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‘It’s been epic’: Area thrift stores manage influx of donations following closures
While donations may be up, two months of lost revenue during closure orders issued by Gov. Tim Walz means nonprofit organizations supported by the thrift stores have experienced hardships.
Whether ditching possessions that didn’t spark joy or making room for impulse Amazon purchases, it appears some people spent their recent extra time at home cleaning out the depths of forgotten closets.
But while the coronavirus pandemic might’ve offered the opportunity to declutter, accompanying business closures meant all the ‘90s knick-knacks and outdated clothing had nowhere to go but into basements or the corners of garages.
“We just kind of stockpiled everything downstairs and tried to sell some stuff on Facebook Marketplace for people that would stop by one of our places of work to pick it up from our trunks, but most people aren’t out and about doing that kind of stuff, or they want to meet and try it on and we weren’t doing anything like that with clothing,” said Alanna LeBlanc, who stopped by Baxter’s Common Goods thrift store Wednesday, June 17, to drop off donations. “So it was just easier to kind of stockpile it, and then just to donate it whenever places were starting to accept donations. So that’s been sitting in my trunk now, for awhile.”
LeBlanc was just one of many people who faced such a predicament, evidenced by a massive influx of donations flooding area thrift stores.
“You could say influx, yeah. For those first couple weeks we were open, it was hands down the busiest we’ve ever seen our donation count in terms of volume,” said Scott Vezina, communications and training manager for Goodwill Industries Vocational Enterprises, Inc. in Duluth, during a phone interview Monday, June 15. “ … It’s been epic in terms of donations.”
The Duluth headquarters leads 12 retail locations across the northern swath of the state and northwestern Wisconsin, including the store in Brainerd. Vezina said on top of managing the mountains of previously owned household goods, the nonprofit organization is doing so in a new, precautionary way that takes more time. All donations are quarantined for 72 hours, meaning it’s three days from dropoff before any employees come into contact with the items.
At Common Goods, store manager Danell Eggert explained a similar process they’ve implemented to tackle donations upon reopening. Eggert said her own impulse to declutter during the stay-at-home order made it clear she likely wasn’t the only one.
“We knew there would be a huge influx, because everyone was cleaning out their closets and their house and we wanted to be able to manage it and also have things sit longer,” Eggert said. “ … Yep, people, I think they were bored and that’s what they did. Everyone did. I did.”
Common Goods instituted a policy to accept donations by appointment only, which differed from their pre-COVID procedures of accepting walk-ins. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are set aside for donations, allowing staff time to quarantine the items and clear out space to accept more.
Eggert said one of the things she noticed was people bringing in a lot more clothing than usual along with out of season items like Christmas decorations.
“I think people were just really overhauling everything,” she said. “You went into closets you haven’t been in forever, you’re cleaning out under the pantry — stuff you don’t normally do. I feel like we are doing a good job staying on top of it. I’m just thankful people are willing to make appointments, that was a big change for our donors as well.”
While donations may be up, two months of lost revenue during closure orders issued by Gov. Tim Walz means both nonprofit organizations have experienced hardships.
Vezina said Goodwill paid its employees for two pay periods in hopes the stores would be permitted to reopen, but when that didn’t happen, the board of directors recognized layoffs would be required. The organization ended up laying off 95% of its workforce. Just about half of those have returned to work so far, Vezina said.
Goodwill faces specific challenges because it employs many of those considered most vulnerable to COVID-19 — those with disabilities or underlying conditions.
“We’ve had others that live in group homes, and their group homes are not allowing them to go out,” Vezina said. “ … It’s been a challenge in that sense. Every person’s situation might be a little bit different.”
Vezina and Eggert both noted their stores were busy with customers and sales in the first weeks following reopening — although Brainerd’s Goodwill location was forced to close a week after reopening and remain closed for two weeks following a positive COVID-19 test of an employee. But even with a generally good start for the region, Vezina said he’s concerned about the longer-term outlook as the pandemic persists and consumer confidence remains stagnant or wanes. Retail sales cover 90% of Goodwill’s expenses and play a huge role in supporting the organization’s mission to provide vocational training and employment services to people who have a disability or other employment barriers across the Northland.
“It will be interesting to see how this plays out,” Vezina said. “We’re kind of trying to plan for that out as far as we possibly can. … Halloween is usually big for us, that’s one of my special projects. There might not even be trick-or-treating this year. … That’s going to look different as well.”
The two locations of Common Goods in Baxter and Crosslake also support the mission of a nonprofit organization — Bridges of Hope, which serves children and families in crisis in Crow Wing County and the surrounding communities by connecting them with local resources. Eggert said the forced closure combined with the cancellation of one of the organization’s major fundraisers, Tea of Hope, had a definite impact on expected revenue.
But it wasn’t a total loss. While the physical stores were closed, Eggert said the organization began offering an online store, an initiative that was actually planned before the coronavirus made such approaches to retail more commonplace. Now that stores have reopened at 50% capacity, sales are looking good, she said.
“It’s a very interesting time right now, but it’s good,” Eggert said. “I have no doubt that we’re going to bounce back. … We’re really close to hitting our daily goals every day. I am fairly confident that we’ll achieve that.
“I think people are becoming more comfortable, people are coming out and about more. I think people are just ready to be out spending money. … I really feel like God watches over this place for sure and the organization.”
Even so, Bridges of Hope noted on its website the challenges that lie ahead for the organization.
“Support of Bridges of Hope is more critical than ever as we work each day to serve the growing needs of our neighbors due to COVID-19 and its impacts including job loss, food insecurity and online learning. The road to recovery is long, and there are many needs to be met in our community as we look ahead. Partners, friends and volunteers who support our work are important to us and we count on all of you to join in to get the work done.”
CHELSEY PERKINS may be reached at 218-855-5874 or email@example.com . Follow on Twitter at twitter.com/DispatchChelsey .


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Agility and board member Al-Saleh singled out by Forbes
Agility, a leading global logistics provider, was named as one of the Top Companies in the Arab World by Forbes Middle East, which also singled out Agility board member Henadi Al-Saleh as one of the most powerful Arab business women.
Agility and Al-Saleh were honoured at a Forbes Middle East gala held to mark the fourth year that the magazine has recognized businesses and individuals for their contributions in the region.
Forbes Middle East used four metrics – sales, net profits, assets and market value – to identify Agility and other publicly traded companies for the award. The magazine also recognized privately held Kuwaiti companies.
Agility is the largest logistics provider in the Middle East and a leading provider of supply chain services in emerging markets in Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America and elsewhere.
Al-Saleh represented Agility at the gala. “We are honored to be recognized by Forbes Middle East as one of the top companies in the Arab world,” she said. “This recognition further highlights our strong leadership and dynamic contributions to the regional economy.”
The event took place at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa in Kuwait. It was attended by corporate executives, public sector leaders and diplomats.

domain: news


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10/8/2012 - Depreciation rates to moderate
While used vehicles are typically cheaper than new cars, they carry the added benefit of generally having less expensive car insurance rates. In addition, as a new report indicates, the value of those vehicles may not diminish significantly over the next few years.
According to NADA Used Car Guide and its latest report, "Volatility in Used Vehicle Depreciation," the automotive valuation company indicates that there should be a period of used-vehicle price stability during the next 10 years. This would be in stark contrast to more recent years, as the average used vehicle worth $12,000 declined in value by more than $3,000 in 2008.
Jonathan Banks, senior analyst with NADA, said price stabilization in the used car market large results from limited inventory.
"The expected low annual rate of depreciation can be attributed in part to the continued decline in the supply of late-model used vehicles, which was caused by a substantial reduction in new-vehicle sales during the economic recession," said Banks.
Also affecting the rate of depreciation, according to NADA, is automakers building vehicles in confluence with the rate of demand. Historically, manufacturers have tended to overproduce.


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Uber is facing a lawsuit from an employee who contends the ride-hailing app startup mislead employees about the equity they would receive as compensation.
According to a TechCrunch report, the lawsuit contends Uber “devised a fraudulent scheme to recruit highly sought software engineers.” The lawsuit claims Uber promised employees options that were more favorable when they were hired, but once they came on board, the plan was changed. The lawsuit said there are 100 or more staffers at Uber that may have been impacted by the change in the stock option plans. What’s more, the lawsuit contends the harm could be worth “hundreds of millions of dollars” to employees but saves Uber that much in tax reductions.
Lenza McElrath, the Uber engineer behind the lawsuit, claims he thought all his shares could be treated as ISOs, which eliminate a tax bill upfront when they are exercised, but said he was later told a change to the exercisability schedule resulted in the majority of his shares converting to NSOs, which are taxed when they are exercised. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff said: “This tax is many times the strike price and can total hundreds of thousands of dollars, meaning that NSOs — unlike ISOs — can impede an employee’s ability to exercise the option depending on whether he or she has the financial resources to pay the tax,” reported TechCrunch.
In a statement to TechCrunch, Uber said: “We want our employees to have a real stake in Uber’s success, and we’re proud to offer equity compensation in service of that goal. Whereas our stock incentive plans are designed to work for all employees, we believe Mr. McElrath has misinterpreted his stock option agreement to benefit himself and his particular tax situation.”
TechCrunh noted that this isn’t the first lawsuit McElrath has filed against a company. He previously lodged a lawsuit against AT&T for poor service. That case was sent to arbitration, according to the report.


