People may want to look at the hottest new deals for the devices much talked about at present, the iPad 3 and the Nokia Lumia. The fact is, the hotter a product is, the higher the worldwide demand for it; which mean the lower the prices are on Groupcow. The opposite is usually true for other sites which is why Groupcow is getting popular at lightning speed.
Before look into the offers at Groupcow, lets look at what some of these new devices are about. The iPad 3 is the newest release of Apple in the category tablet computers. It doesnt look any different at all externally from the previous iPad 2. The much liked feature is Retina display which is also implemented in some iphones. This gives the display a very high definition reproducing pictures that are extremely sharp and crystal clear. ipad 3 display has a resolution of 1536 x 2048 pixels; having a bigger screen makes it even more attractive.
The Nokia Lumia 900 is also a competitive smart phone and its features include large screen, good performance and overall good design.
Example of relevant products for these new devices are, at present, a water resistant sleeve for iPad 3 at $20.21 with a discount of 47% off. Products like this makes traveling with iPad 3 in bad weather possible. have even more choices for iPad 3 accessories. Having said that. considering the fact that it is almost similar to the iPad 2 in dimension and design; one can use most of iPad 2s accessories for the iPad 3.
Another example of relevant products found on Groupcow currently includes a Luxury Back Case for Nokia Lumia 900 case that has a price that is lower then the market rate by at least 45%.
It may be wise to subscribe to their newsletter so that can be the first to be alerted of crazy offers.
About GroupCow
GroupCow is a revolutionary online buying site. Their motto is: More Buyers, Better Discount.
Their primary difference from other sites is that the larger the buying volume for a product, the lower the prices; price being adjusted downwards in real-time as purchasing volume increases.
are probably aware that a $100 item buy at the nearest shopping center actually cost way lower. In truth, the actual price of the maker producing it could be as low as than $10. Cutting away the middleman and trying to bring the item to their members close to $10 is the very goal of Groupcow; while they strive to build a buying force bigger than that of Walmart.
Facebook could buy Nokia to build 'FacePhone', expert claims - ARNnet
While a potential Facebook smartphone was ridiculed by analysts, one Paris-based marketing expert predicted a "FacePhone" will happen in 18 months, and the social networking giant will buy Nokia for $10 billion to make it happen.
The existing hardware-operating system partnership between Nokia and Microsoft will also play into Facebook's plans for a smartphone, which mean the device would use the Windows Phone operating system, said Paul Amsellem, managing director of Mobile Network Group, a mobile marketing company.
"Facebook will launch the FacePhone and whether it has a blue color and a logo with a big "f" on it, it will definitely be disruptive," Amsellem said in a telephone interview. "Even at this moment, Facebook doesn't know what it will look like, but they need to do it."
Amsellem said Facebook, flush with cash from its recent IPO, could purchase Nokia for $10 billion, even though Nokia is valued at around $15 billion, with its stock price declining in recent weeks. Nokia is already producing Windows Phone models.
Microsoft already has ties to Facebook through a stock investment Microsoft made in Facebook in 2007 and collaboration by the two on Internet search to boost Microsoft's Bing search engine. The combination of all three companies could be powerful, he said.
If Facebook doesn't buy Nokia, it could buy BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, for less than $6 billion, to get access to BlackBerry Messenger compression software, Amsellem said. A primary reason to buy either Nokia or RIM would be access to their radio technology savvy and their connections to hundreds of wireless carriers globally -- areas where Facebook is notably weak.
"Facebook needs somebody with an understanding of networking, technology, carrier relationships and logistics," he said. "They can acquire one of these two players for not a lot of money."
Many experts have poo-poohed the idea that Facebook should build a smartphone, noting that the market is already crowded with the iPhone and various Android smartphones leading the way.
But Amsellem said Facebook desperately needs to "do something in mobile" to find a new technology sector where it can grow aside from its popular social networking software. Facebook has 900 million active users each month, with more than 500 million accessing Facebook from smartphones and tablets.
Facebook admitted in its IPO filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that users' shifting from desktop and laptop computers to mobile devices were hurting its ability to sell advertisements, which aren't as predominant on the mobile platforms.
Rather than produce a "Buffy" code-named smartphone based on Android next year, as reported last November, Amsellem said Facebook has more time to bring a smartphone to market and to develop a strategy with Microsoft and Nokia. The New York Times recently reported that HTC is working with Facebook on a smartphone, even though they had previously worked together on a phone, called the ChaCha in the U.S. and Salsa elsewhere, that flopped.
