Iraq war may delay tech rebound, institute warns
Reuters | at | by Mike
The war in Iraq may delay the technology sector's rebound by slowing international business communication and prolonging investors' confidence crisis, the head of a European technology institute said on Monday. Francis Lorentz, president of the Paris-based European audio-visual and technology institute (IDATE), said the war was a concern for an industry which after nearly three years of decline was putting its house in order and forecasting a possible return to growth next year.
But with the U.S.-led war in Iraq nearly two weeks old, worries are growing about the consequences for the technology sector if the campaign turns out more difficult than expected. "There is inevitably an impact because...if business slows down, especially at the international level, that will be seen in the level of communication, notably in the communication of data, not just voice, and therefore it will have an impact on growth," Lorentz told Reuters in an interview.