THE federal government believes it will save more than $1 billion from IT and communications expenditure over the next four years.

SAINT PAUL, Minn., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Expanding and improving Minnesota's broadband speed and access to achieve national and global leadership will be an engine for the state's economic growth and increased quality-of-life opportunities, according to a report and recommendations released today by the Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force.

(Telecompaper) Telecom New Zealand saw its net earnings rise almost 10 percent in the first quarter ended 30 September. Net earnings totalled NZD 163 million, up 9 percent from NZD 149 million a year earlier, due in part to a NZD 43 million one-off effect from changes in tax law. EBITDA declined 4.1 percent to NZD 447 million but was in line with guidance. Revenue for the quarter fell 6.5 percent to NZD 1.36 billion, while operating expenses fell faster, to NZD 909 million, a 7.7% decrease on the equivalent quarter last year. During the first quarter, Telecom saw a net increase of 64,000 mobile customers, with 242,000 customers on its new XT network at the end of its first full quarter of operation. Fixed broadband growth has remained stable, at around 11 percent, with total connections on Telecom's network reaching 899,000 during the quarter. Telecom retail attracted 50 percent of the new customers, and its share of the market has remained at 57 percent. The company is maintaining it

(Telecompaper) Korean internet provider SK Broadband posed third quarter revenues of KRW 473.9 billion, up 5.8 percent from KRW 447.8 billion in Q3 2008. Revenues rose due to growth in broadband, voice and IPTV segments. However, the company posted an operating loss of KRW 40.9 billion and a net loss of KRW 59.3 billion due to increased operating expenses related with expansion of the subscriber base. In the third quarter last year, the company posted an operating profit of 2 million and a net loss of KRW 15.3 billion. EBITDA was KRW 61.8 billion, down 41.9 percent from KRW 106.5 billion in the year-ago quarter. SK Broadband added about 44,000 broadband subscribers during the quarter, bringing its total to 3.79 million (includes fibre, xDSL and cable). The company also added 290,000 VoIP customers to reach a total of 2.52 million, and added 120,000 IPTV subscribers. Furthermore, customers for the bundled product with SK Telecom, T-band, went up by 138,000 during the quarter.

MONMOUTH JUNCTION, N.J., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- NIKSUN®, a world leader in real-time enterprise network surveillance solutions is featured in the November 2009 issue of Silicon Valley's leading technology magazine, Silicon India, in the annual Si100 list for the seventh year in a row.

LONDON, November 6 /PRNewswire/ -- GoldenSource Corporation, a leading provider of enterprise data management (EDM) solutions, will be making a keynote presentation at this year's Financial Information Management (FIMA) conference, held in London 9-11 November 2009. The conference will cover the key issues affecting the European data management and financial information industry, and is hosted by research group WB Research.

ROSH HA'AYIN, Israel, November 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ECtel Ltd. (NASDAQ: ECTX), announced today that it has issued a notice and proxy statement in connection with its extraordinary meeting of the company's shareholders to be held at 10:00 a.m (Israel time) on Friday, December 11, 2009, at the executive offices of ECtel at 10 Amal Street, Park Afek, Rosh Ha'ayin, Israel. The detailed notice and proxy statement to the shareholders is being mailed on or about November 6, 2009. A copy of such notice and proxy statement has been submitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and may be viewed at http://www.sec.gov and on the company's website at http://www.ectel.com.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Interop® today released the results of a pre-show survey that indicates 44 percent of attendees at the upcoming Interop New York intend to increase spending on technology in 2010, signaling a recovery in the business technology industry. The Interop New York 2009 pre-show survey goes on to reveal that 95 percent of pre-registered attendees are active purchasers within their companies, prioritizing areas like cloud computing, virtualization, wireless/mobility, security, and network infrastructure. Interop New York is happening November 16-20 at the Javits Convention Center. For more information see http://www.interop.com/newyork

PLANO, Texas, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ViewCast Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: VCST), a developer of industry-leading solutions for the transformation, management and delivery of digital media over IP and mobile networks, today announced that President and CEO David Stoner will be speaking at the Sports Video Group's second-annual Venue technology Summit in Dallas on November 11. This year's event will take place in one of the most technologically advanced stadiums ever designed: the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Attendees will enjoy an in-depth technical overview of the new stadium's groundbreaking video facility, as well as panel discussions and workshops covering some of the hottest topics facing venue technology professionals.

(Telecompaper) Orange has launched mobile telecommunications services in the Republic of Armenia. Orange says investments in the launch of mobile operations in Armenia exceeded EUR 100 million. The operator will provide the expertise and investments necessary to develop a 2G and 3G+ network with nationwide coverage. Orange plans to expand its mobile network to over 80 percent of the Armenian population, including 500 towns and villages. The operator currently employs around 300 people in Armenia, while an additional 500 people are employed indirectly through suppliers and third-party retailers. Orange will initially offer services for both residential and business customers. The operator's services portfolio includes a complete catalogue of mobile and data offers, as well as a range of international tariffs, leveraging agreements with over 130 roaming partners worldwide. Orange also plans to introduce Apple's iPhone in Armenia in the coming months. The Orange Customer Service is curren