AT&T Among Top Five Most Inclusive Fortune 100 Companies for Hispanics as Determined by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility Tweet

AT&T Earns the Second Highest Score for its Commitment to Hispanic Inclusion in the Areas of Employment, Supplier Diversity and Community Service.

AT&T* announced that it has nearly topped the 2009 index of most inclusive companies for Hispanics by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), one of the most influential advocacy groups in the nation representing more than a dozen Hispanic organizations.

AT&T earned the second highest score – 80 of 100 – on HACR’s 2009 Corporate Inclusion Index, which measured Fortune 100 companies and HACR corporate members on their level of commitment to Hispanic inclusion in the areas of employment, procurement, philanthropy and governance.

“We’re honored to be recognized by HACR for our commitment to the Hispanic community. Diversity and innovation go hand-in-hand at AT&T; we live and operate on the premise that providing opportunities for people from all backgrounds helps us meet our bottom line,” said Cindy Brinkley, AT&T senior vice president, talent development and chief diversity officer. “Investing in our community and future company leaders, whether in the form of contract opportunities for diverse suppliers or development programs for our employees, is key to our success.”

A total of 30 companies and HACR corporate members that took part in the survey were evaluated across various areas, including corporate executive leadership, corporate governance, workforce representation, community philanthropy, and supplier outreach and development.

AT&T was evaluated on its Hispanic employee engagement and its commitment to strengthening communities by supporting underserved populations. AT&T has an employee resource group – the Hispanic/Latino Association of AT&T (HACEMOS) – dedicated to supporting the advancement of Hispanics in the workplace and the community. In 2008, AT&T and its employees contributed $169 million – through corporate, employee, and AT&T Foundation giving programs – to various organizations, including Hispanic-led organizations and programs intended to advance education and improve lives.

AT&T was also measured on its outreach to the Hispanic market, which includes ensuring that its products and services fit into Hispanic consumers’ lives and aspirations. Because AT&T recognizes the value of Hispanic consumers, it has converted more than 700 of its wireless stores nationwide to a bilingual concept to better serve its Hispanic customer base among many other efforts.

Through the HACR Research Institute, HACR publishes annual studies – including the Corporate Inclusion Index (CII) – that report on the state of the Hispanic community and corporate best practices in employment, procurement, philanthropy and governance. The HACR CII results allow HACR to focus on issues relevant to Hispanics including those associated with inadequate workforce representation.

The 2009 HACR Corporate Inclusion Index is available for download on HACR’s website, http://www.hacr.org/. The data collected from HACR’s CII was voluntarily submitted by Fortune 100 and HACR corporate member companies.

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Chip Manufacturing Bent, But Didn’t Break Under the Recession Tweet

But what is in store for semiconductor makers in 2010?

After suffering through one of the most significant declines in manufacturing in the history of the chip making business in the first quarter of 2009, companies were rewarded with three subsequent quarters of improved factory utilization. As a result of conservative management of capacity, most companies ended 2009 with manufacturing levels approaching those of the pre downturn levels of the third quarter of 2008, according to iSuppli Corp.

What’s in store for manufacturers in 2010? Will the recovery continue—or will the global economy again divert consumer spending to more basic necessities, causing a slowdown in semiconductor consumption?

Throughout 2009, the uncertainty of global economics dictated how semiconductor companies managed operations. It was not until late in the fourth quarter of 2009 that companies became willing to make decisions that had implications focused on expansion.

Enter 2010
In 2010, there are numerous indicators that support a much more positive outlook for manufacturing run rates than were apparent 12 months ago.

Innovative new products and a conservative approach to inventory levels throughout the supply chain are probably the two key indicators that are spurring optimism among manufacturers.

iSuppli anticipates that manufacturing run rates in the second half of 2010 will drive total factory utilizations into the high 80’s to low 90’s for most companies. For advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes and memory technologies, factory utilizations will be in excess of 90 percent and will approach 100 percent by year­end.

With significantly increased levels of manufacturing, companies will be forced to expand manufacturing. This will reverse the recent three-year decline in capital expenditures that the equipment companies have been forced to manage. iSuppli anticipates that global capital expenditures will increase by 46.8 percent year-over-year.

The largest year-over-year increase in capital will be for the manufacturing of memory products. iSuppli anticipates that capital in support of memory manufacturing will increase in 2010 by 65.5 percent.

An Alternative
Third-party manufacturing will continue to be focused on Taiwan. However, with the emergence of Globalfoundries and its manufacturing operations in Europe and Singapore, fabless companies demanding state-of-the-art manufacturing will now have an alternative to Taiwan’s TSMC and UMC.

iSuppli anticipates that in 2010, chip manufacturers in China will continue to take the role of low-cost, fast followers. Chinese foundries will continue to face aggressive challenges from Taiwan while attempting to grow their regional market share.