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New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) A vacation must mean a vacation in its truest sense. A majority of Indian women have admitted in a new survey that they prefer to go on a holiday without their children, primarily due to a lack of personal time with their spouse.
The survey, by Happytrips.com, was spread across Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi NCR with a sample size of 1,000 females above 33 years of age.
As many as 63 percent of the respondents indicated that they'd prefer a holiday with their husbands alone, even if it means going out of their way to make special arrangements for leaving the kids behind.
Of the 1,000 respondents, 57 percent were working women and 43 percent of them were homemakers -- denoting that there isn't a wide difference in the aspirations of the two groups.
When the women, who said they didn't want to travel with their children, were asked the reasons behind their answer, 52 percent of them said they don't get any personal time with their husband at home.
The second most popular reason was "I need a break from being a mom", with as many as 30 percent of the respondents opting for it.
Of those surveyed, 12 percent even ticked on "I don't like my kids, they are a nuisance when out of the house", while six percent of them said "my kids don't enjoy family holidays".
Happytrips.com is an online guide to destinations, itineraries, things to do, restaurants and more about close to 200 places in India, and another 100 destinations across the world.


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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Plastic container maker Graham Packaging Co Inc (GRM.N) was the lone gainer in a trio of U.S. companies that made their debuts on the nation’s stock exchanges on Thursday.
Internet marketing company QuinStreet (QNST.O), advised by investment banker Frank Quattrone, closed flat. Generator company Generac Holdings Inc (GNRC.N) closed down 1.23 percent.
All three companies raised less than they had planned.
But analysts said the cuts may have rescued offerings that otherwise would have been shelved.
“This is what the deals needed,” said IPOfinancial.com President David Menlow. Any deal moving forward, and posting an aftermarket rise like Graham Packaging, is a good sign, even if the deal was cut, he said.
“It is a buyers’ market, and the buyers will dictate the price or the deal will be postponed,” said IPO Boutique Senior Managing Partner Scott Sweet.
Many companies joining the world of publicly traded shares in recent months have had to lower, delay or shelve their offerings as bankers and companies struggle to agree with investors on their terms.
On Wednesday, JinkoSolar Holding Co Ltd joined two other Chinese solar companies in canceling their U.S. offerings.
Also on Wednesday, Blackstone (BX.N)-backed airline ticketing firm Travelport LLC called off its $1.78 billion London listing, postponing what would have been the biggest IPO in London in two years.
Of the 62 IPOs launched globally since Dec. 1 2009, 32 were shelved — 15 in the U.S., 10 in Asia, and seven in Europe.
The deals canceled were worth $9.6 billion or more than those that were brought to market, which totaled $8.2 billion.
Graham Packaging raised about half as much as planned. Funds affiliated with Blackstone, its private equity backer, which owns 75.1 percent of the company, did not sell shares.
Shares in the York, Pennsylvania-based company closed up 2 percent at $10.20 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Internet marketing company QuinStreet raised about 17 percent less than anticipated. Shares closed flat with their IPO price at $15 on the Nasdaq.
Generac Holdings Inc (GNRC.N), backed by private equity firm CCMP Capital LLC, raised about a quarter less than expected. Shares in the company which makes generators fueled by natural gas, liquid propane, gasoline, and diesel closed down 1.23 percent at $12.84 on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Clare Baldwin in New York. Editing by Robert MacMillan, Leslie Gevirtz)


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2018 Hyundai Sonata facelift spied
A heavily-disguised prototype believed to be the facelifted Hyundai Sonata has been spotted this week during cold weather testing.
While the majority of the medium sedan's sheetmetal is concealed under the heavy black-and-white disguise, the new face and tail-lights are partially visible, showing that the new Sonata will draw inspiration from the recently-revealed 2017 i30 hatch.
Up front is a new grille, revised headlights and upright LED daytime-running lights akin to its smaller stablemate, while out back new tail-lights with a distinct LED signature can be seen under the black sheets.
Being a facelift, don't expect major changes to the Sonata's body, though it would be logical to assume Hyundai will also refresh the front and rear bumpers, along with offering some new alloy wheel designs.
No images of the interior were snapped, though it's likely the updated Sonata will receive new trims and an updated infotainment system.
While it was previously speculated the facelifted sedan would make its debut in the latter half of 2017, Hyundai Australia's general manager for public relations, Bill Thomas, has confirmed the updated Sonata will arrive in the second quarter.
Stay tuned to CarAdvice for updates in the lead-up to the new Sonata's launch in the coming months.


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Law To Improve Health And Safety Of Pet Store Animals
June 13, 2012
Senate passes bill
(Long Island, NY) The New York State Senate today gave final legislative passage to a bill (S7268A), sponsored by Senator Greg Ball (R-C, Patterson), that will ensure improved health and safety of pets sold in stores. The Senate took up the bill on New York State Animal Advocacy Day at the Capitol, where legislators and animal advocates network, share ideas, and lobby for stronger anti-cruelty laws.
“Many people throughout New York State have been negatively affected by purchasing cats and dogs from pet dealers who purchase from breeding mills, commonly known as puppy mills. I am happy to be the sponsor of this bill that will now protect these animals and their owners,” said Senator Ball. “I’ve had constituents whose families have suffered through extreme emotional and fiscal costs, while these businesses make high profits. It is my belief that government should stay out of the way of small businesses, but when they harm animals and families, it’s time to intervene.”
Dogs and cats that are sold by some pet stores receive inadequate exercise, veterinary care, and protection from the spread of disease.
“This bill provides improved standards of care that must be followed by pet dealers to improve the health, safety and well-being of the animals,” said Senate Majority Leader Dean G, Skelos. “Not only will this protect pets, but it also increases the likelihood that consumers will receive healthy animals.”
This legislation will provide that any licensed pet dealer must:
Designate a veterinarian to care for the animals at the facility, who will be available for emergency, weekend and holiday care, as well as regular visitation;
Develop a program to prevent, control and respond to diseases and injuries;
Provide an isolation area for animals that exhibit symptoms of contagious disease or illness in order to prevent or reduce the spread of disease to healthy animals;
Designate an employee to provide daily observation of all animals to assess their health and well-being;
Maintain a daily exercise plan for dogs;
Vaccinate as required by the state or local law all animals;
Not sell any animal that has been diagnosed with a congenital condition or contagious disease.
Senator Ball has taken up legislation that would improve the health of pets sold in stores after hearing the story of Charlemagne, a puppy purchased in a pet store in 2003. The dog’s owner, Lorianne Pagano, of Amityville, NY, discovered multiple health problems in Charlemagne shortly after she brought him home. After many visits to the veterinarian and thousands of dollars spent, Charlemagne ultimately succumbed to his health problems in 2007. Pagano has worked to shed light on some of the problems with pet stores and puppy mill dogs.
The bill will be sent to the Governor for his consideration.


