Thames Tech Wire

Scotland's Semefab Selected for £15-Million MEMS Facility

Glasgow -- Semefab, a Scotland-based semiconductor technology
firm, announced that it will become the primary centre in the U.K.
for the development of micro machines, microsensors and
nanosystems. Scottish Enterprise and the U.K. Department of
Trade and Industry are supporting the £15-million project, for which
the Institute for System Level Integration (ISLI) will provide design
expertise. Semefab will specialise in the production of Micro
Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) -- miniature sensors,
machines, pumps and detectors about a quarter of the diameter of
a human hair.
http://www.scottish-enterprise.com

European Commission Approves Welsh Broadband Initiative

Cardiff -- The European Commission announced that it has
approved a Welsh Development Agency (WDA) initiative to provide
14 business parks in Wales with broadband access. The
Commission said the programme was unlikely to distort
competition within the EU. Affordable broadband is currently
unavailable in the region because of its remote location. Welsh
authorities thus decided to support the construction of an open,
carrier-neutral, fibre-optic network linking the business parks. The
construction and management of the network, which will remain in
public ownership, will be tendered to a wholesale operator, the
WDA said.
http://europa.eu.int

Private-Equity Firms Finalising Bid for VNU, Report Says

Amsterdam -- According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, a
group of seven private-equity firms is preparing a €7.3-billion ($8.6
billion) bid for VNU, a Netherlands-based media firm. The report
said the group includes AlpInvest Partners of the Netherlands,
Permira Advisers of the U.K., Blackstone Group, Carlyle Group,
Hellman & Friedman, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Thomas
H. Lee Partners. VNU owns Nielsen ratings service, ACNielsen, as
well as a number of media outlets including Billboard and the
Hollywood Reporter.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114075188021182223-search.html?

Sweden's Ericsson Sues Samsung for Patent Infringement

Stockholm -- Ericsson, a Sweden-based telecommunications-
equipment maker, announced that it has filed a patent-infringement
lawsuit against Samsung Electronics, a South Korea-based
telecommunications-equipment maker. Ericsson claims a number
of Samsung licenses to use about 10 Ericsson mobile-phone
patents expired last December. The Swedish firm said it has filed
lawsuits in Germany, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S. Sony
Ericsson, the mobile-phone joint venture between Japan-based
Sony and Ericsson, has also joined the lawsuit. Samsung has
declined to comment on the matter.
http://www.ericsson.com/

Anglia Appoints Steve Rawlins as New CEO

London -- Anglia, a U.K.-based distributor of semiconductors,
optoelectronics and electromechanical components, announced
that it has appointed Anglia Managing Director Steve Rawlins as
its new CEO. The appointment of Rawlins, who has worked for
Anglia for more than 30 years, is part of a management reshuffle
that will see former CEO and Anglia founder Bill Ingram become
president of the company. Anglia Sales Director Jim Ward will join
the executive board, while Neville Reyner will become non-
executive chairman.
http://www.anglia.com/

CamSemi Appoints New Non-Executive Chairman

Cambridge, England -- CamSemi, a U.K.-based provider of
integrated circuits, announced that it has appointed Mike McTighe
as non-executive chairman of its board. CamSemi said McTighe
has extensive international semiconductor and electronics industry
experience, particularly in Asia. McTighe is currently chairman of
Frontier Silicon, a U.K.-based maker of integrated circuits for digital
radio and mobile digital TV. Prior to joining CamSemi, he served
as chairman of Alphamosaic.
http://www.camsemi.com/

Silver Lake Appoints Axel Holtrup as Director

London -- Silver Lake Partners, a U.S.-based private-equity firm
focused exclusively on large-scale investing in mature technology
companies, announced that it has appointed Axel Holtrup as a
director. Holtrup will join Silver Lake's London office. Prior to
joining Silver Lake, Holtrup worked for more than eight years at
private-equity firm Investcorp. Before then, he was a financial
analyst at Morgan Stanley in London and Frankfurt.
http://www.silverlake.com/

Apple iTunes Music Store Sells One-Billionth Song

London -- Apple announced that 1 billion songs have now been
downloaded from its iTunes Music Store since it was launched
fewer than three years ago. The billionth song, "Speed of Sound",
was purchased as part of Coldplay's X&Y album by Alex Ostrovsky
from Michigan. Ostrovsky won a 20-inch iMac, 10 iPods and a
£5,745 (€8,435) iTunes gift certificate. Apple said iTunes currently
features more than 2 million songs, as well as 35,000 podcasts,
16,000 audiobooks, 3,500 music videos and a variety of short films
and TV shows.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/feb/23itms.html

U.K. EU Presidency Named ISPA Internet Villain of Year

London -- The U.K. Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA)
has voted the U.K. presidency of the EU as the Internet Villain of
the Year for championing a controversial data-retention law,
approved earlier this week by EU justice and interior ministers. All
EU member states must enact the law -- which requires
telecommunications companies and Internet service providers
(ISPs) to save consumer data for a period of six months to two
years -- by August 2007. The ISPA said the U.K. government,
which proposed the law after the terrorist attacks in London last
July, failed to consider the costs the telecommunications industry
will incur.
http://www.ispaawards.org.uk/

Property Website Rightmove Sets Price Range for IPO

London -- Rightmove, the largest property website in the U.K.,
announced that it has set a price range of between 240 and 315
pence per share for its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) on the
London Stock Exchange. The company, which claims to control
about 75% of the U.K. online-property market, is expected to offer
18% of its issued share capital, giving it a market capitalisation of
between £305 million and £400 million. Rightmove -- which is
owned by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group, HBOS,
Countrywide and Connells -- said it would confirm the offer price by
March 10 and list its shares on March 15.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/template/publicsite%2Caboutus%2CNews.vm