Number portability approved

Last week, yet again, was a quiet week both locally and internationally from an ICT perspective, although there were a number of minor international acquisitions.

At home, the number portability issue and the happenings at Xantium stole much of the local ICT headline space.

* Telewest and ntl are to merge to create the UK`s second largest communications company with combined revenues of lb3.4 billion. The deal is worth about $6 billion.

* The promulgation of the telecommunications number portability regulations.

* Good half-year numbers from Bytes Technology Group with revenue up about 23% and earnings back in the black.

* Satisfactory interim numbers from InfoWave with revenue up about 10% and earnings up slightly.

* Positive trading updates from Connection Group and Datatec.

* Xantium Technology Holdings will merge with MICT Solutions Group. The former will also purchase a majority stake in Motoma Mithratech from the latter, its holding company. Mohammed Varachia is to become joint-CEO alongside James Murray.

* Xantium will purchase the remaining 49% of Waymark Consulting it doesn`t already own.

* Xantium will change its name to Simeka Technology Holdings following the completed acquisition of Simeka Consulting.

* MTN has set aside a EUR270 million deposit to back its bid for an Irancell stake should Turkcell drop out of contention as the foreign shareholder in the proposed investment consortium.

* SAP SA has put its black empowerment deal on hold until the rules are clarified.

* The appointments of Arnot van Heerden as country manager for Wyse Technology and George Isaacson as MD of Bytes Communications Systems.

* MTN submitted a pre-qualification application for a stake in Tunisia Telecom.

SAP SA has put its black empowerment deal on hold until the rules are clarified.

Paul Booth, MD, Global Research Partners

* Oracle acquired Innobase, a Finnish developer of database technology.

* Business Objects will acquire Infommersion, a provider of information visualisation and presentation software.

* HP acquired RLX Technologies, bolstering the Linux management of HP`s BladeSystem portfolio.

* Symantec acquired BindView development, a maker of security management software.

* Analyst upgrades for Accenture, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Andrew, Applied Micro Circuits, ATI Technologies, Axcelis Technologies, Chordiant Software, EDS, EMC, Entegris, Euronet Worldwide, Extreme Networks, Lexar Media, Linear Technology, LTX, Maxim Integrated Products, Merix, Open Text, Pixar, Qwest Communications, Radware and Teradyne.

* Analyst downgrades for Autodesk, Eastman Kodak, IDX Systems, Inter-Tel, InterDigital Communications, Internet Security Systems, JDS Uniphase, Lexmark, M-Systems, Manhattan Associates, Mercury Interactive, MicroStrategy, MIPS Technologies, Navteq, NDCHealth, Novell, RadiSys, SanDisk, Siebel Systems, Sierra Wireless, SPSS, Sykes Enterprises, Telewest Global, Texas Instruments and Vodafone Group.

* Positive results announcements from Neoware Systems, Sento, Siebel Systems and Sykes Enterprises.

* Negative result warnings from BindView Development, Cable & Wireless, Dicom, Lexmark, Mercury Interactive, MIPS Technologies, Motive, Motorola, Nanometrics, Planar Systems, Plantronics, SupportSoft, UTStarcom, Vitesse Semiconductor and Xerox.

* Stock repurchase announcements from Cognos and Plantronics.

* Job loss announcements from Motive and Motorola.

* A planned IPO on Nasdaq by Mathstar, a chip designer.

* A planned IPO on London`s AIM by Spacelabs Healthcare, part of US-based OSI Systems.

* Mercury Interactive is now the subject of a formal SEC probe.

* The privatisation of Arel Communications and Software.

* The buyer of VW`s IT services division, Gedas AG.

* The buyer for Denmark`s TDC AS, which now has two bids from private equity groups to consider.

* A possible buy-out of Eircom by Swisscom, despite denials from the former.

* According to IDC, the master data management market for services and software will reach $10.4 billion by 2009.

* JSE All share index: Down 4.4%

* Nasdaq: Down 2.8%

* Top SA share movements: Beget Holdings (-10%), Dynamic Cables (-36%), Eureka (+11.1%), I-Solutions (+33.3%), ISA (-22.2%), Labat Africa (-18.2%), Stella Vista (-16.7%) and Vesta (+20%).

* Top international share movements: Arel Communications & Software (+29.2%), Celltalk Group (+24.2%), DA Consulting Group (+100%), DAT Group (-36.3%), Dicom (-22.6%), FiberMark (+57.9%), Lexmark (-29.9%), SEMX (+50%), SONICblue (-23.5%) and Voss Net (-28.5%).

US-based InformationWeek recently published its annual InformationWeek 500 listing. From a technology perspective the highest ranked company was Equifax at number three. Other top rankings included Perot Systems at five, Cadence Design Systems at nine, BellSouth at 10, Avnet at 13, SAS Institute at 16, SBC Communications at 18 and Affiliated Computer Services at 25.