A week in tech

Taiwan

Hardware
• Acer announced an 86-percent rise in its first-quarter profit to NT$4 billion ($125.4 million) from NT$2.1 billion ($65.8 million) a year ago and NT$2.1 billion ($65.8 million) in the previous quarter. The company ascribed the growth to strong demand from Asia and North America and beat forecast made by analysts. Acer looks to its net profit reaching NT$10 billion ($313.6 million) and its consolidated revenue posting NT$400 billion ($12.5 billion) this year.

Semiconductors
• Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), announced that for the first quarter, its profit almost doubled to NT$32.6 billion ($1 billion) from NT$16.8 billion ($526.8 million). The world's biggest supplier of custom-made chips ascribed the growth to an increased demand for computers and mobile telephones. TSMC said its sales for the quarter increased by 39 percent to NT$77.2 billion ($2.4 billion). It forecasts its revenue to grow between NT$79 billion ($2.4 billion) and NT$81 billion ($2.5 billion) in the second quarter, from NT$58.5 billion ($1.8 billion) a year earlier. TSCM points to wireless communication and digital consumer electronics as the main drivers for the second quarter.


Singapore/Malaysia/Philippines/Indonesia

Mobile/Wireless
• The Philippines mobile operator Smart Communications announced that it has changed its wireless broadband brand from 'Smart Wifi' to 'Smart Bro'. The company said its parent company Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) would also be selling Smart Bro in place of its 'My DSL-W' wireless offering. Smart is currently upgrading its network facilities by deploying additional base stations and terminal equipment and installing upgraded routers. It is also expanding its network's core transmission backbone capacity to 10 Gbps. At the end of 2005, PLDT and Smart reported a combined 25,000 wireless broadband subscribers, 22 percent of their total broadband customer base. In a separate development, Smart Communications, a mobile operator in the Philippines, said it has expanded its 3G network to 60 cities in the country. Smart wants to expand its 3G network nationwide as quickly as possible. Smart said it has been expanding its 3G service offerings. The operator has recently added video streaming services such as real-time traffic monitoring and TV content. The company is currently in negotiations with broadcasters and content providers to syndicate further content.

Internet
• Intel and Pacific Internet Limited (PacNet) announced their entering into a partnership for the deployment of a mobile WiMAX network in Singapore. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) executed by the two companies asks them to initially test the technologies to better understand market needs and behavior. According to PacNet, strategic partnerships with leading technology companies such as Intel, will allow them to offer differentiated services by combining strong regional knowledge and presence with next-generation products and solutions from these vendors. PacNet said the trial with Intel will begin in mid-2006 and will test performance of both nomadic and mobile access.

storage