E-commerce will not be the third pillar of the economy in Bermuda - rather it will be something that touches all parts of the economy and all businesses, according to the Government's E-commerce advisor Nigel Hickson.

And he said that e-commerce could help improve the lot of the people of Bermuda if it takes off in the right way.

Speaking this week on the E-commerce Green Paper published in May, he said that e-commerce had changed following the boom and bust at the end of the 1990s.

"E-business is not a sector... it is not like insurance a sector," he said. "It is all pervasive and already here."

Mr. Hickson said that Bermuda had been "truly visionary" with the Electronic Transactions Act and was building on that foundation.

"I actually saw the Electronic Transactions Act before it became law at the Department of Trade and Industry, it was passed on by the FCO. I think it is the bedrock for all we are doing now."

He added that it recognises the importance of e-business in Bermuda and the Green Paper is the next step.

Mr. Hickson also outlined the vision of the Green Paper: "Bermuda, through its provision of e-business services and transactions will become a leading jurisdiction for sophisticated and secure e-business. Bermuda will exploit this leadership at the forefront of the global digital economy to enhance the quality of life for all her people."

And he said the Green Paper was "the precursor to using e-business to improve the lot of people in Bermuda".

He added: "It is very easy to fill a hosting rack with rubbish - pornography and gambling. But we want to go after the quality. We want to use e-business as a wealth strategy."

And he said it was fundamental that schools and business came on board with the idea of a technically savvy Bermuda.

"We are not one of those jurisdictions to build shining hosting centres and all around there is decay," he said.

"If we are going to be a success as an e-business jurisdiction then we are going to have to be good at a lot of things - e-government, e-education, IT and telecommunications and IT and business policies.

"It is no good pretending say that we are a sophisticated e-economy if local businesses are not on the web and Government is not online.

"We need to eat what we provide."

And he said that Government was heading in the right direction by making sure that people could pay their payroll tax online and the e-Government portal. Two bidders have been short-listed for this contract, which is expected to be announced this summer. "We have the right policies in place," he added.

"E-education is absolutely fundamental," he added, saying that B-Tech had worked very well and was being used as a model around the world.

"We have worked to get Internet in schools, to get laptops to the students. This is so essential."

And he said that Bermuda had made "remarkable progress" with 71 percent of residential homes have Internet access.

"People have asked me how does a country get to this level of penetration with 94 percent of workers with Internet and 95 percent - maybe more - of people with telephones and 47 percent of people with cell phones.

"We have the ability to provide broadband all over the Island. We have an excellent base here."

And now, with this base, he said that there should be a debate and an agreement on an action plan. "We have to find a way to take all of this forward. There are 72 recommendations in the Green Paper.

"We are not going to produce another Green Paper after this or see how tall the grass grows."

And he said that action had to be taken to take this plan forward, adding that one of the recommendations was to review any plan every 18 months to keep up with global and technological changes.

"Technology is just moving so quickly and the opportunities are so good in Bermuda with all the new wireless technology - there will be new opportunities and challenges in the future for us all."