Latest news with #GianlucaLoNostro
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SEMCO Technologies surges in market debut as latest French tech IPO
By Gianluca Lo Nostro and Jerome Terroy (Reuters) -Shares of SEMCO Technologies surged 41% in their Paris trading debut on Wednesday, as the French chipmaking equipment supplier became the second technology company to be listed in the French capital this year. The Montpellier-based company raised 45 million euros ($48.5 million) through its initial public offering (IPO) on Paris' junior exchange Euronext Growth, giving it a market value of 154 million euros at the listing price of 15 euros per share. SEMCO follows artificial intelligence startup LightOn, which became Europe's first listed generative AI company when it debuted in Paris in November, and consumer credit firm Younited Financial, which completed the first French IPO of 2025 in January. Investor appetite for European technology companies remains strong, particularly those serving the booming semiconductor industry driven by demand for AI-enabling technologies. SEMCO makes electrostatic chucks, or "eChucks" — arms that handle silicon wafers during production. These devices use electrical charges to grip the thin silicon discs without physical clamps. The IPO was heavily oversubscribed, with institutional investors bidding 5.5 times the available shares and retail investors oversubscribing by more than 7 times. SEMCO plans to use the proceeds to expand its manufacturing capacity, invest in new technology and strengthen its international presence, CEO Laurent Pelissier said in a statement. It targets revenue of about 33 million euros in 2025 and more than 55 million euros by 2028, with a profit margin exceeding 40%. The listing came at a time when Euronext is seeking to boost European IPO activity through initiatives like the European Common Prospectus, launched in April to streamline cross-border listings. SEMCO is a subsidiary of Grenoble-based ECM Group. ($1 = 0.9278 euros) Sign in to access your portfolio
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
France joins European push for satellite internet on trains
By Gianluca Lo Nostro France's state-owned rail company SNCF will launch a tender soon to add satellite internet to its trains, becoming the latest European rail operator to explore space-based systems for onboard connectivity. In a statement to Reuters, SNCF said on Friday it was pursuing an "innovative approach to strengthen connectivity and resilience" by combining terrestrial networks with low Earth-orbit satellite solutions. The company said the strategy aims to ensure service continuity across its entire network, including isolated sites, and guarantee better internet access for train passengers. "The satellite plus 4G/5G combination would eliminate dead zones and offer stable, fast service adapted to new uses such as streaming or video conferencing," SNCF said. Elon Musk's Starlink and France's Eutelsat are among the companies being considered, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. SNCF would not discuss with Reuters whether it was in talks with specific providers. A Eutelsat spokesperson confirmed the company's interest in the deal as it is already in talks with SNCF about setting up a pilot project as they have already done in Britain and Kazakhstan. "As one of only two LEO (low Earth orbit) operators currently in service, and the only French player, we intend to bid for the contract with our French partners such as Orange business services," the spokesperson said. Starlink, which initially focused on consumer services, has expanded into enterprise markets, particularly in transportation and maritime sectors. Eutelsat, propped up by the French government in its push for LEO services, provides internet access through its OneWeb network of more than 600 LEO satellites. The move follows similar initiatives across Europe. Italy's state railway Ferrovie dello Stato ran a two-week trial in June with two providers, including Starlink, Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini said in May. Scotland's ScotRail also launched a six-week Starlink trial in May. Most European trains rely on cellular networks for internet access. However, connection quality varies with mobile network coverage, often dropping in rural areas or tunnels. The high speeds of trains also create technical challenges as systems must constantly switch between mobile towers, causing intermittent service. Satellites, on the other hand, offer consistent coverage everywhere, including remote areas where cellular towers are sparse or nonexistent.
