Une transaction géante de 25 milliards de dollars qui concerne Sophia à travers le Compaq Computer Centre Technique Europe, 300 personnes, centré sur l'activité télécom.

Les Alpes-Maritimes subissent-ils le ralentissement économique qui touche la France après les Etats-Unis, le Japon et le reste de l'Europe ? Quelques éléments de réponses lundi 10 septembre à 16 heures au centre d'affaires de l'aéroport Nice Côte d'Azur, Terminal 1 à l'occasion d'un point presse sur le bilan de l'activité économique des Alpes-Maritimes.

Pas de "Noël GPRS" en vue sur le marché des mobiles, estime le Britannique Carphone, cité par Reuters et repris par Boursorama. Après le flop du Wap, la nouvelle norme de transmission GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) est attendue avec impatience pour relancer les ventes de téléphone portable grâce à ses fonctions d'accès permanent, haut débit et mobile à internet. Mais voilà. De la coupe aux lèvres, il y a deux obstacles.

Are the Alpes-Maritimes experiencing the economic slowdown which hits France after the United-States, Japan, and the rest of Europe ? Some elements to answer on Monday September 10th, 4.00 pm, at the business center of the airport Nice Côte d’Azur, Terminal 1, during a press point on the economic balance sheet of the Alpes-Maritimes.

Le W3C, le World Wide Web Consortium, dont l'implantation européenne se trouve à l'INRIA Sophia Antipolis, a perdu l'un de ses piliers. Le professeur du MIT, Michael Dertouzos, est décédé à Boston, Etats-Unis, à l'âge de 64 ans. Directeur du LCS (Laboratory for Computer Science) du MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), c'est lui qui avait accueilli à sa création le W3C, cet organisme de standardisation du Web qui a contribué grandement à établir son universalité actuelle.

Today, on Monday September 3rd, according to Le Monde, Nortel France staff committee should examine the direction plan to cut staffs off (see article "Le canadien Nortel pourrait supprimer environ 800 emplois en France"). Indeed, last June 15th, the telecom manufacturer announced a worldwide drastic layoff plan (30.000 jobs lost, a third of staffs). In Europe, the number of layoffs should be up to around 6.000, but the detail, country by country, has not been given.

A giant transaction of $25 billion which concerns Sophia the Compaq Computer Cntre Technique Europe, 300 people, focused on the telecom activity.

RSL France, en redressement judiciaire depuis avril 2001, a été repris par l'opérateur alternatif Kaptech. La société de Jean-Pierre Souviron, implantée à Nice, garde ainsi la plupart des actifs de RSL France et assurera l'un de ses plus gros contrats sur le sud-est, celui de l'aéroport Nice Côte d'Azur. Kaptech, qui se qualifie de "self-made opérateur" (il construit ses propres équipements comme les commutateurs) a repris, outre la clientèle, la majorité du personnel (44 personnes sur 51). La société, il est vrai a les moyens.

The TV program presenter and producer, Jean-Luc Delaure (“Ça se discute”, C’est mon choix, and many other successful programs) is going to decentralized a part of his production on the French Riviera. Thus, he plans to set his company Réservoir Prod in Cannes as soon as next January, under the name of “Réservoir Sud”. Premises would already have been chosen near the Martinez.

New contracts for Completel. The alternative telephony operator, which has set up an optical fiber local loop in Nice and Sophia, has won two call for tenders this summer. The first one is Alcatel Space’s one which was answered by Competel Toulouse, but which concerns the satellites manufacturer’s offices in Cannes as well. The linking up of Alcatel Space to La Bocca will be done in H.L. (Hertzian Link). The second call for tenders is the one of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nice Côte d’Azur for its new call center of the airport which should open soon.

No “GPRS Christmas” expected (Pas de "Noël GPRS" en vue) on the market of mobiles, the British Carphone considers, quoted by Reuters and mentioned by Boursorama. After the failure of the WAP, the new transmission norm GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is impatiently expected to boost sales of mobile phones thanks to functions of constant, broadband and mobile access to Internet. Easy to say but hard to do since there is two obstacles.

Le programme de recherche médicale "Biomed Nice-Côte d'Azur" : c'est le thème d'un petit-déjeuner organisé par la Fondation Sophia Antipolis et le Club Hi Tech, mercredi 19 septembre 2001 à 8h30 au Médiathel de Sophia Antipolis (Route des Crêtes). La présentation sera assurée par le professeur Rampal, doyen de la Faculté de Médecine de Nice. Contact : guizol@sophia-antipolis.org

A delegation of the Japanese government has met at the ETSI and they have talked about cooperation between Japan and the European community for the standardization of mobiles of the 3rd generation.

The W3C, the World Wide Web Consortium, whose European settlement is located at the INRIA, in Sophia Antipolis, has lost one its pillars. The MIT professor, Michael Dertouzos, has died in Boston, USA, at 64 years old. The director of the LCS (Laboratory for Computer Science) of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), he welcomed the W3C when it was created, this Web standardisation institute which has largely contributed to reach its current universality.

RSL France, in judicial recovery since April 2001, has been taken over by the alternative operator Kaptech. Jean-Pierre Souviron’s company, set up in Nice, keeps thus most of RSL France’s assets and will provide one of the biggest contracts in the south-east, the airport of Nice Côte d’Azur. Kaptech, which calls itself a “self-made operator” (it makes its own equipments as commutators) has taken over, besides customers, most of the staff (44 people over 51). It is true that the company can afford it.

The Lyon-New York flight service is over now. The last direct daily flight departing from Lyon to New York took off on Saturday September 1st. The Data Airlines company, considering that the airline was not profitable, had decided to close it last May. The airline was launched on April 15th 2000 and was operated together with Air France. It is a new try which thus fails. In 1989 already, and then in 1990, American Airlines had also opened an airline in partnership with Air France and then, had closed it, because it was not profitable enough.

Problems might threat the Elite Model Look international contest which will start in Nice and will end by the nominations on September 8th. Le Monde dedicated a whole page under the title "The Elite agency is weakened by new accusations".

A ceremony for the transfer of powers took place on September 1st in Toulon. The squadron vice-admiral, Pierre-Xavier Collinet took up his post as the commandant of the zone and the Mediterranean maritime region and as the maritime prefect of the Mediterranean. He replaces Paul Habert, another squadron maritime vice-admiral at this post. The latter, who was appointed in February 2000, left for the private sector and will start a new professional life in the EADS group.

Une délégation du gouvernement japonais s'est entretenue à l'ETSI de la coopération entre le Japon et la Communauté européenne pour la standardisation des mobiles de 3ème génération.

C'est aujourd'hui, lundi 3 septembre que, selon le quotidien Le Monde, le comité d'entreprise de Nortel France doit examiner le plan de la direction de réduction des effectifs (voir l'article "Le canadien Nortel pourrait supprimer environ 800 emplois en France"). Le 15 juin dernier en effet, l'équipementier télécom avait annoncé un plan drastique de réduction des effectifs dans le monde (30.000 emplois de moins, soit un tiers des effectifs).