March 17, 2008 - Deutsche Telekom extends exposure in Eastern Europe

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March 17, 2008 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise Read more at SmartBrief.com News for telecom industry leaders Search recent stories:       News of the Day    Deutsche Telekom extends exposure in Eastern Europe Deutsche Telekom is spending $3.92 billion for a 20% stake in Hellenic Telecommunications Organization as the telecom moves to extend its reach into emerging markets. The Greek government holds a stake in Hellenic as well. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (3/17) , Forbes/AFX News Limited (3/17) , Bloomberg (3/17)   Business & Industry Watch  BT aims to compete with Google BT Group has upgraded its Web21C software development kit in an effort to more effectively compete with Google in the unified-communications space. "The first version of the SDK was about giving someone the ability to build a softphone you could embed within other apps," said BT's JP Rangaswami. "With CallFlow, we're doing the same thing with IVR. Rather than give users a Grand Central-style application, we're giving developers the tools to build their own." Telephony Online (3/14) Motorola makes more leadership changes Motorola continued its plan to transform its management team, naming Stephen Nolan as the head of mobile devices in Europe, Middle East and Africa and Larry R. Raymond as treasurer. Since taking the helm at the onset of this year, Chief Executive Officer Greg Brown has replaced several senior executives. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (3/17) Customers more important than technology, says StarHub president Mike Reynolds, the new president of StarHub Group, says "the evolution of customer's needs and desires" is even more important than the telecom industry's evolving technologies. StarHub, the second-largest telecom in Singapore, built its success on being customer-focused, marketing-led and financially driven, Reynolds said. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (3/17) Survey: Microsoft likely to win over Yahoo! Wall Street analysts believe Microsoft Corp. will be successful in its bid to buy Yahoo!, according to a survey by Reuters. The majority of respondents said Microsoft will be able to secure approval for the deal without having to increase its bid, although some say Microsoft will need to add more enticement by making it an all-cash offer. USA TODAY/Reuters (3/16)   Hot Topics  Top five news stories selected by USTelecom dailyLead readers in the past week. Verizon raising speeds for DSL (Telephony Online) AT&T to seek more U-verse bundling (Light Reading) Cassidy: The maverick at Cincinnati Bell (Forbes) SureWest adds VoIP, DVR services (TMC Internet Telephony) Level 3 loses co-founder O'Hara, retains CFO (The Wall Street Journal) Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.   Video Upload  U-verse customers get Olympics exclusive AT&T plans to offer U-verse customers AT&T Team USA On Demand, a free VOD service featuring 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing behind-the-scenes footage. American City Business Journals/San Antonio (3/17) Vudu to partner with control companies Control 4, Crestron, Logitech, NetStreams, Philips, Universal Electronics and Universal Remote Control will develop products to be used with the $999 Vudu XL on-demand video box. More than 5,000 standard-def and 100 hi-def movies and 1,000 TV shows are available. The movies can be rented or purchased. Electronic House (3/16) Sites must reassure marketers wary of user video With many top marketers reluctant to commit to the online video segment out of concern their brands will be linked to inappropriate content, sites must improve on their current methods for identifying which videos are most suitable for ads, according to this article. At the same time, some video-site users may balk at watching a preroll ad for a clip that may turn out to be of dubious quality. Forbes/Associated Press (3/16) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Technicians' Best Practices: Handling Reduced Bend Radius Some monumental breakthroughs have taken place in optical fiber cables and their ability to bend around sharp corners without increasing attenuation. Despite these new developments, perceiving the new fibers as being virtually indestructible is a dangerous misperception. Register for ADC's Next Gen white paper series. Emerson Communications Conference '08… offers technical and training sessions covering broadband solutions, DC power, network reliability and alternative energy & energy management, to strengthen your knowledge and translate it into strategies that enable broadband mission-critical networks and applications. Join us April 23 to 24 in Dallas. Interested in learning more about advertising in the USTelecom dailyLead? Contact Amy Abbey at 202-737-5500 ext 250 or aabbey@smartbrief.com.   Technology Trends  Telecom market poised for growth in emerging Asian nations The market for telecom-data services in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam is on pace to grow at a 36% compound annual rate through 2011. The countries saw mobile-data services, fixed-line corporate data and Internet-access services increase 258% year-on-year in 2006, reaching $952 million, according to research firm IDC. cellular-news (U.K.) (3/17) Rural telecoms grapple with middleware delays Frustrated that Myrio middleware is delaying their plans to offer high-def video and DVR services, some rural telecoms are considering other providers, according to this article. Myrio, a unit of Nokia Siemens Networks, says it is "fully committed to sales, support and product development of its IPTV business in North America." Telephony Online (3/14)   IP Download  Primer: Variety of options in virtual PBX Businesses seeking virtual PBX providers for their VoIP systems should look for ways to integrate voice and computer systems, such as e-mail integration and videoconferencing features, according to this primer. Assess calling needs, then look for providers that offer several calling plans and desired features at the lowest rate. PCWorld (3/16) Other News Pinnacle Partner Program adds Genesys as a member TMC Internet Telephony (3/17)   LeadQuote  When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious." --Edna O'Brien, Irish writer       This dailyLead was created for webmaster@freeraovat.com Subscriber Tools       Update account information |  Change e-mail address |  Unsubscribe |  Print friendly format |  Web version |  Search past news |  Privacy policy Advertise Sales Account Director:  Amy Abbey (202) 737-5500 x250 Download Media Kit   Read more at dailyLead.com A powerful Web site for dailyLead readers including: Breaking News Industry Home Competitor News Readers' Choice Press Releases Search Archive       Recent USTelecom dailyLead Issues: Friday, March 14, 2008 Thursday, March 13, 2008 Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Tuesday, March 11, 2008 Monday, March 10, 2008     Lead Editor:  Susan Rush       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2008 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information