Reports also surfaced that Facebook could buy Norwegian browser maker Opera Software. Last week, Facebook launched Camera, a mobile photo app, as part of a pending deal to buy photo-sharing app maker Instagram for $1 billion.
Google last week wrapped up a $12.5 billion deal to buy Motorola Mobility, giving the search engine giant a hardware manufacturing capability for its Android mobile operating system.
Facebook's interest in building a smartphone would allow Facebook to apply pressure on the rest of the market, including Google, Amsellem said.
But Amsellem's view is in the minority, with four analysts on Tuesday dismissing the Facephone idea. Rob Enderle, an analyst at Enderle Group, said Facebook would be starting off well behind Apple, Dell and Hewlett-Packard in building a smartphone, noting that the latter two basically failed.
"Facebook appears to be trying to emulate Google much like Google tried to emulate Apple," Enderle said. "A copy of a copy likely won't end up well, given how powerful both of the primary iOS and Android platforms are."
Enderle added: "We have a young company, Facebook, flush with cash, led by a young, inexperienced CEO, who treats this cash as if it were something he won in a game show. So I expect this to end badly."
Ramon Llamas, an analyst at IDC, added that the smartphone market is already "hugely crowded." A Facebook phone would offer little that's new to phone users or to mobile operators interested in finding new ways to raise data usage revenues. "Is anybody really turned on by having a Facebook phone?" he asked.
Ken Dulaney, an analyst at Gartner, added that instead of creating a smartphone, Facebook executives need to "get themselves ready to compete with Amazon, Apple, Google and others as an ecosystem before they start making phones ... It would be best to continue on with partnerships and being device agnostic"
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is mhamblen@computerworld.com.
Bouygues Telecom Selects Acme Packet for IMS Network - Yahoo Finance
BEDFORD, MA--(Marketwire -05/23/12)- Acme Packet® (APKT), the leader in session delivery networks, today announced that Bouygues Telecom, a leading fixed and mobile service provider in France, is deploying Acme Packet Net-Net® Session Director session border controllers (SBCs) in its IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, supplied and integrated by Alcatel-Lucent. Acme Packet's SBCs fulfill numerous IMS functions at both the access and interconnect borders, ensuring security, interoperability, and quality in the network.
Bouygues Telecom is deploying IMS to support multiple services, including migration of existing residential voice to voice over IP (VoIP), interconnecting with other service providers and launching new services, such as visual voice mail.
The Net-Net Session Director fulfills critical IMS functional requirements at the access and interconnect borders of Bouygues Telecom's network. In the access network, SBCs provide the critical Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) and IMS-Access Gateway Function (AGW) for securing, interoperating, and controlling all SIP-based services to subscribers. The Net-Net Session Director provides Interconnect Border Control Function (I-BCF) and the Transition Gateway (TrGW) for controlling fixed and mobile SIP traffic at interconnect borders, encompassing both internal interconnection between Bouygues' fixed and mobile networks as well as between the IMS network and other service providers.
Bouygues Telecom is using Acme Packet's interoperability feature set that includes SIP normalization and SIP to SIP-I interworking that helps accelerate time-to-market and reduce operational costs as the network expands. Net-SAFE®, Acme Packet's security framework, provides denial of service (DoS) attack prevention, topology hiding, and access control to protect Bouygues Telecom's IMS network and ensure service availability. Other key features include accounting for billing and traffic planning, as well as admission control, routing, and quality of service marking for service level agreement assurance.
"Acme Packet's SBC is a key part of our IMS network, built to enable innovative services and deliver enhanced customer experience to our fixed and mobile customers," commented Jean-Paul Arzel, Bouygues Telecom networks director. "We chose the Acme Packet solution due to their culture of innovation, the rich functionality and scalability of its session border controllers, and the company's impressive track record in enabling trusted, high-quality VoIP, and IP interactive communication services."
"Acme Packet brings extensive experience in helping our customers build next generation communications networks," commented Mario Oliveira, Acme Packet's vice president of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, and Caribbean and Latin America sales. "Our IMS solution portfolio delivers the security, interoperability, and quality functionalities that Bouygues Telecom and leading service providers demand to be successful in their migration to end-to-end IP communications."
About Acme Packet
Acme Packet (APKT), the leader in session delivery network solutions, enables the trusted, first-class delivery of next-generation voice, data and unified communications services and applications across IP networks. Our Net-Net product family fulfills demanding security, service assurance and regulatory requirements in service provider, enterprise and contact center networks. Based in Bedford, Massachusetts, Acme Packet designs and manufactures its products in the USA, selling them through over 220 reseller partners worldwide. More than 1,600 customers in 107 countries have deployed over 16,000 Acme Packet systems, including 88 of the top 100 service providers and 41 of the Fortune 100. For more information visit www.acmepacket.com.
