For the record 21 July

21-07-2008

by Deirdre McArdle

Irish Computer Society secures funding for PC courses | Mobile devices to drive internet usage

ICS Skills, the training and certification arm of the Irish Computer Society, says it has secured 70 percent funding for employees in the private sector and the self-employed for its computer training programme, Equalskills. Designed for absolute beginners, Equalskills provides individuals with basic knowledge of computers, as well as skills in the use of the internet and e-mail. Funding for the initiative, through the FAS One Step Up programme, means that qualifying individuals pay EUR99 for the course instead of EUR330. The next funded Equalskills courses begin in August.

ICT provider Calyx Group has completed an IP telephony installation for Today FM. The rolling contract resulted in Calyx deploying the Avaya IP Office system at Today FM's headquarters in Digges Lane, Dublin. The new system will enable Today FM employees to record calls and interviews from desktops and send recordings as WAV files via e-mail. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Communications Minister Eamon Ryan has announced that his department, in collaboration with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Northern Ireland, has finalised the tender for 'Project Kelvin'. The project, which has an estimated cost of EUR30 million in InterReg Cross Border funding, will provide international connectivity between the island of Ireland and North America, as well as between mainland Europe and the North West of Ireland. As part of the project, it is proposed that a telehouse facility will be constructed in Derry, directly linking to the areas of Letterkenny and Monaghan. The project aims to increase competition in the telecoms market in the North-South Cross Border InterReg area and reduce the cost of telecommunications between North American and European telecoms hubs and the North West. The initiative will be implemented over the years 2009-2011. A notice inviting tenders for Project Kelvin has been sent to the Official Journal of the European Union.

Some 1.4 billion people, or a quarter of the world's population, will regularly use the internet during 2008, with the figure set to jump to 1.9 billion over the next four years. That's according to IDC's Digital Marketplace Model and Forecast, which expects internet-enabled mobile devices to boost internet usage, and indeed surpass the desktop as the primary means of accessing the internet by 2012. Revenue-generating opportunities will be driven by consumer and business-to-business purchases. IDC predicts 1 billion global online shoppers will account for USD1.2 trillion worth of business-to-consumer transactions by 2012. Meanwhile, the business-to-business arena will also grow exponentially, generating estimated worldwide revenues of USD12.4 trillion over the next four years.

Online shopping in the UK increased by 38 percent during the first half of 2008, compared to first six months of 2007. According to the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, STG26.5 billion was spent online in the UK in first half of this year, compared to STG19.2 billion spent in the same period last year. The report also expects strong growth for the rest of 2008, driven primarily by rising fuel costs, falling disposable incomes and smarter consumer shopping habits.