Guernsey: A high-tech Utopia

Guernsey is better known as a quaint holiday destination than a technology hotbed, but the island is now out to prove itself as a major European ebusiness hub.

The Guernsey government has launched a series of initiatives designed to seal up to a dozen high-tech investment deals within the next year.

In a manifesto unveiled today, the government outlined a series of one year legislative, education and infrastructure targets to be achieved in partnership with private enterprise.

Kevin Green, Guernsey's e-director, said: "We're treating Guernsey as a plc. A lot of other jurisdictions take their country and treat it as a community, and with that comes all the social problems. We're looking at it as a focused company trying to grow in new areas."

Work has already begun on deregulating the island's telecommunications and utilities services, while electronic signature, data protection and intellectual property laws have been implemented.

Over the past year £12m has been invested in wiring education, with each teacher set to receive a laptop. A wide area network linking all 27 schools on the island is due to be completed by the end of the year.

Deadlines for this year also include the completion of a fibre optic network and the roll-out of ADSL connections to every household on the island.

Green is also confident Guernsey will do well in niche areas such as digital streaming, data collection and online intellectual property management - even though the island only has a population of just 60,000 and faces stiff opposition from the mainland.

Green said: "Compared with the UK, Guernsey is rapidly moving to e-government. We can do it faster, we don't have so many barriers or departments battling for the right to lead it.

"The government is prepared to fast track activity if it's strategic to the island's future. You can get access to the top six or seven people here in 48 hours. In the UK that takes weeks."