Google head urges more broadband investment

IRELAND NEEDS to do better at broadband, and getting businessesonline, Google's Eric Schmidt said yesterday.

Speaking yesterday in Dublin, the company's executive chairmansaid Ireland was behind some of our competitors - France, Germanyand the UK getting a specific mention - in providing high-speedinternet access to homes and businesses, through both traditionalaccess and wireless networks such as 4G.

"Which is not to say that you can't catch up quickly, but youneed to do it," he said. "It's not a tragedy but it's an issue.

"The thing the Government can actually do that's hard is [to]work with the telecommunications providers to get more broadband.It's very difficult for small businesses to do," he added.

"There are very few things that are better use of your money thanlong-term infrastructure in information technology that serves theinterests of the citizens of the country."

It's a situation that has been negatively affected by thefinancial crisis, he noted.

"It may be that the Government has had a tough time, choosingbetween 10 different legitimate groups. I'm lobbying for mine," hesaid. "The benefit of lobbying for mine is I think that the economicbenefit of getting Irish businesses to be global, the flow throughis so phenomenal. It creates new jobs, they pay taxes; it's amarket. But it is aided by such investment."

This will help Irish businesses to become more global, get onlineand utilise the internet, he said, describing it as a globalopportunity for Irish businesses.

"If I can sound critical, my observation is that Irish businessesare somewhat behind, especially the small and medium business,getting online compared to where they should be," he said. "AndGoogle and other companies working with people here should work veryhard to get those companies on the internet."

About 40 per cent of Irish companies do not have a website orother form of online presence, a situation that has led Google toget involved in an initiative with Blacknight Internet Solutions, AnPost and the county and city enterprise boards aimed at helping toget smaller enterprises online.

He quoted a recent McKinsey study which claimed that, for everyjob lost through internet competition, 2.6 are created.

The good news is that Google, for the moment at least, has noplans to go anywhere. In fact, the company is expanding here all thetime. It currently employs about 2,200 people in Ireland and is oneof the fastest growing employers in the State.

"Our decision has nothing to do with the Irish economy andeverything to do with the Irish workforce," he said. "Ireland is agreat place to run our business. We have a workforce ofgeographically diverse, speaking multiple languages, creative youngpeople coming out of your top universities. This is a desirableplace to work."

The company is also continuing to branch out, from its mobileAndroid platform to investments in renewable energy programmes andincorporating technologies such as near field communications intoits devices, which makes it easier to make payments or exchangeinformation. Android is just getting started, Mr Schmidt said, withthe platform now available on 300 devices.

"It's a reasonable assumption that Android and Apple will battleit out. That competition is very good for the consumer. It keepseverybody honest," he said.

He also expects Android tablets to pick up the pace. "I think youshould judge these platforms after a year or two," he said. " Webenefit from the competition among hardware devices."