CABLE AND WIRELESS RECORDS A PROFIT FALL OF 39%.

The British telecommunications group Cable and Wireless recorded a fall of 39% of its half-yearly pre-tax profits to GBP539 million (Euro 846.23 million), mainly due to bad performances with Hong Kong, according to results published on November 10. Analyst forecasts went from GBP440 to GBP450 million for the period until September 30. The group warned that the annual results will undergo a "significant" fall because of the difficult situation from the market with Hong Kong and the significant investments carried out in the network of transmission for Internet. Cable and Wireless draws most of its profits from its share in Hong Kong Telecom, the principal operator of the old British colony. The semi-annual dividend nevertheless rose by 10% to 4.5 pence per share. The turnover increased by 25% to GBP4.511 billion. Excluding Hong Kong, turnover rose strongly, in particular in the data transmission and the internet sectors, where the growth was...