com and others.

The Maven platform is currently used to manage, distribute and monetise premium online video content for over 30 major media companies, including Fox News, Sony BMG and CBS Sports.

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Yahoo ramps video with Maven

2008-02-14T19:36:00.001+11:00

Managed security boom hits 20% CAGR

2008-02-14T19:33:00.000+11:00

THE managed security services market in Australia will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 20 per cent until at least 2013, according to new research from analyst group Frost & Sullivan.

The Asia Pacific Managed Security Services 2006-2013 found revenues in the Australian market were $240 million in 2006 and were forecast to grow to $880 million by the end of 2013.

While the managed security services (MSS) market was still in its early stages of growth in the region, Frost & Sullivan analyst Arun Chandrasekaran said the MSS model had started to gain wide acceptance, particularly in advanced countries like Australia, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The potentially enormous market in India had also showed promising growth on the back of ongoing liberalisation in the telecommunications sector.

“Additionally, there is a growing realisation that information security investments should no longer be viewed as IT investments but more strategically in the business risk context,” Mr Chandrasekaran said.

“Engaging with a strong MSSP allows organisations to share risk management and gain access to skilled resources for risk mitigation,” he said.

Mr. Chandrasekaran said globalisation and mobility, small and medium-sized businesses faced the same issues as larger enterprise – like fading security perimeters, complex converged networks and data security issues”.

“Hence the security requirements for SMB in Australia are not too different from the large enterprises. However, the awareness levels and willingness to pay still separate these two horizontal segments.”

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Yahoo spurns Microsoft offer as too little

2008-02-14T19:24:00.001+11:00

GLOBAL Internet pioneer Yahoo has rejected Microsoft’s US$42 billion unsolicited takeover offer, saying the bid was too low and not in the best interests of shareholders.

“The Yahoo board of directors has carefully reviewed Microsoft's unsolicited proposal with Yahoo's management team and financial and legal advisors and has unanimously concluded that the proposal is not in the best interests of Yahoo and our stockholders,” the company said in a statement.

“After careful evaluation, the Board believes that Microsoft's proposal substantially undervalues Yahoo, including our global brand, large worldwide audience, significant recent investments in advertising platforms and future growth prospects,” it said.

The rejection had been largely expected by both the finance and technology community. But in dismissing Microsoft’s initial overtures, the carefully-worded Yahoo statement was in no way antagonistic toward a future, larger offer from Microsoft.

It did not cite anti-trust concerns, not allude to any misgivings about Microsoft’s intentions for the company and its technology.

“The Board of Directors is continually evaluating all of its strategic options in the context of the rapidly evolving industry environment and we remain committed to pursuing initiatives that maximise value for all stockholders,” the Yahoo statement said.

Microsoft issued a statement describing the rejection as “unfortunate,” and left the door open to further pursuit of Yahoo, saying “moving forward to consummate the transaction” was best for all concerned.

“A Microsoft-Yahoo combination will create a more effective company that would provide greater value and service to our customers,” Microsoft said.

“Furthermore, the combination will create a more competitive marketplace by establishing a compelling number two competitor for Internet search and online advertising.”

“The Yahoo! response does not change our belief in the strategic and financial merits of our proposal. As we have said previously, Microsoft reserves the right to pursue all necessary steps to ensure that Yahoo!’s shareholders are provided with the opportunity to realize the value inherent in our proposal.”

Reports from the US say one option that Yahoo is exploring is a possible merger with struggling internet firm AOL, a part of the Time Warner media behemoth.

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Aussie crusade against Google defamation

2008-02-11T15:02:00.000+11:00

TWO real estate agents in Victoria have launched a defamation legal action against global giant Google, claiming the search giant had pointed users to an article on a web site that defamed them.

According to ABC News, counsel representing Mark Forytarz and Paul Castran from the agency Castran Gilbert had appeared in the Victorian Supreme Court for a directions hearing, where they alleged their clients had been defamed by articles found through Google internet searches.

The plaintiffs claim the articles suggest Mr Forytarz bullied an intellectually disabled man into selling his home in order to claim a commission of at least $200,000, the ABC said.

Counsel for the agents claimed the article painted Mr Forytarz as unscrupulous and unethical and he suffered distress embarrassment and humiliation as a result.

They claimed too that another article claimed that Mr Castran had used dummy bidders at property auctions in order to inflate the bids, and that the complainants had asked Google to remove the search links but had not occurred.

While there are a number of similar cases against Google elsewhere in the world, this is thought to be the first case of its kind in Australia.

