NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 30 September
30-09-2008
by Emmet Cole
Imagine giving away free broadband | EUR25m investment for Cook Medical
News from the 'too-good-to-be-true?' department on Tuesday, with Imagine's announcement that the company will provide free high-speed broadband, along with call savings, to Irish businesses that switch to Imagine Broadband. Customers who switch to Imagine for their telecoms needs will receive 3MB of free broadband in addition to further savings on voice calls of at least 25 percent. A spokesperson for Imagine told ENN the offer was a permanent one for business customers and not subject to an expiry date. Imagine purchased Irish Broadband in June, and currently holds a 9 percent share of the SME market, or 15,000 customers, according to figures from ComReg. The company said it aims to increase this share to 15 percent, or 25,000 customers, within the next 12 months. The spokesperson said that these 10,000 new customers would between them save EUR20 million by taking up this offer.
Good news for rural broadband also on Tuesday, with Eircom announcing that 24 new telephone exchanges have been broadband-enabled. Eircom's nationwide broadband rollout programme now extends to Foxhole, Co. Cork; Malin, Co. Donegal; Brannockstown, Co. Kildare; Cuffesgrange, Knocktopher, Co. Kilkenny; Kinlough, Co. Leitrim; Ayle, Ballyglass, Murrisk, Newport, Partree, Co. Mayo; Carnaross, Clonmellon, Crossakiel, Drumconrath, Kildalkey, Co. Meath; Killeigh, Co. Offaly; Croghan, Fourmilehouse, Kiltoom Co. Roscommon; Ballinderry, Co. Tipperary; Collinstown, Crookedwood, Co. Westmeath; Drinagh IDA Park, Co. Wexford.
Two hundred new jobs and a whopping EUR25 million investment for the Cook Medical facility in Limerick has been announced by Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan. Cook Medical is one of the world's largest privately held medical device companies. The EUR25 million investment will establish the Limerick facility as the sole global manufacturing site for Cook's new device for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease. Cook Ireland currently employs 480 people in the production of medical devices.
Irish hospitals are ready to embrace mobile computing, according to new research from Zetes Ireland. The study of hospital IT management found that Irish hospitals have already invested in the wireless infrastructure used to deploy the next generation of mobile medical applications, with consultants (of the medical variety) driving this trend. However, the report also found that although the hospitals interviewed had made initial investments in wireless, they typically had a patchy understanding of the potential benefits of using wireless technology.
Continuing in the medical vein (ahem), Typetec, a managed IT services company, announced that it will provide laptops to all incoming students at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The deal, which is estimated to be worth in excess of EUR750,000, will cover 600 laptops. Typetec has provided managed IT services to the RCSI since 1988.
Jinny Software, a Dublin-based company that supplies mobile network operators with personalised messaging and media processing platforms, announced Tuesday that its SMSC and Message Router has been bought by a Brazilian mobile operator, Sercomtel. Sercomtel will use Jinny Software's solution to connect its GSM and 3G networks, as well as integrating with its legacy systems.
An online service aimed at foresters and forestry companies was launched Tuesday by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food, Tony Killeen. The 'Integrated Forest Information System' (IFORIS) allows approved foresters and forestry companies to track the processing of applications submitted to the department's Forest Service. Foresters will now be able to determine the status of their clients' pre-approval and first grant applications under various forestry schemes online.
Three-quarters of shoppers browse online and purchase in-store, according to a report on consumer preferences around shopping across in-store, online, catalogue and mobile channels released by IBM. The report surveyed nearly 4,300 US and UK consumers and found that 50 percent of consumers switch retailers when multi-channel shopping, with price being the primary driver. But consumers haven't forgotten bricks-and-mortar shopping, with 'store experience' being cited as the top reason shoppers chose to go to the store instead of completing their purchase online.
Finally, Motorola has announced the acquisition of AirDefense. AirDefense is a privately held wireless LAN security provider. The company is now set to become a wholly owned Motorola subsidiary and part of Motorola's Enterprise Mobility business.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 