Joris Evers

Citing a "rapid downturn in the telecommunications and PC industries," Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV said Tuesday it will lay off between 6,000 and 7,000 people, or about 3 percent of its workforce.

L.M. Ericsson Telephone Co. is recalling all R520m handsets, its first handset for GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) networks. The phones have battery management problems, the Swedish phone maker said Thursday.

Continuing its European expansion, Italy's Tiscali SpA agreed to acquire German ISP (Internet service provider) Planet-interkom for 77.1 million euros (US$68.4 million) in cash and stock, the company announced Thursday.

Bookseller Borders Group Inc. is handing over its online business to Amazon.com Inc. and will re-launch Borders.com as a co-branded Web site, the companies said Wednesday.

Lernout and Hauspie Speech Products NV plans to take legal action against the former chief executive of its Korean business unit and four Korean banks, which it accuses of defrauding it of millions of dollars, the company said Friday.

European Union ministers Wednesday decided against giving the European Commission the power to overturn decisions made by national telecommunication regulatory authorities (NRAs).

Fresh in the Top Five of headaches for chief information officers (CIOs) after "How do I spend my information technology (IT) budget wisely?" is "How long will I keep my job?" according to analysts at Gartner Group Inc.

The GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) mobile phone networks being launched across Europe will never be used to full capacity, as handset makers are sluggish with mobile phone development, according to market research firm Gartner Group Inc.