Globacom Sets to Acquire Gambia, Liberian Operating Licences
Head of Glo Gateway, Mr Charles Odiase, has disclosed that Globacom is set to acquire operating licences in The Gambia and Liberia, following offers from officials of the two countries.
Odiase, in an interactive session with newsmen, said the offers for Glo to operate in both countries arose, because of its landmark achievements in the area of enabling seamless affordable communications.
He said the Glo Gateway was responsible for the international operations of Globacom launched in some parts of the continent in its quest to enable seamless communications and first class services.
He said 95 per cent of Private Telecommunications Operators (PTOs) in the country rely on Globacom's Gateway to carry their international gateway to different parts of the world, adding that Glo's international gateway has extended its prepaid roaming service to six more countries, to enable more Nigerians enjoy affordable communications.
He emphasised that Glo had in May 2005, become the first network in Nigeria to launch Prepaid Roaming, with the service available only in the United Kingdom. But with its expansion, Nigerians can now enjoy outbound roaming service in Spain, South Africa, Belgium, Turkey, Ukraine and Algeria.
He said apart from these destinations, Globacom was also in the process of concluding arrangements to extend the service to United States and several other European and Middle East countries. Though Prepaid roaming complements the postpaid roaming service available in over 140 countries, plans were under way to extend it to 310 countries across the globe.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
PCs - carbon footprint
An Energy Diet for Power-Hungry Household PCs
In its drive to go green, the technology industry has so far focused mainly on big targets like corporations and especially computer data centers, the power-hungry computing engine rooms of the Internet economy.
Next come the hundreds of millions of desktop and laptop personal computers in households worldwide.
Microsoft, the nonprofit Climate Savers Computing Initiative and a start-up called Verdiem are combining to put a spotlight on the energy-saving opportunity in PCs, and distributing a free software tool to consumers to help them do it.
The potential savings in both dollars and pollution is huge, analysts say, when the estimated one billion PCs in use globally are taken into account. The research firm Gartner estimates that 40 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions resulting from information technology and telecommunications are attributable to PCs. Data center computers account for 23 percent, and the rest is attributable to printers and telecommunications equipment.
“If you are going to tackle climate change and curb energy use, you have to deal with consumer devices like PCs,” said Andrew Fanara, a product development expert in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program, which promotes energy-efficient products and practices.
For more than a decade, the federal Energy Star program has developed voluntary power-management standards for PCs, and suppliers like Intel and Microsoft have steadily improved the energy efficiency of their chips and software. But Mr. Fanara estimated that less than half of PCs met those standards, in part because more energy-efficient hardware adds slightly to production costs.
“There are large potential savings beyond what Energy Star can do,” he said.
The free software, called Edison, is a consumer version of the PC energy-saving software sold to corporate customers by Verdiem, which is financed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a leading venture capital firm and an aggressive investor in green technologies, and other venture investors.
Verdiem, based in Seattle, has 180 corporate and government customers, including Hewlett-Packard, which bundles Verdiem’s Surveyor program on its desktop PCs sold to corporations. Though he will not disclose sales figures, the company’s chief executive, Kevin Klustner, says revenue should triple this year.
There are other free tools for calculating and managing PC power consumption, including the E.P.A.’s EZ Wizard, CO2 Saver and a Google energy-saving gadget. But Edison allows the user more flexibility, especially in making the settings as stringent as they want, analysts say.
If a user sets the software to put the machine in a “deep sleep” mode after a few minutes of not hitting a keystroke, the hard drive powers down and the PC sips just 5 percent of its normal energy consumption.
That kind of energy diet is far from standard practice in homes and offices. Half of all electricity consumed by a standard PC is wasted, according to environmental and industry studies.
Household electricity bills could also be trimmed by $20 to $95 a year for each PC, depending on local power costs and the kind of PCs in use, said Mr. Klustner. “What we’re trying to do is raise the visibility of the power consumption problem on the PC desktop and really bring power management to the masses,” he said.
The Climate Savers group, which includes major technology companies and environmental groups, has set a goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from computers by 54 million tons by 2010. That is the equivalent of the yearly pollution from 11 million cars. The goal includes data center computers and PCs, and about half of all PCs are consumer machines.