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Yahoo to reject Microsoft offer: Report

2008-02-11T14:58:00.000+11:00

ONLINE giant Yahoo’s board of directors is preparing to reject Microsoft’s hostile US$45 billion (A$50 billion) acquisition proposal, according to reports from the United States.

Reports through the Wall Street Journal and wires services say the Yahoo board believes the Microsoft offer greatly undervalues the internet pioneer.

The reports say that Microsoft’s US$31 per share bid for the company does not take into account the risks that face Yahoo if it pursues a deal that may ultimately be shot down by regulators.

It is thought the board also believes Microsoft is simply trying to take advantage of Yahoo soft share price – the number two search company has struggled in recent months – to pick up a bargain.

Yahoo management is thought to be seeking closer to $40 per share – an offer than would cost Microsoft a further US$15 billion.

A rejection by Yahoo would set the scene for a potentially ugly takeover battle that may ultimately sink any hope for a quick deal. Critics of the tie-up already point to the vastly different corporate cultures in Yahoo and Microsoft and say integrating the businesses would be extremely difficult.

Yahoo chief executive officer Jerry Yang last week wrote to staff indicating the company’s board was investigating “strategic alternatives” to the Microsoft takeover – the first indication that the company was did not altogether welcome the bid.

For more Web Applications news, click here.

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Industry giants join OpenID board

2008-02-11T14:55:00.002+11:00

THE move towards making portable web identities has taken a giant step forward as five of the industry’s most power companies – Google, IBM, Microsoft, Verisign and Yahoo – joined the OpenID Foundation board.

The companies were appointed as the Foundation’s first corporate members of the board. In its community blog, OpenID said the announcement marked a milestone in the maturity and impact of the organization.

It was quick to add, however, that the corporate membership of the board did not mean the companies could dictate technical terms.

“While the OpenID Foundation serves a stewardship role around the community’s intellectual property, the Foundation’s board itself does not make any decisions about the specifications the community is collaboratively building,” the OpenID blog said.

Last year, OpenID grew substantially, both as a technology and as a community. At the beginning of 2006, there were fewer than 20-million OpenID enabled URLs and less than 500 websites where they could be used. Today there are more than 250 million OpenIDs and well more than 10,000 websites to accept them.

The OpenID Foundation was formed in June 2007 to support and promote the technology developed by the OpenID community. Members include individuals, students, nonprofits, startups and industry giants that have come together to develop and promote open identity management on the Web.

OpenID is free technology that simplifies the online user experience by eliminating the need for multiple user names across Internet sites, enabling individuals to take more control and ownership of their digital identities.

This user-centric digital identity technology helps users reduce the pain of managing dozens, even hundreds, of user names and passwords, and gives users more control over what personal information they share with Web sites when they sign in using an OpenID.

For more Open CeBIT news, click here.

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Industry giants join OpenID board

2008-02-11T14:55:00.000+11:00

Carr strengthens India research ties

2008-02-09T14:53:00.000+11:00

AUSTRALIAN Innovation Minister Kim Carr has met with his Indian counterpart and says the two countries are working toward strengthening science and technology relationships.

Senator Carr met the Indian Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal in Melbourne last week to discuss the bilateral relations between the two countries.

These include forthcoming jointly-funded workshops the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund.

“Australia and India share many common areas of research interest and there are many exciting and world leading projects currently taking place between the two countries that will provide benefits to both our nations,” Senator Carr said.

“As part of our commitment to mutually beneficial research the Australian Government will support two collaborative workshops in emerging fields of biotechnology where we have complementary strengths,” he said.

The Indian and Australian governments have already committed to supporting two collaborative workshops in emerging fields of biotechnology where we have complementary strengths.

These include a joint workshop next month sharing developments in the research fields of nutraceuticals and functional foods, and another workshop on commercialised transgenic crops as well as those under development.

"The Australian Government remains committed to the relationship with India, particularly through our largest bilateral research arrangement - the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund.”

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Schmidt to chair influential think-tank

2008-02-09T14:50:00.000+11:00

AS if he didn’t have enough influence as influence as CEO of one of the most powerful companies in the world, Google’s Eric Schmidt has been elected to chair an influential Washington politico/economic think tank.

Mr Schmidt was elected this week as chairman of the New America Foundation’s board of directors. The foundation bills itself as non-alligned politically and says it invests “in outstanding individuals and policy solutions that transcend the conventional political spectrum.”

He takes over the unpaid position from July 1, and is understood to be planning to focus on evolving a “digital think tank” model that will use new technologies to improve the Foundation's reach.