More about Acme Packet:
About Bouygues Telecom
Created in 1994, Bouygues Telecom has 11,304,000 mobile customers and 1,241,000 fixed broadband customers, and over 1,500,000 client companies. Bouygues Telecom is committed to continually enhancing the customer experience for its mobile and fixed telephone, TV and Internet services. Each day, the company's 9,800 employees develop solutions aligned with changing customer needs and deliver efficient support.
After pioneering the mobile talk-plan concept in France in 1996, Bouygues Telecom introduced groundbreaking unlimited call plans: Millennium (1999) and neo (2006).
In 2007, Bouygues Telecom introduced the first fixed-mobile solutions aimed at professionals.
Bouygues Telecom acquired its own fixed network in 2008 and became an Internet Service Provider (ISP), launching the Bbox broadband router.
In 2009, Bouygues Telecom invented the "all-in-one" solution with ideo the first quadruple play offer in the market.
In 2010, Bouygues Telecom launched Bbox fibre, its very-high-speed offer, and began investing in fibre-to-the-home in high-density areas.
In July 2011, Bouygues Telecom introduced mobile telephony "2.0" with B&YOU, the first web-based, SIM-only call plan.
Bouygues Telecom's mobile network covers 99% of the population. Its 3G+ network provides mobile Internet access for 94% of the population.
Bouygues Telecom is the only operator to be awarded "NF Service Centre de Relation Client" certification from French standards agency AFNOR Certification for all its consumer activities (mobile and fixed). Customer relations centres, a distribution network of 630 Bouygues Telecom Club stores, and a website available 24/7 combine to ensure optimum customer service.
Acme Packet Safe Harbor Statement
Statements contained herein that are not historical fact may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements may relate to, among other things, expected financial and operating results, expected growth rates, future stock-based compensation and amortization expenses, future business prospects and market conditions. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: the amount of stock-based compensation awarded; the applicable Company stock price used to determine stock-based compensation; the exercise pattern of employee stock options; difficulties expanding the Company's customer base; difficulties leveraging market opportunities; difficulties providing solutions that meet the needs of customers; poor product sales; long sales cycles; difficulties developing new products; difficulties in relationships with vendors and partners; higher risks in international operations; difficulties managing rapid growth; difficulties managing the Company's financial performance; the ability to hire and retain employees and appropriately staff operations; the Company's cash needs; the impact of new accounting pronouncements and increased competition. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in the Company's recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in such filings.
Nokia Oyj : Esko Aho to join Harvard University as Senior Fellow - 4-traders (press release)
Nokia Corporation
Stock exchange release
May 30, 2012 at 9.30 (CET+1)
Espoo, Finland - Today Nokia shares that Esko Aho has been appointed to the role of Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School, the school at Harvard University dedicated to study and engagement in public policy and public administration. As a Senior Fellow, Aho will pursue research on the changing role of the state in maintaining welfare and global competitiveness. Aho will continue to represent Nokia and drive the company's governmental affairs as a consultative partner, although he will step down from the Nokia Leadership team, effective August 31, 2012 out of respect for the demands of the Harvard appointment.
"Today's public problems and opportunities increasingly require collaboration between public and private institutions - between business and government," said John Haigh, the center's co-director and Executive Dean of Harvard Kennedy School. "Mr. Aho brings a unique perspective on how these different institutions can work together more effectively. He has vast experience in government, particularly as Prime Minister of Finland, and in senior executive roles at Nokia. He can help bridge the perspectives of many sectors, enabling the collaboration necessary to solve some of the most intractable public problems. We are pleased he will be joining us as a Senior Fellow."
"Esko has made an immeasurable contribution to Nokia's corporate and government relations, bringing unique insights and political acumen," said Stephen Elop, President and CEO of Nokia. "I am certain that Esko will enjoy the challenges the world of academia offers, and we look forward to Esko's continued contributions to Nokia's governmental relations in the future."
Aho joined Nokia in 2008. He has served as executive vice president, Corporate Relations and Responsibility and as a member of the Nokia Leadership Team since the beginning of 2009. In this role, he has led Nokia's government and public affairs function, overseeing the company's global policies and activities regarding sustainable development and social responsibility.
