Global vendor strategies - 19/11/07

Qualcomm will buy Firethorn for $210m. Firethorn enables mobile banking services (bank balances, fund transfer, payment,...).

Verisign may offload its communications business, and then expand its core businesses.

IBM bought Cognos for about $5bn. Cognos is a BI expert. Well, BI is a 2007 Hot topic, with two other major players Hyperion and Business Objects being purchased this year, by Oracle and SAP respectively.

Motorola invests in ViVOtech, a developer of contactless and mobile phone payment technologies.

Oracle is introducing its Unified Inventory Management, a new “state-of-the-art inventory platform in its complete, integrated OSS/BSS portfolio.

ADC has agreed to buy Century Man Communication (China) for $55m in cash.

Carl Icahn has increased its stake in Motorola to 3.3%, and becomes third largest stakeholder.

Nortel is developing a new PBT switch (Provider Backbone Transport), called MetroNext.