Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Telecommunication espionage

The Procuracy of Germany began investigating the case, which could lead to very loud scandal in the telecommunications industry in Europe over the past decade. This is a case of listening to telephone conversations top managers of Deutsche Telekom - the largest telecommunications company in Europe and one of the largest in the world. The German prosecutor's office has evidence of illegal use of stationary and mobile phones by its employees in 2005-2006.

However, the current prosecutor investigation does not become a consequence of successful law enforcement or security services. Even on 26 May this year, official representatives of Deutsche Telecom admitted that the corporation several times specially hired a private detective firm to monitor telephone calls their leaders. Also under the control of telephone calls were taken of some journalists, specializing in the subject of IT and telecommunications. But, on assurances from representatives of Deutsche Telecom, listening and / or record were not negotiations: the company enlisted only fixed telephone numbers and duration of recorded telephone conversations of top managers and journalists. Operations to track telephone activity have been furnished to all rules detective genre, and they even got their own code name - "Clipper" and "The German gold". Formally interception talks have been organized to find sources of leakage of financial information company. Two days after these revelations - May 28 - a former HR-director (personnel director) Deutsche Telekom Heinz Klinkhamer accused the organization of tracking calls top managers of the two former heads of the company. Namely: Chairman of the Board of Directors Kai-Uwe Rikke and supervisory board head Klaus Tsumvinkele. It must take into account that Deutsche Telekom today are headed by very different people, so it can not be ruled out that the leaking of information about events 2005-2006 year has been deliberately organised to compromise the former neudachlivoe leadership. The current CEO of Rene Obermann announced his indignation this episode and promised to take stronger involvement in the investigation. According to him, all the leadership of Deutsche Telekom, without exception, will actively cooperate in this regard with prokuratoroy. Of course, hardly even so loud scandal could shake the market position of European telecom giant. Although, of course, the corporation's reputation seriously affected. Well, that the economic part of the question, while Deutsche Telekom successfully harming themselves - over the past six months the company has lost about a third of its market value.

Commenting on the commencement of the trial, one can not help but note that such cases be opened in the West increasingly. A few months ago in Germany nashumela the same story with the supermarket chain Lidl: Provided there is video surveillance, though not for the supreme leadership, but rather for ordinary employees. The Security Service to manage to install hidden cameras and recorders everywhere, and even the office toilets do not become the exception. Of particular piquancy episode highlighted the fact that Lidl stores located throughout Europe, and the scandal has caused a storm of anger in neighbouring countries. First, it was breached labour legislation of a number of countries. Secondly, there were strong suspicions that fell under surveillance at the same time and buyers. And it has already automatically puts a cross on the reputation of the entire supermarket chain. However, while investigating this negative situation is not yet finished. But the IT-telecom companies and others still more greshat tacit control of its own staff and other important persons. Apparently, proximity to high technology creates too great a temptation to use these technologies to obtain all sorts of confidential information. The most striking example of this kind has become a scandalous history, occurred in late 2006 - early in 2007 in the United States and linked with the corporation Hewlett Packard. I recall that in early 2007 - On resigned president of the board of directors of Hewlett Packard, Patricia Dann and chief corporate lawyer Ann Baskins. Scandal flared after the publication in Newsweek magazine article in which all the details talked about how Patricia Dann hired a team of private detectives and specialists in electronic security, has arranged for spying on board members and HP associated with media representatives. In the history with Hewlett Packard promiscuous literally all possible channels of information exchange including even mobile communications. Specialists hired by HP acted with Big. For example, the private detective Brian Wagner to obtain information even managed to get Social Security number of one of the journalists. However, last year the criminal case against Hewlett Packard still has not been instituted - prosecutor investigating affected only specific leaders. While in actively participated, even the U.S. Senate, gradually investigation came to nothing. All charges against Patricia Dann were withdrawn, and the other main actors escaped punishment for criminal articles. But all of them senior posts had to leave. Heated now around Deutsche Telekom scandal raises questions: not whether something like that of other European telecommunications giants - such as the British or the French Orange France Telecom? After all, as you know, one identification of the offences of this kind accounts with half a dozen remaining unknown. And there is no reason to believe that the British or French behave more faithfully than the Germans.

