13 April 2006

The Internet can help governments deliver "five-star" services to the public, according to telecoms giant Nortel's European president.

Speaking to technology website ZD Net, Peter Kelly said that by applying the concepts used by commercial organisations to governments, services could see marked improvement.

"We're talking about the same concepts for commercial organisations and joined-up e-government," he explained.

"A joined-up approach to siloed government departments, with centralised databases, enables more information to flow, in a more accessible fashion."

Mr Kelly also highlighted the importance of accessibility in e-government, saying that "the information needs to be accessible to the right people in the right places".

The Nortel boss told the website that governments need to agree on functionality and procedure in order to successfully apply the private sector's technological capabilities to their issues.

Previously, Mr Kelly urged those planning to use e-government to their advantage to ensure that the Internet is more than "another automated option" for users.

"The answer lies in putting a face to government - quite literally, humanising your services," he said.

"It needs to be an environment where it is the technology that is answerable to the citizens."

© Adfero Ltd

Keep up to date with industry and Nomensa news by signing up to Nomensa newsletters.