About Nokia
Nokia is a global leader in mobile communications whose products have become an integral part of the lives of people around the world. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people use their Nokia to capture and share experiences, access information, find their way or simply to speak to one another. Nokia's technological and design innovations have made its brand one of the most recognized in the world. For more information, visit http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
It should be noted that certain statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those regarding: A) the expected plans and benefits of our partnership with Microsoft to bring together complementary assets and expertise to form a global mobile ecosystem for smartphones; B) the timing and expected benefits of our new strategies, including expected operational and financial benefits and targets as well as changes in leadership and operational structure; C) the timing of the deliveries of our products and services; D) our ability to innovate, develop, execute and commercialize new technologies, products and services; E) expectations regarding market developments and structural changes; F) expectations and targets regarding our industry volumes, market share, prices, net sales and margins of our products and services; G expectations and targets regarding our operational priorities and results of operations; H) expectations and targets regarding collaboration and partnering arrangements; I) the outcome of pending and threatened litigation; J) expectations regarding the successful completion of acquisitions or restructurings on a timely basis and our ability to achieve the financial and operational targets set in connection with any such acquisition or restructuring; and K) statements preceded by "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "foresee," "target," "estimate," "designed," "aim", "plans," "will" or similar expressions. These statements are based on management's best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Because they involve risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from the results that we currently expect. Factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: 1) our success in the smartphone market, including our ability to introduce and bring to market quantities of attractive, competitively priced Nokia products with Windows Phone that are positively differentiated from our competitors' products, both outside and within the Windows Phone ecosystem; 2) our ability to make Nokia products with Windows Phone a competitive choice for consumers, and together with Microsoft, our success in encouraging and supporting a competitive and profitable global ecosystem for Windows Phone smartphones that achieves sufficient scale, value and attractiveness to all market participants; 3) the difficulties we experience in having a competitive offering of Symbian devices and maintaining the economic viability of the Symbian smartphone platform during the transition to Windows Phone as our primary smartphone platform; 4) our ability to realize a return on our investment in next generation devices, platforms and user experiences; 5) our ability to produce attractive and competitive feature phones, including devices with more smartphone-like features, in a timely and cost efficient manner with differentiated hardware, software, localized services and applications; 6) the intensity of competition in the various markets where we do business and our ability to maintain or improve our market position or respond successfully to changes in the competitive environment; 7) our ability to retain, motivate, develop and recruit appropriately skilled employees; 8) our ability to effectively and smoothly implement the new operational structure for our businesses, achieve targeted efficiencies and reductions in operating expenses; 9) the success of our Location & Commerce strategy, including our ability to maintain current sources of revenue, provide support for our Devices & Services business and create new sources of revenue from our location-based services and commerce assets; 10) our success in collaboration and partnering arrangements with third parties, including Microsoft; 11) our ability to increase our speed of innovation, product development and execution to bring new innovative and competitive mobile products and location-based or other services to the market in a timely manner; 12) our dependence on the development of the mobile and communications industry, including location-based and other services industries, in numerous diverse markets, as well as on general economic conditions globally and regionally; 13) our ability to protect numerous patented standardized or proprietary technologies from third-party infringement or actions to invalidate the intellectual property rights of these technologies; 14) our ability to maintain and leverage our traditional strengths in the mobile product market if we are unable to retain the loyalty of our mobile operator and distributor customers and consumers as a result of the implementation of our strategies or other factors; 15) the success, financial condition and performance of our suppliers, collaboration partners and customers; 16) our ability to manage efficiently our manufacturing and logistics, as well as to ensure the quality, safety, security and timely delivery of our products and services; 17) our ability to source sufficient amounts of fully functional quality components, sub-assemblies, software and services on a timely basis without interruption and on favorable terms; 18) our ability to manage our inventory and timely adapt our supply to meet changing demands for our products; 19) any actual or even alleged defects or other quality, safety and security issues in our product; 20) the impact of a cybersecurity breach or other factors leading to any actual or alleged loss, improper disclosure or leakage of any personal or consumer data collected by us or our partners or subcontractors, made available to us or stored in or through our products; 21) our ability to successfully manage the pricing of our products and costs related to our products and operations; 22) exchange rate fluctuations, including, in particular, fluctuations between the euro, which is our reporting currency, and