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Camden, NJ – (January 10, 2008) – Have you broken your New Year’s resolution to eat right and lose weight? If so, you’re not alone. While 6 in 10 (60 percent) Americans would like to lose weight this year, most weight loss resolutions barely make it to Valentine’s Day, according to a recent survey commissioned by Campbell Soup Company. Americans who have made it a goal to watch their waistlines have taken an average of seven weeks to break their resolution. More than half (51 percent) of those who made this resolution in the past have only been able to stick to this goal for a month or less.
“It’s no surprise that people fall off the bandwagon so quickly when trying to lose weight, considering the many cultural obstacles we all face,” said Dr. Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., Guthrie Chair in Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University. Dr. Rolls is also the author of The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan and The Volumetrics Eating Plan, the first books to promote the scientific principles of satiety – the body’s signal that it is full. A key finding in Dr. Rolls’ 25-year career in research: “Soup is a secret weapon for weight control.”
In fact, 66 percent of people recently surveyed said they believe eating broth-based soup is a helpful way to feel full and satisfied when watching their weight. According to Rolls, research supports this behavior because consuming soup as the first course of a meal can help individuals to control calories. One study found that people who ate soup with a meal consumed about 100 fewer calories on average during their entire meal.
January is National Soup Month, which makes it the perfect time to begin incorporating lower-calorie soups into a daily diet regime. “It’s important to add variety to a healthy weight loss plan,” said Elizabeth Fassberg, M.P.H., R.D., owner of EAT FOOD, a food and nutrition consultancy in New York City. “Many times people get bored with the same foods and quickly go back to their own unhealthy way of eating. With lots of different flavors, it’s easier to stay on track and stay interested.”
Campbell offers more than 80 varieties of soup with 100 calories or less per serving. This category-leading array means there is sure to be a soup to suit all tastes and cravings – each and every day. So if you want to spice up your diet, look in the soup aisle of your local grocery store for a variety of great-tasting options, including “Campbell’s” condensed, “Campbell’s Select,” “Campbell’s Chunky” and “Campbell’s Soup at Hand” soups.
According to the survey, Americans who would like to lose weight this year will be making a number of changes to their diet, especially eating smaller portions (60 percent), limiting their fat intake (56 percent), controlling their sugar consumption (52 percent), and cutting back on carbohydrates (32 percent).
For more information on “Campbell’s” soup offerings and wellness-related tips, visit www.campbellwellness.com.
About The SurveyThe survey was commissioned by Campbell Soup Company. Kelton Research surveyed 1,000 participants, all of whom are aged 18 and above. The margin of error for total respondents is +/- 3.1%.
About Campbell Soup CompanyCampbell Soup Company is a global manufacturer and marketer of high quality foods and simple meals, including soup, baked snacks, vegetable-based beverages, and premium chocolate products, with annual revenues in excess of $7.8 billion. Founded in 1869, the company has a portfolio of market-leading brands, including “Campbell’s,” “Pepperidge Farm,” “Arnott’s,” “V8,” and “Godiva.” For more information on the company, visit Campbell’s website at www.campbellsoup.com.
Contacts:John FaulknerCampbell Soup Company(856) 342.3738[email protected]
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NAIROBI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- On Saturday evening, Samuel Odhiambo received a "strange" distress call from a friend, who had taken his family for an outing at a mall east of Nairobi.
"I am stranded. Please come and bail me because it's been an hour of waiting and Mpesa is not working," his friend told him.
The friend had taken meals at a restaurant and his children had played at the kids' park with the bill coming to 6,000 Kenyan shillings (59 U.S. dollars). However, when he went to pay, the system was not working.
"He paid the money but the message to confirm the transaction did not come, therefore he could not be allowed to leave," recounted Odhiambo, an accountant, who drove to the mall and paid the money.
Many Kenyans were in a similar situation at various establishments that include bars, supermarkets, fuel stations, agency shops and hotels across the east African nation as the mobile money service experienced downtime.
Those who had fuelled their cars and attempted to pay through mobile money could not leave.
Similarly, those who had consumed food at hotels, reached onto their mobile phones to pay and had to wait for hours at the facilities unless they paid cash.
It was a nightmare for those who had withdrawn money at agents and could not leave because of lack of a transaction completion message to allow the agents give them money. The outage was for over three hours.
Mpesa, run by Safaricom, is Kenya's leading mobile money service, with over 24 million people using the service out of the 30 million subscribers, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya.
Between April and June, Mpesa users transacted 14.6 billion dollars, most of which was person-to-person transactions, the latest data from the regulator showed. Therefore, any slight delay in the service affects millions.
"I bought fuel for my car using Mpesa and transactions are not going through. I am now stranded at this petrol station for an hour hoping things work out," recounted Mathews Kamala on Twitter, where hundreds shared their frustrations.
"I am being held at this hotel because I have paid by mobile money and transactions are not going through. What is the problem?" asked Vivian.
For Brian Muinde, the embarrassment at the cashier after shopping a trolley full of goods and failing to pay using his phone would linger in his mind for some time.
"It was a big lesson for me. People who were paying in cash looked at me, annoyed that I was wasting time at the till. I opted to return the goods to the shelves and walk out," he said.
Safaricom, in a statement on Saturday evening, attributed the downtime to database degradation.
"We regret to notify our customers and partners that Mpesa services are currently unavailable due to database degradation, leading to loss of service," CEO Bob Collymore said.
"Our engineers are working to restore service as soon as possible," he added.
In a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon, Safaricom said Mpesa services resumed late Saturday night but outage reoccurred on Sunday morning but was resolved in about half an hour.
"Our engineers are working with officials from both the Central Bank of Kenya and Communications Authority of Kenya to ensure continuity of services," the telco said.
Henry Wandera, an economics lecturer in Nairobi, said the events that followed the downtime show how mobile money is key in the lives of Kenyans.
"The system is at the heart of the lives of Kenyans and the country's economy. Kenyans have become comfortable using mobile money that a good number don't carry cash anymore, but such experiences are the reason cash remains king in Kenya's financial system even as people embrace mobile money," he said on Sunday.
The National Treasury, in a report last year, said the ubiquitous nature of mobile money in Kenya should be regarded as a "fiscal risk" to the country's economy due to its extensive inter-linkage with payment systems in different sectors. Enditem


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Selling Opel key to rebuilding GM
Selling Opel key to rebuilding GM
General Motors Co. is smaller, less in debt and governed by directors who appear to have a pulse.
It’s on the way to having fewer brands, fewer plants, fewer dealers in North America, fewer employees worldwide and fewer corporate officers at the top of the house. If it’s smart, there will be less arrogance, little unjustified swagger and a whole lot more quiet execution in its bid to rebuild its corporate cred.
What GM isn’t losing in the aftermath of its historic bankruptcy is the global reach it spent the past 15 years extending — in China, in the rest of Asia, in Latin America and across the fast-growing regions of Europe. And it likely won’t lose the footprint, even if it follows through, as expected, with selling a majority stake in its Adam Opel GmbH unit in Germany.
Why? Because the opportunity to peddle Opel, a bicycle company before it began producing cars, represents a chance for GM to offload to new owners the hard assets of plants and people but retain the three elements GM needs most: product development, engineering and the mutual benefit of economies of scale both sides would need to prosper.
"Overall, we still want to sell Opel," a GM executive familiar with the situation in Europe and the thinking in Detroit told me. Retaining ownership of Opel is "a backup" that is being considered even as GM pushes to refine a possible sale to Magna International Inc. of Canada or RHJI, a private equity group based in Belgium.
The bargaining is rife with politics, posturing and preconceptions. Germany is hurtling toward national elections Sept. 27, making Opel and its jobs a political issue for Chancellor Angela Merkel. She backs the Magna option with its Russian ties, partly because labor backs it and partly because private-equity shops are deeply loathed and mistrusted by the chattering classes in politics, labor and the media.
Whatever. By now it’s clear the hot-potato called Opel is as much about wresting control of Opel from the Americans as it is about "saving" jobs. The Germans want control, a chance to right a historic wrong some 75 years or so in the making even if it means alienating Vauxhall, the British sister to Opel, as well as the Belgians, Spaniards and Poles who would no longer have an American buffer between them and the Germans.
GM estimates of a top-to-bottom workout of Opel and its affiliates in Western Europe run well north of $10 billion. That’s money GM does not have. Nor can it justify the expense to its paymasters in the U.S. Treasury, which is why a sale remains more likely than a cobbled-together effort to keep control of a unit that has chafed under Detroit for decades.
What GM can retain — and most likely will, despite efforts by Magna and others — are distribution rights for Chevrolet in Europe and, especially, Russia; access to Opel product development and engineering at its headquarters west of Frankfurt; the possibility to sell selected Opel products in the rich U.S. market.
What GM doesn’t want is for Opel to slip into insolvency, a one-way trip to bankruptcy that could culminate in dismemberment and the loss of precious engineering and development assets to Fiat SpA of Italy, the Russians or the Chinese. GM’s global footprint would be damaged and such German rivals as Volkswagen would be bolstered by one less direct competitor at home.
The bankruptcy of GM was, is and will be a punishing exercise. Jobs lost. Plants closed. Dealers cut. Communities hurt. Retirement expectations dashed for hourly, salary and executives.
But it’s also an opportunity to create a functioning and profitable company from a dysfunctional destroyer of capital, to replicate at home and in Europe GM’s success in developing markets. Selling a majority stake in Opel may be just the move the General needs to keep moving in the right global direction.


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BILOXI, MS (WLOX) - On Wednesday, MDOT will open bids, and select a company to rebuild the Popps Ferry bridge. A month or so after that, the broken spans should be replaced. And traffic will once again be rolling over the back bay bridge.
Until then, Popps Ferry Road business owners will do what they can to keep their heads above water. Since the bridge shut down, business at shops along Popps Ferry Road is off by as much as 40 percent.
For those businesses, the timing of the accident was horrible. Places like Grains of Montana were just coming out of their winter slumps. In fact, lunch orders at north Biloxi restaurant were up. This Popps Ferry Road business seemed to be on fire. Mike Dixon is the store's manager. "It was really turning up, looking ahead. And the bridge hits," he said. "Now we're back into December, January, February mode because of traffic count."
Without a road linking north Biloxi to the city's peninsula, traffic in front of the Popps Ferry Road shop has hit the brakes. "We're struggling right now to keep the doors open. We will keep the doors open. But we want to reap a little reward for going through the three tough months. Now, it's just a struggle," said Dixon.
Merchants up and down Popps Ferry Road feel virtually cut off from the rest of the world. Eric Lofland runs a lawnmower sales and repair shop. "Yes it's slowed down quite a bit. The drive by traffic is next to nothing now," said Lofland.
Their customers have had two-and-a-half weeks to adjust to Popps Ferry detour signs. And that's made it a bit easier to weed out who can be counted on to stop by and spend some cash. "All we can do is hang on and hope that they get it fixed soon," Lofland said.
Bridge reconstruction could begin late this week. The missing spans should be replaced by early May. By then, businesses will be starving for more traffic to roll past their stores.
"It's a win-win situation if we can get us a bridge to get to us," Dixon said. "But we've got to be patient. There's nothing we can do about it. That's the bottom line."
While repairing a chain saw, Lofland said, "I just want to see the bridge back up and going. We need it."
An MDOT spokesman says construction equipment could be at the Popps Ferry Bridge by the end of the week.


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HNB is building a decentralized blockchain network where individuals and enterprises can exchange products and services with trust and security. The dual-token system of HNB and HGS, combined with the hybrid consensus algorithm of DPOS and Algorand provides the infrastructure for a stable and robust ecosystem.
security Not VerifiedHow to verify ICO?
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Plessey announced that it has been named a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Embedded Technologies category with its monolithic Micro LED displays.
Plessey’s Micro LED display is based on monolithic GaN-on-Silicon Micro LEDs, which, according to Plessey, deliver seven times greater light output and five times better contrast compared with incumbent technologies. Plessey has been working with Vuzix to develop AR smart glasses applying its Micro LED technology.
Mike Lee, President of Corporate and Business Development at Plessey, said, “As the only provider of GaN-on-Silicon monolithic Micro LEDs, Plessey is about to disrupt the displays market with a technology that delivers a tangibly better consumer experience. At the same time, our products enable much smaller and less power-hungry devices to be produced. This is going to be as big a change as when LCDs replaced cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in Personal Computer displays.”
Apart from AR and VR applications, Plessey’s monolithic Micro LED technology could also be applied in head-up displays (HUDs), providing necessary size and luminance. The company is going to demonstrate its Micro LED technology at CES 2019 in Las Vegas during January 8th – 11th.


