Datatec acquires NetStar Group

JSE-listed multinational IT group Datatec has acquired Asia-Pacific-based network integration company NetStar Group in a deal worth $19.8 million, according to TechCentral.

The buy will give the company exposure to Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and China. NetStar will become part of Logicalis, Datatec's infrastructure solutions and services business.

Datatec says NetStar is “one of the most established independent providers of network integration and managed services across the Asia-Pacific region”. NetStar has customers in government, telecommunications, hospitality and financial services.

NBN has requested capability statements, asking networking vendors to state their case for inclusion in the $43-billion project to build a national fibre-to-the-home network, reports IT News.

They will use these capability statements to select a shortlist of five to 10 suppliers by February 2010. "The primary purpose of this Request for Capability Statement (RCS) is to identify businesses that have the core capabilities required to fulfil NBN's requirements for suppliers who can plan, design, manufacture, supply, configure and commission fibre-to-the-premise network equipment and can also provide equipment-related services," says the company in its RCS.

NBN has asked for vendors of gigabit passive optical networking gear such as optical network and optical line terminals, plus vendors of aggregation and transmission equipment (such as Ethernet switches) to answer a series of questions related to their capacity to supply NBC's needs.

AT&T has released an application called 'Mark the Spot,' which lets iPhone users submit complaints about dropped calls, poor service coverage, and less-than-perfect voice quality, says CNET News.

The application uses GPS technology in the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS to pinpoint where the user is when experiencing the problems. For first-generation iPhones, it uses cell tower-triangulation to locate problem areas.

Once the application starts, users have several complaint options. They will see a screen that has buttons that let them report a dropped call, poor voice quality, or poor service coverage. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said AT&T plans to use the data collected to identify trends and prioritise the company's network investments.