the US dollar, the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan, as well as certain other currencies; 23) our ability to protect the technologies, which we or others develop or that we license, from claims that we have infringed third parties' intellectual property rights, as well as our unrestricted use on commercially acceptable terms of certain technologies in our products and services; 24) the impact of economic, political, regulatory or other developments on our sales, manufacturing facilities and assets located in emerging market countries; 25) the impact of changes in government policies, trade policies, laws or regulations where our assets are located and where we do business; 26) the potential complex tax issues and obligations we may incur to pay additional taxes in the various jurisdictions in which we do business; 27) any disruption to information technology systems and networks that our operations rely on; 28) unfavorable outcome of litigations; 29) allegations of possible health risks from electromagnetic fields generated by base stations and mobile products and lawsuits related to them, regardless of merit; 30) Nokia Siemens Networks ability to implement its new strategy and restructuring plan effectively and in a timely manner to improve its overall competitiveness and profitability; 31) Nokia Siemens Networks' success in the telecommunications infrastructure services market and Nokia Siemens Networks' ability to effectively and profitably adapt its business and operations in a timely manner to the increasingly diverse service needs of its customers; 32) Nokia Siemens Networks' ability to maintain or improve its market position or respond successfully to changes in the competitive environment; 33) Nokia Siemens Networks' liquidity and its ability to meet its working capital requirements; 34) Nokia Siemens Networks' ability to timely introduce new competitive products, services, upgrades and technologies; 35) Nokia Siemens Networks' ability to execute successfully its strategy for the acquired Motorola Solutions wireless network infrastructure assets; 36) developments under large, multi-year contracts or in relation to major customers in the networks infrastructure and related services business; 37) the management of our customer financing exposure, particularly in the networks infrastructure and related services business; 38) whether ongoing or any additional governmental investigations into alleged violations of law by some former employees of Siemens may involve and affect the carrier-related assets and employees transferred by Siemens to Nokia Siemens Networks; and 39) any impairment of Nokia Siemens Networks customer relationships resulting from ongoing or any additional governmental investigations involving the Siemens carrier-related operations transferred to Nokia Siemens Networks, as well as the risk factors specified on pages 13-47 of Nokia's annual report Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011 under Item 3D. "Risk Factors." Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proving to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Nokia does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally required.
Media Enquiries:
Nokia
Communications
Tel. +358 7180 34900
Email: press.services@nokia.com
Nokia Lumia 900 Batman edition swooping into shops this week - Crave
A Dark Knight edition of the Windows Phone-powered Nokia Lumia 900 is going on sale this week, tying in with the Batman movie hitting silver screens this summer.
The bat-powered blower is available exclusively from Phones 4u from 1 June, and has the iconic Batman logo etched into its matte-black rear. Not the most subtle calling card for a masked crimefighter, but, y'know, Batman!
Apart from the branded logo, you get limited-edition packaging, the official Dark Knight Rises movie app (a promo video for which is embedded below), character wallpapers and ringtones, and if you buy the phone in June you get two tickets to see the film when it comes out.
The bad news is this crime-fighting phone is pricey enough to make even Bruce Wayne cough up his canapé -- £600 gets you the SIM-free version (the non-Batman version costs £450 on Amazon), while expect to shell out £31 per month on contract. It's the phone you deserve, but at these prices, is it the one you need right now?
This isn't Nokia's first bat-phone -- the Finnish company already made a Batman-themed Lumia 800. It only made 40 of them however, and as our in-depth tests proved, you can't even use it shine the Bat-symbol into the sky. The 4.3-inch Lumia 900 is unlikely to be much help when it comes to dispatching goons, but it can take a nail or two.
The Dark Knight Rises movie, meanwhile, is the final effort in Chris Nolan's trilogy, and if the opening sequence is anything to go by, it's going to be another belter. Fingers crossed, Bat-fans.
Phones 4u is running its own little promotion for the flick -- buy a Lumia phone and you'll be entered into a competition to win tickets to the movie premiere. If you simply can't wait until tomorrow to get your mitts on the phone, you can pre-order it today.
Will you don your cowl and swoop into Phones 4u to nab the Batman Lumia 900? Shine your own super-signal in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.
China Telecom Deploys China's Largest IMS Network Through Acme Packet - Yahoo Finance
BEDFORD, MA--(Marketwire -05/29/12)- Acme Packet® (APKT), the leader in session delivery networks, today announced that China Telecom Corporation Limited, the largest fixed-line network provider in China with approximately 170 million fixed-line subscribers, has deployed Acme Packet's Net-Net Session Director session border controllers (SBCs) to help replace its legacy public switched telephone network (PSTN) infrastructure with the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture, enabling next-generation voice, video, and data services for fixed-line subscribers.
News Highlights:
- China Telecom is deploying more than 130 Acme Packet SBCs and Net-Net Session-aware Load Balancers across dozens of cities as part of China's largest IMS deployment.
- The Acme Packet deployment is supporting both consumer voice over IP (VoIP) and hosted enterprise unified communications (UC) services offered by China Telecom. This deployment will also support future mobile services.
