LinkAGE, HP And Microsoft Develop Net Education Solutions

Hong Kong ISP LinkAGE Online Limited has joined forces with Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard (HP) to promote Internet educational solutions at a Hong Kong exhibition.

“As the ‘Official ISP’ for this year’s IT in Education Exhibition,
LinkAGE Online is honored and excited to demonstrate our Internet
capabilities to Hong Kong education,” said Chin Man, president of
LinkAGE.

At the exhibition, which is being held in Hong Kong on December 18-20, the three companies are promoting Internet solutions for Hong Kong schools on the School Internet eXchange (SIX), a network infrastructure module designed for meeting educational institutions’ Internet and intranet needs.

“We want to provide a place to enrich teaching and learning, and SIX just suits [this],” commented Chin. “Our dedicated IT Education Team
will work closely with education professionals, to understand their
needs and with the support of Hong Kong School Net, we [are] sure SIX can
benefit the entire IT education development.”

Through their partnership, the three companies hope to make available in Hong Kong such services as multimedia Video On Demand (VOD) systems for education, a school administration and library system, an Internet learning Web site, a home-school-community connected learning environment, an integrated security management system, and an intranet system for schools.

LinkAGE Online has also been appointed the exhibition wide official Internet access sponsor and will provide two T1 leased lines and its T3 (45Mbps) ATM Internet backbone for the exhibition.

The appointment is added kudos for LinkAGE who in the last few months has acquired two other providers, Hong Kong Internet and Gateway Services and AsiaNet.

It is also rumored in the local Internet industry that LinkAGE plans to purchase two more local providers with a deal for HugeNet allegedly finalized.

Some local observers however have criticized the partnership between LinkAGE, who was bought by U.S.-based PSINet in September, and the two American juggernauts as not being local enough for the Hong Kong education system.