Check-in at Shannon Airport, County Clare

Shannon Development Chief Executive, Kevin Thompstone, has called for the urgent rollout of a €4 billion high-speed broadband telecommunications infrastructure, across Ireland.

Speaking at the announcement of the Company’s 2007 end of year results on Tuesday, Thompstone said, “To be truly competitive in the knowledge economy, Ireland urgently needs to have ultra high speed broadband available in every part of the country. Clients from major international corporations will not wait a few years for the private sector to provide what is a vital piece of public communications infrastructure, they will simply vote with their feet and invest elsewhere.”

“While economic growth in Ireland is still high, in comparison to many of our European counterparts, we need to ensure that we are battle fit to meet the growing pressures of globalisation. One initiative which offers Ireland an opportunity to both catch up with and leap ahead of other parts of the world in relation to pervasive broadband access is the development of a national Next Generation Network (NGN).  One of the key elements of NGN is that broadband is delivered not just to a town via a fibre ring but direct to enterprise and the home by means of fibre to the door.

A brave decision is needed to invest in NGN broadband infrastructure ahead of demand if Ireland is to tackle international competition.  The government should start with a national NGN pilot project, and I believe that Shannon Town, with its unique mix of industry and homes, is ideally positioned to act as the pilot location for the rollout of NGN in Ireland,” said Thompstone.

Commenting on Shannon Developments results for 2007, Thompstone said, “Shannon Development continued to demonstrate leadership and action and accelerated a number of its key strategies to develop a counterpole to the East Coast. The Company performed well despite a difficult operating environment, and its sharpened regional focus yielded dividends for the Shannon Region,” he said.

See Finfacts article on the gulf between rhetoric, spending and reality in the goal to become a "world class knowledge economy":

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Shannon Development says it measures its 2007 successes on the delivery in four key areas of activity:

• Shannon Development owns and manages the Shannon Free Zone, in County Clare, which is Ireland’s largest multi-sectoral business park outside Dublin. Shannon Free Zone companies generated €3.3 billion in sales and over 350 new jobs. The Company says it is encouraged by a strong investment pipeline from new and expanding businesses in the Zone in 2008.

• The Company uses its extensive property portfolio to enable economic development by delivering modern property solutions for mobile investors including indigenous and Foreign Direct Investment enterprises. During 2007 the Company invested €8 million in providing property solutions around the Region. The Company completed 17 land transactions and 7 building sales generating over €13 million for investment in future developments.

• As the tourism authority for the Shannon Region, Shannon Development says it accelerated its tourism marketing and product development activities to meet the challenges of an open skies environment. During the year the Company undertook a number of strategic marketing initiatives which allowed it to get its tourism message to a world-wide audience of 250 million. In 2006 (latest available annual statistics) the Shannon Region attracted over 2 million visitors and generated €442 million in tourism revenue. Shannon Heritage, Shannon Development’s tourism subsidiary company attracted 580,000 visitors a 3.5% increase on 2006.

• As part of its strategy for generating development across a range of sectors, the Company says it focuses and invests resources in planning, developing and delivering innovative key projects. A key project is the Kerry Deepwater Zone, which moved on apace during 2007 with planning permission being sought for a €500 million LNG project on Shannon Development owned land at Tarbert/Ballylongford in Co. Kerry. The provision of broadband connectivity throughout the Shannon Region is key priority, and in 2007 over €12 million was invested in delivering broadband connectivity for eight Shannon Region towns.

Commenting on air connectivity and Shannon Development’s response to the cessation of the Shannon Heathrow air service, John Brassil, Chairman, Shannon Development said, “The announcement of the new CityJet air service to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris is extremely welcome and a move that is hugely important in the campaign to restore vital air connectivity to the business community and the general public along the entire west coast of Ireland. Shannon Development, as part of the Atlantic Connectivity Alliance, campaigned long and hard on this issue and working with Shannon Airport Authority we are delighted to have played our part in securing this critical Paris route.”

On a cautionary note he added, “While the new service is welcome other air access is badly needed to ensure our long-term competitiveness in an increasingly challenging environment. Shannon Development, in its role as the tourism authority for the Shannon Region will continue to work with Shannon Airport to address this issue.”

 “2008 will undoubtedly hold challenges for every sector of the Irish economy. In this testing business environment Shannon Development will continue to pioneer initiatives and strategies to ensure that the Shannon Region is equipped to meet the future needs of investors, visitors and people” he said.