By Sandor Panton, Contributor
JAMAICA'S TECH/TELE-COM sector seems to be on the rise. E-mail and web site addresses are now standard items for inclusion on a company's business card. Just about everybody, from the pushcart man downtown, to the big business owner, seems to be toting a cell phone and/or pager. Even the information and communications technology sector in Montego Bay seems to be booming with call centres and tech graduates. With thoughts of technology and Jamaica constantly on my mind, there are always things that cause me to go "hmmm".
Jamaica is said to hold the world record as the country with the most churches per square mile. Whether that is a rumour or a title that we no longer hold, we should be fast approaching some sort of record for the number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the island. GoTel, Anbell, Emoquad and Speednet are just a few of the relatively new companies that are now challenging the long established players such as InfoChannel, Anngel, Cable & Wireless and N5 for a share of the market.
Many Jamaicans living abroad probably did go "hmmm", when only weeks before the general election, Radio Jamaica announced that RJR 94 FM could be accessed on the Internet via paid subscription only. What was once free had now become a paid service. Those living overseas and starving for live audio coverage of election day events and results had to either ante up and pay to listen, or try to be one of the lucky 120 persons (simultaneous listeners) that could access Power 106's free Internet audio feed via go-jamaica.com.
Some people may already be familiar with this scenario, but why do so many Jamaican companies have web sites with e-mail address links that apparently no one ever checks? I can't help but go 'hmmm' every time I send an e-mail to the contact address listed on one of these sites, and wait diligently for a response that never comes. Companies that are serious about business will respond to e-mails within one or at most two working days. Those that aren't serious about business probably don't mind the fact that e-mails from potential clients are being sent into a cyber black hole of some sort.
This month, using 'dial-up' to access the Internet just got more expensive for many surfers. No, 'dial-up' access rates charged by ISPs isn't necessarily what's causing me to go "hmmm". The cause is in the form of Cable & Wireless' newly increased rates for local calls. Every time 'dial-up' users connect to the Internet, they do so via a regular local call to their ISP. Thus, with these new rates, some are undoubtedly forced to closely monitor the time that they spend connected to the Net, since even more now than before, time literally is money.
Last week, Technology Minister, Phillip Paulwell, said Jamaicans would soon be able to pay income tax, driver's licence fees and other statutory obligations via the Internet. 'Hmmm'.
Unlocking the secrets of the Internet is a series brought to you by www.go-jamaica.com., the portal web site of the Jamaica Gleaner.
Sandor Panton is an Internet Specialist & Consultant. If you have any comment contact him at feedback@jamaica-gleaner.com.
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