Isle of Man plans IP network

The Isle of Man will spend about $8 million to build an Internet protocol (IP) based telecommunications network that will connect all 5,000 government employees and help spearhead the island's e-government program.

Officials for the Isle of Man, a self-governed crown protectorate off the west coast of England, expect the new Cisco-based network, called Connect Mann, to provide all government workers with IP telephony connections that would significantly drive down telecommunications costs.

The migration to IP telephony will also provide the Manx government with the ability to seamlessly add new users as it expands its services, said Nigel Thomas, Connect Mann program manager.

The network will be important for the future of the island's JUPITER (Joined Up Information for the Electronic Resident) e-government program and should also provide a boost to its plans to be a major center for corporate disaster recovery plans, officials say.

Last October the Isle of Man government gave its approval to businesses to use computer servers on the island for data protection programs. Among attractions cited as lures for companies to bring that business to the island was an "excellent technology infrastructure."

Connect Mann is scheduled for completion by the end of 2005.

Robinson is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Ore.