Info Tech
EU to examine Facebook, WhatsApp $19 billion Deal
LONDON – Facebook Inc. has asked European Union antitrust regulators to examine its $19 billion deal to buy messaging service WhatsApp, in an attempt to avoid other antitrust reviews by individual countries, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
The move was unexpected because the deal already had been approved in the U.S. and wasn’t expected to face scrutiny by the European Commission, the EU’s central antitrust authority. However, in light of potential reviews from different countries, Facebook is seeking one hearing that will cover the entire 28-nation bloc.
“Facebook might prefer to go to the commission than go before several national regulators, which would each ask it for information,” said Thomas Graf, an antitrust lawyer with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in Brussels.
The commission also might be expected to take a more neutral approach than national authorities, which would face vigorous lobbying from local interest groups such as national telecom companies, experts said.
The deal has raised concerns among Europe’s telecom companies, which have warned that WhatsApp—a service that acts as a replacement for text and picture messaging—would give Facebook a dominant position in the market for instant messaging in Europe.
A European Commission spokesman declined to comment. According to a person familiar with the matter, the commission has informed national competition authorities of Facebook’s request.The EU wasn’t expected to review the deal because the acquisition is unlikely to materially boost Facebook’s revenue, the usual trigger for such a review, experts and tech executives said. Instead, Facebook used a lesser-used provision in the merger law that allows it to ask for a single probe in lieu of potentially three or more separate national ones, the people familiar with the matter said.
Under that provision, national authorities have 15 days to object to the EU’s taking over, and if they don’t, the deal is deemed reviewable by the EU, the law says.
As part of its request, Facebook cited the potential for national antitrust probes in the U.K., Spain and Cyprus, one of the people said.
It isn’t clear how closely—or even whether—the U.K., Spain or Cyprus are looking into the WhatsApp deal, as Facebook can make its request to the EU based only on whether the deal is “reviewable” under their laws.
The director of the Cyprus authority declined to comment, citing an “ongoing procedure regarding this merger.” A spokesman for the U.K. competition authority said it was “too early” to comment. The Spanish competition authority didn’t immediately have any comment.
The deal, announced in February, is the biggest acquisition of any startup in recent years, easily outranking Facebook’s purchase of photo-sharing app Instagram for more than $1 billion in 2012, and, a year earlier, Microsoft Corp.’s MSFT -0.16% $8.5 billion buy of video-calling company Skype.
The potential inquiry comes amid a rising wave of pressure on big U.S. tech companies in Europe, on fronts ranging from antitrust to privacy and taxes. Facebook is among multiple U.S. companies facing tax investigations in France, while Europe’s top court has decided Google Inc. GOOGL -0.29% must implement a “right to be forgotten” online. Politicians and companies in Germany and France have also pushed back against a proposed EU antitrust settlement with Google over its search engine.
Europe’s possible review comes after the WhatsApp deal was approved in April by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. As part of its approval, the FTC warned that Facebook and WhatsApp must give consumers notice and obtain consent before sharing information beyond their current privacy settings.
It isn’t clear how tough any merger probe would be for Facebook. A combination of Facebook and WhatsApp might dominate some niche markets, such as communication messaging or photo-sharing, experts said. But when the EU approved Microsoft’s 2011 acquisition of Skype, it found that individual types of “consumer communications services” weren’t separate markets. That could make it harder to say WhatsApp and Facebook would hold a dominant position.
“Defining and assessing competition in new technology markets is much more difficult than in established markets,” said Yvan Desmedt, an antitrust lawyer with Jones Day in Brussels. “That means it’s more difficult for the commission to block or impose conditions on deals in those markets.
European telecom executives have nevertheless railed against what they describe as the assault by so-called over-the-top companies that they believe are competing unfairly against traditional phone companies. At a conference in Brussels last month, some lambasted the EU antitrust agency’s perceived lack of interest in the WhatsApp merger.
“Why [is the] Ireland [telecom] merger being devoted thousands of hours in [the commission], while Facebook/WhatsApp acquisition is not even considered?” said Pablo Pfost Minguez, director of regulatory affairs at Telefonica SA TEF.MC +0.20% of Spain, referring to Telefonica’s €780 million sale of its Irish mobile unit to Hutchison Whampoa, 0013.HK +0.39% approved Wednesday.
“Something really has to change in competition policy to tackle in a timely manner and an efficient manner the real problems of the industry,” Mr. Minguez said.
– WALLSTREET JOURNAL
In efforts at spicing up the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, the management of ITREALMS Media has partnered with E-waste Producer Responsibility Organization of Nigeria (EPRON) membership organisations for a day-long collection scheme of small electronic waste on Friday, December 15, 2023.
The EPRON members aligning their partnership with 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue are EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited and WEEE Eco-Friendly.
ITREALMS’ day-long collection scheme is part of the commemoration of 2023 international E-Waste Day (IEWD) within the ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue with the theme “You Can Recycle Anything with a plug, battery or cable” at Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos.