“This kind of energy-saving technology for consumers is a key ingredient in moving toward that goal,” said Rob Bernard, chief environmental strategist for Microsoft.
The companies said that the Edison software would be available to download on Wednesday from the Web sites of Verdiem (verdiem.com), Microsoft (microsoft.com/environment), and Climate Savers (climatesaverscomputing.org).
In its drive to go green, the technology industry has so far focused mainly on big targets like corporations and especially computer data centers, the power-hungry computing engine rooms of the Internet economy.
Next come the hundreds of millions of desktop and laptop personal computers in households worldwide.
Microsoft, the nonprofit Climate Savers Computing Initiative and a start-up called Verdiem are combining to put a spotlight on the energy-saving opportunity in PCs, and distributing a free software tool to consumers to help them do it.
The potential savings in both dollars and pollution is huge, analysts say, when the estimated one billion PCs in use globally are taken into account. The research firm Gartner estimates that 40 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions resulting from information technology and telecommunications are attributable to PCs. Data center computers account for 23 percent, and the rest is attributable to printers and telecommunications equipment.
“If you are going to tackle climate change and curb energy use, you have to deal with consumer devices like PCs,” said Andrew Fanara, a product development expert in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program, which promotes energy-efficient products and practices.
For more than a decade, the federal Energy Star program has developed voluntary power-management standards for PCs, and suppliers like Intel and Microsoft have steadily improved the energy efficiency of their chips and software. But Mr. Fanara estimated that less than half of PCs met those standards, in part because more energy-efficient hardware adds slightly to production costs.
“There are large potential savings beyond what Energy Star can do,” he said.
The free software, called Edison, is a consumer version of the PC energy-saving software sold to corporate customers by Verdiem, which is financed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a leading venture capital firm and an aggressive investor in green technologies, and other venture investors.
Verdiem, based in Seattle, has 180 corporate and government customers, including Hewlett-Packard, which bundles Verdiem’s Surveyor program on its desktop PCs sold to corporations. Though he will not disclose sales figures, the company’s chief executive, Kevin Klustner, says revenue should triple this year.
There are other free tools for calculating and managing PC power consumption, including the E.P.A.’s EZ Wizard, CO2 Saver and a Google energy-saving gadget. But Edison allows the user more flexibility, especially in making the settings as stringent as they want, analysts say.
If a user sets the software to put the machine in a “deep sleep” mode after a few minutes of not hitting a keystroke, the hard drive powers down and the PC sips just 5 percent of its normal energy consumption.
That kind of energy diet is far from standard practice in homes and offices. Half of all electricity consumed by a standard PC is wasted, according to environmental and industry studies.
Household electricity bills could also be trimmed by $20 to $95 a year for each PC, depending on local power costs and the kind of PCs in use, said Mr. Klustner. “What we’re trying to do is raise the visibility of the power consumption problem on the PC desktop and really bring power management to the masses,” he said.
The Climate Savers group, which includes major technology companies and environmental groups, has set a goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from computers by 54 million tons by 2010. That is the equivalent of the yearly pollution from 11 million cars. The goal includes data center computers and PCs, and about half of all PCs are consumer machines.
“This kind of energy-saving technology for consumers is a key ingredient in moving toward that goal,” said Rob Bernard, chief environmental strategist for Microsoft.
The companies said that the Edison software would be available to download on Wednesday from the Web sites of Verdiem (verdiem.com), Microsoft (microsoft.com/environment), and Climate Savers (climatesaverscomputing.org).
Ghana - privatisation
Stop sale of GT - former D-G of GT
The first Director-General of Ghana Telecom, Mr Ebo Aggrey-Mensah, has predicted that the sale of 70 per cent shares of Ghana Telecom (GT) could spell the economic doom of Ghana.
He said with the dwindling natural resources and the prospects of telecommunications providing economic boom and prosperity, it would be suicidal for the country to sell the 70 per cent shares of GT for any amount.
Mr Aggrey-Mensah called at the offices of the Daily Graphic to present what he called the "reasons why 70 per cent of GT should not be sold".
He attributed the current woes of GT to the adoption of bad policies that had been inimical to the growth of GT; loss of revenue from the sale of 30 per cent shares of GT in 1996; loss of large sums of revenue as a result of interconnection regime; the abrogation of the Telekom Malaysia contract; and incomplete valuation of GT.
