That left shares in Britain’s biggest radio group, which has 19 analogue and 30 digital radio licences, at levels last seen in early 1999 and down more than 60 per cent from the highs of the TMT boom a year ago.Stock in rival radio firm GWR Group down 16 per cent to 422.5p, while Chrysalis fell 11 per cent to 259p. Shares in EMAP, the country’s largest consumer magazine publisher and a major radio station operator fell 50p to 700p Advertising and television groups were also hard hit. WPP Group, the world’s top advertising and marketing services firm, fell 7.4 per cent to 704p, while Granada, the biggest ITV broadcaster, fell 7.1 per cent to 169.25p.. Nycomed Amersham, the medical equipment business, yesterday hoisted a question mark over the timetable for the proposed New York float of its life sciences business following a profits warning from Applied Biosystems, its giant US rival. Nycomed Amersham, the medical equipment business, yesterday hoisted a question mark over the timetable for the proposed New York float of its life sciences business following a profits warning from Applied Biosystems, its giant US rival.
The group hinted it may postpone the float of the unit, Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, if the market weakness continued over the next three months. Last month, Nycomed said it would float 10 per cent of its life sciences business, called Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, “by the end of the spring”.”At this point, we want to be going ahead. But it very much depends on market conditions, although we haven’t put boundaries on what needs to happens to the markets [for the float to be pulled],” said a spokesman for the company.

“If the market conditions are like what they are today, it would be very surprising it the banks advising us would tell us to float.”Nycomed shares closed at a year-low, down 39p at 428.5p, against a high of 732p touched last year. Applied Biosystems stock lost almost half its value as the group warned of weak demand for gene sequencing machines, which are also the principal business of AP Biotech.Nycomed, whose chief executive is Sir William Castell, said it would have little difficulty funding investment in AP Biotech were market conditions to force it to delay the float “We have relatively little debt. The initial public offering was always about placing AP Biotech in the heart of the gene economy, and incentivising staff with share options,” Nycomed said.. Orange, the mobile phone operator owned by France Telecom, will launch its next-generation mobile phone service, known as GPRS, this summer in both the UK and France. Orange, the mobile phone operator owned by France Telecom, will launch its next-generation mobile phone service, known as GPRS, this summer in both the UK and France.
The company yesterday said Motorola would be providing the launch handsets but it expected a range of between 10 and 15 handsets to be on the market by the end of the year.GPRS services, often called 2.5G, are touted as the forerunner to third-generation [3G] phone services and will offer faster data transmission and always-on internet connections.Graham Howe, Orange’s deputy chief executive and finance director, said: “I think this year is going to be very much a transition year for the [GPRS] technology.

I think you’ll find a limited number of handsets in summer but they’ll ramp up later in the year and you’ll get real momentum next year.” He still expected Orange to launch 3G services in the middle of 2002 and expected it to be granted a 3G licence in France shortly.Vodafone is launching its GPRS service next month for the business community with a full commercial launch planned only when handsets are more widely available. One2One, owned by Deutsche Telekom, is set to launch in the second half of this year while BT Cellnet is aiming for “later this year”.Orange yesterday announced 2000 pre-tax losses, before goodwill amortisation, of 409m euros (£256m), compared with losses of 630m euros last year, on turnover of 12.1bn euros up from 7.6bn euros. Shares in Orange closed down nearly 3 per cent at 8.58 euros – well beneath their 10 euro flotation price.France Telecom, Orange’s parent, also reported figures, which detailed a net profit 32 per cent ahead at 3.66bn euros, although the numbers were overshadowed by its 61bn euro debt figure. It is planning to reduce its debt by 30bn-40bn euros by 2002-2003 by selling off assets.In contrast Orange said its net debt totalled 5bn euros and the company said it was “on track” to secure 800m euros of synergies a year in 2003.

It said it had identified 390m euros of its 400m euros synergy target for 2001.The company said non-voice data services grew “particularly rapidly”, setting it on course to reach its target of non-voice revenues being 25 per cent of total turnover in 2005.. Hewlett-Packard, the computer maker, is pricing its new colour pocket PC to compete directly with the popular Palm handheld devices in a bid to gain market share. The HP Jornada 525 is expected to sell at between £250 and £300 when it goes on sale in Europe this year. Hewlett-Packard, the computer maker, is pricing its new colour pocket PC to compete directly with the popular Palm handheld devices in a bid to gain market share. The HP Jornada 525 is expected to sell at between £250 and £300 when it goes on sale in Europe this year.
At the CEBIT technology show in Hanover, Germany, HP also launched an HP Jornada 710 handheld unit. Both devices are built round Microsoft’s operating system rather than rival Palm and Symbian systems.Another Microsoft-based device was launched at CEBIT by Siemens. Named Andromeda, it will be the first colour pocket PC combined with a mobile phone.Products combining a phone and handheld device are already on the market, although not in colour They include the Ericsson R380 and a product from Sagem.

The Andromeda is expected to be on the shelves in Europe before the end of the year, as are the two devices from Hewlett-Packard.A range of GPRS mobile phones has also been launched at CEBIT. These, touted as the forerunners to third-generation [3G] phone services, will offer faster data transmission and always-on Net connections.Nokia launched three mobile phones, including two GPRS models. Ericsson unveiled two GPRS phones, as did Motorola, while Siemens showed one. Mobile operators are launching GPRS services from summer; however, because of the lack of availability and variety of handsets, the phones are not expected to take off until next year.. What do Nomura, the Japanese bank, Deutsche Bank’s Morgan Grenfell Private Equity arm and Alchemy Partners have in common? This is not a pub quiz question, but it should be; these are just three of the financial institutions that now dominate the list of Britain’s biggest pub landlords. What do Nomura, the Japanese bank, Deutsche Bank’s Morgan Grenfell Private Equity arm and Alchemy Partners have in common? This is not a pub quiz question, but it should be; these are just three of the financial institutions that now dominate the list of Britain’s biggest pub landlords.
As recently as 1995, the pub industry was controlled by the major brewers, but the sector has undergone a radical transformation.