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First, the California Assembly overwhelmingly passed a law that would require that all fur products be labeled with the type of animal (or faux fabric) and the country of origin. This would close a loophole in federal law that allows clothing with less than $150 worth of fur to be sold without any label identifying it as real fur, and it will stop many people from mistakenly buying real fur when they intended to buy faux.
The fur labeling bill is now headed to the State Senate, so if you have the good fortune to live in California, please urge your state senators to vote for it.
And that’s not all! If you live in San Francisco, get ready to celebrate the city’s first Meat-Free Monday, aka “Veg Day.” San Francisco’s Board of super-savvy Supervisors approved a resolution that calls on the city’s restaurants, grocery stores, and schools to recognize the health and environmental benefits of meat-free meals. A plant-based diet also saves animals from the horrors of factory farming and slaughter.
For all you non-Californians, encourage your state and local politicians to follow California’s example and make a commitment to helping animals, the planet, and their constituents’ health. In the meantime, you can celebrate your own cruelty-free closet and table every day of the week.
California, here I come!
Written by Heather Faraid Drennan


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SINGAPORE: Expected price increases and likely project delays will not stop homeowners from engaging the services of renovation companies.
The demand is expected to remain strong next year, observers said, even as some renovation firms warned of price increases of up to 20 per cent.
It could force homeowners to choose ready-made cabinets or decorative works over custom-made ones.
This comes as renovation companies here deal with rising material and manpower costs.
RISING MATERIALS, LABOR COSTS
The price of cement, for example, has increased by up to 20 per cent. Steel, a key material for construction, has gone up about 50 per cent.
The shipping of raw materials also does not come cheap.
Ms Jillien Lum, senior designer at Renozone Interior Design House, said: “The shipping of raw materials, like cement and tiles, will actually add up and increase the renovation costs by about approximately 10 per cent.”
Renovation firms are currently seeing interest in their services rise by at least 20 per cent, as homeowners push to have their renovations done before the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) increase kicks in on Jan 1.
Meanwhile, some observers believe the renovation industry may need another six to eight months to catch up on the backlog of projects as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One new Woodleigh flat, for example, will be welcoming its first owners soon, after a two-month holdup in completing the renovation. Many of the furnishings in the flat are custom-made.
D Editors, the firm behind the project, blamed the delay on a shortage of skilled subcontractors and the coronavirus situation.


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Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has signed a five year kit supplier deal with US based Under Armour, the first club in the Premier League to do so.
The global partnership and technical sponsorship agreement will see Under Armour provide the kit for the first team and academy as well as replica kits for the club’s supporters from the 2012-13 season, replacing Puma.
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy said: "We are delighted that Under Armour will become our new technical partner from 2012 onwards. They are an extremely ambitious brand with global aspirations, making them ideal partners for Tottenham Hotspur."
As well as Spurs, Under Armour currently has agreements in place with the Welsh Rugby Union and Bundesliga side Hannover 96.