Help IT SECTOR:
Deutsche Telekom is the third largest telecommunications company in the world. Subscribers companies are more than 90 million people and organizations, and its net profit in 2006 amounted to $ 4.25 billion At the New York Stock Exchange capitalization of Deutsche Telekom is $ 73.32 billion

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Leaders ruNet went for the money

In 2008 for ruNet has all chances to become a turning-historic. Leaders of the Russian segment of the worldwide network in the best traditions of the American Silicon Valley fall outside investment to western financial markets. This year, their primary placement of shares (IPO) on western stock exchanges are planning to hold two Russian Internet holding company. Not surprisingly, perhaps, that the first to enter the market with its shares decided portals, combines the search engines and a number of free web-services: Mail.ru and "Yandex".


Mail.ru

Mail.ru on the adopted plan already in the company in mid-summer plans to go on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). Audience portal is estimated to be 30.5 million people a month. Mail.ru consultants at the upcoming IPO will feature the world financial investors such as Citibank, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. These banks and financial companies while trying not to give even rough estimates of business, now awaiting the results of examinations. Prudence western financiers can understand: to date there is no more or less established methodology for assessing Internet companies established in the post-Soviet space, and ruNet leaders are not the exception. In most Mail.ru emanate from its own estimates, according to which the company's capitalization (total cost including intangible assets) is $2 billion But it is solely their own opinion. According to the influential Russian newspaper "Kommersant", this estimate at least "fairly
optimistic ", but as the maximum - overstatement. Here, however, need to remember that back in November 2007, 2,6% Mail.ru for $26 million bought a South African Internet-holding Naspers. It turns out that even then the whole company was fully appreciated by foreign investors in a billion dollars. In doing so, in January 2007 - On the same Naspers paid for the 30 - the percentage of Mail.ru about $165 million It turns out that for part-year company went at least 1.8 times. But even assuming that the market value Mail.ru continues to grow old pace (which is unlikely), the ultimate figure to date is unlikely to exceed $1.2 billion So much now depends on how literacy PR-company among western investors will be able to hold top managers Mail.ru.


Yandex

As for the company "Yandex", there are planning to enter the world stock market in September, after IPO on the American Stock Exchange NASDAQ - as set ambitious IT-company. Monthly Audience "Yandex" exceeds 30 million people, is the second largest search engine in non-English speaking Internet (after the Chinese portal Baidu). Consultants "Yandex" in the upcoming IPO has appointed well-known financial organizations such as Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and the Russian bank "Renaissance Capital". According to preliminary estimates bankers, the value of "Yandex" could be about $5 billion Accordingly, the management company that owns the portal and search engine Yandex.ru, expects to sell shares at $1.5 - $2 billion A more accurate assessment of business announce in September this year, virtually the eve of IPO.
However, the controversy surrounding the real market value "Yandex" still far from complete. Most recently, in April this year, the company won 6 - first place in the ranking of 25 most expensive Internet start peace - it has prepared a professional magazine Silicon Alley Insider (SAI). Specialists SAI rated "Yandex" in the $3 billion Significantly, these figures confirm the Russian and independent analysts. For example, in an interview with the newspaper "Vedomosti" Bank analyst "Urasib" Konstantin Belov called the $5 billion "over-ambitious assessment". A bank UniCredit analyst Anna Kurbatova appreciated "Yandex" in the $2.5 - $3 billion And all the experts interviewed by the newspaper correspondents, agreed that attract the amount of $1.5 - $2 billion "Yandex" will, to put it mildly, difficult.


Know versus

Following the completion of the deployment issue of shares "Yandex" and Mail.ru at stock exchanges will be traded all the "big three" Russian leaders of Internet search - Rambler Media Holding went on the London Stock Exchange (Section AIM) a few years ago. Most Russian analysts still believe that and "Yandex", and Mail.ru extremely fortunate to have chosen the time of its IPO. Now Russia's Internet business is transferred to the stage of maturity, but the audience of Internet holdings continues its steady growth. The global financial crisis, in turn, several poutih, and stock indices, albeit rather slowly, but began to grow again. Besides, Mail.ru, "Yandex" and Rambler with all desire a long time can not be called "start" - a mature company with a good business reputation and great cash flow. There is no doubt that Russian companies will seek to repeat the fate of successful Google IPO American or Chinese Baidu. And we remember how it was.

