Level 3 bags Global Crossing

In a very quiet week for the international ICT industry, Level 3 Communications' multibillion-dollar acquisition of Global Crossing stole the limelight.

At home, it was also very quiet, with the dismal results from Business Connexion taking prominence.

* Mediocre interim numbers from Business Connexion, with revenue down 6.7% and profit down 67.6%.
* Positive trading updates from Altron and Sekunjalo.
* A negative trading update from Altech.
* Bidorbuy, an online marketplace, bought UbuntuDeal.co.za, a social buying site.
* The ICT charter is on its way to being gazetted and should be available for public comment at the end of the month. It seems there are still concerns over some of the proposals, including the 30% equity clause.

* The Ugandan government has taken full control of Libyan-owned Uganda Telecom.
* The launch of Glo 1, a high-capacity submarine fibre-optic cable system that links West Africa (Ghana) and the rest of the world.

Look out for the launch of the Intelsat New Dawn satellite, on 22 April.

Paul Booth, MD, Global Research Partners

* Google acquired PushLife, a Canadian mobile music company, for $25 million.
* Level 3 Communications, a provider of network backbone for online video streaming services, purchased Global Crossing, a smaller rival, in a deal worth $3 billion.
* Cisco is curtailing some of its consumer operations, and as part of that move, is exiting its Flip video camcorder business.
* Intel and Tencent are starting a joint research centre to develop technologies and services for tablet-style computers and other mobile devices in the Chinese market.
* Excellent quarterly results from ASML Holding NV.
* Good quarterly numbers from Check Point Software Technologies, Google, Infosys and Shaw Communications.
* Satisfactory quarterly results from Fairchild Semiconductor.
* Kevin Loosemore was named executive chairman of Micro Focus; and Richard Reese was appointed CEO of Iron Mountain (currently chairman).
* Bob Brennan resigned as CEO of Iron Mountain; and Nigel Clifford resigned as CEO of Micro Focus.
* A delay in the planned IPO of Euroset, the Russian mobile phone retailer.
* A planned IPO later this year by Groupon, in a move that could raise $1 billion.

* International:
* The sell-off by Alcatel-Lucent of its business that sells phones and other telecommunications gear to corporations.
* South Africa:
* The launch of the Intelsat New Dawn satellite, on 22 April. The original launch was scheduled for 30 March, but was delayed by an abnormal launch vehicle parameter that was detected during the automated checkout procedure.

* Apple iOS will dominate the media tablet market until 2015, according to Gartner.
* Worldwide PC shipments in Q1 declined 1.1% to 84.3 million units, with the top five vendors all retaining their positions, according to Gartner.

* JSE All share index: Down 1.8%
* Nasdaq: Down 0.6%
* Top SA share movements: AdaptIT (-10.7%), Ansys (-10.3%), Cape Empowerment (+12%), CompuClearing (+10.7%), Dialogue Group (+20%), Ideco (-12.5%), Labat Africa (-9.1%), MICROmega (+18.5%) and SecureData (-12.5%)

Many of the world's leading technology players host annual events at which they reveal much of their strategy going forward, and present an update on what is happening within their various product ranges. In addition, subsets of these events are often subsequently held in many of their operations outside of their country of origin and the US. Software AG is no exception in this regard, with its main ProcessForum events planned for Berlin and Orlando in May and June. However, the local iteration, which is scheduled for 8 June and sandwiched between the two global events, is likely to be the largest of the subsidiary events worldwide, and clearly shows the importance of the local operation and the high regard its users have of the company within the local market.

To the outside world, Software AG is often seen as an unknown quantity, despite its products such as Adabas, Natural Aris and webMethods being prominent in the local market. This situation is rapidly changing and has been accelerated by BusinessWeek's ranking of the company in the latest publication of its annual Tech Hot Growth Companies 2010 listing, in which Software AG has been ranked at number seven, ahead of other organisations such as Accenture, RIM, Tata Consultancy Services and Tech Mahindra. It should also be remembered that it is the only software company that has all its products rated by the leading analyst organisations as being in the leaders' quadrants.

As this weekend is Easter, my next column will only appear on Tuesday, 3 May, but will cover the intervening two-week period.