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So the Digital Economy Bill, setting new standards for broadband and mobile provision, data-sharing and more, is law, waved through along with a whole bunch of other stuff the government would rather you forgot about and just in time for the dissolution of Parliament ahead of the General Election.
Among the provisions in the Bill is a longed-for and long-debated broadband universal service obligation (USO) that enables anybody to ask for and receive a broadband connection with a minimum speed of 10Mbps. The government thinks this is a great moment that will guarantee fit-for-purpose broadband connectivity for consumers the length and breadth of the land.
I think that is a steaming load of rubbish.
Earlier in 2017, the House of Lords proposed an amendment that would have more than doubled this USO from a rather lacklustre but serviceable 10Mbps to a fairly nippy 30Mbps.
The Lords said that the proposed 10Mbps USO was so slow it would probably have to be reviewed almost immediately, while the economies of scale associated with an enhanced 30Mbps USO meant that the extra public money that will be needed to fund it can be easily accounted for.
But this clause never made it into the final cut of the Bill. Why is that?
Those excuses in full
Speaking in the House of Commons last week, digital and culture secretary Matt Hancock set out his justification for flinging the amendment out.
At first, he said he feared that a 30Mbps USO would be undeliverable – although on what basis remains unclear – and said that the risk of a legal challenge to a 30Mbps USO from the industry was too much to bear, which suggests to me that someone who works at a major telecoms operator with a two letter name might have popped by the office to have a quiet word, although of course that is spurious tittle-tattle on my part and you should make up your own mind as to whether or not it happened.
Hancock proceeded to perform an Olympic standard mental gymnastics routine, saying that because the USO was being legislated for under the European Union (EU) telecoms framework, which requires a USO to ensure a baseline of services where a “substantial minority has taken up the service but the market has not delivered” the fact that very few people were taking a service of over 300Mbps meant that providing a service of just a tenth of that speed (and remember that 30Mbps is certainly good enough for a high-def Netflix binge) was therefore quite out of the question.
In Hancock’s favour, he did say that a future government would review the 10Mbps USO once take-up of superfast broadband hit 75%. However one might quite reasonably induce that if Openreach is only going to be held to a 10Mbps USO, which is not superfast and therefore cannot count towards the 75% figure, that point will take a while to reach.
Frankly, this ridiculous kind of chicken and egg politics is holding back the UK’s digital economy. And the thing is, it’s not even a chicken or egg situation: it is quite evident, although apparently not to Mr Hancock, that there cannot be a superfast broadband subscriber without a superfast broadband connection!
However you spin it, and Lord knows we try to be positive, it seems clear to me that under both David Cameron and Theresa May, the current government has been totally shambolic in its commitment to the UK’s broadband infrastructure.
Once again for the slower MPs: you. cannot. build. a. digital. economy. without. good. connectivity.
This is even more important in these Brexit-means-Brexit days, for as Computer Weekly has made clear loudly and on several occasions ever since the EU referendum, we are shortly going to be doing business with the world without the benefits of being part of a massive trading bloc with our closest and most valued neighbours. We’re going to need every advantage we can get!
At the end of the day, the Digital Economy Bill is a bad law and Matt Hancock’s failure to stand up to the commercial interests of Big Telco and commit once and for all to take bold action over broadband provision has done the UK a huge disservice.
I wish I could write that we hope for positive change after the General Election, but I fear that would be in vain.
Did you hear the one about the time Openreach CEO Clive Selley visited the countryside and was shocked, shocked I say, to discover that people in rural areas have difficulty accessing fit-for-purpose broadband?
No, it’s not fake news. This happened.
According to the Shropshire Star, Selley was introduced to a number of rural business owners who are struggling with slow broadband, after being invited to take a look around by local MP Owen Paterson.
Among others, Selley met the owner of a health and safety practice, who is struggling to communicate with his clients, the owners of a holiday home who have to keep apologising to guests who can’t get online.
According to Paterson: “It was interesting to see how shocked the head of Openreach was to hear of so many problems.”
On the assumption that Owen Paterson wasn’t telling porkies to get his name in the newspaper, this strikes me as a troubling trend. Here’s why.
A long-time Openreach insider, Selley, who replaced Joe Garner as CEO in early 2016, has established a reputation as something of a technological whizz, and is particularly hot on emerging delivery technologies, such as G.fast, that are helping Openreach deliver faster services to its internet service provider (ISP) customers.
Nobody disputes the commercial realities faced by Openreach, that super- and ultrafast fibre-based connections – by which I mean either fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) or fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) – mean that the organisation naturally lines up the areas where it can make the most money off its network for an earlier upgrade – that means towns and cities, where the majority of the population now live.
But Openreach is still charged with delivering fit-for-purpose broadband across the whole of the UK, not just those areas where sound commercial sense dictates it will see a better return on investment from ISPs reselling access to its infrastructure.
So the fact that its leader does not appear to have a full grasp of the situation on the ground in some of the UK’s more out-of-the-way spots is deeply worrying.
People who live in the countryside are the ones who have shouted loudest about their often dismal broadband services, and they will shout louder still as they are inevitably once again bypassed by G.fast and FTTP. It’s why the altnets get such strong traction and have so much goodwill in the areas they serve: they understand the concerns of rural folk.
But judging by Clive Selley’s visit to Shropshire, it would appear that Openreach does not.
Thanks to broadband comparison site uSwitch, which first brought the story to our attention.
Almost three out of five CIOs we speak with today tell us that technology providers often seem to be pushing software defined networks (SDN) simply to sell hardware, writes Verizon’s Peter Konings, and they just don’t need more hardware.
Let’s be clear: SDN isn’t a box. It is about enabling better performance and efficiency in the software layer. What all CIOs today really need to understand is how to leverage SDN to improve performance and reinvent their business processes in order to be able to compete more effectively.
While cost reduction will usually be the most compelling benefit for any technology adoption, the more persuasive argument for SDN adoption is that the technology can drive enterprise-wide change. Successful proof-of-concepts are frequently moving to production quicker than planned. Greater network agility and reduced cost allows a CIO to package services differently, which can reduce time to market and reduce opportunity costs. This gives the CIO greater business agility, which in turn offers more freedom to innovate, catalyzing an upward innovation spiral.
SDN for optimising cloud and virtualisation
If you look at network models used across most organizations, they haven’t really evolved much since the 90s. But how much has technology has changed? We’ve applied Moore’s Law to networking in moving from 10Mbps to 10Gbps and beyond, but we have only just started seeing changes in network architecture. As our perimeter dissolves, more applications are being hosted in the cloud, and with application hosting environments sitting outside the traditional internal network, a different, more optimal model is required.
Now, imagine an application that can detect demand and move compute instances and network loads to different server farms based on where the user is located. Bear with me here: SDN helps to fulfil this by decoupling control from the hardware plane. Rather than requiring hardware, physical equipment or significant human intervention to provision for expansion or contraction based on usage needs, SDN enables a CIO to scale up and down as needed via software controls. As a result, SDN is an enabling technology that allows an organisation to drive far greater efficiency and agility from their network and virtualisation environments. It also allows for significantly improved management, increased visibility and better automation. No more over-provisioning!
The same application could change network routes based on revenue projections or data sensitivity within the application.
Protecting against attacks with embedded security
Embedded security isn’t a new concept. A few years ago, the Jericho Forum was started with a view to developing a way of stopping network attacks against application infrastructure. The drive for setting up the forum was the rise in cyber-attacks such as phishing, SQL and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that give attackers access to internal systems.
One such technology is the software defined perimeter (SDP). This technology re-architects the perimeter to provide advanced identity and application-specific access control. It is a far superior security model, and is particularly valuable for companies active in cloud-based environments.
Here’s another benefit: having to manage and secure increasing amounts of data means that full network visibility and transparency are essential. The network automation and orchestration gained via SDN and SDP delivers more data that can itself deliver valuable, timely alerts, enabling IT executives to perform security analytics. When you consider that 25% of all data breaches remain undiscovered by the victim for weeks (or even months), the importance of this becomes obvious.
How do you even start to think about transforming your network?
First and most obvious, you need to clearly define your objectives.
Understand and document what you want to achieve through the implementation of SDN, so that you can measure its success. Remember that while the reporting the financial success of any implementation is important, IT teams may lack the skills to effectively describe business benefits. Don’t let the hardware/software vendors lead your discussions, as they may have vested interests. Look at open systems and tools where available and understand how these can be supported and used across the organization.
You also need to consider SDN’s impact on your support structure. Explore how process and workflow can be improved, as this can often lead to a change in the support structure for operational teams. Instead of having compute, network and application teams, it is now quite common for organisations to move to an application-centric support model that includes staff with skills in server and network technologies. Tooling may need aligning to this support structure, and it’s important to identify these systems up front. A good configuration management database (CMDB) really can help to understand enterprise applications, the uses and value of these and the critical components in their delivery.
In conclusion, SDN really is here to stay. CIO evangelists tell us that SDN enables them to design their network to flex on demand to meet the demands of their business, rather than design to peak – with the added layer of security a bonus. Perhaps most compelling is the fact that, with these new technologies, the time of deployment can in some cases be reduced from 500 days to as few as 65. And this is why very early adopters have tended to include companies undergoing mergers and acquisitions, as SDN allows them to integrate acquisitions onboard faster.
Peter Konings is director of Enterprise Networks and Managed Services at Verizon
Connecting to the internet in public spaces is second nature to most of us. Whether it’s in stores, restaurants, shopping centres, or even railway stations, we take to our mobile devices to compare prices, share our latest purchases via social media, find promotions, or just to pass the time.
The challenge that tends to confront us, of course, is which Wi-Fi network we’ll be able to access with greatest ease. Our phones instantly show us the choice of available networks, and research shows that more people are prioritising speed over safety, with more than 70% of people ranking connection speed a higher priority than the security of the connection.
Security experts recently reported that two thirds of people don’t know if the public Wi-Fi they are using is secure or not, despite 80% understanding the dangers of sharing private data over unsecured networks. But in the event that data from a phone is compromised, how many organisations would genuinely accept responsibility for the breach?
The reality is that the public Wi-Fi provider – be it retailer, hotelier, restauranteur, etc. – is the de facto internet security guard and will inevitably assume the role of villain if anything goes wrong while people are using their network to get connected.
Unfortunately, many of these organisations simply do not have sufficient security measures in place, leaving the public exposed to the possibility of device infection, data theft, unauthorised data sharing, or even financial loss.
Wi-Fi education is vital
Furthermore, those that do have adequate security and compliance measures in place don’t always do enough to promote safe public Wi-Fi usage to their customers. Even if a customer unwittingly compromises their own data, the owner of the Wi-Fi network may still be blamed for the incident.
High street brands offering Wi-Fi need to better promote secure usage to their customers. Having the capacity to provide guests with it is important, but without appropriate security measures in place, businesses may inversely harm their reputation, brand recognition, and, ultimately, revenue.
End users need clear instructions on how to log on to the secured Wi-Fi network, and once online, they need to be notified about how aggregated and personal data will be handled and stored. In the case of personal data, customers should be informed about the type of data collected, how it will be used and with whom will it be shared, and where and for how long this data will be stored.
With regards to device tracking, Wi-Fi providers that have agreed to the Future of Privacy Forum’s Mobile Location Analytics Code of Conduct will honour requests from consumers wanting to opt-out of having their location linked to their mobile device.
Equally, public Wi-Fi providers must ensure they are doing all they can to keep their public Wi-Fi secure from being compromised. Creating encrypted passwords and verifying forgotten log-ins ensure only legitimate users can access the network.
Public Wi-Fi providers can also include an idle timeout, logging the user out if their device has been left unused for a certain amount of time. And since the majority of cyber-attacks are the result of uneducated end-user choices, companies should take advantage of apps or the login portal to highlight security dos and don’ts to customers.
Ultimately, businesses need to maintain their credibility by disclosing as much information to their customers as possible. Providing secure guest Wi-Fi is only one aspect of the solution, and brands offering it have a responsibility to help educate their customers on how to use public Wi-Fi sensibly and securely.
Jeff Abramowitz is president of Cloud4Wi and previously founded cloud network management firm PowerCloud.
With BT Wholesale having announced that from 2020 you will no longer be able to purchase integrated services digital network (ISDN) and public switched telephone network (PSTN) circuits as it targets a 2025 switch off date, questions are naturally being asked. Will BT really flick the switch in 2025? What needs to be in place before that can happen, and what are the options for those currently on ISDN/PSTN circuits? In this guest blog post, Bamboo’s Lorrin White explores some of the next steps for customers.
Last year, BT boldly announced its intention to switch off its PSTN and ISDN networks by 2025. This was a smart move. In a world that is fast embracing IP as the standard protocol for all communications services, it was important for BT to declare its intentions to remove the legacy from its network, while giving customers a whole decade to make the switch (if they haven’t done so already).
What does this announcement really mean?
Let’s start by looking at what PSTN and ISDN really are. PSTN is the same phone line most people have at home, whereby analogue voice data flows over circuit-switched copper phone lines. While it may have evolved over the years, PSTN is a very, very old technology, operating on the same fundamental principles as the very first public phone networks of the late 19th Century. It is worth noting that PSTN does not just power voice, as asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) and fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) both operate on it. As of yet BT have not suggested any replacement technology for these, so one can assume that BT’s planned obsolescence of PSTN applies to voice only in this instance.
ISDN, by contrast, is a spritely young thing from the late 1980s. ISDN allows both voice and data services to be delivered over digital lines simultaneously. When it launched, ISDN was well-suited to businesses, as it could support early video-conferencing systems at the same time as an analogue phone line. For a time, it could also offer the fastest internet access available (128 kbps). Naturally, since ISDN is no longer the place to go for video-conferencing or a fast internet connection, its USP has quickly been eroded.
So, BT is killing old tech. What is the ‘new’ tech that is replacing it?
In a nutshell, BT is moving its entire voice network to voice over IP (VoIP). VoIP is hardly ‘new’. But this is a good thing. VoIP has been a proven platform for voice for some time now. It works. If your business has renewed its telephony sometime in the last few years, you may have been told about it (but don’t be surprised if you haven’t, since IP is a whole new game that has been growing steadily in the background, with more and more businesses realising the benefits demonstrated by the early adopters).
VoIP has many advantages over PSTN and ISDN too; it is much quicker to provision new lines, you can reduce your line rental due to needing fewer physical lines, and it is vastly scalable and flexible – for example you can redirect calls to different parts of the country at the flick of a switch, or have a single phone number follow you around the world irrespective of where you’re working.
Why is BT flicking the switch?
Why do you no longer use your Nokia 3210? Same reason, but on a much bigger scale. Also, maintaining multiple legacy networks is very expensive for BT. By converging all services – voice, data, video, and even broadcasting – to the IP protocol, BT only has to maintain one network, not several.
It is also worth bearing in mind that 2025 might not be Doomsday for ISDN. The date is not set in stone. It is BT’s intention to stop selling PSTN and ISDN by 2020 and shut it down completely by 2025 – but this is assuming it has managed to switch all customers over to IP services before then. This means that a viable alternative must be available to everyone well before 2025. For many businesses today, ISDN is still the best they can get. According to Ofcom, there are 33.2 million fixed landlines in the UK (including ISDN), and approximately 7.6 million of these belong to businesses. BT will not turn them off before they have an alternative firmly in place.
What should you do?
Businesses will no longer be able to buy any systems that use PSTN or ISDN by 2020. While 2025 may seem a long way off, 2020 is only just over three years away. If your current traditional telephony contract is up for renewal within the next few years, now is the time to start exploring the benefits of VoIP and SIP technologies.
Assuming you are in an area that can purchase a VoIP system, there are two things you need to consider:
- Is your internet connection good enough to deliver VoIP?
While VoIP does not use very much data when compared with other services like video, you must ensure you have enough bandwidth to deliver voice on top of everything else your office does. Some say you need 5Mbps down and 2Mbps up as a bare minimum for a small office, but really the bandwidth you need depends on your individual needs and Quality of Service (QoS) priorities. Bottom line; if you don’t have enough bandwidth or a QoS commitment you could experience poor audio quality or intermittent service and miss out on the full benefits.
- Does your office phone system support VoIP?
Most new office phone systems already support VoIP, but if yours doesn’t, you can either replace your entire phone system with an IP one (worthwhile if your handsets are looking tired), or just invest in an IP-enabled on-premise PBX (the box that connects your internal phone system to the external phone network). A hosted telephony system is also a good way to make the switch.
Is it ever worth buying ISDN today?
Given all of the advantages of VoIP over ISDN, in most cases we would recommend investigating whether VoIP is right for your business, and if not now, considering how you will make the move in a few years’ time. And there are still some circumstances where ISDN is a good solution, for example as a disaster recovery or failover option.
Whether or not the 2025 date will stick we’ll wait and see. The final date is dependent on how successful UK wide fibre rollouts are, as without the connectivity to run there is no real alternative to ISDN. Connectivity in the UK is getting faster and faster, so who knows it may happen even sooner than 2025. But while the date may move by a few years here or there, the one certainty is this; ISDN and PSTN are outdated technologies that are simply not as good as modern VoIP. So don’t stay in the past.
Lorrin White is managing director of Bamboo Technology Group
Last month, European Commission (EC) president Jean-Claude Juncker laid out three key objectives for a new telecoms framework, to be met by 2025.
These are: to give schools, universities, research centres, transport hubs, public services and digital enterprises access to ultrafast broadband capable of delivering speeds of at least 1Gbps; to give every household in the European Union (EU) access to broadband capable of delivering speeds of at least 100Mbps, that can be upgraded to gigabit connectivity later; and to give all urban areas, major roads and railways 5G coverage, with a 5G network to be made available in at least one major city in each EU state by 2020.
This is one of the largest reforms of European telecoms framework for years. It sets ambitious targets. It is a key signal that the EC sees access to ultrafast, fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband as a necessity as we move towards the connected future. In a way, the reforms mirror signals sent up by Ofcom in its market review earlier this year.
Speaking at an Adtran event earlier this week, consultant Tony Shortall, an expert on telecoms policy, said that the EC was clearly pushing regulators towards very high capacity broadband networks. At the same time, he said, it was was narrowing the range of potential technology solutions. In Shortall’s words, “they don’t say it’s fibre, but they do say it’s not VDSL”.
So what is the process from here on out? The EC’s proposals will go before the European parliament this month, which will then review and develop a position. The Council of Europe will also take a common position, and negotiations will go from there. With a favourable wind, the adoption of the proposals into European law could take place in early 2018.
The Brexit problem
But there is a problem: we might finally have a set date for Brexit. Over the weekend prime minister Theresa May laid out plans to trigger Article 50 in March 2017, which means Brexit will become reality in March 2019.
At the same time, May announced key legislation, dubbed the Great Repeal Bill, that will see all EU legislation transposed into UK law. This means that future governments will be able to keep the good laws, and get rid of the bad laws.
Make no mistake, the EC’s telecoms proposals are good laws. They are by no means examples of the sort of Brussels bureaucracy that 52% of us voted to reject. Far from it. They are an excellent example of the sort of proactive legislation that the EC was designed for, and could bring benefits to millions of EU citizens.
Many business leaders expect that the UK economy will to take one hell of a beating once Brexit actually takes place. So as Computer Weekly has argued more than once, it is absolutely vital the government takes action to bolster Britain’s connectivity. We must act now to give our hard-working businesses, the lifeblood of the economy, as competitive an advantage as possible.
Pushing to adopt the EC’s proposals into European law in time for them to be transposed into British law by March 2019 must now be a key objective for this government.
For many consumers, a Wi-Fi router is no more than an ugly but necessary evil to ensure they have untethered access to the internet on all of their devices, says XCellAir co-founder Todd Mersch.
For that reason, the majority – at least 60% according to an IHS Report – are more than happy to let service providers bundle a router with their service. It means one less trip to an overcrowded electronics store to buy an alien-looking, antennae-laden device, boasting baffling features such as “Turbo QAM”.
Have you been to a Currys lately? There are huge displays right as you walk in the door of – drum roll – Wi-Fi routers. These used to be tucked away on some back corner shelf, next to the cables and PC components. So what’s going on?
Consumers are getting smarter. They have realised Wi-Fi is the performance driver for their home network – a network that increasingly must cope with not only multiple devices per resident, but also video streaming and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
This, combined with a largely unmanaged, inconsistent and therefore frustrating Wi-Fi service from their operator, has them looking elsewhere for a better experience – and potentially switching internet service providers as evidenced in a recent Consumer Reports survey.
In turn, this burgeoning demand means there are growing numbers of new entrants providing direct-to-consumer smart Wi-Fi equipment. Companies like Eero and Luma have been launched with that very aim of fixing Wi-Fi in the home. Most of them focus on covering the whole home (in Eero’s case this comes with a $500 price tag), but when combined with cloud-based management tools consumers are now empowered to manage their own network.
Good for consumers?
Sounds cool – right? As a consumer you look like a tech savvy wireless guru and as a service provider your customers stop calling when their Wi-Fi does not work.
But this is a short-sighted view. For the individual it’s great if you know anything about Wi-Fi, want to own service problems and are happy to shell out a lot of money for the right to do it.
However the service provider quietly forfeits the most critical component of the customer relationship and guarantees its relegation to bit-pipe status.
On the flip side, operators have an opportunity to not only save this relationship but deepen it by offering a managed, consistent, and high performance home Wi-Fi service.
To understand how an operator can move from zero to hero, you first have to have a picture of what drives the erratic and frustrating performance of today’s status quo. Wi-Fi issues can be put into a few categories.
Wi-Fi interference, congestion and coverage
First off is interference and congestion. This is where too many devices and routers are trying to use the same Wi-Fi spectrum at the same time. That challenge is exacerbated by consumers buying a more powerful router or adding unmanaged extenders.
It becomes a bit like shouting above the noise scenario – all it encourages is for everyone to raise their voices, and once everyone is shouting, no one is any better off. A whole bunch of unmanaged APs near each other means that channels are used inefficiently. Research we carried out last year found that in an average area, capacity unavailable thanks to inefficiencies was enough to stream another 25 high-definition videos.
Through intelligent and automated use of unlicensed spectrum, the operator can tap into the latent capacity and deliver better, more reliable performance. And this won’t be possible if consumers are using their own router.
The second big problem is coverage. In many larger homes, it is increasingly difficult to deliver whole home coverage with one router. Additionally, the actual placement of the Wi-Fi access point (AP) is often not ideal.
This does not mean every home needs multiple access points. The key is for the service provider to be able to identify what is driving the coverage issue – placement or the size of the area the AP is trying to cover – and proactively solve the problem. This can happen at installation as well as during operation.
Finally, there is the inherent fragility of the Wi-Fi hardware itself. In most cases, these products are mass produced at low-cost and are not designed to take the punishment we dole out. An operator has a unique skill set developed over decades of delivering highly-reliable service. By automating basic fault avoidance techniques – like resetting the router before your service is impacted – they can provide reliability not currently available.
By delivering reliable, high-performance, broad coverage and, importantly, a managed service – service providers can actively monetise Wi-Fi with services such as Wi-Fi calling, wireless video distribution and in-home IoT.
But if they do not deliver, this new breed of provider will take over the customer relationship, and rob the service provider of this opportunity.
Todd Mersh is co-founder and EVP of sales and marketing at California-based XCellAir
G-PON as we know it today is rapidly approaching the end of the growth phase in its technology lifecycle, writes Adtran’s Ronan Kelly. There is a surge in gigabit broadband service offerings that began in the US and is becoming increasingly prevalent across Europe. From the consumer perspective, there is a wave of new technologies such as 4K and virtual reality, which while still in their early stages, are expected to gain significant traction in the coming years.
Whilst today’s gigabit-enabled consumer is not yet utilising the service to its full capacity, this will change in the next three to five years as applications begin to emerge that take advantage of the capacity on offer. When that happens, we will reach the tipping point where G-PON deployments are no longer prudent, and next generation PON technologies such as NGPON2 and XGS-PON become the de facto standard.
If an average consumers’ available broadband data were quadrupled today their usage patterns would not change for three to four months. This is because their experience when using online services is largely informed by service capabilities and once a better service is available it takes time to find out what they can do with it.
As upgrades are rolled out, consumers tend to continue using their bandwidth as before, albeit with a better experience, whilst slowly exploring services that were not previously usable. With that in mind, everything we are using today is largely created for the bandwidth that has been available for the last four or five years.
What’s behind the change?
Historically, bandwidth always comes before an application; nobody develops an app that needs more bandwidth than is available to the mass market, otherwise it would be useless. This is no great secret.
Look at the technologies we take for granted today, such as FaceTime, video streaming and massive attachments like photographs. We would have a very different experience trying to use them on the 1MB connections we had in 2011. But with exponentially faster bandwidth on the horizon, we are only just beginning to see what developers can create. With the emergence of cloud-first services and entertainment such as virtual reality, high quality video services like Netflix and Amazon, 4K and higher resolutions will be the norm on all screens.
If you walked into Currys two years ago you would have struggled to find more than a handful of 4K televisions available in a small premium suite. Today, however, you’re spoilt for choice on what 4K screens you can purchase, and HD TVs are tucked away in a corner. With PC displays now matching 4K resolutions, and tablets set to follow, it’s obvious that the consumer electronic manufacturers have historically driven uptake in the consumer space.
It’s true to say that it’s always a race in the consumer electronics space. The moment one manufacturer releases a tablet with 4K capabilities, the others quickly follow suit. Before you know it, the market has shifted, leaving the vast majority of consumers with 4K ready technology. Similarly, when a consumer upgrades to the iPhone 6S and starts recording video, that video is now recording in 4K. Other consumers then move to the next phone, start recording and without any conscious thought drive more change.
With screen resolution constantly increasing, and us being at the benchmark level for 4K within those screens, when people stream content via services like Netflix or Amazon they already have a 4K offering. Consumers start using these services on these devices and, by default, again start to change and influence their broadband usage behaviour.
It took HD 10 years from when it first appeared to get to the point when there was a decent amount of content available for consumers, because satellite and cable TV companies dictated its proliferation. Until they upgraded their background infrastructure, users couldn’t watch HD content on anything but a Blu Ray player. 4K is at this early stage; there is currently next to no live broadcast content yet available and all 4K offerings come via streaming.
Back when HD launched, streaming services didn’t exist. Coupled with the flat screen TV revolution, the HD capability became a common feature in lounges across the country faster than HD broadcast content was made available. Due to the absence of competing streaming services, there was no major pressure for content providers to start broadcasting in HD. It’s different now – major pressure is coming from the over-the-top (OTT) providers, which is why we’re starting to see a more rapid push from some of the dominant players, who are gearing up to have 4K content ready even though the consumers are not adopting as quickly as they did when flatscreens first became available.
The agent of change is now different. Me getting rid of the huge TV taking up space in my living room was a compelling argument to move to flatscreen, and having HD as part of that transaction was a nice bonus, but it wasn’t the primary driver for change. Now, the consumers have the flatscreen and a 4K flatscreen coming along isn’t quite as compelling, so the rate of change, unless pushed by the electronics manufacturers, will be slower. Typically TVs have a 10-15 year lifespan before they’re replaced. If we reflect on the timeline of the flatscreen revolution, the early adopters are now well in that window. Will this serve as the catalyst that accelerates 4K adoption?
While some of these factors have long been the cause of change in bandwidth speed, the surge in adoption of services from OTT services is driving demand for even higher speeds. As consumers move to 4K, they will be met with a very different experience; every TV is now smart, so more streaming content will be accessible than ever. Similarly the gaming industry now pushes consumers to download or stream games, so the distribution model for that industry has totally shifted to a cloud-based model, much like the music industry.
Looking ahead there are technologies coming that will put a huge strain on the network, the connected car being at the forefront of that charge. Autonomous vehicles offer countless benefits, the most obvious being the socioeconomic impacts: with cars essentially driving themselves, the ‘driver’ takes back the productive or leisure time which had previously been lost to travel.
However, we still have a long way to go to achieve this. The capacity requirement to implement this is typically up to 27mbps per car. Take 100 square metres of London on any given day and imagine the number of cars using broadband, and you’ll quickly get a sense of the capacity that we’ll need.
With these factors in mind, it’s vital to continue to develop next-generation broadband technologies, such as,NG-PON2, XGS-PON, and G.fast, that use existing infrastructure and enable gigabit speeds in a timeframe that matches demand. As technology advances, so too must our available broadband offering. If the two cannot progress at similar speeds, or if broadband cannot keep up with the digital consumer, then society will suffer.
In the wake of last week’s vote to leave the European Union (EU), if we are indeed going to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty later in the year – and despite the lingering hope that there might be some sort of loophole to wiggle through, Brexit now seems very likely – there must be a concerted effort to make the best of it.
As our economy crashes and burns, our banks look to relocate and the last of our manufacturing base flees the country, we are going to need to think strategically in order to remain competitive against a 27 member trading bloc that our country has gravely offended, and that will want to see us fail.
And make no mistake, the EU will take us to the cleaners in the negotiations to come… who can really blame them?
One way that we can compete on a level footing to ensure we are light years, and light speeds ahead of them when it comes. We are going to have to have, hands down, the very best connectivity possible. South Korean-style, if possible.
Yes, ultimately this means universal fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) to every home, office and factory in the country, regardless of location. But since we now have even less money than we thought we did, this possibility is now even more remote than it was before the referendum. For now, it’s not realistic to push for it.
Yet the technology already exists to go ultrafast at low cost. G.fast technology is not true fibre, but it can deliver speeds of over 100Mbps, in the field, right now, with just a little upgrade in the cabinet. We don’t need to dig the roads up, we don’t need to wait for wayleaves. As the post-Brexit squeeze tightens its grip, G.fast suddenly begins to look much more compelling. I believe it is time for us to get behind it.
We face obstacles, for sure. Just a week before the decisive vote, Computer Weekly met with Openreach’s CEO Clive Selley, who said Brexit would materially damage his ability to invest in new engineers and commercial roll-out of broadband. This is a significant concern, and something that must not be allowed to happen. The onus is on Selley to stick up for Openreach and protect it at all costs.
Equally, whoever inherits the government in the next few months will have to take charge of broadband policy. Ed Vaizey, the current minister in charge, is a true supporter of the digital economy and connectivity, but we have to acknowledge that he may be replaced under new leadership. If a new minister is put in charge at DCMS, they must be a powerful and credible voice for our sector.
Britain faces an uphill battle to stay competitive outside the EU bloc. Ultrafast broadband networks will help to keep the British economy competitive in the post Brexit world. We cannot lose our focus now.
The political momentum behind the connected future enabled by the internet of things (IoT) is clear, writes Jonathan Hewett of Octo Telematics. Increasingly we see insurance positioned at the frontline of this technology shift as players across the auto industry recognise the key role it will play as we transition to the world of the driverless car.
In the Queen’s Speech, the UK became the first country in the world to announce its intention to legislate on insurance requirements for driverless cars. The Modern Transport Bill will “ensure the UK is at the forefront of technology for new forms of transport, including autonomous and electric vehicles”.
While some commentators contend that driverless cars will make motor insurance unnecessary, as summed up by roads minister Andrew Jones, the suggestion “is a lot of pie in the sky.” Insurance will remain fundamental, but policies of the future will look very different to those we buy today.
Currently, insurers have to price their policies based on proxies and assumptions. The risk premium for car insurance, is currently determined by factors including the driver’s age, postcode or the model of car they own, regardless of their actual driving behaviour.
However, by harnessing driver data and applying sophisticated data analytics, insurers can benefit from the crucial insight they need to forecast individual risk. This is an increasingly essential capability in the shift towards connected and driverless cars.
Insight into government thinking around driverless car insurance suggests that future policies would go even further than this, essentially holding vehicles, and by extension their manufacturers, liable for accidents. This is a very different proposition for insurers to consider. The focus is taken away from the driver and their involvement. Instead it falls on the robustness of the algorithms and technology provided by manufacturers that enable vehicles to make decisions and drive.
Accordingly, as autonomous vehicles become more widely adopted, the driverless car industry will undoubtedly require third parties to verify potential insurance claims and determine liability. In these situations, on-board telematics technology will be crucial in enabling an accurate data-informed reconstruction of any incident. For instance, should a Google and Tesla car crash into one another as they simultaneously avoid a pedestrian, the data gathered will be essential to determine which car is at fault and which manufacturer is liable. However for reasons of impartiality a third party will be necessary to hold that data and provide the analytics.
The momentum behind autonomous vehicles has the power to revolutionise the insurance industry, but it could be decades before regulators allow vehicles to be built without manual controls and the fact remains that we are still far from a driverless reality. Nonetheless, some of the technologies integral to the autonomous future are already enabling more equitable insurance and helping to shape better, more self-aware drivers.
Much of the technology that will take the driverless car from concept to reality already exists and is being utilised to assist insurers in processing claims faster and more accurately. And the market is growing fast: by 2020, consultancy Ptolemus estimates that nearly 100 million vehicles will be insured with telematics polices, growing to nearly 50% of world’s vehicles by 2030.
Telematics is providing both manufacturers and insurers with the opportunity to innovate and to develop new products, partnerships and approaches that are grounded in actual data. Not only will data-driven insurance will be a necessary norm for determining crash liability in the driverless future, but it will also be an essential step in making the transition to that future a safe reality.
Jonathan Hewett is global chief marketing officer at Octo Telematics


