Webwire: Vod to pay $5.46b to Essar; Huawei banned in Taiwan

Vodafone to buy out Essar for $5.46b

Vodafone will pay an extra $460 million to buy out Essar's share of JV Vodafone Essar, taking the purchase price for the 33% stake up to $5.46 billion. The companies reached an in-principle agreement on a sale in April, but Essar held out for more cash.

The Telegraph

Huawei said to be banned in Taiwan

The executive branch of Taiwan's government last week banned the import of core telecom equipment from Huawei, citing national security concerns, according to local reports.

The Media Spectrum

China arrests 36 in Alibaba fraud scandal

claimed the jobs

Reuters

Polkomtel accepts $6.7b takeover bid

Polkomtel has accepted a takeover offer from Polish tycoon Zygmunt Solorz-Zak worth 18.1 billion zloty ($6.67 billion) inclusive of debt and a planned dividend payout. The deal was submitted last month.

Wall Street Journal

Kodak hits setback in Apple, RIM patent case

Kodak has been dealt a setback – though not an unqualified one – in an appeal of the unfavorable initial verdictin the patent violation case it is pursuing against Apple and RIM.

Forbes

Winnipeg Free Press

Voda AU says network upgrade ahead of plan

Vodafone Australia claims its network improvement program - conceived as a response to complaints from users over quality and coverage - is proceeding ahead of schedule, with 775 new 850MHz towers erected. But if web comments are any guide, a number of customers are still disgruntled.

Lifehacker

Filipino president demotes regulator CICT

The president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino, has demoted ICT regulator CICT from a unit under the president's office to a subset of the Department of Science and Technology. Aquino has also abolished the positions of CICT chairman and commissioners.

Manila Standard Today

GSM turns 20: first call in July, 1991

Friday marked the 20^th anniversary of the world's first GSM phone call in Finland. A video of the historic call has been circulating the internet.

Business Insider