- The Acme Packet SBCs integrate and fulfill critical IMS functional elements including the Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF), which lowers the total cost of ownership for China Telecom's IMS network.
- Acme Packet accelerates China Telecom's time-to-market for its IMS services and lowers capital and operation costs by replacing legacy soft switches with the interoperable, flexible, and highly scalable Net-Net Session Director.
Customer Benefits:
- Cost savings via Acme Packet's scalable, interoperable solution
- Rapid time-to-market in deploying the new IMS infrastructure
- High availability and service quality
- Trusted, first-class VoIP through comprehensive security and service assurance
- Compliance with VoIP regulations
- Protection against malicious denial of service attacks and non-malicious overloads
"As China's largest communications service provider, China Telecom will serve as a leader in providing next-generation communications across the country through its IMS deployment," said Tim Ziemer, vice president of North America and Asia Pacific Japan sales, Acme Packet. "Our SBCs will securely streamline China Telecom's IMS initiatives to deliver next-generation voice, video, and UC services to subscribers, and also support mobile applications in the future."
More about China Telecom and Acme Packet:
More about Acme Packet:
Tags:
Acme Packet, APKT, China Telecom, VoIP, voice over IP, IMS, IP Multimedia Subsystem, LTE, PSTN, VoLTE, security, unified communications, voice, video, mobile, applications, session border controller, SBC, next-generation, China, Net-Net, communications, DoS, DDoS, denial of service, distributed denial of service
About China Telecom Corporation Limited
China Telecom Corporation Limited is the world's largest wireline telecommunications and broadband services provider and the world's largest CDMA mobile operator. Serving as a full services integrated information service operator, China Telecom provides basic telecommunications services, such as wireline telecommunications services and mobile telecommunications services, and value-added telecommunications services, such as Internet access services and information services in the PRC. As of the end of March 2011, the Company has wireline access lines in service of about 173 million, wireline broadband subscribers of over 66 million and mobile subscribers of more than 100 million. The Company's H shares and American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") are listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and the New York Stock Exchange, respectively.
About Acme Packet
Acme Packet (APKT), the leader in session delivery network solutions, enables the trusted, first-class delivery of next-generation voice, data and unified communications services and applications across IP networks. Our Net-Net product family fulfills demanding security, service assurance and regulatory requirements in service provider, enterprise and contact center networks. Based in Bedford, Massachusetts, Acme Packet designs and manufactures its products in the USA, selling them through over 220 reseller partners worldwide. More than 1,600 customers in 107 countries have deployed over 16,000 Acme Packet systems, including 88 of the top 100 service providers and 41 of the Fortune 100. For more information visit www.acmepacket.com.
Acme Packet, Inc. Safe Harbor Statement
Statements contained herein that are not historical fact may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements may relate to, among other things, expected financial and operating results, expected growth rates, future stock-based compensation and amortization expenses, future business prospects and market conditions. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: the amount of stock-based compensation awarded; the applicable Company stock price used to determine stock-based compensation; the exercise pattern of employee stock options; difficulties expanding the Company's customer base; difficulties leveraging market opportunities; difficulties providing solutions that meet the needs of customers; poor product sales; long sales cycles; difficulties developing new products; difficulties in relationships with vendors and partners; higher risks in international operations; difficulties managing rapid growth; difficulties managing the Company's financial performance; the ability to hire and retain employees and appropriately staff operations; the Company's cash needs; the impact of new accounting pronouncements and increased competition. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in the Company's recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in such filings.
Quin becomes acting Telecom CEO; interim Gen-i boss named - National Business Review
UPDATE May 31: Chris Quin may have missed out on the big chair, but the Gen-i boss will get to be acting Telecom CEO, starting tomorrow.
Mr Quin will fill the chief executive role from June 1 until new CEO Simon Moutter's arrival on September 1.
Paul Reynolds will depart on June 30, as scheduled, following a cross-over month with Mr Quin.
In turn, Greg Mikkelsen has been named acting CEO of the Geni-i.
Mr Mikkelsen is general manager for enterprise clients at the Telecom IT and services division. Previous roles have included head of enterprise trans-Tasman sales for Gen-i, and head of business for Telecom.
Earlier, Mr Quin told NBR ONLINE that Telecom would "not be standing still" until September 1.
He would be talking frequently with Mr Moutter. Projects include completing Telecom’s business planning for its next financial year.
On April 24, Mr Quin said he was disappointed to have missed out on the top job, but strongly endorsed Mr Moutter.
