ANNOTATION
ANNOTATION 5569 zîmes
In spring,
when the hours of daylight become longer, more intensive business life begins.
Traditionally the springtime arrives with a significant event in
telecommunication and IT branch - the annual exhibition Baltic IT&T in Riga. However
even more significant is the fact that this is the first spring after the
recent telecommunication market liberalisation. There are several themes in the
present issue of Sakaru Pasaule dedicated
to the new market situation.
In this issue:
· A queue ... for the free market (pages 40-41)
By the end
of February there were already 61 individual public fixed network operators
licences and 11 special permissions issued by Public Utilities Commission. It
is a remarkable amount for such a short period of time and by the end of the
year it could increase to about a 100. The most popular business directions
included in the licences of public fixed network operators are infrastructure
services, leased lines, Internet and data services (including IP), cable TV and
only in a few cases - traditional fixed line telephone services. At the present
moment the new services are mostly planned in Riga and in regional centres
though some operators are ready to provide services (mostly - cable TV) also in
small towns and rural districts.
Also such
incumbent operators of fixed, mobile and cable TV networks as Lattelekom, LMT, Tele 2, Telia MultiCom, Baltcom TV, Telia Latvia and others received public network operator licences.
Besides such well known state companies as Latvenergo
and Latvijas Dzelzceļš
the core business of which is not connected with telecommunications are now
among the new entrants in the market planning to provide mostly Internet and
data services as well as infrastructure leasing.
· IT business - on a green branch? (pages 44-47)
More than
80 percent of Latvia IT market are shared by seven leading IT companies - DATI Grupa, Exigen Latvia, MicroLink,
VERDI, Tilde, IT Alise and Tieto Enator Financial Solutions. They
are not only the leading players in the market but are also responsible for its
development. One of the dominating tendencies of IT business in Latvia is
consolidation of companies within Latvia and Baltic region. One of the most
positive samples is the company MicroLink
(originally an Estonian company) that during the last years has grown into the
biggest IT company in Baltics with three separate business divisions. Recently
it is announced that all the three divisions in Latvia will consolidate in one
company. So the tendency is that big companies are growing even bigger but the
small ones are frequently building their business either on some specialised
products or on a small but stable customer base.
Latvian IT
companies penetrate also in the European market, finding partners and customers
outside Latvia. Sometimes this part of their business pica grows even faster
than that of the local market. One of the most characteristic samples is the
company DATI having partners and IT solution projects in Germany, Sweden, U.K.
and other countries. What are the future prospects for IT business when Latvia
will join EU and the whole Europe will be like a big, common market? We can
only guess but hopefully the high professionality of Latvian IT experts will
not be valued lower than at present.
· Computer leasing - topical business (pages 74-75)
During the
last years such very progressive business solution as computer and office
equipment leasing becomes more and more popular in Latvia. It is very
convenient for a big company or state institution (with 200-300 workstations)
to lease all the necessary computer and office equipment for two or three
years. Leasing is quite cost-efficient, as there is no need to buy expensive
equipment that might be physically and morally out-dated within some years. It
is also possible to provide several service levels, and it means that even if a
fatal error occurs and a computer is corrupted the leasing and service company
can replace the damaged unit with a new one. The company Komerccentrs DATI Grupa provides such services during three years
and its customers are quite satisfied for the efficient opportunity to be
always up-to-date and in good business form.
· Biometry (pages 118 -119)
Recently
more and more business areas emerge where access to confidential information is
allowed only to a narrow range of employees. Usage of automated methods to
identify a person's identity is more significant than ever. Biometry puts an
end to passwords and codes: your fingers, hand, eye or face will allow you to
access certain services and enter certain buildings. Contact sensors can be of
optical, thermal, capacitative or ultrasonic type. FingerChip sensor is one of the smallest available in the market.
It is the first fingerprint sensor using a thermal principle. MK 2B Access mouse incorporates a smart card reader that makes it
possible to lock and unlock the users certificate stored on the smart card
with his fingerprints.
The
technique of voice recognition is the least intrusive and most ergonomic technology
used for access control. Whether you have a cold or are losing your voice, the voice lock system will operate in all
cases. RetinaPass and IrisPass identify respectively using the
retina and the iris, while PalmPass
is a three-dimensional system for the hand. SignPass
authenticates signatures by analysing the speed, acceleration, force and angle
of slant of the writing.
