Page 19 - bne_Tech_07_2018

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July 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 19
Albania’s AKEP calls tender for 800 MHz band
Albania's Electronic and Postal Communications Authority (AKEP) has launched a tender for access rights for the use of the 800 MHz band.
The tender relates to one lot of 10 MHz paired frequencies.
The tender procedure is conducted in order to grant three rights of use in the 800 MHz (790-862 MHz) frequency band in Albania, it was said in a tender notice.
Rights of use are granted for the purpose of building terrestrial communication networks
in order to provide electronic communications services throughout the territory of the Republic of Albania.
Bids should be sent by September 27 and will be opened the same day. The criterion for evaluating the valid bids will be the highest price offered.
The minimum eligible price for the bidders in order to obtain one right of use for 1 x 10 MHz paired is €7.44mn.
Czech-European investment bank Benson Oak to raise $100mn for Israeli tech company
Czech-European investment bank Benson Oak is establishing a new venture capital fund to tech start-ups in Israel. The fund already has $25mn and plans to add $100mn during the year, Israeli daily Globes reported.
Co-founder Robert Cohen said the bank already has raised 60% of the amount. The fund will invest in start-ups since the beginning but also
in later stages. “Our model was and will continue to be investing in companies from the seed stage. We always want to lead investments in the early rounds as long as we can and continue investing until the exit,” Cohen told Globes on July 8.
The Jerusalem Post said that the firm will focus on blockchain technology. The investors are private entities from Europe and the US, who have invested with Benson Oak since its investment arm launched in 2003.
“In my opinion, blockchain technology is an im- portant factor in platforms of this type, that have a community of customers around them. I understand B2C solutions very well, and I know how to sell them and how to make money out of them,” Cohen said.
Since its establishment in 1989 in Czechoslovakia, Benson Oak has raised $5bn. It has had three funds that did not exceed $25mn, so the current venture is four-times higher.
Hungary’s R&D spending jumps 21% in 2017
Spending on research and development in Hungary came to HUF517bn (€1.6bn) last year, up 21% from 2016 at current prices, statistics office KSH reported.
R&D spending grew, albeit from a low base, to 1.35% of GDP, well below the 2% average in EU member states.
Spending on R&D activities, which account for about 85% of overall R&D spending, was up 17%, while spending on investments in the R&D sector jumped by almost 54%.
Businesses accounted for two-thirds of total R&D spending, which is one of the highest in the EU.
Institutions of higher education and budget- funded research institutes accounted for a third of the spending.
In the convergence plan sent to Brussels in May, the government said priorities for the next five years will be improving competitiveness and productivity-boosting innovation and infrastructure developments and supporting production with higher added value.