He mentioned some of the effects of the sale as national security concerns; loss of revenue to the state; loss of national pride and loss of opportunity to develop the critical human resource assets of the nation, and suggested ways to save GT without selling it.
He said Ghana should emulate the examples of other nations that had developed and never hesitate to restrict the importation of products when the prevailing exigencies demanded, adding that GT should not be sold just to balance the national budget.
Mr Aggrey-Mensah who was also the last Director-General of Ghana Posts and Telecommunications Corporation, suggested that the National Communications Authority (NCA) could review all the existing agreements with the other competitor telecommunication service operators and adopt measures that would strengthen GT, so that in the final analysis Ghanaians and not foreigners would be the beneficiaries.
He further explained that the country had relied on the export of its natural resources gold, cocoa, timber, diamond, manganese and very soon on the oil find, but all these would be exhausted with time.
"In such a situation the only source for foreign exchange that could sa1vage the economy would be the proceeds from the teleconunumcations sector, which has the potential to expand by leaps and bounds. The fantastic story of MTN is there for all to see,” he added.
He said with this in mind the nation must look for the needed resources to properly equip and strengthen GT to make it competitive and be able to provide the much needed foreign exchange for the socio-economic development of the country in future.
Mr Aggrey-Mensah added that the woes of GT worsened when as part of the liberalization process of the telecommunications sector, GT, as the incumbent national telecommunication services operator to provide inter-connection circuits between itself and the new mobile cellular service operators was made to enable the origination of calls from one network to the other.
In the process, he said, GT lost colossal sums of revenue as a direct consequence of the inter-connection regime.
He added that with the long delay in granting license for operating cellular phone – which is faster to deploy ,and has lower maintenance cost compared to the land-line services that require digging of trenches, laying of cables, mounting of distribution poles and associated problems such as cable theft, destruction of cables by drivers - GT was made the loser.
Mr Aggrey-Mensah argued that while Mobitel, now tiGo, was granted licence in 1992 to provide cellular services, it was not until 2000, when Spacefon, now MTN, and Celltel, now Kasapa, had also been granted licences that the national teleconummication service, GT, was granted one to provide cellular service.
According to him, another reason for GT’s current woes was that although the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government advertised and sold 30 per cent of its shares to the Malaysians with the claim that the proceeds would be invested in GT, "not a ingle cent of the $38 million that was realised from the sale went to GT. Where that money went was anybody's guess".
Mr. Aggrey-Mensah said when Telekom Malaysina's agreement was abrogated, it was the poor GT which did not benefit from the sale that was made to pay the $52.2 million as settlement fee.
The first Director-General of Ghana Telecom, Mr Ebo Aggrey-Mensah, has predicted that the sale of 70 per cent shares of Ghana Telecom (GT) could spell the economic doom of Ghana.
He said with the dwindling natural resources and the prospects of telecommunications providing economic boom and prosperity, it would be suicidal for the country to sell the 70 per cent shares of GT for any amount.
Mr Aggrey-Mensah called at the offices of the Daily Graphic to present what he called the "reasons why 70 per cent of GT should not be sold".
He attributed the current woes of GT to the adoption of bad policies that had been inimical to the growth of GT; loss of revenue from the sale of 30 per cent shares of GT in 1996; loss of large sums of revenue as a result of interconnection regime; the abrogation of the Telekom Malaysia contract; and incomplete valuation of GT.
He mentioned some of the effects of the sale as national security concerns; loss of revenue to the state; loss of national pride and loss of opportunity to develop the critical human resource assets of the nation, and suggested ways to save GT without selling it.
He said Ghana should emulate the examples of other nations that had developed and never hesitate to restrict the importation of products when the prevailing exigencies demanded, adding that GT should not be sold just to balance the national budget.
Mr Aggrey-Mensah who was also the last Director-General of Ghana Posts and Telecommunications Corporation, suggested that the National Communications Authority (NCA) could review all the existing agreements with the other competitor telecommunication service operators and adopt measures that would strengthen GT, so that in the final analysis Ghanaians and not foreigners would be the beneficiaries.
