Toshiba asks California court to dismiss Western Digital case

Toshiba has asked a US court to dismiss a Western Digital request for an injunction to prevent a sale of the Japanese firm's chip business, saying the court has no jurisdiction and that an injunction would cause irreparable harm.

Western Digital, which jointly runs Toshiba's main semiconductor plant, has claimed that its partner has breached joint venture contracts as it pursues an $18 billion sale of the unit and is seeking an injunction to prevent any deal without its consent.

In its filing with the Superior Court of California, Toshiba argued that their joint venture interests only cover a small portion of its flash memory semiconductor business and that the court has no jurisdiction as its primary place of business was Japan.

Toshiba is scrambling to get a deal done as fast as possible as it needs funds to cover billions in cost overruns at now-bankrupt unit Westinghouse. It is currently negotiating with a preferred bidder consortium that includes Japan government investors and US private equity firm Bain Capital.

"Even if an agreement is reached with a bidder...if Toshiba is prevented from moving forward on implementing that transaction, the harm to an overall deal would be severe - and may well make the implementation of a transaction impossible," said in its filing, which was made on Friday.

Western Digital has tabled its own bid for the chip unit - the world's No. 2 producer of NAND chips - but the offer has gained little traction with Toshiba, which says it raises antitrust concerns. The Japanese firm is also reluctant to engage with Western Digital as its US partner has said in the past it wants to take control of the unit.

Western Digital argues that an injunction will ensure that an international arbitration court will be given an appropriate opportunity to resolve their dispute. The court hearing on the issue is scheduled for July 14 and Western Digital has said it believes a decision could come on the same day.

Western Digital is expected to file a response to Toshiba's opposition before the hearing.

Cisco to train South African youth in cyber security

Networking giant Cisco plans to train 36 South African unemployed youths next year in cyber security, to help address the shortage of skilled workers in the space.

The company says it blocks over 20 billion threats for its clients every day. Cisco says the threats constantly change and evolve as cyber criminals come up with new ways to infiltrate businesses. On top of these challenges, skilled professionals who are able to defend companies are in short supply, says Cisco.

"Cyber crime is now the fourth most reported economic crime in SA, with our economy reportedly losing R1 billion each year due to online criminal activities. Being breached is the new normal," says Cathy Smith, Cisco Southern Africa MD.

"We are also aware that security is a business priority, with many executives feeling overwhelmed by the defender environment and citing certification and talent as two of the biggest constraints to adopting advanced products and solutions." This is why the company has partnered with NIL Learning Africa to launch a cyber security training programme.

The academy will be based in the company's Johannesburg office. It will feature in-house training as well as experience within companies. Karen Sharpe, director of the learning division at NIL Learning Africa, says the students will be placed in government and other Cisco partners for a few months to learn on the job, and hopefully be placed within the company after their training is done.

The course is worth between R60 000 and R70 000 per student, and the fees will be fully funded by MICT-SETA. Students will receive a monthly stipend and an internationally recognised certificate upon completion. The "Cisco Certified CCNA Cyber Ops certification" will be valid for three years.

The first intake will be for 36 unemployed youths with a matric certificate with maths and an IT subject. Unemployed candidates who have attended a college and completed a Comptia or similar entry-level IT short course will also be considered.

"South African organisations are looking to improve security engineering capabilities to prevent increasing attacks on their networks. This educational programme will help to address the security ICT skills shortage in the country," says Sharpe.

The cyber security academy will also have an experience centre for public and private sector stakeholders to learn about the latest trends in cyber threats as well as expertise training in how to combat them.

The company says its training in the experience centre will be done in an interactive way using live ethical hacking demos, virtual reality and videos.

Etisalat micro-lending platform, KwikCash takes off even on controversial note

In a move that actualizes a project that started almost one year ago, Etisalat Nigeria, in partnership with Support Microfinance Bank, has made access to loans easier through the launch of its new micro-loan service product KwikCash.

The service, which is currently available only on the Etisalat network, is meant for subscribers who have accounts in some select banks in Nigeria and need to access to small loans to settle urgent financial needs. “It enables customers to get instant loans with ease using their mobile phones,” Etisalat said in a statement recently.

Presently the solution is accessed using a USSD code *561# on the Etisalat network, and only functions for those operating bank accounts in Access, GTBank, and UBA. Loan tenure are for 14days with interest while range is between N500 to N50,000.