Manufacturers will find 2010 to be a year of recovery and expansion. This does not mean it will be a year without significant challenges. Profitable growth will dominate discussions for most semiconductor companies. Ultimately, the global economic recovery will determine the degree of success for most semiconductor manufacturers.

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Singapore' s M1 Chooses Huawei to Provide ATCA-based IMS Solution Tweet

Huawei, a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, announced that MobileOne ("M1"), one of the leading mobile communications providers in Singapore, with more than 1.7 million customers, has selected Huawei as the sole provider of an ATCA (Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture) platform based IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) solution to enrich its national broadband services and build its FMC (fixed and mobile convergence) capabilities. This IMS solution will allow M1 subscribers to enjoy rich multi-media services such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), IPTV, Centrex, and HD video conferencing.

Leveraging Singapore' s Next Generation National Broadband (NGNBN) initiative, M1 will offer both fixed and mobile network services. The integration of Huawei' s IMS solution will enhance M1' s capabilities in an increasingly converged world and enable M1 to smoothly transform from a mobile operator to a fixed and mobile service provider.

"With Huawei' s IMS system, M1 will build up an advanced future oriented network architecture, which gives us the capability to deliver new multimedia services to both our fixed and mobile customers in the future," said Mr. Patrick Scodeller, CTO of M1.

"Huawei' s customized ATCA-based IMS solutions allow operators to achieve rapid network deployment and shorten time to market and support M1' s business transformation by providing subscribers with advanced multi-media services," said Mr. Jin Huang, vice president of Core Network, Huawei.

Huawei' s IMS voice over broadband (VoBB) solution adopted a standard ATCA platform. One ATCA frame is able to provide all of M1's requirements. As a pioneer in global IMS applications, Huawei' s IMS solution is being adopted to enable rapid development and delivery of differentiated IMS-enabled services by leading operators worldwide, including CLP Group (Germany), EDF Group (France), Telefonica, SFR (France), COX (USA), ETISALAT, STC (Saudi Arabia), Vimpelcom (Russia), Telmex (Mexico), Telecom (Argentina), China Mobile, China Telecom, TM (Malaysia), and WIND (Italy).

About M1

M1 is a leading mobile communications provider in Singapore, with more than 1.7 million customers. It provides a full range of mobile voice and data communications services over its 2G/3G/3.5G network, as well as fixed and mobile broadband.

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Shipments of Wi-Fi ICs Grew About 28% Last Year; 802.11n Will Lead the Wi-Fi Chip Market in 2010 Tweet

In 2009, worldwide shipments of Wi-Fi ICs increased approximately 28% compared to 2008, according to data from ABI Research. Total revenue achieved an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18% between 2009 and 2014.

“Despite the uncertain macroeconomic situation, total market demand for Wi-Fi ICs is expected to keep growing” says industry analyst Celia Bo. “The demand for Wi-Fi ICs in mobile devices and consumer electronic devices are the two key engines for Wi-Fi IC’s market growth.”

In recent years almost all laptops, netbooks, MIDs and smartbooks have shipped with Wi-Fi embedded, a trend that will continue for some time to come. Wi-Fi IC placement in mobile handsets grew by more than 50% in 2009 and Wi-Fi-enabled handsets will account for 40% of the total of handsets shipped in 2014. Beyond the already established segments, portable media players with Wi-Fi have also seen strong growth which will continue through 2014.

More and more consumer electronic devices, such as digital still cameras, digital camcorders, TVs, DVD players, set-top boxes (STBs) are adopting Wi-Fi. The total shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled consumer electronic devices increased 33% in 2009 compared to 2008; the products with fastest-growing attach rates are digital camcorders, TVs, and set-top boxes.

“The most significant variation in Wi-Fi enabled products is the protocol type of the embedded Wi-Fi,” adds practice director Philip Solis. “802.11g has had the highest attach rate over the past few years, accounting for 50% of total Wi-Fi IC shipments in 2009. But 802.11n revenue surpassed that of 802.11g in 2009 as a result of higher ASPs; and 802.11n shipments will surge ahead of 802.11g starting this year. Between 2009 and 2014, unit shipment CAGR is forecast to reach 41%.”

ABI Research’s market data “Wi-Fi IC Market Share Analysis and Forecasts” addresses market and technical analysis of Wi-Fi ICs. The forecast information is organized by protocol, product application, client type, and vendor market share.

This market data product is included in the firm’s Wi-Fi Research Service.

