Prime Minister Durão Barroso (picture) has accused some of the country’s businesses of short-term thinking when negotiating high speed internet access. He also reminded the country that it can only properly embrace changing technology by investing in new infrastructures. Barroso’s comments were seen as a response to widely publicised demands of two high-speed (wide band) internet access suppliers, Clix and IOL, both of whom recently suspended their service to new clients, alleging they were losing money.
But even Clix took advantage of a recent ‘wide band’ event, organised by the Innovation and Knowledge Mission in Estoril. The company announced that it has created an alternative access route to the internet using the latest technology of third generation mobile phones. Meanwhile, IOL has started what it describes as “a period of mourning for its wide band service”, making some of its content inaccessible for four hours every Wednesday. Various other manufacturers, including Siemens and Sony Ericsson, displayed their wares at the Estoril conference.
