TOKYO - Industry reports indicate that Pioneer Electronics is finalizing plans to stop its production of plasma display panels. Shares were up 11.2%, a four month high, as a result of the report.

Pioneer has been struggling to compete with larger rivals such as Matsushita Electric Industrial, maker of Panasonic electronics products.

According to reports, Pioneer will buy plasma panels for from Matsushita, and LCD panels from Sharp Corporation, to also offer LCD TV products based on Sharp's technology.

"Pioneer could have chosen to step up its plasma investment, despite the red ink, but it's a wise step to decide against that," said Mitsushige Akino, Ichiyoshi Investment chief fund manager.

Japanese TV manufacturers have moved to become more cost-effective, as manufacturers with efficient production methods and available capacity, such as Matsushita and Sharp, look for panel buyers, while smaller manufacturers look for ways to obtain display panels without making large investments.

A Pioneer spokesman said the company would unveil its complete strategy when it announces its business plans on Friday.

This move implies that the company will close its panel manufacturing facilities in Kagoshima in Japan, but Pioneer is considering ways to keep the factory open, sources said.

HELSINKI, FINLAND - Nokia may be facing weakening cell phone demand. Analysts noted the demand for printed circuit boards to meet wireless phone requirements is down. Many of these products are supplied by Asian manufacturers including Compeq.

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ANAHEIM, CA - DDi Corporation's board of directors has authorized the repurchase of an additional 400,000 shares of stock, bringing the total from 1.1 to 1.5 million shares, the company said Friday.

According to a DDi company release, the additional repurchase will be made in the open market or through private transactions, and that the authorization has no expiration date but can be modified or discontinued at any time.

RIYADH - Motorola Inc. has reported that is has won a $335 million contract with Zain in Saudi Arabia to deploy and manage a mobile phone network.
 
Zain, which operates mobile services in over 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East, will reportedly start operations this year, having paid $6.1 billion for its mobile license in Saudi Arabia.

"We look forward to the launch of Zain in Saudi Arabia and to offer our customers in the Kingdom the voice quality and innovative data communication services that they have come to expect from our networks throughout the region," said Dr. Marwan Alahmadi, CEO of Zain Saudi Arabia.

In January, Zain Saudi Arabia also gave Nokia Siemens a $935 million contract for a mobile network.

The two contracts will provide a network capable of managing up to 8 million mobile phone users, Ahmadi said.

"With Motorola's solid understanding of our business objectives, we are confident that the company can deliver the services we need, efficiently, on time and cost effectively, to launch Zain's mobile communications  to customers in Saudi Arabia. Motorola's experience encourages us to believe that we will meet our challenging targets here," he added.

Network deployment is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2008. Zain's Saudi customers will reportedly also have access to high-speed mobile Internet access and multi-media applications and services.