WNC could grab new orders for its satellite-related gear if the merger is approved A major Taiwanese maker of satellite radios and components stands to benefit from the proposed merger between two U.S. companies, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio Holdings, lifting its stock higher in Taipei on Monday.Wistron Neweb Corp. (WNC), one of many spin-offs from the Acer Group when it reorganized several years ago, could grab new orders for its satellite-related components and gear if the Sirius and XM merger is approved, according to Goldman Sachs (Asia). The company may have to wait for good news, however, as the investment banker sees a long road ahead for regulatory approval of the merger.“We believe it would be a big bonus to WNC in the long-term if the merger of Sirius and XM happens, given that Sirius is likely to take the lead on procurement. However, we believe it may not occur in the near term,” Goldman Sachs technology analyst Henry King said in a report Monday. Regulatory approval for the proposed deal, valued at $13 billion, could take until the end of this year, he said. Even if a deal is pushed through, it could take as long as until the second half of 2008 for the companies to consolidate their businesses and start ordering gear from a single supplier. Currently, WNC competes with several Taiwanese and South Korean rivals.WNC has long supplied Sirius with satellite radios, and the U.S. company’s success has helped boost WNC’s shares on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.News of the merger sent WNC shares up NT$2.70, or 3.1 percent, to NT$91.10 (US$2.75) on the TSE Monday, the first day trading resumed after the long Lunar New Year holiday. The main index of the exchange, the TAIEX, rose 1.2 percent on the day. Many Taiwanese factories fill orders for U.S. companies, and often benefit when certain products become popular. For example, Inventec Appliances, which makes some iPod models for Apple, saw its share price rise 30 percent on the day of its initial public offering a year and a half ago because of the popularity of the digital music player and hopes it would continue to gain followers.It was the biggest one-day rise for an initial offering in the market’s history.Sirius and XM claim total subscribers of around 13.6 million, 6 million for Sirius and 7.6 million for XM. Technology Industry