Tech Shorts

A round-up of other Tech news in brief

Satellite Broadband for rural contract

Satellite Broadband Ireland has been awarded a contract by 3 Ireland to provide satellite broadband services in rural areas as part of the Government’s national broadband scheme.

Earlier this year, 3 Ireland won the tender for the €223 million scheme to provide services to the 10 per cent of the population where commercial providers find it uneconomic.

Satellite Broadband Ireland will create an additional 30 jobs at its headquarters in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, as a result of winning the competition. It is envisaged that about 5 per cent of the 223,000 premises covered by the scheme will get a satellite connection which will cost €19.99 a month.

Survey shows 8,169 firms in broadband 'black spots'

Telecoms provider Digiweb has released details of a survey which it says shows that 8,169 Irish businesses are located in broadband “black spot” areas.

Counties with the highest numbers of organisations in areas struggling to access broadband are Cork (1,071 organisations), Tipperary (712), Kerry (662), Clare (653) and Meath (494), with retail, tourism and agribusiness the sectors worst effected.

The research was carried out by Digiweb last month and the information was generated following a study of all broadband network coverage cross-referenced with the national GeoDirectory database of Irish organisations.

Apple accessory maker Jivo opens Paris office

Jivo, the Irish manufacturer of accessories for Apple’s iPhone and iPod, has opened an office in Paris which joins existing branches in Britain, Germany, Scandinavia, Spain and China.

A spin-out from TNS Distribution, Jivo’s products include headphones, chargers and skins. It is the only Irish firm to be a member of Apple’s “Made for iPod/Works with iPhone” scheme, and it is now in the top 10 per cent of consumer electronics exporters in Ireland.

Oracle and Sun Micro

Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison has claimed that Sun Microsystems is losing $100 million a month due to ongoing European Commission deliberations over the proposed acquisition by Oracle of Sun – not $100 million per week, as was incorrectly stated in a story last Friday entitled “Oracle fails to speak”. The error was repeated in the side panel to the story.