Isle of Man joins us in the e-elite

THE Isle of Man is ranking itself alongside Guernsey as a place to do e-business. A survey carried out in the IoM revealed it had improved its position relative to competitors such as Guernsey, Jersey and Bermuda in the last three years and said it was 'the offshore centre to beat' for its e-commerce attractions and benefits.

Stuart Le Maitre, of the Commerce and Employment Department, said it was unsurprising that the island had placed itself with Guernsey as a leading jurisdiction to do e-business.

'We are aware that they, like us, have taken an interest in the use of technology to help organisations drive up efficiency.'

Mr Le Maitre added that Guernsey was at the forefront of putting measures in place to be e-competitive.

'In the early 2000s Guernsey had a dedicated e-commerce director who worked with the local business community to ensure that our island was positioned on the global map as a centre of excellence for the emerging e-commerce market network, in particular 3G and a high uptake of broadband access.'

He said the island's telcos had long recognised the potential expansion of e-commerce-related transactions and had invested accordingly.

'An example of this is Cable & Wireless' recently-announced project Hugo, which will see £6.5m. investment take place within the next 12 months. It will result in new fibre being laid from the UK to Guernsey and from Guernsey into the European backbone via France.

'There has also been significant investment from Wave Telecom and Newtel Solutions, increasing competition in the marketplace to the benefit of customers.'

The Isle of Man appointed its own director of e-commerce, Tim Craine, who has led it to develop a marketing position which has helped the island improve its global profile.

Mr Craine said the island would continue to focus on growth in areas such as pharmaceuticals, publishing, travel and intellectual property.

Mr Le Maitre said that Guernsey's London-based e-specialist had helped maintain the island's profile.

'Through the network that we established from early 2000 onwards, we are well placed to ensure that the e-commerce offering in Guernsey is on the radar screen of organisations that are looking for a secure, highly sophisticated environment from which to trade.'

Mr Le Maitre said that a sound technological infrastructure not only helped the island attract new business, but was

vital to keep existing businesses competitive.

'Alderney is well respected in the field of e-gaming, has a number of major brand licensees and has succeeded in attracting clients from other well-respected jurisdictions, including the Isle of Man.'

A recent change in the law means Alderney-regulated e-business can now be hosted in Guernsey.

'This has led to an increase in business and number of licences as well as benefiting Guernsey by helping to fill data centres and drive bandwidth usage off island, all of which have a knock-on effect on existing Guernsey businesses.'

He added that Guernsey's continually-improving infrastructure was well placed to welcome appropriate e-businesses.

'Our message is that we are open for business to these types of company who can contribute primary and secondary benefits to our future economy - those companies that are ?good? for Guernsey and our profile in the global arena.'