ROUNDUPS
For the record 18 June
18-06-2002
by Ralph Averbuch
Seanad candidate calls on the government to commit to rural broadband | Fourty percent of US Net surfers used instant messaging in May
BT said on Tuesday that it will give Internet service providers and the public a direct say in the rollout plans for high-speed ADSL Internet access in Britain. Customers will be able to register their interest in ADSL through a Web site, and will be able to see the "trigger point" at which their local exchange will be upgraded. The scheme should help reduce risk for BT, since it will help ensure that the company only rolls out ADSL where there is a proven market. The new scheme goes live on 01 July.
Bell Rock Group, publisher of the Web site Adworld.ie, has officially launched The Orange Pages. This on-line version of the print publication 'IMJ Guide to Advertising and Marketing Services' has been running as part of the Adworld Web site for over a year but has now been unveiled as a stand-alone service.
Leap Broadband is pushing to gain its first 100 customers in the central business district of Dublin. Leap is offering both a corporate or SOHO option of its line-of-site service, which requires businesses to install an aerial on their premises. More information is at the Leap Web site.
According to the Neilsen//NetRatings NetReporter more than 41 million people -- nearly 40 percent of the active US Internet surfing population at home -- used at least one of the four major instant messaging applications during May. Additionally, almost 12.6 million office workers used instant messaging during the same time period, reaching 31 percent of the total active Internet population at work.
Michael Cosgrave, candidate for the forthcoming Seanad Elections, is calling on the government to commit to supplying rural broadband service. "Development of a proper broadband network to support moving jobs out of Dublin back to the regions will be an important part of building sustainable local communities and enhancing access to educational opportunities," said Cosgrave.
Wireless software developer Network365 has launched mPurse, software that lets users make micropayments directly from a mobile phone or other device. mPurse can contain money which the customer prepays, but it can also contain loyalty points (such as frequent flyer miles) which can be redeemed later. The Japanese software giant Taito Corporation is the first announced customer for the software, which it will use to for its new mobile loyalty program aimed at arcade gaming, karaoke, restaurants, mobile content downloads and on-line shopping in Japan.
Troubled software maker Peregrine Systems is to cut 1,400 jobs, or 48 percent of its workforce, as it closes a number of its North American locations. The company also said it is reviewing consolidation of its operations outside of North America. Peregrine, whose CEO and CFO both resigned last month, is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and has already agreed to restate earnings over a three-year period.
Financial services and automotive companies will help give a major boost to Europe's on-line advertising industry this year, according to MSN. Reuters reports that the Microsoft Web portal is forecasting a 25 percent jump in on-line advertising this year in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. An MSN executive declined to say when the portal would break even or to give an advertising forecast for MSN generally, but he did say MSN's global ad sales business generated "a ballpark of USD500 million last year," according to the report.
LG Electronics is to incorporate Enhanced Messaging Service technology into its third-generation mobile handsets, following a partnership with software maker Magic4. EMS messages incorporate simple multimedia into normal text messages, including ringtones and images. LG Electronics is one of Korea's largest mobile handset manufacturers, set to export 11 million handsets with an estimated value of USD1.7 billion this year alone.
Telecommunications provider Nevada Telecom has given a cautious welcome to the news that Eircom is to be awarded EUR3.5m of public funds to develop broadband networks outside Dublin. "It is hoped that the government funding will be used in a constructive manner and will promote further competition," the company said in a statement. The company's CEO Les Harris said that, because the government is supporting the development of these networks under the National Development Plan, it is important that the resulting assets are made available to all telecommunications companies to expand the services available to the market in Ireland.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 