He further explained that the country had relied on the export of its natural resources gold, cocoa, timber, diamond, manganese and very soon on the oil find, but all these would be exhausted with time.
"In such a situation the only source for foreign exchange that could sa1vage the economy would be the proceeds from the teleconunumcations sector, which has the potential to expand by leaps and bounds. The fantastic story of MTN is there for all to see,” he added.
He said with this in mind the nation must look for the needed resources to properly equip and strengthen GT to make it competitive and be able to provide the much needed foreign exchange for the socio-economic development of the country in future.
Mr Aggrey-Mensah added that the woes of GT worsened when as part of the liberalization process of the telecommunications sector, GT, as the incumbent national telecommunication services operator to provide inter-connection circuits between itself and the new mobile cellular service operators was made to enable the origination of calls from one network to the other.
In the process, he said, GT lost colossal sums of revenue as a direct consequence of the inter-connection regime.
He added that with the long delay in granting license for operating cellular phone – which is faster to deploy ,and has lower maintenance cost compared to the land-line services that require digging of trenches, laying of cables, mounting of distribution poles and associated problems such as cable theft, destruction of cables by drivers - GT was made the loser.
Mr Aggrey-Mensah argued that while Mobitel, now tiGo, was granted licence in 1992 to provide cellular services, it was not until 2000, when Spacefon, now MTN, and Celltel, now Kasapa, had also been granted licences that the national teleconummication service, GT, was granted one to provide cellular service.
According to him, another reason for GT’s current woes was that although the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government advertised and sold 30 per cent of its shares to the Malaysians with the claim that the proceeds would be invested in GT, "not a ingle cent of the $38 million that was realised from the sale went to GT. Where that money went was anybody's guess".
Mr. Aggrey-Mensah said when Telekom Malaysina's agreement was abrogated, it was the poor GT which did not benefit from the sale that was made to pay the $52.2 million as settlement fee.
Turkey - 3G
Türk Telekom to face 3G rivalry, Internet prices expected to drop
KKTC Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer (R) receives Turkcell General Manager Süreyya Ciliv on Thursday in Girne. Turkcell has brought the KKTC more than half a billion dollars since it started operations there.
Türk Telekom, the leading telecommunications service provider in Turkey, will face a challenger for its title as the major Internet service provider (ISP) in the country with the introduction of third generation (3G) mobile phone standards and technologies, which are expected to start begin in Turkey this coming October.
Turkish mobile phone operators are planning to make investments in the 3G sector and become rivals to Türk Telekom. Speaking to reporters yesterday in Girne during a trip to promote his company's operations in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), Turkcell General Manager Süreyya Ciliv said ADSL prices in Turkey will drop further and the speed of Internet access will increase thanks to the use of 3G technologies.
"If you want to download a 1.5-hour movie using a connect card, you can do this in 6.5 hours in Turkey, but it takes just 13 minutes in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [KKTC]. If you travel to KKTC by plane, download the movie you wanted to download in Turkey in 13 minutes while you are there and then return to Turkey, you will see the download process on your computer in Turkey has not yet finished," Ciliv explained.
More than 300 million people in 94 countries all around the world use 3G technologies through 320 mobile operators. The mobile telephone infrastructure in Turkey is still at the 2G level.
"We are striving to introduce new technologies; however, some of our rivals think it is too early for new technologies," Ciliv said.
He stressed that Turkcell was ready for the 3G tender to be held in November, recalling remarks from Telecommunications Board President Tayfun Acer, who said even if just one company participates in the tender, it will be given the relevant license to operate 3G services
Turkcell, which had already introduced high-speed mobile Internet access in the KKTC, began to operate 3G technologies in the country by making an investment of YTL 14.7 million. Turkcell paid a $10 million license fee for the largest private sector investment in the country.
Indicating that mobile communications helped the KKTC economy grow, Ciliv said: "During our meetings with KKTC Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer, he said he was very excited about our investments. A new technology has been put into practice in the country, which is a popular tourism resort. Two mobile phone operators were operating 3G technologies in Greek Cyprus, now these technologies have been implemented in the KKTC, as well."
Turkcell has contributed YTL 567 million to the KKTC economy since it began operating on Cyprus, making it the biggest taxpayer in the country.
