MNP: value-add or price war?
The introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) is undoubtedly going to change the face of mobile telephony, but whether value-added products will extinguish a potential price war is anyone's guess. In a domain that was previously controlled by the carriers, the mobile telecommunications industry is likely to see a changing of the guard with the customer becoming king. Before the introduction of MNP, carriers largely relied on the fact that mobile users were virtually locked in to their network due to the inability to port their numbers to another carrier. According to Oracle's Brett Kennedy, this "default" retention strategy won't float in the new mobile environment.
Legato acquires SCH
Software developer Legato Systems has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SCH Technologies through a $US12.5 million all-cash transaction.
Software and services company SCH develops and distributes storage solutions for the open systems market. The company was previously represented in Australia by distributor StorageTek. "Legato's and SCH's products and sales channels are highly complementary," said David Wright, Legato's CEO and board chairman. Legato will continue to be 100 per cent channel focused and will continue to use its existing channel partners, including EnStor, Data 3, StorageTek and Avnet.
Krone corners market
Local IT&T telecommunications manufacturer Krone Australia owns the lion's share of the structured cabling market in Australia, according to a report by UK research company BSRIA. Krone manufactures cabling and interconnection and distribution devices used in copper and fibre optic telecommunications and data networks. Almost 100 per cent of fixed line telephone calls use Krone products within the system and virtually every building in Australia is wired up with Krone connectors. Craig Jones, CEO of Krone Australia, attributes the company's success to the skills and expertise of its local workforce.
