Companies offering e-business and Internet services are satisfied with their internal development, and the funds placed into Internet business are expected to start bringing a return within three to five years.

Companies offering e-business and Internet services are satisfied with their internal development, and the funds placed into Internet business are expected to start bringing a return within three to five years. "So far, the Delfi portal has cost one million dollars (15,6 million kroons)," Delfi marketing manager Allan Sombri said. The Internet portal Delfi.ee is a part of the Internet and computer company Microlink; the portal was originally named Online.ee. Microlink hopes to earn back the money put into portal development within three to five years. Sombri is satisfied with Delfi`s development at the moment, which he says has progressed without any significant setbacks. The Osta.ee on-line auction site belongs to investment bank Lõhmus, Haavel and Viisemann. Rain Lõhmus, an LHV owner, did not wish to disclose specify how much money has been placed into developing the portal to date. The estimated worth of the webpage website is between half a million and 2 million kroons. According to Lõhmus, it is currently difficult to say exactly when the owners expect exepct to get back the money invested into the Internet business. "The portal is not just a program project, there are also people behind it," Lõhmus said. Thus, just keeping osta.ee operating from day-to-day costs money. LHV is quite active in placing money into webpages. The investment bank`s fund New Economy Ventures recently purchased a 22-percent stake in the online employment service CV Online for six million kroons. The Internet and software development company Index Net has devoted its website the web page Index.ee to e-commerce. To date, Index Net has invested approximately 10 million kroons into research and development. developing and advancing the Index Net pages.