Isle Of Man Government Rolls Out Bold E-Business Initiative

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

01 January 2004

The Isle of Man Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry have unveiled a joint broadband development strategy which the government hopes will give the jurisdiction a competitive edge over its rivals and attract new business to the island.

“Most jurisdictions are working towards improving their percentage of broadband take up which is often seen as an indication of a jurisdiction's commitment to e-business and e-enablement in general,” the government said in a statement.

“Typically, the more progressive jurisdictions are nearing 50% coverage. With the announcement of the Isle of Man’s broadband strategy, the Island will uniquely be able to offer 100% broadband coverage,” it added.

According to the government, this has been achieved by:

• Manx Telecom supporting the E-Island Vision by ADSL-enabling all of their digital exchanges;

• Domicilium offering near line of sight wireless broadband through their new wireless 3.4Ghz internet services;

• The Department of Trade and Industry offering a grant towards the cost of a broadband satellite connection in circumstances where ADSL and wireless broadband are unavailable.

“The Department of Trade and Industry has for a number of years provided a grant to cover the cost of any individual or business wanting to install an ISDN or ADSL connection and the extension of this assistance to cover a satellite connection in specific circumstances is a further development of this policy,” the statement continued, adding that the number of broadband connections now exceeds 1,750, comparing favourably with other jurisdictions in e-business development.

The government’s E-Business Director Tim Craine comments: “This strategy means that the Isle of Man will have yet another significant selling proposition when attracting new business to the Island. I feel sure that this announcement will bring about further new business opportunities.”

The scheme is further described as follows:

• To provide a grant to domestic or business customers for the installation of an ISDN or ADSL circuit to their property, assuming they already have a Manx Telecom telephone line or wish to use a “Wireless” option (not satellite), for either a fully managed service or ‘wires-only’ connection. The subsidy will apply to all new ISDN and ADSL connections for one connection per applicant. The subsidy will not apply if an applicant has already been in receipt of a previous subsidy for ADSL connection. The subsidy does not provide for any other form of Broadband connection or fibre provision.
• This scheme is open to individuals and businesses who fall outside of the current and proposed terrestrial DSL areas that will be operated by Manx Telecom upon completion of their exchange upgrades. Eligible costs will be met by the subsidy offered, to a maximum of 50% of the total cost which will be no more than £300 for a domestic installation, or £1,500 if a small or medium business. Please note that the lesser amount of the two will be paid (i.e. £1,500 or 50% of eligible costs). Eligible costs include site survey, installation and equipment. Assistance will be limited to one connection per business or household.
• The assistance available from the DTI SBSS is discretionary. There is no guarantee of assistance even where applications fully meet the criteria of the programme and all applications will be subject to a technical review to ensure that no other viable option to broadband services is available.

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