Digital 21

"If we look at infrastructure, we know what has to be done to put that in place, and we probably have a fair idea of what that costs. I think on top of having the infrastructure we need to look at the regulatory environment, we need to look at ComReg, we need to ask are they positioning themselves..." more...

"The prize cannot be measured in simple economic terms as this overlooks the broader societal and cultural rewards: openness, innovation, confidence, knowledge and a greater ability to communicate and express ourselves in the global community. Nevertheless, emerging studies show a clear..." more...

"In the past year, Brand Ireland has been affected badly by the events that have happened globally and locally. Also, during the boom years what we didn’t do was invest in a sustainable Brand Ireland, we worked with the Celtic Tiger because that suited us at the time. Where we are now is we need..." more...

"I think if you stand back and look at the things that any modern, open economy will need to be successful in the future, having a strong base of well-educated young people is fundamental to the knowledge economy. It’s a matter of having the best and brightest working in science, technology and..." more...

"You have to ask what is going to drive economies out of the economic downturn and I believe that having really world-class infrastructure and connectivity is hugely important – broadband to people’s homes and offices. If that is available in a ubiquitous fashion then efficiency gains will be..." more...

"If you believe as I do that the next battleground between Western economies will be the digital world, then the basic plumbing is essential. Whether that means fibre to every home or 100Mbps, the answer is no one knows. It comes back to having an overall plan." more...

"Any digital development plan will have to focus on jobs. There is a great business opportunity and a great jobs opportunity for Ireland. We have more than 200,000 small businesses and it is only going to increase." more...

"The term ‘smart economy’ is an overused term, an ill-defined term. I go back to Henry Kissinger and his quote ‘if you don’t know where you’re going, then all roads lead to nowhere’. I think we have to stop using the term smart economy as liberally as we do. We need to take a step back and, as any..." more...

"The place to start is connectivity and to make sure that segments of society can connect to the internet in a reasonably fast manner via rollout of nationwide broadband. We’ve done a great job in terms of education, we’ve a good reputation, our colleges are among the best in the world. But we’re..." more...