Siemens AG is considering further job cuts at its troubled networking and mobile communication units, a company spokeswoman said this month. The Munich, Germany, engineering and electronics company is reducing its global workforce in response to a sharp decline in global demand for telecommunication equipment. “Discussions are underway with employee representatives and with the labour union, but no definite decisions have been reached,” the spokeswoman said, declining to comment on the number of job cuts being discussed in the two units. “The talks are still at an early stage,” she said. Job cuts in Germany must be approved by labour representatives, including members of the IG Metall trade union. IG Metall is represented on Siemens’ supervisory board.
In another step aimed at catapulting its software onto mobile devices, Microsoft Corp. announced this month that it has struck an alliance with AT&T Wireless Services Inc. to provide new wireless services and devices to business customers. Under the deal, AT&T and Microsoft will provide wireless access to e-mail, information and applications behind corporate firewalls for users of new Microsoft Window-powered Pocket PCs, smart phones and laptops. The agreement also heralds the first set of services and devices powered by Microsoft’s Pocket PC Phone Edition software, which are set to be available in the fourth quarter of this year, the companies said.
Communication technology vendor Motorola Inc. last month announced it had appointed Mike Zafirovski as its new president and chief operating officer. Zafirovski replaces Edward Breen. Motorola confirmed Breen had been appointed chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of conglomerate Tyco International Ltd. After confirming Breen’s departure to Tyco, Motorola announced that Christopher Galvin, Motorola’s chairman and CEO, “will assume the additional responsibilities of chief operating officer until a successor is named.” A few hours later, Zafirovski was named as Motorola’s new president and COO.