Problems with the delivery of goods are the biggest barrier to the development of e-commerce, former US presidential candidate Mr Ross Perot said yesterday.

"We can go all the way to the end point at the speed of light and then there's nobody home," said the billionaire founder of Perot Systems at an IBEC telecommunications conference in Dublin.

"This is the biggest problem we have with e-commerce because there's nobody at home when people are at work."

Some e-commerce firms in the US had started to deliver goods to local supermarkets for collection instead of sending them directly to people's homes, Mr Perot said. Firms should not ignore e-commerce, he stressed. "The longer a big company takes to get into e-commerce, the more money it will have to spend to catch up."

Mr Perot said the strengthening of patenting legislation and continuation of high standards of education were crucial if the State was to maintain a leading position in the global IT industry.

He did not believe Irish patenting law was specifically weak, but said the "dismantling of the patenting system in the US" was very regrettable. "In Ireland you've got to preserve, protect and strengthen your patenting system. You've got to protect the technology you build here with good patents.

"Ireland's ability to be a world leader in IT is directly tied to the quality of the public education system. Its like a piece of fine crystal, so don't drop it."

The key question for the IT sector in the future was the manipulation, as distinct from development, of new technology. Citing advances in molecular electronics, he said creativity was the key to marshalling new technologies successfully.

The ability of firms to hire creative workers and stimulate them to develop new products was crucial. "You'll only be limited by the creativity of your people. People will be the decisive factor," he said.