A third declared candidate, Telecom Retail head Alan Gourdie, could not be reached for comment.
With his solid finanancial record growing Gen-i, and his personal role fronting to media and customers during during the XT crisis, many saw Mr Quin as a serious contender.
There has been inevitable speculation that passed-over candidates could leave Telecom.
On this point Mr Quin told NBR he had let staff know, "I’m totally focused on Gen-i.”
The division would play a key role in Telecom’s growth, he told staff.
In the past, some passed over for the top job have walked - notably Marko Bogoievski (now head of Infratil) and Mr Moutter. Both lost out to BT's Paul Reynolds in 2008 (Mr Moutter after a three-month stint as acting CEO).
Forsyth Barr research director Guy Hallwright said Telecom needed group leaders who could drive customer relationships. Mr Quin was strong in this area.
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'Theresa Gattung's right-hand man' to lead Telecom
UPDATE APRIL 23: Forsyth Barr research director Guy Hallwright has given new Telecom CEO Simon Moutter a cautious thumbs up.
"He was a pretty solid executive in the days when he was at Telecom - mainly on the network, operational side - and he appears to have done a good job at AIA [Auckland International Airport]. I hear only good things about him at AIA."
Deutsche Bank research analyst Geoff Zame said Mr Moutter's familiarity with the company, including many staff still around from the Theresa Gattung era, meant he could "hit the ground running, providing comfort to shareholders that progress in key area's can be maintained and accelerated."
LATEST: Telecom's new boss seen as hard man
Mr Zame said Mr Moutter's reign as Telecom chief operating officer (2006 - 2008) "was a period characterised by cost and capital discipline that was rewarding for shareholders and which we believe is likely to be similar to 2012-2014 due to a cyclical decline in capex and renewed focus on cost reduction."
Deutsche Bank is not expecting any surprises from the new Telecom boss.
"We expect the central planks of any new strategy to incorporate mobile and UFB - which arguably provides Telecom with the opportunity to untangle itself from its legacy PSTN [traditional voice line] products."
Forsyth Barr maintains its hold rating on Telecom, primarily because of the recent run up in its shares, Mr Hallwright said this afternoon.
Deutsche Bank also retained its hold ranting.
Telecom's board has passed over at least one internal candidate to appoint Simon Moutter as chief executive and managing director of Telecom, effective from September 1.
Mr Moutter was talked up by a Telecom insider in an NBR list of contenders published December 15 last year, but was not widely tipped for the role.
He has previously held senior positions at the company, including chief operating officer under former CEO Theresa Gattung.
Although the dot.com bust and regulatory changes contributed to the multi-billion dollar market cap meltdown under the Gattung regime, the CEO and her leadership team were also criticised by some commentators for failing to anticipate the government's resolve to push through regulatory changes, mis-steps in the mobile market, an aimless alliance with Microsoft's MSN, and over-paying for assets across the Tasman.
Mr Moutter left to become CEO of Auckland International Airport (AIA) in 2008 after being passed over for Telecom's top job in favour of external candidate Paul Reynolds.
Mr Moutter did serve as acting Telecom CEO in the three months between Ms Gattung's departure and Mr Reynolds' arrival.
Auckland Airport has delivered solid financial performance under the ex-Telecom man (see below, and charts above), bouncing back after a bid by the Canadian Pension Plan to take a 40% stake in the airport - initially supported by the airport's board - collapsed in the face of a hostile political reaction that saw the deal blocked by the then Labour government.
Telecom shares [NZX:TEL] were up 0.2% in early trading today after the pre-market announcement. Auckland Airport [NZX:AIA] was down 0.4%.
The missed outs and the maybes
Mr Moutter beat at least one inhouse candidate - head of retail, Alan Gourdie - the only contender to confirm, via NBR, that he was making a run at the top job.
NBR understands Gen-i services division boss Chris Quin was a second inhouse contender. He would not comment.
Mr Quin was seen as making his bones during the XT crisis as he repeatedly fronted to media and customers.
Telecom's extended "global" CEO search began last year, and appears to have seen the company canvasing a variety of potential candidates.
A trusted source inside the company told NBR ONLINE that departing Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe visited Telecom twice for meetings, and on a third occassion met senior Telecom figures at a cafe.
Shortly after, on February 24, Mr Fyfe told media he had no interest in the position.
And a person close to departing NZX CEO Mark Weldon told NBR ONLINE that Mr Weldon had been approached about a senior role at Telecom.
Mr Weldon said he was still assessing what direction he wanted to take after leaving the local stock exchange.
