Mobifun’s Weblog

Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan has offered about 16 billion ringgit ($4.6 billion) to buy out the mobile telco Maxis, in a bid that values Maxis’ shares at a 20 percent premium. “It puts the total worth of the country’s seventh largest publicly listed company at 39.5 billion ringgit ($11.3 billion), compared to its market capitalization of 32.9 billion ringgit ($9.5 billion),” reports TelecomAsia. The offer was made by Binariang GSM, which was especially set up by Maxis’ parent company, Usaha Tegas, which is wholly owned by Krishnan, for the takeover…Binariang aims to raise funds for the deal from the debt market and other avenues.

Chinese company Qiao Xing Universal Telephone has announced that its major subsidiary Qiao Xing Mobile Communication—a handset manufacturer in China—will offer an IPO of 13.3 million shares at $12 per share. The shares will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “QXM”, with Qiao Xing Universal maintaining a majority stake. The proceeds of the IPO will be used to repay shareholder loans to its parent company, Xing, as well as to make loans or capital contributions to CECT for funding capacity expansion and purchase of equipment for its new manufacturing facility in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China. There’s also scope for potential acquisitions

Publisher Hearst Magazines and mobile technology and services company Crisp Wireless announced an agreement to launch three new made-for-mobile websites targeting women over the age of 35. The Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful and Redbook sites promise interactive mobile tools like calculators, quizzes, wallpapers, user-generated content and search services.

The Redbook and Good Housekeeping sites offer recipes with corresponding grocery lists and nutrition facts, along with diet and exercise tips. Redbook also features “Time for You Tips” (suggestions for capitalizing on private moments) and “Mommy Strategies,” while Good Housekeeping includes a searchable list of every product with the Good Housekeeping seal, an exercise calculator and expert advice on subjects from tipping to travel. House Beautiful’s “Design Dictionary” features decorating tips and a paint calculator. The Redbook and House Beautiful sites also offer branded fiction and non-fiction mobile stories.

Hearst will launch both on- and off-deck sites. Agreements are in place with operators including AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. “Today, women live action-packed, on-the-go lives, and a mobile phone has become ‘home base,’” said Redbook editor-in-chief Stacy Morrison in a prepared statement. “Cell phones are how a woman stays connected to friends and family, keeps herself organized, and now, with our new mobile sites, she’ll be able to use her phone to actually make her life easier. The goal is to meet women where they are living their lives every day, and more and more, that means on the run, with a cell phone at the ready.”

Microsoft announced its acquisition of European mobile advertising firm ScreenTonic SA. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. ScreenTonic boasts partnerships with mobile operators in the U.K., France and Belgium markets; according to Microsoft, its “mobile expertise and industry relationships” will complement the software goliath’s Digital Advertising Solutions platform by providing advertisers with a range of ad formats, from display to text, as well as ad management and reporting capabilities.

Steve Berkowitz, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Online Services Group, said the company is emphasizing an ad experience that is mutually beneficial to publishers, operators and consumers. “The mobile Internet is an extraordinary vehicle for brands to connect with their target audiences, because devices like cell phones enable interaction to take place virtually anywhere or anytime,” Berkowitz said in a prepared statement. “The acquisition of ScreenTonic will be part of our long-term strategy to deliver ad experiences that map to the environment. Together, we will be able to provide relevant ads where consumers are, when they are actively engaged and communicating.”