Company and Industry Analysis Report for the European IT & Technology Sectors.

M2 PRESSWIRE-9 October 2008-Research and Markets: Company and Industry Analysis Report for the European IT & Technology Sectors(C)1994-2008 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:09102008

Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/830a13/europe_it_techno) has announced the addition of the "Europe IT & Technology Sectors : A Company and Industry Analysis (August 2008)" report to their offering.

This report updates the previous European IT and high technology report, focusing on the markets in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom

Current Environment

- Key Points

- The European IT industry started to face stresses in the first half of 2008 in the midst of the escalating global equity market slowdown and waning investor enthusiasm for most stocks

- The region was given a boost in July with a major initiative announced by the European Commission (EC) to build procurement infrastructure that covers the public sector in all EU member states

- Semiconductor sales in Europe for the first six months of 2008 were US$20.38 billion, an increase of 1.95% from US$19.99 billion recorded in the same period a year prior

- Sales of notebook PCs grew in the first three months of 2008 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), with their share of total computer sales reaching 70%

- The downturn in world equity markets in the first half of 2008 had serious effects on most European IT companies- share prices In the three months from May 1, 2008, to August 1, 2008, European IT companies sustaining the most declines were looking at double digit negative percentages

- The credit crunch in the US failed to dampen the hunger for IT merger or acquisition deals in Europe in the first six months of 2008

Industry Profile

- Key Points

- Information technology is regarded by the European Union as a key driver of growth and innovation and is hence promoted by all EU member states in their national policies

- More than half of Europeans, or approximately 250 million people, are now regular internet users, with 80% of them having broadband connections

- In the EU, ICT use accounts for 26% of research efforts, 20% of business investment and almost 50% of all productivity growth

- In line with efforts to expand the spread of high-speed internet across Europe, on June 25 the EC outlined a strategy to boost investment in broadband infrastructure for next-generation access networks

- Research and innovation are at the top of the EU agenda for economic reform Although 22 of the 27 member states have identified these as key challenges to their national reform programs, the target of 3% of GDP spent on research by 2010 may not be unattained

Market Trends and Outlook

- Key Points

- The use of information technology is opening the door to computer simulation, a breakthrough that could mean fewer medical complications and better outcomes for certain types of surgery

- The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) market is picking up, driven by uses in a wide range of industries, including supply chain sectors such as logistics, food manufacturing and retail

- The internet is increasingly changing business models in the software market, with service and service-oriented software such as SaaS (software as a service) and SOA (service oriented architecture), now a significant driver of growth

- Europe continues to make progress in the ICT sector However, there is a variation of around 50 percentage points between the most and least advanced countries in terms of ICT implementation and use.

Key Topics Covered:

- Current Environment

- Sector Overview

- Key Market Segments and Leading Companies

- Semiconductors

- Personal Computers

- Software and IT Services

- Sector Performance

- Mergers

- Acquisitions and Alliances Industry Profile

- Industry Overview

- Sector Investment

- Research and Development Market Trends and Outlook

- Current Trends in the Healthcare Sector

- Radio Frequency Identification Markets Picks Up

- Software Market Business Models Change

- Market Outlook Country Profiles

- France

- Germany

- Italy

- Netherlands

- Sweden

- United Kingdom Currency Conversion Table

- Scope of this Report

- Key References

- Comparative Data

- Reports Coverage

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/830a13/europe_it_techno

CONTACT: Laura Wood, Senior Manager, Research and MarketsFax: +1 646 607 1907 (US)Fax: +353 1 481 1716 (Rest of World)e-mail: press@researchandmarkets.com

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