C-Cube to announce new chip set for Internet access via TVs Tom Foremski C-Cube will announce today a new multimedia chip set for Internet access via TVs rather than PC displays as interest in TV based Internet access products continues to grow. C-Cube’s AviaTV platform is designed to offer sharp text displays on normally low-resolution TV displays. It will include ...

Research firm ICE predicts a flat global chip market in 1999 Tom Foremski Despite a slightly better outlook for DRAM sales in 1999, US market research firm Integrated Circuit Engineering (ICE) expects global chip sales to be flat in 1999. ICE’s latest Status 1999 report estimates that 1998 and 1999 chip sales will be at $120 to 121 billion. There ...

IBM and Nan Ya Technology collaborate on new DRAM designs Tom Foremski IBM has licensed its 64 Mbit and 256 Mbit DRAM technology to Taiwan based Nan Ya Technology and the two companies will collaborate on new DRAM designs. The deal gives Nan Ya access to IBM’s cutting edge 0.18 micron production process. Nan Ya will work with IBM on ...

Alcatel boss scotches talk of telecoms deal with GEC Alex Mayhew-Smith Dr Peter Radley, chief executive of Alcatel UK, has said the company has not entered discussions on telecoms restructuring with UK electronics and defence firm GEC. The announcement has scotched rumours that GEC was looking to sell its telecoms equipment subsidiary Marconi Communications (formerly GPT) to Alcatel. It was ...

Mandelson adds voice to UK PCs pricing row Dixons’ PC prices under fire as Trade and Industry Secretary joins debate; Intel the trigger. Melanie Reynolds Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Mandelson has added his voice to the debate over the price of PCs being charged by retail chain Dixons. In a letter to Dixons’ chairman Sir Stanley Kalms, Mandelson expressed ...

Motorola invests in digital signal processing software specialist Richard Ball Motorola has invested in Signals & Software, the digital signal processing (DSP) software specialist. It will result in the Harrow-based company doubling its staff to 40 software engineers. “It’s a great opportunity for the company,” Dave Morley, MD of Signals & Software, told EW. “We’ve been a successful company in ...

Govt looks for fresh UMTS bids Alex Mayhew-Smith The government is keen to see bidders from outside the UK’s four mobile phone operators in next summer’s auction of next generation UMTS licences, according to a recent stockbroker report. The report by Henderson Crosthwaite says participation by companies other than Vodafone, Cellnet, One2One and Orange will result in higher bids for ...

Pay settlements fall again says EEF Melanie Reynolds Engineering pay settlements have begun to fall sharply according to the latest EEF survey. The average settlement level for the three months to the end of October was 3.2 per cent, a fall of 0.2 per cent over the previous quarter. Pay freezes made up ten per cent of the reported settlements, ...

TI to sell Italian manufacturing arm Tom Foremski Texas Instruments (TI) is to sell its Italian-based manufacturing operation and disband its joint venture with Samsung’s Portuguese subsidiary. Italian telecommunications firm Telital will buy TI’s materials and controls manufacturing operation in Aversa. Telital will continue manufacturing at the site, producing other products there. Meanwhile, TI and Samsung’s semiconductor assembly operation in ...

BICC agrees sale of optical fibre stake Alex Mayhew-Smith BICC has agreed to sell its 50 per cent stake in Optical Fibres to its partner in the business, Corning. Corning will pay ?26m to take full control of the business and will also take on Optical Fibres’ debt of ?28m. As part of the deal, BICC and Corning have signed ...