The second day of Digitise the Nation looks at Connectivity. Wide ranging and far reaching, connectivity looks at the infrastructure and equipment required to do business online. Broadband rollout is a hot topic in Ireland at the moment – it is impossible to overestimate the importance of bringing broadband access to every household in the country if we are to truly Digitise the Nation.
Broadband, wireless connectivity, 3G phone networks – these are the means by which we connect to our customers and suppliers and our friends and family. With smartphones, laptops and netbooks, our appetite to be connected 24/7 from every nook and cranny of the country seems insatiable.
The person who can access the internet anytime and anywhere has a full lap headstart on the competition and those who control our connectivity are arguably more powerful than the media we wish to access through them. They are the power supply and platform for our connectivity.
As consumers, we choose the cafes and restaurants with free Wi-Fi and we buy services from those online from whom we can get an immediate response. E-commerce, customer relationship management, communication internally, from business to business and with the end user is only achieved through solid reliable connectivity.
The Digitise the Nation connectivity call to action is this:
1. Make your calls using a VOIP application this week, via Skype or Blueface.
2. Tag all your favourite free Wi-Fi locations on Foursquare and email us where they are: members@iia.ie (subject WIFI MAP)