Turkcell had won a tender for the Type A 3G license in Turkey last year with a $511 million offer in an auction in which it was the only participant. It soon began to run commercials bringing the tidings of a new era in the telecommunication business. But a few weeks after the tender was closed the Telecommunications Authority revoked the license granted to Turkcell after three other licenses received no bids.
3G innovations
3G technologies enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephony, video calls and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment. Additional features also include HSPA data transmission capabilities able to deliver speeds up to 14.4Mbit/s on the downlink and 5.8Mbit/s on the uplink.
KKTC Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer (R) receives Turkcell General Manager Süreyya Ciliv on Thursday in Girne. Turkcell has brought the KKTC more than half a billion dollars since it started operations there.
Türk Telekom, the leading telecommunications service provider in Turkey, will face a challenger for its title as the major Internet service provider (ISP) in the country with the introduction of third generation (3G) mobile phone standards and technologies, which are expected to start begin in Turkey this coming October.
Turkish mobile phone operators are planning to make investments in the 3G sector and become rivals to Türk Telekom. Speaking to reporters yesterday in Girne during a trip to promote his company's operations in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), Turkcell General Manager Süreyya Ciliv said ADSL prices in Turkey will drop further and the speed of Internet access will increase thanks to the use of 3G technologies.
"If you want to download a 1.5-hour movie using a connect card, you can do this in 6.5 hours in Turkey, but it takes just 13 minutes in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [KKTC]. If you travel to KKTC by plane, download the movie you wanted to download in Turkey in 13 minutes while you are there and then return to Turkey, you will see the download process on your computer in Turkey has not yet finished," Ciliv explained.
More than 300 million people in 94 countries all around the world use 3G technologies through 320 mobile operators. The mobile telephone infrastructure in Turkey is still at the 2G level.
"We are striving to introduce new technologies; however, some of our rivals think it is too early for new technologies," Ciliv said.
He stressed that Turkcell was ready for the 3G tender to be held in November, recalling remarks from Telecommunications Board President Tayfun Acer, who said even if just one company participates in the tender, it will be given the relevant license to operate 3G services
Turkcell, which had already introduced high-speed mobile Internet access in the KKTC, began to operate 3G technologies in the country by making an investment of YTL 14.7 million. Turkcell paid a $10 million license fee for the largest private sector investment in the country.
Indicating that mobile communications helped the KKTC economy grow, Ciliv said: "During our meetings with KKTC Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer, he said he was very excited about our investments. A new technology has been put into practice in the country, which is a popular tourism resort. Two mobile phone operators were operating 3G technologies in Greek Cyprus, now these technologies have been implemented in the KKTC, as well."
Turkcell has contributed YTL 567 million to the KKTC economy since it began operating on Cyprus, making it the biggest taxpayer in the country.
Turkcell had won a tender for the Type A 3G license in Turkey last year with a $511 million offer in an auction in which it was the only participant. It soon began to run commercials bringing the tidings of a new era in the telecommunication business. But a few weeks after the tender was closed the Telecommunications Authority revoked the license granted to Turkcell after three other licenses received no bids.
3G innovations
3G technologies enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephony, video calls and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment. Additional features also include HSPA data transmission capabilities able to deliver speeds up to 14.4Mbit/s on the downlink and 5.8Mbit/s on the uplink.
Australia - breakup of Telstra?
Telstra faces break-up pressure
Australia's dominant phone company, Telstra Corp Ltd, is set to come under government pressure to split up its business units along the lines of similar break-ups of phone companies in New Zealand and the UK in recent years.
The separation of Telstra's network from its retail and wholesale units is seen as one solution to help break an impasse over building a A$9.4 billion ($8.7 billion) high-speed broadband network.
It would open up competition to main rival Optus, owned by Singapore Telecom, and a range of smaller players, eroding Telstra's market share and margins and likely sending its share price sharply lower.
"From the government's point of view, there is a reasonably strong case to impose operational separation on Telstra," said JP Morgan analyst Laurent Horrut. "If you look at the history of this sector in Australia, the reality is the fixed-line network has not delivered a competitive market."
There is a growing push globally to split telecom operators into business units, with the European Union considering legislation to do just that despite opposition from big telcos such as Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom .