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Some of Microsoft's first-party Xbox titles will cost $70 beginning in 2023, the company has revealed. Starfield, Redfall, and Forza Motorsport, all of which were developed on the Xbox Series X/S, will each cost $10 more in the U. S. Inflation rates in various regions may result in varying price hikes.
A Microsoft representative told IGN, who first reported the news, that the pricing "reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles." It's standard practice for the Xbox team to make their games accessible via Game Pass on release day.
Many games from Sony, Electronic Arts, and Take-Two Interactive, among other prominent publishers, cost $70. Probably because Microsoft doesn't rely on games as the main income source, the business was able to delay a price increase.
Sony raised the cost of the PlayStation 5 in most countries in August, but not in the U.S. Xbox Series S was released in November, although in October, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer remarked, "I do think at some point we'll have to raise the prices on certain products," implying that the firm will not increase Xbox prices during the Christmas season. That's starting to materialize now.
Xbox's price increase for its own titles could encourage more people to test out Game Pass. Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing Starfield, Redfall, and Forza Motorsport on launch day. That might make Game Pass an even better deal, at least until Microsoft decides to increase the price of its own subscription services.
More importantly, this appears to be the start of a move away from publishing major new titles for older consoles. Except for Microsoft Flight Simulator, all of Microsoft's Series X/S titles are also available for the previous-gen Xbox One console.


