Marconi has agreed to buy TI-Projekte, the mobile networks installation business of Philips Germany, for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition signifies the latest stage in Marconi Services` European expansion in the mobile market. It follows the company`s July 2000 acquisition of UK-based APT, a mobile infrastructure company with operations in Spain, Portugal and the Benelux countries. Koos Vorster, chief executive of Marconi Communications South Africa, says the move is a positive development for Marconi`s local operation. "The mobile market is one of the biggest growth industries in South Africa," he says. "Marconi`s increasingly strong global position in this area enables us to further extend our market penetration."
TI-Projekte specialises in building mobile network infrastructure for public network operators. The demand placed on mobile infrastructure by 3G, otherwise known as Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), is predicted to grow rapidly over the next few years. The technology is expected to carry data at up to 2 Mbytes per second, allowing many new multimedia and mobile communication services to be launched.
Marconi Communications South Africa (MCSA) has around 850 employees with its head office and network division in Midrand and a production plant in Springs.
Marconi plc is a global communications and IT company with around 49,000 employees worldwide and sales in more than 100 countries. It supplies advanced communications solutions and the key technologies and services for the Internet. Marconi plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol MNI and NASDAQ under the symbol MONI.
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Philips
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world`s biggest electronics companies and Europe`s largest, with sales of more than EUR 31.5-billion. It is quoted on the New York, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges.