Hillington to set up £1m wireless centre

ONE of Scotland's top company incubators is to establish a £1m wireless technology centre.

Tom Ogilvie, the director of Hillington Innovation Centre, intends to set up the country's first open-access laboratory for developing wireless technol-ogies this year.

He said: "We are looking to take a lead and create a showcase for Scotland for this type of technology."

If the plan goes ahead, companies and individuals within the centre will be able to stay in touch and share information using wireless LAN (local area network) or Bluetooth connections.

The centre could act as a test bed for wireless systems, linking networks, palmtop computers, phones and security systems. The scheme might also improve operating efficiency, for example eliminating the need for tenants to sign in and out.

Cisco Systems, the global networking company, and Compaq, the IT group, have both taken an interest in the project.

Mr Ogilvie estimates that a pilot scheme could cost £250,000 (€400,000) and a full centre £1m.

He said: "We are speaking to a range of parties for funding for the wireless incubator, including Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish executive and private companies such as Cisco, Agilent and Compaq."

Scotland has about 50 wireless communications com-panies, of which 15 are based in Hillington. They include Alpha Bravo Charlie, the mobile business application provider, and Ascom IT, the Bluetooth specialist.

The centre, a joint venture between Caledonian Land, MEPC and Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire, was set up two years ago to attract technology businesses into the area between Glasgow and Paisley.

Chris Gorman, the entrepreneur who set up the DX Communications mobile phone store chain, chairs the centre.

Meanwhile, Hillington is developing links with a wireless technology incubator in Finland backed by Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone company. A delegation from the incubator, 30 miles from Helsinki, is due to visit Hillington next month and a return visit is expected in September.

Mr Ogilvie said: "As a learning exercise there are a number of benefits. Nokia provides intellectual property which companies in the centre then look through. The system operates on trust rather than through legal agreements."

douglas.friedli@businessam.co.uk