According to In-Stat, the city of Glasgow, Scotland, is in the world news because of last week's meeting of global heads of state, but the city has other reasons to "crow." Glasgow is known as a city with a proactive approach to growth, and they are making innovative investments to raise awareness and attract visitors from around the world. They've become the first city to launch a 24-hour TV service that delivers a wide range of features and prerecorded "Content" to anyone with a broadband Internet connection and can play Windows Media. The site is becoming a destination not only for people who are interested in all things Scottish, but also as an example of how the broadband Internet is changing the concept of Television. Normally, it takes a full-time staff of dozens of technicians, producers, directors and talent to create a TV channel and keep it on-the-air around the clock. But Glasgow TV uses low-cost, off-the-shelf technology and local volunteers videotape and edit most of the content. A few local city employees ingest the content and feed it into an automated management and play-out system called "TV Station In A Box." The www.glawsgow.tv site also sets up an automatic link to the City of Glasgow's official web site, which provides a more traditional Internet experience, lots of detailed information about the area, and automatic links to other URLs.
The world of eCommerce payments has evolved. As we look toward the latter half of this decade, we're witnessing a transformation in how digital commerce operates, with a clear shift toward localized payment solutions within a global marketplace. The numbers tell a compelling story. According to Juniper Research's latest analysis, global eCommerce transactions are set to reach $11.4 trillion by 2029, marking a 63 percent increase from $7 trillion in 2024. This growth isn't just about volume – it's about fundamental changes in how people pay for goods and services online. Perhaps most striking is the projected dominance of Alternative Payment Methods (APMs), which are expected to account for 69 percent of global transactions by 2029, with 360 billion transactions processed through these channels. eCommerce Payments Market Development What makes this shift particularly interesting is how it reflects the democratization of digital commerce. Traditional card-based systems ar...