The Star
25-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Verizon wins private 5G contract for UK's Thames Freeport
3d printed objects representing 5G are put on a motherboard in this picture illustration taken April 24, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic /Illustration/File Photo (Reuters) -Verizon Business has won a contract to build multiple private 5G networks at Thames Freeport, one of Britain's busiest shipping and logistics centers, the U.S. telecom giant said on Wednesday. The deal, in partnership with Finland's Nokia, will see Verizon deploy private 5G networks across multiple industrial sites along the River Thames Estuary, including major ports and Ford's largest London manufacturing facility. Private 5G networks provide dedicated connectivity that avoids the congestion and speed variations of public networks shared by multiple users, enabling advanced industrial applications, such as artificial intelligence (AI). 5G adoption in European ports is still at an early stage. The technology allows ports to handle larger volumes of data needed to run or track cargoes, cranes, drones and industrial sensors. The companies did not disclose financial details of the agreement, only describing it as supporting a "multibillion-dollar operational transformation" of the region. Thames Freeport is a 34 km-wide economic corridor established in 2021 as a designated UK "Free Trade Zone", offering a range of tax incentives and reliefs to businesses as part of efforts to revive the Thames Estuary region. Verizon has been working with Nokia to develop private networks for manufacturing and logistics companies in international markets where it lacks its own public network infrastructure. Nokia will serve as the sole hardware and software provider. The networks will serve DP World London Gateway and DP World Logistics Park - Britain's largest deep-sea container port handling over 3 million units annually -, the Port of Tilbury and Ford's Dagenham plant. Use cases will include AI-driven data analytics, predictive maintenance, process automation, autonomous vehicle control, safety monitoring and real-time logistics orchestration, Verizon said. (Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro in Gdansk; Editing by Matt Scuffham)
The Star
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Proximus, Thales win contract to modernise NATO IT infrastructure
The logo of Thales is seen on a company building in Brest, France, March 14, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe (Reuters) -Belgium's Proximus and France's Thales have won a major NATO contract to modernise the alliance's IT infrastructure, the two companies said on Tuesday. The Belgian telecoms provider and the French defence group have been selected by the NATO Communications and Information Agency to manage and operate its core network until the end of 2029, they said in a joint statement. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed by the companies. Belgian newspaper L'Echo reported the deal could be worth more than 100 million euros ($113.9 million). Thales will provide secure cloud infrastructure while Proximus will upgrade Wi-Fi networks at NATO's sites in The Hague, Netherlands, and Braine l'Alleud, Belgium, and supply 5,000 laptops. ($1 = 0.8777 euros) (Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro and Jakob van Calster; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
South Korea's Hanwha offloads Eutelsat stake as Starlink rival seeks new investors
By Gianluca Lo Nostro South Korea's Hanwha Systems said on Thursday it was selling its entire 5.4% stake in Eutelsat for about 78 million euros ($85 million), as the Franco-British satellite operator seeks new investors. Eutelsat has garnered unprecedented attention this year from governments looking for home-grown alternatives to SpaceX's Starlink for satellite internet connectivity. The company is working on a new financing plan to fund the second generation of its low Earth orbit (LEO) OneWeb satellites and to fulfil commitments to the European Union 's IRIS² project. It has piled up hundreds of millions of euros in losses, particularly from its waning video business, while its 2023 acquisition of OneWeb has yet to yield the results it had hoped for due to competition and delayed deployment of technology. Finance chief Christophe Caudrelier said in May that Eutelsat was looking for capital investors. Hanwha's shares were offered at 3.00 euros ($3.42) apiece, representing a 13.9% discount to Eutelsat's closing price of 3.48 euros on Wednesday, a term sheet from bookrunner Citi showed. It also marks a steep 74% loss on Hanwha's initial $300 million investment made in OneWeb in 2021, with the stake now valued at just $85 million. The South Korean company said the sale, which is set to be concluded on Thursday, was not driven by an investment perspective but by a strategic shift to focus more on its core business operations. "This decision reflects a long-term strategy to concentrate on defense-related satellites and military communications , rather than on civilian satellite operations and services," Hanwha said in a statement to Reuters. A representative for Hanwha resigned from Eutelsat's board in April, signalling the company's diminishing involvement with the satellite operator. MAJOR OVERHAUL When asked by Reuters, Eutelsat said none of the other shareholders had expressed interest in selling their shares. A company spokesperson declined to comment on media reports saying France may raise its stake in the group. Eutelsat is also reshuffling its upper echelons. In a surprise move last month, it appointed Jean-Francois Fallacher as its new CEO and it is looking for a new chairperson after the current one announced his departure in February. Eutelsat's Paris-listed shares fell as much as 16.8% in early trading on Thursday. Hanwha became a shareholder in OneWeb before it merged with Eutelsat. It is also one of OneWeb's distributors in South Korea as part of an agreement signed in 2023 with the aim of securing LEO communications for the government and providing internet access to underserved areas. Last week, South Korea's Science Ministry granted licenses to Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb to operate in the country, with services expected to be launched soon.