The solution has been in the works since November 2016 and has been mired in controversy after an IT service provider, V-Exchange Limited laid claims to ownership of the said product. Demanding N2 billion from Etisalat as compensation for allegedly infringing on its product’s copyright, the company had called a press briefing where the company’s co-founder, Samuel Ajiboyede claimed that he had met with representatives of Etisalat regarding his company’s product and for the purposes of partnering with the same for mutual commercial benefits.

Ajiboyede further alleged that at the meeting, the loan service product was showcased to Etisalat officials who upon being impressed by the demonstration asked to be furnished with more details. He also said he was advised by Etisalat officials to obtain the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC Short Code being the only thing remaining for a deal to be sealed between the two entities.

He claimed that he subsequently requested for a Memorandum of Understanding from Etisalat to enable his company acquire a Value Added Service (VAS) license to get the Short Code approval from NCC but that the request was never accented to. The company co-founder said he was however shocked when it heard that Etisalat had gone ahead to launch the instant loan service without its approval.

Though Etisalat had repeatedly denied the allegation, the uncertainties surrounding the allegations stalled the launch of the product this now. In one of their defenses, Etisalat via a letter dated February 21, 2017 acknowledged having had discussions with V-Exchange over its product but denied infringement of any patent belonging to the firm.

The letter signed by Vincent Eromosele, Etisalat Head, Legal Operations and Litigation and Chimeka Garricks, Manager, Legal Services claimed that ‘KwikCash’ is owned and operated by a financial institution and that Etisalat followed due process in acquiring the right to use the product on its network. The letter further claimed that KwikCash service was already in existence and operational prior to its meeting with V-Exchange.

In reality, KwikCash is indeed an existing solution that operates in various countries using same name. As a VAS (value added service) infrastructure, it’s actually built for use by Telcos and financial institutions to access customers and offer instant soft loans. In the case of Etisalat, Support Microfinance Bank is said to have obtained the franchise for the solution and engaged Etisalat as preferred channel to r  each the mass market.

Support Microfinance Bank is an Abuja based micro finance owned by Ekaette Umoh. For an institution that had previously run foul of CBN rules in the past, the bank hopes to use the KwikCash product via Etisalat, to regain credibility to customers.

China Telecom and Orange Extend Strategic Partnership to Provide IoT Experience for Enterprises

China Telecom and Orange Business Services has announced the extension of their strategic partnership into the IoT space today at the launch event of "eSurfing on the Silk Road, IoT with the World" in Shanghai, China. The new cooperation will enable both companies to serve their respective enterprise customers through a combined footprint across three continents Asia, Europe and Africa.

Multinational customers of China Telecom and Orange will be able to deploy IoT and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) services across each other's networks. China Telecom's enterprise customers with outbound IoT business can deploy their assets and offerings on the Orange networks in Europe and Africa.

Similarly, Orange global enterprise customers can leverage the rapidly growing Chinese market by relying on China Telecom's IoT network resources and business capabilities. Both partners propose a global solution to address local IoT connectivity requirements, leveraging eUICC capabilities and the commonly deployed Device Connectivity Platform of Ericsson for a seamless customer experience.

China Telecom and Orange will cooperate both commercially and technically to create new service models that support global IoT opportunities. Under this agreement, Orange will be one of China Telecom's preferred partners for connectivity in Europe and Africa, while China Telecom will support Orange for connectivity in China. Both companies also agree to jointly explore the potential of enhancing existing IoT capabilities and the application of new technologies such as mobile IoT in the global market.

Mr. Deng Xiao Feng, Managing Director of Global Business Department of China Telecom, said, "China is one of the fastest growing markets for IoT applications. China Telecom is working closely with Orange to push for the building of an innovative and advanced IoT solution to capture global IoT opportunities. China Telecom together with Orange will address the increasing IoT demand, and we are excited to support our enterprise customers with the IoT Open Platform, leveraging each other's strengths and capabilities.

We are able to expand business into other regions with an open, cooperative, mutually beneficial and win-win business collaboration. The fruits of global IoT development can benefit companies from each country."

Mr. Karsten Selle, Vice President, Finance & Administration of Orange Mobile Enterprise, said, "Orange Business Services is always striving for innovative solutions to respond to the global needs of its customers. We are looking forward to creating together with China Telecom true business benefits around the global IoT projects of our respective customers. With this extended footprint in Asia, we further strengthen our IoT and data analytics offering, Datavenue, with enhanced global connectivity capabilities."

