Public Enterprise Minister Mary O'Rourke today announced a major e-commerce agreement which will cut high speed Internet costs with Europe and link Ireland with additional key European and US cities.
The new deal with international telecommunications company Global Crossing expands the Government's 1999 deal. Under this deal, the Government secured high speed communications links to 26 European cities and also to New York.
Under today's extension to that deal, the Government now has secured links to 40 European centres and to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington, Chicago and Boston in the US. It has also secured high speed links to Tokyo and Hong Kong and has agreed in principle to a link in Singapore.
Agreement in principle has also been reached on extending the capacity deal to South America in the future.
The Government is also believed to have also negotiated a 40% reduction in the maintenance costs of the leased lines. She said this should ensure that Ireland remains the hub of choice for internet related and data processing businesses.