In spring,
when the hours of daylight become longer, more intensive business life begins.
Traditionally the springtime arrives with a significant event in
telecommunication and IT branch - the annual exhibition Baltic IT&T in Riga. However
even more significant is the fact that this is the first spring after the
recent telecommunication market liberalisation. There are several themes in the
present issue of Sakaru Pasaule dedicated
to the new market situation.
In this issue:
· A queue ... for the free market (pages 40-41)
By the end
of February there were already 61 individual public fixed network operators
licences and 11 special permissions issued by Public Utilities Commission. It
is a remarkable amount for such a short period of time and by the end of the
year it could increase to about a 100. The most popular business directions
included in the licences of public fixed network operators are infrastructure
services, leased lines, Internet and data services (including IP), cable TV and
only in a few cases - traditional fixed line telephone services. At the present
moment the new services are mostly planned in Riga and in regional centres
though some operators are ready to provide services (mostly - cable TV) also in
small towns and rural districts.
Also such
incumbent operators of fixed, mobile and cable TV networks as Lattelekom, LMT, Tele 2, Telia MultiCom, Baltcom TV, Telia Latvia and others received public network operator licences.
Besides such well known state companies as Latvenergo
and Latvijas Dzelzceļš
the core business of which is not connected with telecommunications are now
among the new entrants in the market planning to provide mostly Internet and
data services as well as infrastructure leasing.
· IT business - on a green branch? (pages 44-47)
More than
80 percent of Latvia IT market are shared by seven leading IT companies - DATI Grupa, Exigen Latvia, MicroLink,
VERDI, Tilde, IT Alise and Tieto Enator Financial Solutions. They
are not only the leading players in the market but are also responsible for its
development. One of the dominating tendencies of IT business in Latvia is
consolidation of companies within Latvia and Baltic region. One of the most
positive samples is the company MicroLink
(originally an Estonian company) that during the last years has grown into the
biggest IT company in Baltics with three separate business divisions. Recently
it is announced that all the three divisions in Latvia will consolidate in one
company. So the tendency is that big companies are growing even bigger but the
small ones are frequently building their business either on some specialised
products or on a small but stable customer base.
Latvian IT
companies penetrate also in the European market, finding partners and customers
outside Latvia. Sometimes this part of their business pica grows even faster
than that of the local market. One of the most characteristic samples is the
company DATI having partners and IT solution projects in Germany, Sweden, U.K.
and other countries. What are the future prospects for IT business when Latvia
will join EU and the whole Europe will be like a big, common market? We can
only guess but hopefully the high professionality of Latvian IT experts will
not be valued lower than at present.
· Computer leasing - topical business (pages 74-75)
During the
last years such very progressive business solution as computer and office
equipment leasing becomes more and more popular in Latvia. It is very
convenient for a big company or state institution (with 200-300 workstations)
to lease all the necessary computer and office equipment for two or three
years. Leasing is quite cost-efficient, as there is no need to buy expensive
equipment that might be physically and morally out-dated within some years. It
is also possible to provide several service levels, and it means that even if a
fatal error occurs and a computer is corrupted the leasing and service company
can replace the damaged unit with a new one. The company Komerccentrs DATI Grupa provides such services during three years
and its customers are quite satisfied for the efficient opportunity to be
always up-to-date and in good business form.
· Biometry (pages 118 -119)
Recently
more and more business areas emerge where access to confidential information is
allowed only to a narrow range of employees. Usage of automated methods to
identify a person's identity is more significant than ever. Biometry puts an
end to passwords and codes: your fingers, hand, eye or face will allow you to
access certain services and enter certain buildings. Contact sensors can be of
optical, thermal, capacitative or ultrasonic type. FingerChip sensor is one of the smallest available in the market.
It is the first fingerprint sensor using a thermal principle. MK 2B Access mouse incorporates a smart card reader that makes it
possible to lock and unlock the users certificate stored on the smart card
with his fingerprints.
The
technique of voice recognition is the least intrusive and most ergonomic technology
used for access control. Whether you have a cold or are losing your voice, the voice lock system will operate in all
cases. RetinaPass and IrisPass identify respectively using the
retina and the iris, while PalmPass
is a three-dimensional system for the hand. SignPass
authenticates signatures by analysing the speed, acceleration, force and angle
of slant of the writing.