AFL move adds twist to e-commerce venture

By Adam Gifford

The National Business Review publisher Barry Colman's foray into internet commerce took another twist this week with the shedding of Alternative Futures' internet provider and e-commerce operations.

Alternative Futures Limited (AFL) was the Penrose-based big-ideas company Mr Colman bought control of in November. Its sole business now is the on-selling of 24MHz of satellite transponder bandwidth bought from Television New Zealand.

The company emerged last year as several people pooled ideas, companies and contacts and sought capital to develop internet-related businesses.

Mr Colman bought in when AFL's agreement to sell Walker Datavision's wireless internet access had gone sour, and it was developing its own wireless network.

A week ago he merged AFL's wireless business with Walker Wireless, taking a minority stake in the merged venture and promising to pour millions more into completing a single national network.

On Thursday AFL's internet provider, Business Internet Solutions (BIS), was sold back to its founder, Larrie Newman, with Mr Colman's Liberty Technology taking a large shareholding.

BIS will be rebranded Connected, the name it uses for its web site. It will not sell wireless access.

Mr Colman said AFL's e-commerce unit was not able to stand on its own as a separate business unit, so the three staff working in that area have been made redundant. He said the Walker merger and AFL rationalisation leaves his investment more secure.