ROUNDUPS
For the record 6 March
06-03-2007
by Maxim Kelly
More reaction to Eircom's LLU announcement | Magnet Business launches online backup service
Smart Telecom has welcomed Eircom's announcement that it was developing processes to make it easier for broadband customers to change operator as part of the Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) process. "The decision will create significant opportunities for Smart to increase both its footprint and services to customers in a timely and efficient manner. Smart currently has access to 35 percent of the residential market. Following the opening up of LLU to inter-operator migrations, Smart's addressable market will increase to a potential 70 percent, according to a company spokesperson.
Meanwhile ALTO, the representative body for alternative operators in the communications market, welcomed criticisms made by ComReg in relation to Eircom's progress in Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) on Tuesday. "Our members have reiterated time and again the unacceptable progress Eircom has made in LLU. The lack of a fully effective LLU product continues to damage consumer choice, competition and innovation in the Irish telecoms market. We welcome ComReg's statement and support the regulator in its efforts to effect change and real choice in the Irish telecoms market, through a thorough and transparent consultation process," said a spokeswoman.
Telecommunications provider Magnet Business launched a new secure online data backup service for SMEs on Tuesday. The service, called Business Online Backup, allows companies to store their data online without leaving any information potentially accessible by others on the web. "Feedback from our own customers correlates with an iReach survey which reveals that despite 128bit encryption, as standard, SMEs are reluctant to avail of online backup services," said Magnet's sales director Donal Hanrahan. "They are uncomfortable with confidential information being transported across the public internet. We've responded to this and are guaranteeing end-to-end security by using Magnet's own private network as the transport vehicle."
Business intelligence software provider SAS Ireland has appointed David McMahon as client director for the commercial sector. Prior to joining SAS Ireland, McMahon was General Manager of Labyrinth, a Dublin based internet solutions company. He has also held senior positions in Vodafone and AHC Systems Consulting. McMahon will join the senior management team to work at expanding SAS' reach in the market.
Discussion site boards.ie is to move from its current hosting provider to Digiweb's new datacentre facility in Blanchardstown, Dublin. According to Digiweb, the move by boards.ie means it will now have access to unlimited data capacity, served by dual diverse fibre feeds. It will also be hosted on a high-powered Dell cluster with fully load balancing and redundancy.
Lightwave Technologies, which is based in the NovaUCD campus in Dublin, has announced the commercial launch of its energy management and control system -- ICE (Intelligent Control of Energy) in Ireland and Britain. Lightwave claims the ICE system can save as much as 30 percent of the gas and up to 20 percent of the electricity consumption associated with operating commercial buildings. The ICE system works in conjunction with existing building management systems (BMS) using advanced artificial intelligence techniques to make real-time decisions for controlling energy consumption in commercial buildings. Lightwave Technologies is an environmental technology start-up company founded by Nicholas McNulty.
Some 150 residents of Kilmoganny, Co Kilkenny who cannot get broadband have banded together to sign a petition and forward it to Eircom in a bid to urge the former incumbent to upgrade the Kilmoganny telephone exchange and provide broadband services to the town. Labour's communications spokesman Tommy Broughan, who was contacted by the residents, points out that the communications minister Noel Dempsey has yet to announce details of a replacement for the Group Broadband Scheme, which was scrapped last month. "I have now contacted the Minister, Eircom and the communications regulator in relation to broadband for Kilmoganny. The Minister must also urgently bring forward his measures to ensure the 100 percent broadband enablement of the country."
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.
