WCA July 2010

Korea, and connectivity of several hundred thousand additional units is planned for the near future. Intel Corp (Santa Clara, California), ✆ ✆ the world’s biggest chip maker and an industry bellwether, said its sales would rise in the second quarter after a 44% gain in the first three months. April-June revenue will climb as high as $10.6 billion, exceeding analysts’ predictions, Intel said on 13 th April. Net income surged almost fourfold in the period through March, signalling a rebound in technology spending. Intel CEO Paul Otellini said corporate executives, gaining confidence about their prospects, are replacing ageing computers. The report of the best quarter in company history suggests that the economic recovery taking hold in the US will lift Microsoft Corp and Texas Instruments Inc, as well as Intel. th April, to industry applause, European telecom and information technology ministers called for the On 19 ✆ ✆

worst customer service. As for the preferred mode of business communication in Singapore, tele- phone contact with a live agent ranked first, followed by email and voice self-service. From the survey for its report, Genesys learned that time spent in a voice self-service system before reaching a live agent in Singapore is 11.5 minutes. A German-Swedish collaboration ✆ ✆ of Cinterion Wireless Modules (of Munich) and Telenor Connexion (of Stockholm) is providing Japan’s Hitachi Construction and Machinery Co with cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) communication for track- ing its construction and mining machinery in use worldwide. The customised solution employs a subscriber identity module (SIM) and wireless service to enable advan- ced fleet management including remote eMaintenance and extended warranty support. According to the suppliers, the method has been implemented in more than 20,000 pieces of equipment in 50 countries including Japan and

introduction of open standards and interoperability in government procurement of IT. As noted by Paul Meller of the IDG News Service (20 th April), the ministers’ statement, part of a broader declaration con- cerning Europe’s digital agenda, came as the European Commission was trying to draw up a framework for procurement by governments of software to run their online public services. A bloc led by Commissioner Neelie Kroes is pushing hard to open up the public procurement market and to break the grip of vendors of proprietary software, including Microsoft. Mr Meller noted that the declaration by the ministers should have strengthened Ms Kroes’ hand as she prepared her game plan for Europe’s digital agenda, to be presented in May. Two large presences in the mobile ✆ ✆ phone industry in the former Soviet Union and in Southeast Asia have together created a company that could become one of the largest

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Wire & Cable ASIA – July/August 2010