Ten million francs to create a continuous information channel that is accessible by ADSL, cable, mobiles, satellite and to develop an offer of on-line shops with slashed prices.
Last year, Monaco Télécom went under the direction of Cegetel (the Vivendi group). Now, it is making progress in the new world of Internet. In the early year, the operator had launched an high speed Internet offer by the ADSL technology. The firm from Monaco went a bit far away in the Internet niche, when it created its multimedia subsidiary on March 1st : Monaco Télécom Multimédia is a new subsidiary that is quite wealthy as it received ten million francs when it was created.
Multi broadcasting
'Our activity is going to cover two kinds of job', Christian Mars explains. He is the former person in charge of Méditerranée Networks (the Nice-Matin Net) and the director of the new subsidiary. The first is an editor job. We set up a continuous information channel on the Net, a channel that targets Monaco and Sophia Antipolis. But, there is something original. Monaco is the single operator in the world, that has got in only one hand wire networks (34.000 phone lines), cable, wireless and satellite networks. Thus, we are going to make 'multi broadcasting'. The content that is created, will be encoded with several speeds to be broadcast according to the usual network, the ADSL network, or the cable, or more it will sent by satellite'.
'Our second job is to be a development studio, focused on the e-business. In partnership with the American Intershop, we are going to offer e-business solutions at slashed prices. Rates will start at 250 F for a shop with a complete back office and an integrated payment system.'
'Monaco Télécom Multimédia is a 100% subsidiary of Monaco Télécom. However, contrary to the parent company, its capital remains open. As for the staff, currently, it is about ten people. But, we should have forty webmasters and cyber reporters before the beginning of summer.' This is a forced march towards the Web and the new technologies that should make closer the Principality to Sophia Antipolis, where Cegetel is already well settled through the foundation it has opened in the CICA.