Nearly 40 per cent of Irish people are regular Web users, but only 7 per cent use it for online purchases, a survey released last week shows. The Global eCommerce Report 2001, produced by British research firm TNS Interactive, shows Ireland has the fourth highest proportion of Internet users among the 18 European countries surveyed - at 39 per cent of all over-15s.
The main reasons cited by those polled for not buying online are that it is too complicated and that they have fears over credit card security. The study also shows that although over 70 per cent of people use a mobile phone for conversations, the WAP revolution has failed to take hold in Ireland, with a mere 3 per cent of people using WAP. The highest Internet penetration in Europe is in Norway, with 65 per cent of the population using the Web.
Earlier last week, Nielsen/NetRatings figures for Ireland show that the areas of finance, news and travel are driving the overall growth in Internet usage.
The top performing category, Finance, is showing in excess of 400 per cent growth on May last year. The figures show a 74 per cent growth in Irish Internet usage over the last year.
Softly Softly: Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is seeking an out-of-court settlement of its long- running anti-trust battle with the US Government. On Thursday a court in the US overturned an earlier ruling that the software giant must be split up for breaking monopoly laws. The appeals court ruling upheld that Microsoft had acted anti-competitively but said the trial judge had "seriously tainted" the case with derogatory comments about Mr Gates. The case will be sent back to a lower court and will be dealt with by a different judge. Microsoft shares surged on the news.
Dots Join: Two additional top-level domain names .biz and .info became operational last week. The domain names are the first new global top-level domains (TLDs) since .com and others were launched in the 1980s. The .biz and .info TLDs will at first be used just for informational websites. NeuLevel Inc (www.neulevel.biz) and Afilias Limited (www.afilias.info) were selected to operate the first two. General registration of names will soon be available through over 90 registrars accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Agreements still remain to be signed for the remaining five top-level domains: .name, .pro, .aero, .coop, and .museum.
Big Deal: Hundreds of independent European record companies signed a licensing agreement with Napster last week. The deal will make thousands of tracks available to computer-users worldwide and expand Napsters list of songs.
Britain's Association of Independent Music and the Independent Music Companies Association signed the deal with Napster on behalf of Europe's independent record labels. Napster has been forced towards legitimacy after a court ruling. Napster begins its subscription-based service this summer.
Web Winners: Winners of the NetMedia European Online Journalism Awards 2001 will be announced at a ceremony in London on Thursday. Two Irish websites - ireland.com and ElectricNews.net - have been short-listed for prizes: ireland.com is competing in four categories: Best Overall Journalism Service, Sports, Internet Journalist of the Year and Best Use of Mobile Connectivity. ElectricNews.net is also competing in this last category. Details are available at: www.net-media.co.uk/awards/
File Permission: The US Supreme Court ruled last week that freelance writers must be asked before their articles are published on the Web after initial publication in print. The court said compilation in an electronic database like Lexis-Nexis is different from other kinds of storage, such as microfilm. Within hours of the ruling, the New York Times and Time said they would start deleting files from their databases to avoid any liability.
E-Streets: A new taxi company that will use mobile phone and SMS technology to provide a more efficient service has been formally launched - e-taxi, according to its Managing Director, Mr Colin Hayes, "will radically improve taxi service for the consumer when it arrives on Dublin streets" this month. The technology used by the company will enable a customer using a mobile phone, to text message the word "taxi" to a system developed by Bellstream, who will put them directly in touch with the nearest free taxi. A total of 50 e-cars will be on the streets by the end of July. Customers will be able to pay by credit or debit card, and top up their Eircell and Esat mobile phones in the cars.
Plan For EU: Telecoms ministers in the EU have supported a plan binding operators to provide Internet access to all citizens in the Union. "Functional" web access, even in remote areas where it is not economically viable, must be guaranteed under the plan. Under the proposals member-states must decide individually to compensate operators for the capacity used as a result of their obligations.
In Brief: The Irish Stock Exchange website - www.ise.ie - has said it received over 104,000 individual visits during the month of May - the highest number since the site was set up last year... Dublin-based Openet Telecom has won Best New Company Award at the prestigious Billing World Excellence Awards in Orlando... Online shopping in the UK has jumped 33 per cent in the past 12 months, according to a study...