MTN excels

The full-year results from MTN took pride of place in the local ICT arena last week, and internationally, some senior executive changes made the headlines.

* Very good year-end figures from MTN, with revenue up 40%, profit up 44% and subscriber numbers up 48%.
* Positive trading updates from Datatec and EOH.
* MTN acquired 17 Musica retail outlets from New Clicks. In addition, six other stores will release space for MTN.
* Preferred Solutions Gauteng, a provider of financial software management and support, bought Lorge's Pastel Evolution accounting software business.
* Faritec announced a R20 million rights offer, which has already been underwritten by Cornastone, J&J and management.
* Dean Douglas was appointed president and CEO of Datatec's Westcon Group; and Russell Steyn was named MD of Foster-Melliar, a subsidiary of Simeka Business Group.
* Mike Maile resigned as CEO of Gauteng Shared Services Centre.

* January Embro, president of Ericsson's sub-Saharan Africa marketing unit, died.

Look out for the break up of Nortel Networks, since this is likely to create more value than any restructuring under Chapter 11.

Paul Booth, MD, Global Research Partners

* Very good year-end figures from Qatar Telecom, with revenue up 93% and net profit up 36%.
* Good quarterly numbers from Inmarsat.
* Mixed quarterly figures from Belgacom, with revenue up slightly, but profit down 30%.
* Quarterly losses from QAD.
* The appointments of Hannes Ametsreiter as CEO of Telekom Austria (Orascom Egypt recently took a 27% stake in this company); Tim Armstrong as chairman and CEO of AOL; Jason Cohenour as chairman and CEO of Wavecom, a wireless technology company; Hideichi Kawasaki as president and CEO of OKI Electric; William Morrow as CEO of Clearwire, a major US-based telecommunications operator; and Katsumasa Shinozuka as chairman of OKI Electric (was president and CEO).
* The resignations of Saad Al-Barrak, CEO of Zain Saudi Arabia; Randy Falco, chairman and CEO of AOL; and Benjamin Wolff, founder and CEO of Clearwire.
* Palm announced a public stock offering.
* Chartered Semiconductor announced a $300 million rights issue.

* Possible acquisitions by Infosys (India) in France, Germany and Japan.
* The break up of Nortel Networks, since this is likely to create more value than any restructuring under Chapter 11.

* Worldwide smartphone sales grew 3.7% in Q4 2008 to 38.1 million units, although sales for the full 2008 year were up 13.9%, reports Gartner.
* The worldwide software storage market grew 3.6% in Q4 2008 to $3.03 billion, says IDC.
* Worldwide hardcopy peripheral shipments declined 17% in Q4 2008 to 32.6 million units, according to IDC.
* Worldwide mobile phone shipments will fall 8.3% in 2009, predicts IDC. According to Juniper research, smartphones will account for 23% of all new handsets by 2013.

Fortune magazine has published The World's Most Admired Companies list for 2009. From a technology perspective, Apple is number one, Google number four and Microsoft 10. Also in the top 50 are Accenture, AT&T, Cisco, HP, IBM, Intel, Nokia, Samsung Electronics and Sony.

I am overseas on business, so the next issue of Booth's Bites will be published on 30 March, but as usual, will cover the intervening two-week period.