business plan for 2004 - EDP

2003 - Annual Report - EDP
Direct access customers, that is, those connected directly
to the ONI network numbered more than 5000 in
Portugal and Spain.
Other Businesses
UCALL
The Group’s provision of call-centre services was spun off
in 2001 through the creation of UCALL. The aim was to
increase efficiency in the use of the existing resources and
platforms, particularly the human and technical resources
that provide customer care services.
Taking into account the progressive convergence of the
Telecommunications and Information Technologies
sectors, ONI SGPS joined up with EDINFOR in this
undertaking, EDINFOR having acquired a minority
holding in the UCALL share capital.
ONI Way
At a General Meeting held in January 2003 the ONI Way
shareholders decided to end the business carried on by
the company within the scope of the licence that had been
granted to it to operate UMTS international mobile
communications systems.
In keeping with this decision, an application was lodged
with the Economy Minister to revoke the licence, and this
was approved by Order dated January 13. ANACOM was
charged with taking the necessary steps to implement this
determination, particularly the release of the bank
guarantee provided by ONI Way at the time the licence
was granted and termination of the obligations imposed
by the licence.
Having overcome the legal issues calling into question
the shareholders’ deliberations directed at closing down
the mobile telecommunications business, a start was
made to the plan of action to implement the decision,
involving, among much other work, the following tasks:
• Renegotiation of the contract with the principal
supplier of technology to put a halt to the network
construction work and to minimise the respective costs;
• Negotiation of the termination of the leases of the
technical and administrative facilities;
• Negotiation with distributors and commercial network
agents to reach agreement as to termination of the
contracts entered into in the meantime;
• Sale of assets within the scope of the contracts closed
with mobile operators; and
• Sale of other assets not included in the contracts with
the operators that could be dispensed as a result of the
termination of the mobile telecommunications business.
As a result of the termination of the mobile telecommunications
business, the larger part of the 109
employees allocated to the project as at January 1, 2003,
severed their employment ties with ONI Way by mutual
agreement. ONI Way had no employees as at December
31, 2003.
Germinus XXI
Germinus XXI was initially conceived as an Internet
business incubator. The recession that struck the sector
imposed its conversion into a services and systems
integrator. Its business areas were overhauled during
2003 so as to refocus on the core business, services
engineering.
During 2003 the company was successful in consolidating
its market position, having increased its commercial
activity outside the Group, a large part of is business
involving major customers such as ICM, SUN, RENFE,
Repsol, Vodafone, TDATA and RTVE.
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