Expensive week for Microsoft

Last week, from an ICT perspective, was generally quiet ahead of the flood of quarterly results expected to start this week, with the Microsoft news re the European Commission rulings dominating the international space. Locally, the Datatec/ALT deals took much of the local ICT headline space.

* The European Commission fined Microsoft EUR280.5 million for failing to comply with its 2004 anti-trust ruling.
* Datatec closed an empowerment deal with African Legend Technologies (ALT) with the latter taking a 45% stake in Westcon AME and RangeGate being merged with ALT`s two units African Legend Indigo (ALI) and African Legend Solutions to create a new company owned 55% by Datatec but called ALI.

* TuringSMI closed a 49% empowerment deal with Cornastone and its local managers.
* NSS sold 25% of its shares to two black investors, Lerato Mashologu and Nonkqubela Mazwai.
* Gambushe Investments took a 25.1% stake in Symetrix, a business solutions company, with Seshi Chonco becoming chairman of the latter.
* Paracon undertook a share repurchase.

* Ten candidates were identified for the purchase of 51% of Camtel, Cameroon`s telecommunications incumbent. The list includes Celtel, Econet, MTN, Telkom SA and Vodacom.
* Bytes Document Solutions acquired the Xerox distribution rights for Kenya.

NSS sold 25% of its shares to two black investors, Lerato Mashologu and Nonkqubela Mazwai.

Paul Booth, MD, Global Research Partners

* CA acquired XOsoft, a provider of continuous application availability solutions.
* The appointment of Roger Burkhardt as COO and president of Ingres.
* The retirement of Otto Schmid, chairman of Dicom Group.
* Analyst upgrades for Baidu.com, ESI, First Data, Genesis Microchip, GSI Group, Logitech International SA, Lucent Technologies, MapInfo, Mattson Technology, Nice Systems, Packeteer, Qwest Communications, SAP, Sybase and Yahoo.
* Analyst downgrades for 3M, Adtran, BCE, BellSouth, BT Group, ChoicePoint, InterDigital Communications, Neoware, RightNow Technologies, Secure Computing, Shenandoah Telecommunications, Siliconware, Sirenza Microdevices, Tekelec, TTM Technologies, Valor Communications Group and Vodafone Group.
* Positive results announcements from Focus Enhancements, Infosys Technologies, Intergraph, Kana Software, Key Tronic, KLA-Tencor, LightPath Technologies, Network Equipment Technologies, Perficient, Pipex Communications, ScanSource and Stratex Networks.
* Negative result warnings from Blue Coat Systems, CNET Networks, Cree, EMC, EMS Technologies, Kronos, Lucent Technologies, Radcom, Retailix, Safran SA, SAP, Sento, Sypris Solutions, TomTom, Tut Systems and Xaar.
* Stock repurchase announcements from Audiovox, Consolidated Communications Holdings and SimpleTech.
* Job loss announcements from BenQ and Intel.
* Private funding obtained for CacheLogic, a provider of traffic management and network intelligence solutions; Enforsys, a developer of public safety software; G2 Microsystems, a developer of ICs; Njini, a developer of IIM software; Surgient, a software developer; SkyPilot, wireless provider; and Technorati, a blog search engine.
* A private placing of stock by Xplore Technologies.
* A share split announcement from InterNAP Network Services (reverse 10:1).
* A withdrawn IPO by Wintegra, a networks access processor developer.
* Broadcom is likely to re-state its financial results from the year 2000 onwards.

* A possible break-up of the merger of the music units of Sony and Bertelsmann AG.
* A private equity buy-out of Casema, the third largest cable operator in the Netherlands.

* JSE All share index: Down 3.2%
* Nasdaq: Down 4.4%
* Top SA share movements: Beget Holdings (-20%), GijimaAst (+11.5%), Infowave (-16.7%), MICROmega (+20.4%), Square One (+16.7%), Stella Vista (+30%) and Zaptronix (-10%)
* Top international share movements: AirNet Communications (+22.6%), Enherent (-27.3%), Epicus Communications (-25%), InfoNow (+21.4%), Intraware (-25.9%), Pegasus Wireless (-21.4%), Proxim (+29.2%), Research in Motion (+27.7%), Secure Computing (-38.8%), Silicon Graphics (+89.5%) and SMSC (+21.6%)

Entrepreneur Magazine recently published its 2006 Hot 100. From a technology perspective, the list included Infologix, a wireless computer systems company, at number six; Pro-Motion Technology, an audio/video solutions provider, at 11; SkillStorm, an IT services player, at 13; and Gestalt, a consulting and technology services company, at 24.