COMPLAINT

Five cable operators complained to the Anti-Monopoly Office (ÚOHS) Nov. 14 about the pending merger between cable companies Karneval and UPC. UPC's parent company, Liberty Global, wants to buy Karneval for more than 9 billion Kč ($410 million). If the merger is approved, the firm would have 800,000 clients and offer cable TV, high-speed Internet access, and telephone service. The Council for Radio and TV Broadcasts already approved the merger.

BIOMASS

Electricity production from biomass has grown sharply in 2006, ČEZ spokesman Ladislav Kříž said Nov. 10. Power producer ČEZ generated more than 158 GWh of power from biomass this year, up 2.5 percent from 2005. Kříž said the trend is the result of the Energy Regulation Office's increase on wholesale prices of electricity made from biomass.

GROWTH

Telefónica SA said it expects its Telefónica O2 Czech unit to grow 2 percent in 2006. The unit showed growth of 84,000 customers to finish with 4.76 million at the end of September. The company's Telefónica O2 division cut its financial targets for the United Kingdom and Germany, citing intensifying competition in European mobile phone markets.

CLIENTS

Mobile phone operator Vodafone ČR raised its number of customers by 169,000 to 2.3 million in the first nine months of 2006, the company announced Nov. 14. T-Mobile raised client numbers by 188,000 to 4.8 million, becoming the market leader after nine months. There were 11.9 million active mobile numbers on the Czech market, more than 116 numbers per 100 people.

SALES

Siemens ČR raised sales 8.5 percent to 58.6 billion Kč in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the company announced Nov. 13. Siemens exported goods and services accounting for nearly 66 percent of its turnover in fiscal year 2006. The number of employees rose by 1,800 to 15,800.

SCHENGEN

The Interior Ministry announced that the national Schengen information system would be built by Hewlett-Packard, the Czech News Agency reported Nov. 4. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Schengen system will eliminate checks on the country's borders and should take effect in 2008 or 2009.

AWARD

Mathematician Jaroslav Kurzweil won the national Czech Head award Nov. 16. The award is given to the best Czech scientist of the year. The 80-year-old has contributed to the theory of integral and differential equations and has an equation that bears his name, the Kurzweil-Henstock integral. The Czech Head award comes with a 1 million Kč prize aimed at supporting science and technology in the Czech Republic.