While it is excellent that we are the first region in Europe to have full high-speed access, even if some people need to use a satellite link to connect, the question now is what we intend to do with this availability.
While this puts us well ahead of our neighbours in the Republic and many of our European counterparts, we have a long way to go before we begin to enter the territory occupied by countries like South Korea, where a staggering three out of four households have a high-speed connection, according to eMarketer (www.emarketer.com). Taiwan, at 50% of households, and Canada, with 43%, are also in the premier league.
In short, our use of the available technology is good, but we could be the best. With full broadband availability why not? We need to start setting a pace that is hard for others to follow.
A Rathfriland company, the MJM Group (www.mjmmarine.com), was used in last week's broadband announcement as an example of how businesses have taken advantage of high-speed developments. It said broadband access, which came to Rathfriland in 2004, had helped to drive its phenomenal export growth in the period since.
But MJM has another characteristic that sets it apart from other companies. A significant portion of its business is done in a niche market, fitting out and refurbishing marine vessels. And niche markets provide Northern Ireland with a huge amount of growth potential.
The Dutch, for example, have dominated the world flower trade since the 16th Century. Even today two-thirds of the flowers sold in the world are grown or traded in the Netherlands. See www.vba.nl for some of the remarkable statistics.
For the Belgians, the big speciality is chocolate. They even have a museum dedicated to its history at www.mucc.be.
There are many other examples: Thailand for silk (see www.jimthompsonhouse.com); Switzerland for timepieces (see www.patek.com) and Scotland for whisky (www.scotchwhisky.net).
We already have our own specialities on this side of the water, of course - Irish whiskey (see www.bushmills.com) and lead crystal (see www.tipperarycrystal.com) to mention just two.
But while all these niche markets can make use of the internet, none of them is a purely online discipline.
So think of an area in which Northern Ireland leads the world.
For the last 30 years we have had an economy that has been heavily reliant on (and many would say distorted by) the public sector. If there is an aspect of government that we don't know about it probably hasn't been invented.
Then think of one of the most important areas of online development for democracies around the globe. Put the two together, and we could use our expertise to be an exemplar for e-government services elsewhere in the world.
But that is only one potential direction for innovation.
For many years now we have trailed in second place behind the Celtic Tiger. For once we are ahead, with full broadband reach and a greater uptake of the technology.
Businesses here have the kind of advantage they have never had before. But it will take drive and imagination to turn that advantage into an economic boom.
Broadband provides us with the starting blocks, but only innovation will help us win the race.
Autor: Ken Roulston
Quelle: The Belfast Telegraph, 23.01.2006
