ST will outline its future on 10 December
STMicroelectronics will announce its latest strategic plan on 10 December. The company has been the subject of much speculation over the last few months as rumours circulated suggesting the digital element might be packaged up and sold to someone like Samsung.
In October, ST denied that it was considering a split. More recently, it denied that it was not considering a split. Paraphrasing the words of Mandy Rice-Davies (for those old enough to remember): "Well, they would, wouldn't they?"
The general consensus is that 'something has to be done'. The question is how radical will that something be? One thing on which most industry watchers agree is that ST has to somehow get rid of the millstone which ST-Ericsson has become. Even better would be getting some cash for it. But is ST-Ericsson on its own attractive enough for a company like Samsung? Would other 'sweeteners' be needed?
All will be revealed in little more than a week.