American search engine Google IPO took place on August 19, 2004 and was the most spectacular event in the IT-industry of the time. As a result of the capitalization of the company issuing the shares was $23.1 billion At that time it was more than the market value of online bookstore Amazon ($15,4 billion), but less than the value of Yahoo ($38,2 billion). Meanwhile, experts are still arguing how successful then actually went IPO Google. Estimates for a variety of sound - from enthusiastic to quite provalnyh. Tu story really difficult to assess unequivocally. In 2004 - m whole world was without a mind of "the phenomenon of Google". Investors are not without the help of the media to inspire ourselves that way Google on the stock market will give a new "boom dotkomov", and repeated events, 1997-2000. Owners Google said the starting price of its shares at $108 - $135 per piece and is already preparing to disrupt a huge kush. However, the founders of Google, despite the ban to give comments to the press IPO, still acclaimed interview published in the magazine Playboy. As a consequence of commission for the U.S. Securities and Exchange threatens to ban the IPO company. This did not happen, but when opened subscription, unexpectedly turned out that the demand for shares far below expectations. Then Sergey Brin and Larry Page have resorted to stopgap measures - for just one day before the start of IPO stock price was reduced to $85 per piece. It was originally estimated and reduced to selling volume of shares - to $3.47 billion to $1.6 billion It was a good move: for the first two months of stock market trades shares in the company rose in price by more than 4 times.

This story is largely repeated in August 2005, when the primary placement of shares on the exchange of Chinese search engine Baidu. His, by the way, not without reason called the Chinese Google. Indeed, the biggest non-English language search engine in its time copied not only the American business model Google, but even the general appearance of web-site. Then, in 2005 - m, bidding shares of Baidu in high-tech NASDAQ stock market started at $27 per piece. But by the end of the first day of trading securities Chinese portal soared in price to 354% - to $124. The next day the shares reached in the $155 mark, putting growth on record in the history of NASDAQ. When the hype around Baidu has reached its limit, the market assessed the company $4.7 billion Now difficult to say whether "Yandex" either noisy Mail.ru repeat the success of its IPO of American and Chinese colleagues. Hardly, of course, although theoretically possible that all - is too unpredictable IT-market. But the fact that this year finally emerge IT-sector Russian stock market - certainly.

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Large Chinese redivision

In China begins major redistribution of the telecommunications market. Tasks have initiated two reforms: to create a normal competitive environment in China itself and to ensure Chinese companies - operators - free access to world markets.

In the first phase of the reform of Chinese telecommunications company China Telecom and its parent state will have to acquire the second largest cellular operator in China connection - a company China Unicom. This peace tell news agency Xinhua - it also stated that the amount of the transaction amount to one hundred billion yuan ($ 14.4 billion). However, on its own information agency Reuters, the transaction amount will exceed $ 15 billion, and according to a number of other sources, that figure could rise to 110 billion yuan ($ 15.2 billion). At the moment, aware that 60 billion yuan ($ 8.5 billion) will pay the parent company (founder) China Telecom, while the remaining 40 billion yuan (about $ 4.5 billion) to pay directly itself China Telecom. Completion of the transaction scheduled for IV quarter in 2008 To date, China Unicom owns a network of multiple access code division (CDMA). It is anticipated that the transaction to acquire China Unicom will enable China Telecom Corporation to gain access to cellular communications market and become a competitor of the world's largest operator in China and cellular communications company China Mobile. In the course of conducting official business transaction advisor to China Unicom serves American investbank Lehman Brothers, as an advisor to China Telecom - the largest Swiss bank UBS. In turn, mobile operator China Unicom will acquire the operator of fixed communications Netcom by exchanging shares. The deal to absorb Netcom valued at $ 56.3 billion As we see it much more than the sum of all transactions between China Telecom and China Unicom. Buying a company Netcom should allow China Unicom to diversify the structure of its telecommunications business and dramatically expand the range of telecommunication services.

The guide China do not conceal that described transactions are part of large-scale government plan of reorganization and consolidation of the national telecommunications industry. It is envisaged that at the end of this phase of transformation in China of the six operators will remain only three. But all these operators will be the largest not only in China itself but also throughout Asia.

Help IT SECTOR:
China Telecom Corp. Ltd. China is the largest operator of fixed telephony. In 2007, the company's net profit grew by 1.1% to 22.52 billion yuan ($ 3.22 billion).

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