News in brief

Oracle's CEO forecasts database, apps growth

NEW YORK: The chief executive of Oracle Corp. on Monday said he saw long-term
growth of the company's database software business of between 15 per cent and 20
per cent. Larry Ellison, speaking on the firm's fourth quarter analyst
conference call, said he also saw the company's software applications business
growing between 50 per cent and 100 per cent in the long term. "I see no
reason why we can't get back to 50 to 100 growth in the applications
business," Ellison said in response to a question about long-term outlook
from one of the analysts. Oracle's fourth quarter software license revenue -
which is broken down into database and software applications sales - growth was
down 10 per cent from the prior year. Database sales were down 1 per cent, while
applications were down 9 per cent, the company said.-Reuters

Taiwan Acer to charge t$3.9 b. unrealised losses

TAIPEI: Acer Inc, Taiwan's largest personal computer maker, said on Tuesday it
has decided to include unrealized losses of T$3.9 billion in its second-quarter
account to reflect actual conditions.

Acer said in a statement it had made an investment profit of T$4.85 billion for
the second quarter as of Monday by selling shares of Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Co and Taiwan Cellular - enough to write off the T$3.9 billion
losses in a one-time charge. The losses of T$3.9 billion include T$1.7 billion
in stock investments, T$1.3 billion in inventories and T$900 million in
software, royalty payments and sales of production equipment. Acer is in the
process of splitting its contract manufacturing and own-brand businesses, a move
expected to be approved by shareholders at an annual meeting scheduled for July
26. — Reuters

PCCW unit starts leased line Internet in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Data Access (India) Ltd., the Indian partner of Hong Kong's Pacific
Convergence Corp (PCC), on Monday launched leased line Internet access for
corporations in India's financial capital, Mumbai.

A company statement said it had priced its leased lines lower than market leader
Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. and hoped this would help it grab more than 60 per
cent of Mumbai's corporate Internet access market in the next six months. It
estimated the size of Mumbai's corporate Internet access market at Rs one
billion.

PCC is a unit of tycoon Richard Li's telecoms and Internet firm Pacific Century
Cyberworks (PCCW). Data Access is a joint venture between PCC and New
Delhi-based SPA Enterprises.- Reuters