'Theresa Gattuing's right-hand man'
"Simon's got a huge job ahead of him in terms of positioning Telecom in the new market," Telecommunications Users Association chief executive Paul Brislen told NBR ONLINE.
"He's got to sort out staffing levels, which are far higher than comparable businesses; he's got the UFB migration to consider; and he's got to shake off the image of being Theresa Gattung's right hand man for all those years," he said.
"But Simon proved he can handle himself at Auckland Airport and has done a tremendous job there. We look forward to working with him."
CEO remuneration
Mr Moutter's remuneration will be below that of his predecessor, Paul Reynolds, whose compensation famously topped $5 million - but adjust for the Chorus demerger, which saw roughly half the company spun-off, it is in the same ballpark.
The new CEO will receive:
- A base salary of $1.35 million.
- An annual short term performance incentive of $750,000 in cash if he meets the targets set by the board.
- and shares to the value of $600,000 for achievement of those targets, with the shares received as part of this performance incentive restricted from sale for two years.
- Mr Moutter will also be eligible for $1m in share rights annually, as his long-term incentive.
- The new CEO will also receive a one-off grant of share rights on commencement with a value of $750,000.
"The vesting of these share rights will typically not occur until three years after they have been granted, and vesting is subject to meeting financial and shareholder return performance hurdles to be determined by the board," chairman Mark Verbiest said.
In all cases, the performance targets will be closely aligned to the delivery of shareholder value.
“This package represents the market rate for a CEO position of this magnitude,” Mr Verbiest said.
“While Telecom is a smaller company than it was following the Chorus demerger, it retains a significant level of scale, challenge and complexity and the package reflects that.
"Telecom is the largest listed company by market capitalisation on the NZX.
“If challenging performance targets are met then Simon will be rewarded appropriately, in a manner that is closely aligned with shareholder value.
"As such, the majority of Simon’s remuneration package is at risk, with a high proportion of incentives paid in shares.”
This grant vests in two tranches - the first half after 12 months and the second half after 24 months.
Board: proven his worth at airport
“Simon’s knowledge of the telecommunications industry in New Zealand is strong and deep, and he is a proven CEO of a significant listed organisation,” Mr Verbiest said.
“He has also demonstrated that he can deliver growth in a challenging environment by transforming the customer experience at Auckland International Airport.
“It is also pleasing that the best candidate for the job has been shown to be a New Zealander," he said.
“He was instrumental in the transformation of Telecom in the early 2000s, where the company pushed strongly into the IT services sector with the acquisition and expansion of Gen-i, the turnaround of Telecom mobile, and the roll-out of nation-wide broadband services.”
“He has also led the transformation of Auckland International Airport, which has significantly improved the international traveller experience as well as growing customer numbers [and] significantly growing revenues from non-airport business."
Auckland Airport performance
On February 29, Auckland Airport has announced a profit after tax of $69.1 million for the six month period ended December 31, 2011, up 5.5% during the same period in the previous year, with underlying profit after tax up 15% to $70.8 million.
Total revenue of $215.9 million was up 8.9% on the previous corresponding period, while expenses rose by 15.3% to $54.5 million.
A 2010 expansion drive saw Auckland Airport bjy a 25% stake in Queenstown Airport for $28 million, and a 24.5% stake in North Queensland Aiport (operator of the Cairns and Mackay airports for $A132 million).
Simon Moutter CV
2008-present: Chief executive officer, Auckland Airport
2006-08: Chief operating officer (business) – Telecom; including three-month stint as acting CEO between Theresa Gattung's departure and Paul Reynolds' arrival
2002-06: Chief Operating Officer – Telecom NZ
2000-02: Group general manager network & amp; International – Telecom NZ
1999-2000: General manager network delivery – Telecom NZ
1992-99: Chief executive – Powerco
1991-92: Station manager – New Plymouth Power Station
1987-90: Managing director/owner – Electrotech Consultants
1983-87: Electrical engineer, Electricity Division – NZ Ministry of Energy
O2 opens Wallet to enter mobile payments race - Daily Telegraph
Google's NFC service, Google Wallet, has launched in the US and is expected in the UK in the next few months.
James Richards, director of mobile at Intelligent Environments, a banking software provider, said businesses were rushing to enter the mobile payments market. "Consumer appetite to use the ever-ubiquitous mobile device to make payments and manage money is alive and kicking," he said.
Intelligent Environments said around half of smartphone owners would make NFC payments if the service was available. "Businesses need to provide compelling and intuitive mobile applications that bring convenience and simplicity to consumers' lives," Richards said.
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