NTL broadband growth fuels first ever break-even

Cable operator NTL has announced it broke even on operating costs for the first time in its history in the first quarter of the year. The US group, which operates exclusively in the UK, says that revenues were boosted by a net addition of 368,000 broadband customers and 132,000 telephony customers. NTL says it made an operating profit of ?2. ...more

AMD slashes cost of 64-bit computing

AMD is slashing cost of (mainstream) 64-bit computing. The cost of its Athlon 64 desktop processors have been cut by as much as 31 per cent. Leading the way are the 3500+ and 3400+, which now cost $346 and $288, falls of 31 per cent. ...more

Free online research endangers not-for-profit publishers

The Royal Society has warned against making scientific research available freely on the Web, claiming that it could harm debate. The 345-year-old UK science academy fears that a move to Internet publishing proposed by Research Councils UK (RCUK) could lead to the closure of not-for-profit publishers that have sustained the exchange of knowledge since the first peer-reviewed scientific journals were circulated in the 17th century. 'At least a third of all journals are published by not-for-profit organisations,' it said in a statement. ...more

Double trouble for AMD fabs

AMD has announced the closure of Fabs 14 and 15 in Austin, Texas, in a bid to streamline operations, which includes job cuts of 2,300. Approximately 1,000 employees will be directly affected by the shutdown of the fabs, which are the oldest of AMD's facilities. "These actions will allow us to reduce costs without impairing our new product development activities in pursuit of long-term growth opportunities. ...more

BT informs Ofcom of large price cuts for an ADSL wholesale product

BT Wholesale has notified industry regulator Ofcom that it intends to make large cuts in the prices of its Central Plus ADSL wholesale products. The catch is that Central Plus has just two customers - BT Retail and BT Yahoo! - so the cuts will inevitably be seen as a unfair hand-up. Independent ISPs will be hoping that Ofcom ensures this is not the case. ...more