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Ericsson reports fourth quarter results Tweet

· Sales in quarter SEK 58.3 (67.0) b, -16% for comparable units

· Sales full year SEK 206.5 (208.9) b, stable for comparable units

· Operating income 1) excl JVs SEK 7.5 (9.0) 2) b, full year SEK 24.6 (23.4) b

· Operating margin 1) excl JVs 13% (13%) 2), full year 12% (11%)

· Share in earnings of JVs 1) SEK -0.4 (-0.6) b, full year SEK -6.1 (0.4) b

· Income after financial items 1) SEK 6.7 (9.5) b, full year SEK 18.8 (24.8) b

· Restructuring charges excl JV of SEK 4.3 (2.3) b, full year SEK 11.3 (6.7) b

· Net income SEK 0.7 (4.1) b, full year SEK 4.1 (11.7) b

· Earnings per share SEK 0.10 (1.21), full year SEK 1.14 (3.52)

· Cash flow 3) SEK 13.6 (7.9) b, full year SEK 28.7 (22.1) b

· The Board of Directors proposes dividend of SEK 2.00 (1.85) per share

1) Excluding restructuring charges

2) Excluding capital gain of SEK 0.8 b from divested Symbian shares in the fourth quarter 2008

3) Excluding cash outlays for restructuring cost that has been provided for of SEK 1.1 (1.0) b and dividends from Sony Ericsson of SEK 3.6 b for the full year 2008
CEO COMMENTS

"During the second half of 2009, Networks' sales were impacted by reduced operator spending in a number of markets. Group sales for the full year were less affected and the operating margin increased slightly," says Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC). "We maintained market shares well in all segments, cash flow was good and our financial position is strong. The services business performed well, and our joint ventures remain on track to return to profit.

The shift from voice telephony to mobile broadband investments continues. Users and traffic are increasing rapidly and will eventually connect billions of people to the internet. As previously stated, with this shift follows the anticipated decline in GSM sales, accelerated by the current economic climate, which is not yet offset by the growth in mobile broadband and investments in next-generation IP networks.

Current operator investment behavior varies between regions and countries. During 2009, operators in a number of developing markets, especially Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, became increasingly cautious with investments. Meanwhile, other markets including China, India and the US continued to show good development with major network buildouts. There is also a continued strong demand for services targeting the operational efficiency of operators, such as managed services and consulting.

During the year, we significantly strengthened our position in North America with key wins in both our networks and services businesses such as LTE to Verizon and Metro PCS and services to Sprint. The confidence TeliaSonera has shown in us by selecting our LTE solutions in the beginning of this year further confirms the technical quality of our solutions and strong services portfolio.

For 2010 we are determined to increase our efforts to combine our strong technology leadership position and service capabilities to provide value to our customers and ensure our continued healthy financial development," concludes Hans Vestberg.

Click to read the rest of the press release

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Taiwan market: Smartphone sales to top over one million units in 2010 Tweet

Sales of smartphones in the Taiwan market are expected to top over one million units in 2010 compared to 600,000 units sold in 2009, according to an estimate by market sources.

Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), the largest telecom carrier in Taiwan, is expected to purchase a total of two million handsets in 2010, with smartphones reaching 400,000 units, the sources noted.

Smartphones purchased by Taiwan Mobile (TWM), Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) and Vibo Telecom are expected to total over 200,000 units each in 2010, the sourced added. Additionally, total handsets purchased by TWM and FET are likely to reach 1.3 million and 1.2 million units, respectively, 2010.

Asia Pacific Broadband Telecom (APBT), the sole CDMA network operator in Taiwan, is also likely to increase its purchases of smartphones in 2010 due to the roll-outs of its CDMA EV-DO networks, indicated the sources.

source

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Quality Advantages of Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink Tweet

Using a double kitchen sink provides the flexibility when we wash the cooking utensils, which we can separate between the utensils such as pots, pans with other equipment made of plastic. This double sink is the right choice to put your kitchen, especially for those who want to separate utensils made of plastic with a dirty kitchen utensils and hot when you are finished cooking. I prefer to use the sink made of stainless steel because it is not easy to cut, easy to clean, age durable and easy to clean when we finished washing. There are many choices of form and style undermount kitchen sink for decorating your kitchen, single and double sink.

If you are interested in using stainless steel kitchen sink find in undermount kitchen sinks with various design shapes and sizes according to the needs of your kitchen. By using a stainless steel sink, kitchen work we become more comfortable and easily resolved. Stainless steel kitchen sink from Mr Direct is very popular and had many people use their kitchen. Mr Direct sink is a high quality product with a lifetime warranty, low price, and a lot of choices, and this is the advantage of stainless steel kitchen sink, so you do not have to worry about using the kitchen sink from Mr Direct for your kitchen.

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