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Canada's stamp of disapproval on U.S. food labels
- August 6, 2008 9:54 AM |
- By Amber Hildebrandt
by Amber Hildebrandt, CBCNews.ca
With several grocery stores a mere bicycle ride away, I have the luxury of choosing one based on my moods. But often, the one that wins out is the one with the eclectic selection … and more importantly, labels on its produce declaring what country it came from. In an age of environmental awareness, I want to know whether my carrots are from Ontario and how far my peaches travelled.
In two short months, our neighbours south of the border will have that luxury. But not all Canadians are envious of the change.
Meat producers in Canada are worried discriminating customers in the U.S. will turn away from their products in favour of local. Plus, they will have to pay a hefty price to conform to the new rules by placing stickers, tags or other labels on their products.
Government estimates put the cost of the so-called COOL (Country of origin labeling) initiative around $2.5 billion the first year and $499 million in maintenance subsequent years.
While consumers are likely to see their food prices rise a few cents as retailers pass on costs, producers are among those likely to shoulder a chunk of the cost, with the department estimating the average U.S. producer will likely fork over $376 a year to label their products. No word on importers.
As a consumer, I'd like Canada to consider such labels. But what's good for the consumer is not always good for the farmer.
And a few local purchases here at home could never make up for the sales for Canadian producers worth billions of dollars in the U.S.
So, I'm torn. Should producers be shouldering part of the bill for country-of-origin labels? And is it worth it to see such labels here at home?
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- In spring, a doctor discovered that my grandfather had glioblastoma multiforme, the deadliest and most aggressive primary brain tumour. As he battled the tumour over the following months, it was food that connected the family and allowed him to still 'live' instead of merely survive. Later on,... Continue reading this post
- Going deep in Chicago
- No, I’m not talking the Chicago Cubs, I’m talking Pizzaria Uno, creator of the original deep dish pizza.... Continue reading this post
- Q&A with Khalil Akhtar, host of The Main Ingredient
- The Main Ingredient is one of CBC Radio's new summer programs. It's an inside look on the food we grow, buy and eat. In a Q&A, host Khalil Akhtar took the time to discuss his relationship with food and why... Continue reading this post