Mr Schmidt’s election follows the arrival last September of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll as the president and chief executive of New America, which has a $13.5 million annual budget, 75 staff members and 25 fellows. The group's policy issues also include economic growth, foreign policy and trade, among others.

The think tank has supported using unused and unlicensed television airwaves to transmit high-speed Internet service as well opening up some airwaves in a spectrum auction that would allow consumers use any cell phone or service they want on the resulting network. Google supports both initiatives.

The 17-member board also includes Francis Fukuyama, the noted economics professor with the Johns Hopkins University, Bernard Schwartz, former chairman and chief executive of satellite maker Loral Space & Communications, and Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek.

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TPG attracts broadband Soul

2008-02-08T14:46:00.000+11:00

STOCK exchange-listed communications firm SP Telemedia, which trades under the Soul brand, has made a $230 million bid for rival internet service provider TPG – a sign market consolidation is accelerating.

The bid, announced to the exchange by SP Telemedia yesterday, is made up of $150 million in cash and 270 million of its shares.

SP Telemedia said the combined companies would generate $607 million in the 2009 financial year. It said the combination of companies would manage one the largest DSLAM networks in the country, and is among the most profitable in terms of margins.

The company said shareholders would be asked to vote on the proposed acquisition at its annual general meeting in April. It would in the meantime commission an independent report for shareholders on the proposal.

SP Telemedia chairman Robert Millner said the acquisition would put the company in a strong position to deal with ongoing industry consolidation.

“The merger of SP Telemedia and TPG will create one of Australia's largest and most profitable telecommunications companies, with extensive owned network coverage for voice, video and data applications,” Mr Millner said.

“We believe that following the merger SP Telemedia will be strongly positioned to participate in any further industry consolidation,” he said.

TPG managing director David Teoh said the merged business will be in an enviable position to continue the strong growth.

“The extensive IP voice, video and data network of Soul and its mobile and business product capability, combined with TPG s DSLAM network and strong consumer customer presence and management, will place the business in a competitive position for the future,” Mr Teoh said.

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MYOB rejects private equity bid

2008-02-08T14:43:00.000+11:00

SMALL business software specialist MYOB has rejected a $731 million hostile takeover offer from an unnamed local private equity firm.

The company told the stock exchange late yesterday it had knocked back a “non-binding, indicative and highly conditional approach” which may have resulted in a $1.90 per share bid.

MYOB chairman Simon McKeon said the board had carefully considered the offer and considered in inadequate and not in the interests of the shareholders.

“As market leader in Australia and New Zealand and with an international presence, MYOB is well positioned to reap the benefits of its significant investment in wholly-owned product development programs, amounting to around $100 million in the past three years,” Mr McKeon said in a statement to the ASX.

“That investment gives MYOB a strong platform that will deliver growth and ongoing value for shareholders into the future,” he said.

Mr McKeon said the company would take no further action on the issue and would instead take the opportunity presented by its full-year results announcement next week to say more about MYOBs performance and outlook.

“As was evident from our investor briefing in December 2007, MYOB is achieving strong growth, has a strong balance sheet, a high rate of recurring revenue and strong underlying cash flow,” Mr McKeon.

“These factors underpin the board's view that the proposal was inadequate.”

For more Business Software news, click here.

Yahoo’s Yang stays mum on Microsoft

2008-02-07T19:32:00.000+11:00

YAHOO chief executive Jerry Yang says the company is still evaluating how Microsoft’s US$47 billion acquisition offer changes the industry’s strategic landscape, and urged employees not to get distracted by the bid.

“No decisions have been made about Microsoft’s proposal,” Mr Yang said. “Our board is thoughtfully evaluating a wide range of potential strategic alternatives in what is a complex and evolving landscape. And we’ve hired top advisors to assist through the process,” he said.

Mr Yang, who was a co-founder of Yahoo in the earliest days of the internet in 1994, said the process was “going to take the time it needs to do it right.”

“The Microsoft interest highlights the tremendous strength of the Yahoo brand and assets – our half-billion users around the world, our leading products and services, our open ad network, our technology, and most of all, our amazingly talented people,” Mr Yang said.

Regardless, as the number two search provider Yahoo has struggled in recent years against fierce competition from market leader Google.

The company has already announced a restructure and round of lay-offs that will proceed regardless of its position on the Microsoft offer. The company plans to trim about 1,000 employees from its global payroll of about 14,300 staff.

“As we look to build on the progress we’ve been making, I want to make sure you all realise how essential you are to Yahoo’s success,” Mr Yang said in an internal communications with employees.

“As this process moves forward, we’re going to keep you informed. Your hard work and strong commitment are more important now than ever before,” he said.

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