China Telecom China Telecommunications Corporation ("China Telecom") is one of the largest state-owned telecommunication companies in China, with a total registered capital of RMB220.4 billion. At present, the size of China Telecom's total assets exceeds RMB 700 billion, with annual revenue of more than RMB 380 billion. Ranking 132nd in the 2016 Fortune Global 500, China Telecom was awarded the Most Honored Company, the Best Managed Company in the Asia Telecom Sector, as well as the Best Managed Company in Asia by esteemed international institutions for consecutive years.

Nokia 6 is coming to the US in July

HMD Global — the Finnish company that owns the rights to manufacture Nokia-branded smartphones — announced earlier this year that it would be releasing new midrange Nokia Android phones in the United States.
There's now have more information on the first Nokia phone to hit Stateside: the Nokia 6, which will be available in early July for $229.
The Nokia 6 is the largest of the three Android phones HMD Global announced at Mobile World Congress, featuring a 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage (expandable by microSD). On the software side of things, the 6 runs Android Nougat in its purest, unadulterated form — that means no bundled apps or overlaid skins. Plus, while the specs are decidedly average, the Nokia 6 does stand out with a metal unibody design built out of a single block of aluminum, which adds a premium touch to the otherwise midrange device.
According to HMD, the Nokia 6 will only offer full support for 4G LTE for T-Mobile customers. AT&T will be partially supported, while Sprint and Verizon CDMA-based networks won’t work at all.
The Nokia 6 will be available exclusively through Amazon sometime in early July in matte black and silver; additional “tempered blue” and copper colors will be offered later in the summer. While HMD has promised that the smaller Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 phones will also be making their way to the US as well, there’s still no news as to when those models will be available

Fujitsu to resell ImageWare biometric security solutions...as unit names new EMEA chief

Fujitsu is expanding its advanced biometric security solutions portfolio through a newly-signed agreement in which it will resell ImageWare Systems’ key security solutions including enterprise mobile biometric user authentication as a service. Under the agreement, Fujitsu not only extends its biometric identity and access management solutions to mobile devices but also to additional authentication methods including fingerprint, face, and voice recognition.

As a result, Fujitsu customers will now be able to deploy biometric authentication as a service running on the Fujitsu Cloud Service K5.

“Through this agreement with ImageWare Systems, our customers gain access to an enhanced portfolio of biometric security solutions that reduce the barriers to deploying highly secure biometric authentication,” said Thomas Bengs, director and head of Biometrics at Fujitsu in EMEIA. Businesses will also benefit from more choice than ever, both in terms of the technologies they deploy and the ability to offer authentication via mobile devices. Delivering biometric authentication as a service opens up many new use cases and reduces the complexity usually associated with security measures.”

Fujitsu’s current biometric identity and access management solutions, including its PalmSecure palm vein authentication solution, already use ImageWare System’s Biometric Engine as their backend identity storage and matching database.

The same technology is now available as a service, hosted on the Fujitsu Cloud Service K5. Fujitsu customers can quickly add highly secure biometric authentication to their security processes by deploying the ImageWare Systems GoVerifyID line of products.

Beginning in July, Fujitsu customers in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa will be available to purchase the ImageWare Systems solutions. Pricing will vary according to country and configuration.

“By taking advantage of our powerful biometrics solutions delivered via Fujitsu’s cloud-based security as a service, many more businesses can easily enhance their security,” said Jim Miller, chairman and CEO of ImageWare Systems. “The potential applications are plentiful: Enterprises can add features such as mobile security for application logins or manage access to controlled areas, while retailers can use biometrics to help prevent fraud or to manage loyalty programs. There are also many potential applications in the financial industry where confirming identity in online, mobile or ATM banking is crucial. Finally, in healthcare, biometrics authentication easily confirms patient identity, accelerating check-in for example during visits to the doctor.”

Previously reported in some quarters, Fujitsu recently signed an agreement to resell Nok Nok Labs’ S3 Authentication Suite to deliver end-to-end FIDO authentication to the Japanese market and worldwide to its global customer base.

In a related development, PFU Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited (Japan), has appointed Toru Maki as its new president and chief executive officer for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

PFU is a globally active IT provider that designs, manufactures and markets computer hardware, peripheral products and enterprise software. It is one of the leading providers of professional personal, desktop, workgroup and high-volume production scanners.

In his new role, Maki will be responsible to further expand PFU's position as the number one provider of document capture solutions in EMEA, said a statement from the company. Moreover, the company wants to achieve this by not only growing the hardware business but also putting a strong focus on the PaperStream and ScanSnap software and on professional services, it said.

