Satellite Ireland An Investigation of the Outcomes from a Government Sponsored Broadband Tr.pdf

383 16th Bled eCommerce Conference eTransformation Bled, Slovenia, June 9 - 11, 2003 Satellite Ireland: An Investigation of the Outcomes from a Government Sponsored Broadband Trial William Golden, Martin Hughes, Murray Scott, Fiona Conway Department of Accountancy and Finance, National University of Ireland, Ireland Willie.Golden@nuigalway.ie, Martin.Hughes@nuigalway.ie, Murray.Scott@nuigalway.ie, Fiona.Conway@nuigalway.ie Abstract Insufficient telecommunications bandwidth and the download delays that this causes impede the development and use of Internet applications such as multimedia for B2C commerce. The widespread adoption of broadband technologies would, it is predicted, fuel growth in electronic commerce. Such a deployment would allow consumers to embrace online retailing, telecommuting, distance learning, and all kinds of other bandwidth-hungry services. Given that so much is at stake with the successful adoption of broadband technologies the issue has public policy and economic implications. Governments can put in place policies and incentives that encourage the use of the Internet and in turn developing electronic commerce and ultimately economic growth. This paper researches the outcomes of a government funded pilot implementation of satellite broadband technology, namely the Very Small Aperture Technology (VSAT). The main purpose of the government trial was to investigate the potential impact of a telecommunications broadband infrastructure. The technology was provided on a trial basis to three diverse geographically dispersed user groups. In-depth interviews were carried out with personnel in the Department of Public Enterprise – the government department responsible for implementing the pilot project. In addition, interviews were conducted with the three companies who participated in the broadband trial. The research examines the electronic commerce opportunities presented to a region with the introduction of broadband,