Monthly Archive for December, 2008

Want to launch mobile payments? Buy a bank

Published
by
Steven Carlson
  on  December 19, 2008
  in  Austria, Business innovation and Case studies
. 0 Comments

Several years ago, a former business partner and I were speculating about how the mobile operator industry would evolve. The mobile phone business was booming, but it was already clear that growth had limits. What to do once every citizen had a handset?

The solution seemed obvious even then. As mobile services evolved, the phone would eventually be used as a payment mechanism. By controlling the payment interface, operators stood to make a fortune from transaction fees. Could mobile operators eventual evolve into financial institutions or even banks?

Something like this has happened in Austria, as I learned at a recent conference, IIR’s Mobile and NSF Payment Strategies, held here in Budapest.

Continue reading ‘Want to launch mobile payments? Buy a bank’

Centrope ICT: opportunities amidst looming recession?

Published
by
Constantin Schoehl von Norman
  on  December 16, 2008
  in  Current events
. 0 Comments

Albeit still being positive that consumer spending in Central European economies namely Germany or Austria will be more robust than largely expected, a recession seems to be unavoidable; even to optimists like me. Hoping that the recession will be a rather mild one, it might be useful to highlight the expected impact on Centrope’s ICT industry, including the identification of opportunities that might occur amidst crisis:

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Need your feedback: early adopters and visionary politicians

Published
by
Vlastimil Vesely
  on  December 16, 2008
  in  About CITT, Czech Republic and Innovation policy
. 0 Comments

We at the CITT consortium are just about to finalise a SWOT analysis identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Centrope ICT sector. As part of our brainwriting we welcome feedback from you, our readers, and there are two points I would like to discuss just now.
Continue reading ‘Need your feedback: early adopters and visionary politicians’

How the ICT Event in Lyon tasted

Published
by
Vlastimil Vesely
  on  December 10, 2008
  in  Business innovation, Current events and EU funding programmes
. 0 Comments

It depends where you were spending your time. As usually I found the most interesting the networking sessions helping SMEs, big corporations and university researchers to find partners and test their project ideas.

When attending the big events with thousands people it’s more than likely you hit into old friends. In my case the good luck crossed my way with Prof. Roumen Nikolov, one of the ICT leading persons in Bulgaria, who invited me to our very first FP project ten years ago.
Continue reading ‘How the ICT Event in Lyon tasted’

Patents: Are They Worthwhile for a Start-up Company?

Published
by
Greg Kirsch
  on  December 7, 2008
  in  Intellectual property
. 0 Comments

As a U.S. patent attorney, I work with companies of all sizes (including many start-up companies), in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere, helping them file for and obtain U.S. patents.  I also help these clients coordinate patent filings worldwide.  A question I’m often asked is: are patents worthwhile?  As with many types of investments and property rights, the answer is - it depends.

By way of brief background, patents can be considered a contract between an inventor (or the inventor’s employer) and the government.  Like most contracts, patents are a two-way street.  In exchange for a full disclosure of the invention by the inventor, the government agrees to grant exclusive rights to the inventor/company, but only if certain patentability tests are met.

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A Crisis is a Crisis is a Crisis – or is it?

Published
by
Guenther Krumpak
  on  December 5, 2008
  in  Austria and Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

There’s no question that the US is in trouble. 50% of the US mortgage banks do not run under Federal control – no further comment on this.

The car industry is one of the industries that obviously has been hit hardest after the banks. Europe and the rest of the world can feel it and the situation will worsen. With the car industry a range of drive by wire suppliers and other related businesses will suffer.

The ICT industry in general will suffer, this time, unlike after the millennium, it is those companies that so far have been immune to new economy stuff. Austria’s ICT industry has quite a share in industrial ICT on an international level.

But, and that’s my point, if we all scream crisis, we will of course have one.

Continue reading ‘A Crisis is a Crisis is a Crisis – or is it?’

Are Czechs more digitally divided? In Internet skills ….

Published
by
Jiri Peterka
  on  December 4, 2008
  in  Czech Republic, Facts, figures & trends and eCommerce
. 0 Comments

Eurostat, the European statistics body, monitors all sorts of things. Including the ability of EU citizens to perform certain computer or Internet related tasks. And the latest results show that among the Visegrad countries (and Austria), the Czechs exhibit somehow different results. If we had a suitable definition of digital divide, we could say that they are “more digitally divided” than citizens in other countries, as far as Internet abilities are concerned.

The abilities, monitored by Eurostat, include using a search engine to find information; sending an e-mail with attached files; posting messages to chatrooms, newsgroups or any online discussion forum; using the Internet to make telephone calls; using peer-to-peer file sharing for exchanging movies, music etc.; And then the Eurostat groups individuals into those with “advanced skills” (able to perform 5 or 6 of the activities), “medium skills” (3 or 4 of the activities), “low skills” (1 or 2 of the activities).

Looking on the latest results of Internet skills for the Visegrad countries and Austria, some interesting fact can be deducted.

Continue reading ‘Are Czechs more digitally divided? In Internet skills ….’

Internet Street lacks Internet

Published
by
Steve Glange
  on  December 4, 2008
  in  Facts, figures & trends, eCommerce and eGovernment
. 0 Comments

I just stumbled upon this curiosity and could not believe it, i.e.

A Polish man living on a road called Internet Street in Warsaw has caused a stir after it emerged he is selling his house because he is unable to set up a broadband connection

[source: Total Telecom]

Is it still nowadays possible that a decent Internet access is not available in urban areas?

Remember that you get wireless access of the GSM network or urban hotspots nearly everywhere.

Is digital divide the statistical Yeti?

Published
by
Jiri Peterka
  on  December 3, 2008
  in  Facts, figures & trends
. 3 Comments

Digital divide is a frequent and popular topic. The general feeling is that it is something negative that should be fought against, and diminished as much as possible. But is there a consistent and generally accepted definition of digital divide? One that would enable us to measure digital divide, evaluate it, compare, discuss etc.? Or is digital divide more like a Yeti (the Abominable Snowman) in statistics? Something that everybody talks about, but nobody has really seen it and knows much about what it really is?

The usual understanding is that “digital divide” is the imbalance between something that has to do with ICT. And once those numbers, describing such an imbalance do exist, the amount of digital divide (or: level, ratio, coefficient or whatever we call it) can be exactly calculated, using traditional statistical methods.

But the real problem is somewhere else: what exactly should we measure, if we want to evaluate digital divide? Is digital divide the difference in Internet penetration between various countries? Or the difference in fixed phone penetration, mobile phone penetration, PC penetration etc.?

Continue reading ‘Is digital divide the statistical Yeti?’

The new innovation strategy for South Moravia – a way how to foster regional competitiveness?

Published
by
Petr Chladek
  on  December 2, 2008
  in  Innovation policy
. 1 Comment

Recently the third version of the Regional Innovation Strategy of South Moravian Region was elaborated. It builds on the process which originated by establishing the South Moravian Innovation Centre in 2003 and where most of instruments have been focused on start ups and incubation.

In the new strategy, the region aims to set up instruments which will focus to better facilitate technology transfer from academia to companies e.g. by introducing innovation vouchers or by a technology accelerator fund.

Furthermore, the strategy will increase its effort to support highly qualified human resources e.g. by running a new programme called South Moravian Programme for Distinguished Researchers (SoMoPro) which will attract foreign researchers in order to increase its capacity and to better utilise investments in research infrastructures covered by structural funds e.g. CEITEC.

Continue reading ‘The new innovation strategy for South Moravia – a way how to foster regional competitiveness?’