Maki joined Fujitsu in 1982 and held various positions in finance and administration as well as management positions in the company's document scanner business. His last positions prior to taking over his new role were as head of the scanner business in India and senior director for international sales.

Speaking on his new role, Maki said: “Our company has always focused on its innovative power to build customer-oriented technology that has kept us at the forefront of the industry.” As president, I want to build on that and deepen our customer relationships in order to gain a thorough understanding of their business requirements,” he added.

Uber Founder Travis Kalanick Resigns as C.E.O.

Travis Kalanick stepped down on Tuesday as chief executive of Uber, the ride-hailing service that he helped found in 2009 and built into a transportation colossus, after a shareholder revolt made it untenable for him to stay on at the company.

Mr. Kalanick’s exit came under pressure after hours of drama involving Uber’s investors, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, who asked to remain anonymous because the details were confidential.

Earlier on Tuesday, five of Uber’s major investors demanded that the chief executive resign immediately. The investors included one of Uber’s biggest shareholders, the venture capital firm Benchmark, which has one of its partners, Bill Gurley, on Uber’s board. The investors made their demand for Mr. Kalanick to step down in a letter delivered to the chief executive while he was in Chicago, said the people with knowledge of the situation.

In the letter, titled “Moving Uber Forward” and obtained by The New York Times, the investors wrote to Mr. Kalanick that he must immediately leave and that the company needed a change in leadership. Mr. Kalanick, 40, consulted with at least one Uber board member, and after long discussions with some of the investors, he agreed to step down. He will remain on Uber’s board of directors.

“I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investors request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight,” Mr. Kalanick said in a statement.

Uber’s board said in a statement that Mr. Kalanick had “always put Uber first” and that his stepping down as chief executive would give the company “room to fully embrace this new chapter in Uber’s history.” An Uber spokesman declined to comment further.

The move caps months of questions over the leadership of Uber, which has become a prime example of Silicon Valley start-up culture gone awry. The company has been exposed this year as having a workplace culture that included sexual harassment and discrimination, and it has pushed the envelope in dealing with law enforcement and even partners. That tone was set by Mr. Kalanick, who has aggressively turned the company into the world’s dominant ride-hailing service and upended the transportation industry around the globe.

Mr. Kalanick’s troubles began earlier this year after a former Uber engineer detailed what she said was sexual harassment at the company, opening the floodgates for more complaints and spurring internal investigations. In addition, Uber has been dealing with an intellectual property lawsuit from Waymo, the self-driving car business that operates under Google’s parent company, and a federal inquiry into a software tool that Uber used to sidestep some law enforcement.

Uber has been trying to move past its difficult history, which has grown inextricably tied to Mr. Kalanick. In recent months, Uber has fired more than 20 employees after an investigation into the company’s culture, embarked on major changes to professionalize its workplace, and is searching for new executives including a chief operating officer.

Mr. Kalanick last week said he would take an indefinite leave of absence from Uber, partly to work on himself and to grieve for his mother, who died last month in a boating accident. He said Uber’s day-to-day management would fall to a committee of more than 10 executives.

But the shareholder letter indicated that his taking time off was not enough for some investors who have pumped millions of dollars into the ride-hailing company, which has seen its valuation swell to nearly $70 billion. For them, Mr. Kalanick had to go.

The five shareholders who demanded Mr. Kalanick’s resignation include some of the technology industry’s most prestigious venture capital firms, which invested in Uber at an early stage of the company’s life, as well as a mutual fund firm. Apart from Benchmark, they are First Round Capital, Lowercase Capital, Menlo Ventures and Fidelity Investments, which together own more than a quarter of Uber’s stock. Because some of the investors hold a type of stock that endows them with an outsize number of votes, they have about 40 percent of Uber’s voting power.

Benchmark, Lowercase, First Round, Menlo Ventures and Fidelity did not respond to requests for comment.

But on Twitter, Mr. Gurley of Benchmark, one of the earliest supporters of Mr. Kalanick at Uber, said of the executive, “There will be many pages in the history books devoted to @travisk — very few entrepreneurs have had such a lasting impact on the world.”

Mr. Kalanick’s resignation opens questions of who may take over Uber, especially since the company has been so molded in his image. And Mr. Kalanick will probably remain a presence there since he still retains control of a majority of Uber’s voting shares.