NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 1 December
01-12-2008
by Deirdre McArdle
CSN Stores creates 200 jobs in Galway | UPC hits 100K broadband customer milestone
US internet retailer CSN Stores has announced it is to locate its European headquarters in Galway, creating up to 200 jobs over the next three years. The positions range from sales and marketing to IT. CSN Stores CFO Nicholas Malone said the company's decision to locate in Galway was based on "the impressive local workforce comprised of highly intelligent, well-educated multilingual speakers, who represent several European nationalities".
Cable provider UPC Ireland has signed up its 100,000th broadband customer. The company said at the end of September it had broadband-enabled over 460,000 homes throughout the country, with a target of 500,000 broadband-enabled homes by the end of this year.
UPC Ireland also announced on Monday that it has, together with Nagravision, settled its court case against Thomas Roddy, an alleged supplier of illegal digital boxes in Ireland. Roddy also allegedly distributed software codes that give access to digital TV subscription channels for free. The settlement marks the conclusion of an investigation started in November 2006 into Roddy's distribution network by UPC Ireland and Nagrivision, a Swiss-registered supplier of security software solutions for digital TV operators. In accordance with the terms of the settlement, UPC said Roddy has agreed to pay a six-figure sum and has undertaken not to engage directly or indirectly in the import, sale or supply of any device that allows people to view digital subscription TV services without the payment of the appropriate fee.
Limerick Institute of Technology has teamed up with EpiSensor to work on a research programme that aims to develop early warning systems to detect pollution from water and waste treatment plants. The research is supported by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) under its STRIVE (Science, Technology, Research, Innovation for the Environment) programme. The project involves the development, design and deployment of wireless sensor technology as a preventative environmental monitoring control. The pair are currently evaluating the pH of water and ammonia emissions from the Charleville, Cork County, and Dock Road, Limerick wastewater treatment plants.
Wi-Fi provider Bitbuzz has launched two new products: Bitbuzz Pro and Bitbuzz Go. Bitbuzz Pro offers unlimited use of Bitbuzz hotspots in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for EUR29.99 per month. Bitbuzz Go offers 1,000 minutes per month on Bitbuzz hotspots in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for EUR9.99 per month. At the end of the second quarter of 2008, Bitbuzz recorded a total of 113,478 registered users, a 15 percent increase from the previous quarter.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 