I was in Prague earlier this month conducting a partner search for a social networking company. While I cannot comment on the specifics of that business, I can pass on a few observations about the Central European Internet market.
The online populations of Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia and Austria are relatively small. They are linguistically and culturally isolated. Even the Austrians, who share a common language with Germany and part of Switzerland, prefer to use Austrian websites. This limits the scale of any online business that addresses a single Central European market.
However, it would be a mistake to conclude that there aren’t any decent opportunities in these markets.
Continue reading ‘Online opportunities in Central Europe’
A dozen major French companies have launched a trial to use cell phones as mobile money, according to the International Herald Tribune. The Payez Mobile consortium includes France’s three largest mobile operators, six major banks, Visa and MasterCard and cellphones made by Motorola, LG Electronics and Sagem Communication of Paris.
The group gave 1,000 people in Strasbourg and Caen mobile handsets outfitted with a short-range radio technology called “near-field communications,” or NFC. The technology is already familar to commuters in London, Paris and Hong Kong who pay their fares by swiping “contactless” programmed plastic cards over scanners embedded in turnstiles.
Continue reading ‘French launch biggest EU mobile payment test’
Sure, we have social networking in Europe. Here in Hungary, last year, everybody I know was signing on to IWIW. Earlier this year, the pan-European Xing began holding face-to-face events here, too. But these services pale when compared to the juggernaut that is Cyworld. (I’m now finishing research for eMarketer’s South Korea Online Overview.)
One third of South Koreans have used Cyworld and 90% of those in their 20s have an account. Cyworld earns $300,000 each day through the sale of virtual goods. Users upload 6.2 million photos each day. The service rivals iTunes in music sales, and serves more video than YouTube. Cyworld is addictive as hell, and it’s launching in Germany soon.
Brno-based company ZONER software is renowned especially among digital photography audiences and companies that need to Internet domain registration and web hosting. Its successes abroad are less known. The latter was the subject of my interview with Robert Sobola, director of Zoner’s software division.
In 1993, Milan Behro and Roman Slavinsk founded a company focused on developing a graphics editor named Zebra. Three years later, Zoner expanded its scope of activities and started to provide Internet domain registration and web hosting. Czechia.com was the very first Czech server in the .com domain.
Continue reading ‘Zoner Software: Digital Photography as a Lifestyle’
Around 1% of Polish Internet users have made a purchase online. Of those, 40% made their first purchase within the last six months. A third of Polish shoppers declared that they intend to increase their number of online purchases. These figures come from a 2005 survey of Polish eCommerce conducted by Polish web measurements company, Gemius, in association with Money.pl.
What struck me is that the most popular method of advertising among Polish emerchants is paid search. Here in Hungary, my impression is that local advertisers have been relatively slow to adopt search, however I haven’t seen any recent figures on the Hungarian market for paid search.
Thursday, Apr 6, is the last day that interested parties may submit applications for .eu domain names under the Sunrise Rules. During the Sunrise periods (starting 7 December 2005), domains were made available only to the holders of prior rights (state institutions, registered trade marks holders etc.) backing up their claim with documentary evidence.
The current results (updated every 15 minutes) show the Dutchs and Czechs (taken into account their country size and populations) go crazy for registering the .EU domains. The most have come from Germany (29%), Netherlands (17%) and France (11%). The Czech organisations have submitted the ninth highest number of applications (almost 10,000 what represents about 3% of all). Other new member states can be found as 12th Poland (1.4%), 15th Hungary (0.7%), 19th Slovakia, 20th Slovenia and 22nd Estonia. The numbers of accepted applications are about six time smaller (so far) nevertheless the country shares do not differ much.
The Land Rush period is starting on the 7th April 2006 at 11:00 am and the free domain names will be available to registration for all. Have you already chosen your registrar?
By 2008 there will be a shortage of up to half a million people across Europe with the advanced networking technology skills needed to drive European business, according to a study and white paper by IDC, commissioned by Cisco Systems.
This figure represents an average advanced technology skills gap of 15.8% by 2008. In a third of the 31 countries surveyed, demand for these skills will outstrip supply by more than 20% in 2008, with Eastern European countries, especially non-EU member States, facing the widest shortfalls.
Continue reading ‘Skills gap in IT is widening’
Recently, during my visit to Ukraine I came across of very interesting investment proposal, which might be of interest to professional Venture Capital or Equity Investors. Persons behind the project have 10+ years of experience in the field and are looking for strategic partners.
Briefly about the project: during 1993-05 an Interbank Electronic Payment System was introduced in Ukraine (so called Ukrainian SWIFT), where the predecessor of the Company was actively involved in. Today Ukrainian SWIFT system has been implemented and now National Bank of Ukraine is considering the introduction of National System of Mass Electronic Payments (NSMEP) to release the potential of integrated payment system and increase the turnover of non-cash transactions.
Continue reading ‘Investing into Ukrainian electronic mass payment system’
Ten Slovak SMEs have been included to last Central Europe Technology Fast 50. During last 6 years it is prepared by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu . All mention Slovak companies are technology companies with high qualified human resources and which can fully profited on existing business potential in their region. During last 3-5 years, some of them increased own annual profit several times year-by-year. The most significant challenge for the future is for them to ensure further high technology development and creation of adequate company?s infrastructure aiming support its further economic growth.
Continue reading ‘Ten Slovak SMEs among the CE Technology Fast 50′
I was recently contacted by Jedlet, an eLearning group in Canada, for comments on an article, discussing eLearning developments in Hungary.
The conclusions? The best you could say is the need is growing, but according to local experts it’s still too early to talk about any kind of ‘breakthrough’.
The most interesting insight came from Dr. Arpad Balogh from the College of Nyiregyhaza:
“We have the largest IT centre in Hungary’s northeastern region, and recently student enrollment has increased from 3,000 to 15,000 students. In order to cope with this increase, we are developing our e-learning initiative rapidly in the hope that the demand on our physical resources will decrease while providing flexibility to both professors and students.”
The page also offers links to an article called eLearning at home: what’s stewing in our saucepans?.
Loading ...
Recent Comments