ROUNDUPS
For the record 19 December
19-12-2002
by Sylvia Leatham
Government releases recommendations on building Ireland's Information Society | Nokia has secured a USD100 million contract
The Information Society Commission has presented an initial report entitled "Building the Knowledge Society" to Mary Hanafin, TD, Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility for the Information Society. The report, which contains 60 key recommendations, encompasses the views of government, industry and representative bodies with regard to building a knowledge society in Ireland. The study identifies three key points that the government should take on board: a climate of innovation building on world-class research must be encouraged; accessibility to affordable broadband must be accelerated; and lifelong learning must become a key public policy objective.
Mobile operator Vodafone Ireland has announced that it is investing in an MPLS-based IP core network based on technology from Cisco Systems. The investment is designed to improve GPRS capabilities on the Vodafone network in Ireland and to pave the way for the launch of 3G next year. The services slated to be enhanced by the investment include MMS, dial-in access to corporate LAN, ISP access over GPRS and WAP over GPRS.
Dublin-based AMT (Aircraft Management Technologies) has announced that it is to roll out Flightman, its Electronic Flight Bag solution, across the fleet of European charter flight specialist Futura. Flightman is an electronic solution for the secure, wireless management of aircraft technical and operations data using XML technology and portable computing devices. The two companies say the implementation will lead to improved operational efficiencies for the airline and enhanced cockpit safety procedures, as well as cost savings of over USD100,000 per aircraft annually.
Consumer electronics giant Philips is to acquire Systemonic, a developer of silicon system solutions for multi-protocol, multi-band wireless LANs. Philips is aiming to add wireless audio/video streaming capabilities to its products: Systemonic's products, intellectual property and systems expertise will add high-speed wireless capabilities to Philips' System-on-Chip solutions. The deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2003.
Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia has secured a contract to expand a wireless network for Chinese mobile operator Henan MCC, in a deal worth more than USD100 million. Nokia will provide equipment and related services for the GSM network of Henan, which is a division of China Mobile Communications Corp. Nokia says the deal will enable Henan to enhance its network capability and rural coverage.
The Intel Communications Fund has invested in two more companies involved in Wi-Fi technology: STSN, a visitor-based network access company, and TeleSym, an IP telephony software company. The Intel Communications Fund, which is managed by Intel Capital, has completed three investments in Wi-Fi companies since October, when the Fund announced that it was allocating USD150 million specifically for investment in Wi-Fi. Cometa Networks was the first Wi-Fi company to receive investment from the Fund.
Using the subject line to get noticed: Denise Cox argues that to get results you have to make every word work in a subject line.
