The long awaited Government National Broadband Scheme (NBS) is now well underway throughout Ireland, with the leading mobile broadband provider 3, rolling out one of the most advanced wireless technologies in the world will be complete by October 2010. This is great news for the most rural and isolated regions of the country which will see the remaining 10% of the population get the most this most badly needed service since the electrification of Ireland in the 1940’s and 50’s.

1. Name of your business?
Hayfield Manor Hotel
2. Location?
Perrott Avenue, College Road. The hotel is located just off college road, adjacent to University College Cork. We are within easy walking distance of the Bon Secours Hospital and it is a ten-minute walk to the city centre.

The recent Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) report for Cork Council included a special appraisal for Mahon Point Shopping Centre (SC). The report described Mahon Point (SC) as "superb and immaculate". The report also referred to the "attractive landscaping and paving which contribute highly to the overall presentation of the shopping centre as well as the high quality road surface, markings and signage".

A workshop aimed at helping accommodation operators in Cork learn about a new Fáilte Ireland Bed and Breakfast Strategy will take place at The Clarion Hotel on Thursday 18 February. The national tourism development authority are now inviting members of the B&B sector to attend one of a series of workshops, which are being held nationwide to introduce a repositioning strategy for the industry.

K&L Deliveries, a Cork based company and member of TPN (The Pallet Network), will represent Ireland at the upcoming 2010 European Transport Company of the Year awards in Amsterdam, Holland. The awards are considered the 'Oscars' of the transport and logistics industry with companies from Belgium, Romania, Poland, the Netherlands, France, the UK, Germany, Sweden and Hungary all competing for the prestigious awards and industry recognition.

For the first time ever, Look The Business, The Gloss Magazine’s fashion and networking event in association with Vodafone, heads to City Hall, Cork on 31 March. Aimed at working women, Look The Business offers the ideal opportunity to entertain clients, colleagues and friends in a relaxed setting straight after work.

Three Cork businesses recently received Zurich LAMA Awards for their business contributions to construction, engineering and infrastructure. Hillback Developments as awarded Best Developer/Promoter, while Youghal Leisure Centre won in the category for Best Recreational Facility. Meanwhile, The ARC (Ardfield/Rathberry Community) On-Line Newsletter won the award for Best Use of External Communications.

Retail Ireland, the IBEC group that represents the retail sector, has urged that local authorities give retailers a 10 per cent rebate on their commercial rates bill, given the "very serious" challenges the sector is facing. Retail Ireland has written to the Chairperson of every local authority as well as to all City and County Managers to ask that this year retailers be given a 10 per cent rebate on the commercial rates bill paid in 2009 and suspend upward revaluations where necessary.

Timber processing firm Glennon Brothers, with bases in Fermoy and Longford, has secured a contract to deliver the first ever shipments of home-grown timber to France in a €1.5 million deal. This deal represents a first in both an Irish and UK context.

UCC's Tyndall institute has won an award for promoting interaction between universities and industry in the field of microchip design. The Irish team, led by Professor Peter Kennedy, Vice-President for Research, UCC and Tyndall National Institute, UCC received the Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award from the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society, the world's largest professional association, at a conference in Chicago.