Signal shines as Eazi telecom prepare for launch

Anyone who has looked through the list of available mobile networks showing on their phone in Gibraltar can not help to have noticed the appearance of a new network called "26609".

This is the signal for the new "Shine" mobile network from Eazi Telecom who have a telecomunications licence from the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (www.gra.gi).

The '26609' number comes from the combination of the "266" MCC - Mobile Country Code allocated to Gibraltar, as defined in ITU E.212, and "09" their Mobile Network Code to identify them as a specific network within the country.

They join GIBTEL [26601] the mobile network from Gibtelecom, and CTS [26606].

The other neworks listed are stray 'overspill' signals coming from the masts of Spanish networks across the border in Spain.

The original Eazi Telecom website can be found at www.eazitelecom.com but their new public facing website under the Shine brand is beginging to get populated at www.shine-mobile.com.

There is something interesting regarding domain names here, which we might return to in a day or two...

Microsoft not giving EU data protection to Gib?

This week Microsoft unvieled Outlook.com as their sucessor brand, user interface and domain name to hotmail.com (which they purchased at the end of 1997) as their public webmail service.

However, this reminds us of an ongoing issue with Microsoft accounts, when you register for a Microsoft login for any of their online services, you get a dropdown box to select your country:

However, when you select any other country in the EU, a pop up message appears giving a warning:

The message in the bubble popup "Privacy for residents of the European Union" is actually a link to this page:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-live/sign-up-privacy-rights-ui

It should be noted that the linked page does NOT suggest Microsoft will handle data differently for EU residents (i.e. people to whom they have displayed this message), BUT rather Microsoft is giving a warning that data may not be stored in a country that meets EU standards for data privacy.

However as Gibraltar is fully part of the EU, people resident in Gibraltar should similarly be given the same data protection warning notice as other EU residents.

[The member state of the EU that is called 'the United Kingdom' actually comprises both the UK and Gibraltar - separate countries from each other, but the same member state.]

This issue has gone on for some time and various people have tried to bring it to Microsofts attention without sucess. Perhaps the next step is to contact Microsoft legal.

6 New QCs, but 'in practice' only 5...

Well it looks despite 6 new Queen's Counsel appointments, Gibraltar will only actually benefit from having 5 of them in practice for the next 4 years.

The six new appointments are:

• Robert Vasquez
• Mark Isola
• Keith Azopardi
• Gilbert Licudi
• Michael Llamas
• Gillian Guzman

As a small place, it is only natural that many of thouse active in their own professional spheres are also active and prominant members of the comunity in many others, including politics.

Robert Vasquez has been increasingly politically active, almost putting his name forward on the ballot paper at the last general election, and Keith Azopardi led a full slate offering of the PDP.

This however takes us on to Gilbert Licudi.

While it is one thing to practice while being a member of Her Majesty's opposition in Gibraltar, it would be quite another to do so while sitting on the government benches in parliament. And that is exactly where Mr Licudi now finds himelf as Minister for Justice. As such we will have to wait at least another 4 years before we see Mr Licudi practicing in his silk.

Thouse thinking this results in us 'loosing' a QC can comfort themselves that, as new Leader of the Opposition, Peter Caruana QC might be again able to practice?