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White BlackBerry Passport announced with ‘porcelain feel’ rear
The BlackBerry Passport, the unusually boxy smartphone heading for launch this September, will land in both black and white colour schemes, the Canadian manufacturer has confirmed.
With the traditional black handset having been unveiled earlier this year, a white BlackBerry Passport has now been showcased, with the lighter toned device said to feature a ‘porcelain feel’ rear – whatever that might be.
Aside from being a point of variety against the mass of dull black handsets, the Passport isn’t just any old white in colour, oh no, BlackBerry has said it has used a bespoke shade of white to better accentuate the phone’s metallic edging.
With feel of a smartphone almost as important as how it looks, the white Passport has been bestowed with a ‘porcelain feel’ rear which the company claims is “smooth to the touch while providing grip”.
A squat, 3.18-inch wide handset, the Passport is set to feature a 4.5-inch square display with a 1440 x 1440 pixel resolution.
Powered by a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and 3GB of RAM, the Passport will be released this September with an 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera in tow alongside a 3.7-inch snapper up front.
Despite having received mixed feedback since its unveiling due largely to its unconventional dimensions, BlackBerry has suggested it believes this is exactly what could make the phone a hit.
“The Passport leverages our strengths and heritage, yet is new and innovative,” Paschke said.
He added: “As the name implies, the format is inspired by a traveller’s passport; a familiar and universal symbol of mobility. This familiarity has potential to leverage existing systems and standards.”
Read More: iPhone 6 release date


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OneFootball Raised $300 Million From Animoca Brands and Liberty City Ventures
The Germany-based soccer media company – OneFootball – raised $300 million to double down on its presence in the Web3 ecosystem. The American blockchain fund – Liberty City Ventures, the Hong Kong-headquartered Animoca Brands, and other investment giants led the financing.
OneFootball’s Jump Into the Blockchain Universe
OneFootball – a soccer media application that features live scores, statistics, and news – became the latest sports-related entity to dip its toes in the world of crypto. Apart from the $300 million fundraising, the company established a joint venture called OneFootball Labs.
It will allow teams, soccer federations, and players to release digital assets and fan tokens based on blockchain technology. Supporters will be able to buy and store collectibles with their email and a credit card.
Lucas von Cranach – Founder and CEO of OneFootball – predicted that soccer and blockchain technology will be deeply connected in the future:
“We believe the future of football away from the stands and off the pitch will be decentralized and built on web3, giving back the ownership of data and digital assets to the fans.”
With its over 100 million active users, OneFootball is among the leading entities in its field. It features soccer statistics from 200 leagues in 12 different languages. Considering its popularity, it is no wonder that renowned venture capital firms such as Animoca Brands, Liberty City Ventures, Dapper Labs, and Quiet Capital led the multimillion investment.
Soccer and Crypto
The interaction between the soccer industry and the crypto sector has been more than obvious in the past several months. For one, the second-most successful team in Italy – AC Milan – partnered with BitMEX to release limited edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Prior to that, Argentina’s most popular soccer club – Boca Juniors – contemplated launching the same initiative.
The Mexican team Tigres went even further, allowing its fans to purchase tickets in bitcoin. The endeavor became live last weekend when the club played against its big rival – America.
Renowned soccer legends from the recent past have also dived into the crypto universe. Earlier this week, the 2005 Ballon d’Or winner – Ronaldinho – teamed up with the decentralized exchange P00LS to introduce his own token, called RON.
At the same time, David Beckham filed three trademark applications for NFTs, virtual clothing, and entertainment events in the Metaverse. A month ago, the British became the global brand ambassador for the digital asset firm – DigitalBits.
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August 08, 2016
Fortune recognizes 50 companies annually in its “Change the World” list. The companies have had a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy. Fortune prioritizes companies with annual revenues of $1 billion or more from around the globe.
Three of the companies in the list are from the apparel industry. While The Human Thread has concerns about other practices with these companies, we recognize that some steps are being taken.
#17 Crystal Group
While grateful for the progress, much work remains to be done.


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A few days ago Vivo became the latest Chinese smartphone maker to enter India. It launched a number of phones but the star of the show was the X5Max, which is world's thinnest phone.
However, unlike products from other Chinese phone companies, the X5Max seems to carry a slightly higher price of Rs 32,999. That is because, according to Vivo group CEO Shen Wei, the company is not going to enter into the price war with other players.
Unlike, for example Xiaomi, Vivo is not going to woo consumers with extremely low prices. "Instead we are going to offer Indian consumers exceptional technology and features at reasonable prices," said Wei. "Our USP will be best-in class technology, whether it is camera technology, design or sound quality."
Wei said that Vivo, which started its phone business in 2011 in China, is already number three among young consumers. "We have sold around 30 million phones this year. We are really popular in young and college-going consumers," said Wei.
Before coming to India, the firm expanded business in countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. However, India is one overseas market that is going to be very crucial for Vivo. Wei said that India not only shares similarities with the Chinese market in terms of competitive landscape but is also a market where the number of young consumers is high. "This is of particular interest to us," said Wei. "India is also very important forum because it has a large English-speaking consumer base."
Vivo, which has global ambitions just like Xiaomi and Gionee, wants to use India as a base where it can polish, test out and prepare its phones running English user interface before it heads to other markets in the world. "While this is not the most important reason why we are here it is one of the reasons," said Wei.
In the last one year, India has seen a lot of Chinesse companies enter the smartphone market here. However, not all of them have managed to make a solid mark. Gionee and Huawei have been relatively successful while Xiaomi has taken the Indian market by storm. But Oppo and ZTE have not seen much buzz around their phones.
Wei said that Vivo was entering India with a long-term plan. "We don't know if our business here will grow fast or slow but we are committed to the Indian market. Already we have tie-ups with retailers in 20 Indian states. We are sponsoring television shows in India. We want to be among top five smartphone brands for young consumers in India as soon as we can," he said.


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BY MAXINE KAMUS
ALL non-tax revenue collections to the Department of Finance will now be digitalised.
The Department of Finance and Bank South Pacific Financial Group, last week Friday, signed a memorandum of understanding to allow the digital payment solution for all non-tax revenue for the government.
Non-tax fee payment such as police clearance, fines, bails, passports and renewals, land rentals, migration services fees and work permits, mining and petroleum exploration licenses and petroleum retention and development licenses and other domestic recurring fees and charges can now be made through digital payment.
Finance Secretary Dr Ken Ngangan said this payment solution will allow the collection of non-tax revenue in a timely manner, and improve the government’s efforts in revenue collection to meet its budget needs.
BSP CEO Robin Fleming said this is the first of such MOU with any government department, and BSP is pleased to deliver this digital payment solution via a payment gateway that points through an online web service system, kiosk payment mode and mobile banking.
“These payment gateway modes will appropriately suit different paying sectors of the population of which some are rural based suited with mobile payment mode, and kiosk, which would be made available in all cash offices and popular and common public access points while online will suit city residents and overseas paying clients,” Mr Fleming said.
BSP general manager digital, Nuni Kulu, said the payment solution will also allow transparent payment tracing to increase the government’s payment reach across the country, and save them time and costs –– while enhancing the customer’s experience and government service delivery.
“The Department of Finance website portal is custom-made to capture a wide range of government services –– boosting revenue generation and drive cashless transactions through online payments,” she said.
Minister for Finance and Rural Development Sir John Pundari congratulated the Department of Finance and BSP on this MOU which will help improve good governance.