Thailand
Orange S.A., in conjunction with co-shareholders True Corporation Public Co. Ltd. and CP Group, said it has reduced its stake in Thai company BITCO from 49 percent to 10 percent. BITCO owns 99.86 percent of Thai wireless carrier TA Orange Co. Ltd. Orange said the reduction releases Orange from its obligations and liability in connection with a bridge loan facility granted to TA Orange in 2002.
Japan
NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced it has developed a prototype micro fuel cell for third-generation FOMA handsets with Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. The product, which is shaped like a cradle for recharging handsets, generates electric power by combining hydrogen and methanol. The companies expect the micro fuel cell to supply the handsets with greater power capacity and reduced environmental impact. DoCoMo said further development of the prototype will occur through the end of fiscal year 2005.
China
Alvarion Ltd. said it won a contract with carrier China Netcom to expand the deployment of its 3.5 GHz broadband wireless solution to four provinces in the country. The provinces include Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Hunan. For this project, Alvarion is partnering with Siemens Communications Networks Ltd., a joint venture of Siemens AG and Chinese enterprises. CNC said it had deployed its WALKair solution in three provinces during the past year.
United Kingdom
Empower Interactive raised $5 million from existing investors to expand its European and Asian operations. The fifth round of funding saw increased investments from Cazenove Private Equity, Argo, IDG Ventures Europe and DN Capital. A messaging software developer, Empower said it will use the capital to address growing demand for both short messaging service and multimedia message service in Europe and Asia. Empower recently opened an office Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