Revealing this collaboration, the Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media, the organisers of the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, Sir. Remmy Nweke, urged mobile device enthusiasts to come along with their devices that have reached their end-of-life to the venue for proper disposition by professionals who would also be on grounds to address some topical issues.
The collection of small electronic wastes especially mobile phones and like-devices, would be carried out by EPRON member organisation, EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited as facilitated by ITREALMS Media group as part of this year’s ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue on Friday, December 15, he added.
He disclosed that the exercise would commence at Welcome Centre Hotel by 9am till close of work hours the same day.
Nweke pointed out that the collection of small e-waste items would include mobile phones, pointers mouse, earpieces, rechargeable torches, phone chargers, to name a few.
Further, he said, that this initiative has become time-serving because some people may have missed any other opportunity before now for the year-long campaign, hence this awareness on e-Waste has to be continuous, “ITREALMS came up with this scheme.”
Nweke beckoned on Nigerians, especially mobile phone users, to leverage the opportunity in disposing of their mobile devices they no longer use, of course in exchange for a voucher or gift item.
In her reaction to this year’s day-long small waste collection, EPRON Executive Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Faluyi, described the initiative as commendable, expressing confidence it would intensify the collection of end-of-life devices for proper disposition.
Mrs. Faluyi, also urged Nigerians to take advantage of this day-long collection of small wastes courtesy of ITREALMS Media.
Recalling for instance that in October 2022, EPRON had partnered SLOT alongside some UN agencies for collection of small e-waste items in Lagos, including the United Nations Information Centres (UNIC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
This is even as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Aminu Maida and Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Aliyu Jauro, would both lead speakers at the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue slated for this Friday, December 15, in Lagos.
Today, September 12, the tech corporation Apple will introduce the iPhone 15, their newest iPhone model.
According to a Forbes story, this model, which will be introduced at the company’s “Wanderlust” event in Cupertino, California, will be available in four variations: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Here are five things you should know about the new iPhone 15 model.
1. The new model is made of titaniu, not stainless steel as some other Apple smartphone models, Senior research analyst at DIGITIMES, Luke Lin reports.
2. The Pro Max model will feature double the optical zoom on the iPhone 14 as it comes with a newly-introduced ‘periscope lens upgrade, performing 5-6x optical zoom.’
3. The Pro models will carry an A17 bionic chip expected to make it perform faster.
4. The iPhone 15 model will feature a USB-C charging port, the same port featured on some Android phone models.
5. Due to its titanium shell, the new model is anticipated to be more expensive to purchase. The following is the speculated price list, as reported by Forbes:
The iPhone 15 starts at $799, the iPhone 15 Plus at $899, the iPhone 15 Pro at $1,099 ($100 increase), and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at $1,299 ($200 increase).
In an effort to reduce the exorbitant cost of Premium Motor Spirit, better known as petrol, the Infrastructure Bank Plc announced its collaboration with FEMADEC Group on Monday to offer 500 buses powered by autogas (Compressed Natural Gas).
Partners in the agreement claimed that the project was created to provide citizens with dependable, affordable, and environmentally friendly travel options, taking into account the negative effects of the nationwide increase in PMS costs.
Under Decree No. 51 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1992 Constitution, the Infrastructure Bank, originally known as the Urban Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, was founded in 1992 to promote the quick development of infrastructure throughout the nation.
In a statement issued in Abuja on its partnership with FEMADEC, the bank said, “The preliminary offer extended by TIB lays a solid foundation for the expansion of FEMADEC Group’s CNG bus fleet.
“With plans to introduce 500 CNG buses within the next five years, commencing with an initial batch of 50 buses in the forthcoming year, this proposal stands poised to instigate significant change.
“The acceptance of this proposition by FEMADEC Group, notably championed by Fola Akinnola, the Group Chief Executive Officer, is a testament to their zeal and dedication to this alliance.”
The bank described the partnership as a “pivotal endeavour that is primed to redefine Nigeria’s public transportation landscape, offering dependable, cost-effective, and ecologically conscious travel alternatives for citizens, while harmonising with the nation’s broader sustainability ambitions.”
“This partnership represents a remarkable stride towards a more ecologically aware future for Nigeria’s transportation sector, highlighting the shared commitment of both TIB and FEMADEC Group to sustainable advancement and progress.”
It said FEMADEC Group’s strides in operating Compressed Natural Gas buses, including the existing fleet of 20 CNG buses under LAMATA, underscored their unwavering dedication to ecologically sound solutions, a commitment predating the fuel subsidy removal.
“Their leadership within the CNG value chain is undeniable, and the new alliance with TIB underscores their foresight.
“This partnership seamlessly aligns with TIB’s sustainability objectives, echoing their resolute endorsement of the government’s net-zero and climate change agenda.
“The bank’s aspiration to champion Nigeria’s infrastructure progress is evident in its endorsement of pivotal initiatives like this, yielding expansive positive impacts on both the environment and society,” the bank stated.
The bank added that it would continue to make a significant contribution to the country’s growth as a leading financial institution committed to advancing effective and long-lasting infrastructure projects.
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