NEWS IN BRIEF
For the record 28 May
28-05-2008
by Deirdre McArdle
Hosting365 sells Register365 to Namesco | ComReg sets new performance targets for Eircom
Irish hosting firm Hosting365 has announced the sale of Register365, its shared hosting and domain registration division, to UK hosting provider Namesco, for an undisclosed sum. "We have taken the decision to sell Register365 in order to focus on our managed services offering and to continue our growth in Ireland and internationally," said Hosting365 MD Stephen McCarron. The Irish firm said none of Register365's customers would be affected by the sale as Register365's services will continue to be delivered in Ireland. Hosting365 recently announced a EUR2 million investment in new infrastructure and the creation of 20 jobs, with plans to hire an additional 14 staff in its Dublin and Polish offices by the end of the year.
In a report by ComReg on Eircom's performance, the regulator has said the level of faults experienced by Eircom customers in 2006 and 2007 -- 21 per 100 lines last year -- was high by international standards. It has set new targets to bring the fault rates down to 12.5 per 100 lines by 2012. On repairs, Eircom must complete 80 percent within two working days, and 95 percent by a time agreed with the customer. ComReg has also set a target for all phone installations to be made within six months, and 80 percent to be met in periods ranging from 24 hours to two weeks, depending on the type of request from the customers. As the Universal Service Provider (USP), Eircom is obliged to ensure all citizens have access to a fixed-line telephone service.
Digital entertainment group Creative Labs is to cut 50 jobs at its facility in Blanchardstown in West Dublin. Fine Gael Enterprise spokesman and local TD Leo Varadkar has called the lay-offs "very bad news for the Blanchardstown area".
Online reservation firm Hostelworld.com has reached a milestone of 10 million bookings via its service. The company was launched in 1999 and focuses on the budget accommodation sector. Hostelworld.com is headquartered in Dublin and is fully owned and operated by Web Reservations International Ltd.
Researchers from the GV2 Group at the School of Computer Science & Statistics in Trinity College Dublin have linked up with the Central Remedial Clinic (CRC) school in Clontarf, Dublin to design a computer game based in virtual Dublin. The game was developed as part of the 'Metropolis' project, a four-year exercise, funded by Science Foundation Ireland. Many of the students of the CRC school have mobility problems and spend a lot of time playing computer games together. With this game the students will be able to plan journeys in Dublin, helping them to learn about street names and locations, public buildings, bus and train stations and providing knowledge of the city in preparation for when they are old enough to travel independently.
Youth-friendly social networking site Bebo has commissioned a second series of its interactive online teen soap, 'Sofia's Diary'. Since its debut in mid-March, the show has experienced 12.9 million online interactions to date, according to Bebo. In April, the series made the crossover to traditional television, with UK channel Fiver adding it to its schedule. The second series, of 65 episodes, will begin showing on 16 June.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 