Deutsche Telkom eying Sprint Nextel

The last three weeks in the international ICT market were dominated by Microsoft's bid for Yahoo, which has now been abandoned.

At home, the potential tie-up of MTN with India's Bharti Airtel stole much of the local media ICT space.

* Excellent interim figures from Vox Telecom, with revenue up over 200% and profit up over 250%.
* Good full-year figures from AdaptIT (Infoware), with revenue up 17% and profit up 28%; Altron, with revenue up 25% and profit up 21%; and Silverbridge Holdings, with revenue up 17% and profit up about 20%.
* Good interim numbers (nine months) from Beget Holdings.
* Satisfactory year-end figures from Altech, with revenue up over 20% but profits only marginally up.
* Satisfactory Q3 numbers from Net-1 UEPS Technologies, with revenue up 3% but profit up 48%.
* Mixed interim numbers from TeleMasters Holdings, with revenue up over 10% but profit down nearly 20%.
* Positive trading updates from Huge Group, Reunert and Stella Vista.
* A negative trading update from Sekunjalo.
* Ansys acquired Airport Interface Technologies, a sub-Saharan reseller and systems integrator focusing on the supply, installation, commissioning, flight calibration and long-term support of products within the air traffic management, communications and navigation surveillance sectors.
* The ATM Solutions Group purchased DBD, the electronic funds transfer and payroll specialist previously owned by Absa Bank and Nedbank.
* Dimension Data acquired a 51% stake in UAE-based Data Processing Systems, a systems integrator.
* Rapid Technologies bought Enigma Business Solutions, a developer of insurance industry solutions.
* Vodacom announced its two preferred strategic BEE partners are Royal Bafokeng Holdings and Thebe Investment.
* D-Link opened a Cape Town office.
* Drive Control was appointed as Dell's first volume distributor for South Africa; Ingram Micro as a South African distributor for Asus components; and Intelleca as the local distributor for Silver Lining Solutions.

* Ime Umo was appointed as MD for HP in West Africa.
* Total Telecom said the number of mobile users in Africa exceeded 280 million in Q108 and is expected to reach the 300 million mark in June.
* Very good quarterly figures from Orascom Telecom, with revenue up 22% and profit up 25%.
* Good quarterly numbers from Maroc Telecom and Mobinil (Egypt), with revenue up over 25% and profit up 14%.

* Accenture bought AddVal Technology, a provider of end-to-end shipment-management products and services to global freight management and airline cargo companies.
* Apple's $278 million acquisition of PA Semiconductor, a boutique microprocessor design company.
* The $268 million purchase by Blue Coat Systems of Packeteer.
* FrontRange Solutions purchased Centennial Software, a provider of infrastructure management products.
* IBM snapped up InfoDyne, an electronic trading data vendor.
* QAD purchased FullTilt Solutions, a product information management software developer.
* Satyam Computer Services acquired Belgium-based S&V Management Consultants ($35 million) and Caterpillar's market research and customer analytics operation ($60 million).
* Sony's $260 million acquisition of Gracenote, an online music provider.
* Sun Microsystems snapped up Montalvo Systems, a chip start-up.
* The investment by Hynix Semiconductor, the world's second largest memory chipmaker, in ProMOS Technologies (Taiwan), one of its rivals.
* The creation of a new WiMax company by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, but also involving Comcast, Google, Intel and Time Warner Cable, that would compete with AT&T's and Verizon Communications' initiatives. The new venture, Clearwire, is valued at $14.5 billion and will have a two-year start on its competitors.
* Borland Software sold its individual developer tools unit, CodeGear, to Embarcadero Technologies.
* Microsoft abandoned its bid for Yahoo, despite an increased offer worth an extra $5 billion.
* The appointments of Kris Hagerman as interim CEO of Corel and Robert Mao as CEO of 3Com.
* The resignations of David Dobson, CEO of Corel; Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung Electronics; and Edgar Masri, CEO of 3Com.

* The possible acquisition by Deutsche Telkom of US-based Sprint Nextel; although the latter is also thinking about shedding its Nextel unit. However, the deal, if forthcoming, would have to circumvent major regulatory issues on both sides of the Atlantic. The link up of T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel would catapult the German company to the number one position in the US on the mobile side.
* The acquisition by Microsoft of Czech-based Seznam, the operator of an Internet portal that offers Internet search solutions.
* The sell-off by China-based Huawei Technologies of a portion of its mobile devices division.
* The divestment by the Indian government of its 26.12% stake in Tata Communications (ex-VNSL).

The link up of T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel would catapult the German company to the number one position in the US on the mobile side.

Paul Booth, MD, Global Research Partners

* According to Gartner, the number of worldwide mobile payment users will rise to 103.9 million in 2011 from an expected 32.9 million in 2008.
* The worldwide CRM software market is expected to grow 14% in 2008 and reach $7.8 billion, says Gartner.
* The worldwide security software market is expected to grow 11% in 2008 to reach $10.5 billion, reports Gartner.
* According to IDC, there will be 500 million personal IP communications subscribers by 2012.

* JSE All share index: Up 1.7% (highest-ever weekend close)
* Nasdaq: Up 1.8%
* Top SA share movements: African Cellular Towers (-10.9%), Celcom (-11.5%), MICROmega (+21.7%), MTN (+14.8%), Paracon (-12.9%), Sekunjalo (-13%), Spescom (+33.3%), Square One (-11%), Stella Vista (+48.1%) and TCS (-20.7%)

African Business has published its 2008 Africa's Top 200 Companies list (done by market value) and The Africa Report has published its 2008 Africa's Top 500 Companies list (done by revenue).

As was the case last year, no non-South African IT company has as yet made it into either list, although many non-SA telecoms organisations figure strongly, such as Orascom Telecom, Maroc Telecom and Telecom Egypt.