In an acrimonious debate between Telstra and its competitors, calls for Telstra to sell off its phone network to another company or run it as a stand-alone business unit have mounted as a government plan to invite bids for a new fiber broadband network has met with delays.
Telstra has aggressively denounced any need to separate its business units.
"Our CEO is on the record that any further separation of Telstra would mean we would not participate in a national broadband network," a Telstra spokesman said.
Analysts say an asset sale is not likely, but the former government monopoly could be forced to split its operations to boost competition and push down prices of internet services.
Telstra still has 70 percent of total industry revenues in the fixed-line market and a 48 percent market share in broadband, which analysts say clearly shows it remains dominant.
Bringing Australia up to international broadband speeds was a key policy platform for the Labor government, elected last November. Bids for a fiber network were originally due on July 25, but the government is still awaiting network information from Telstra.
The government will fund A$4.7 billion for the network, which it wants the winning bidder to match. But Telstra says the cost could escalate to A$15 billion or A$25 billion to reach the planned 98 percent of Australia's sparse population.
A government decision on a possible split could come late this year, but the battle could drag into 2009 if Telstra fights the move in court.
Separation of Telstra would probably follow the model of New Zealand Telecom (TEL.NZ: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) or British Telecom (BT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). Neither was required to sell assets, but strict regulations were imposed to open up the phone network to competitors.
Telstra's rivals say it is the only way to ensure a level playing field.
"There's a lot of anecdotal evidence that alternative carriers are being frustrated in getting access to the network at the moment," said Fortis Investment Partners analyst Theo Maas.
Giving regulators the power to split up Telstra could help break the deadlock and ensure equal pricing for rivals -- the key issue that stalled a previous Telstra broadband plan last year, after two years of haggling over prices.
"Operational separation is the most important negotiation tool for the government to keep Telstra in line in terms of access pricing," said Fortis's Maas.
A split would erode Telstra's market share in broadband and could hurt its high margins. Similar worries sent Telecom New Zealand shares diving 20 percent after its split was announced, and JP Morgan estimates a split would knock some A$0.93 cents off Telstra's share price valuation, now around A$4.53.
"There will be a short-term problem for the incumbent because they will have to go from monopolistic rents to market rents," said independent telecoms analyst Paul Budde.
"In every country in one way or another the conclusion is, if you want to deliver services such as health and education, then you have to go for open networks to make it affordable. I can't see any other way forward than separating the infrastructure from the services."
Australia's dominant phone company, Telstra Corp Ltd, is set to come under government pressure to split up its business units along the lines of similar break-ups of phone companies in New Zealand and the UK in recent years.
The separation of Telstra's network from its retail and wholesale units is seen as one solution to help break an impasse over building a A$9.4 billion ($8.7 billion) high-speed broadband network.
It would open up competition to main rival Optus, owned by Singapore Telecom, and a range of smaller players, eroding Telstra's market share and margins and likely sending its share price sharply lower.
"From the government's point of view, there is a reasonably strong case to impose operational separation on Telstra," said JP Morgan analyst Laurent Horrut. "If you look at the history of this sector in Australia, the reality is the fixed-line network has not delivered a competitive market."
There is a growing push globally to split telecom operators into business units, with the European Union considering legislation to do just that despite opposition from big telcos such as Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom .
In an acrimonious debate between Telstra and its competitors, calls for Telstra to sell off its phone network to another company or run it as a stand-alone business unit have mounted as a government plan to invite bids for a new fiber broadband network has met with delays.
Telstra has aggressively denounced any need to separate its business units.
"Our CEO is on the record that any further separation of Telstra would mean we would not participate in a national broadband network," a Telstra spokesman said.
Analysts say an asset sale is not likely, but the former government monopoly could be forced to split its operations to boost competition and push down prices of internet services.
Telstra still has 70 percent of total industry revenues in the fixed-line market and a 48 percent market share in broadband, which analysts say clearly shows it remains dominant.
Bringing Australia up to international broadband speeds was a key policy platform for the Labor government, elected last November. Bids for a fiber network were originally due on July 25, but the government is still awaiting network information from Telstra.
The government will fund A$4.7 billion for the network, which it wants the winning bidder to match. But Telstra says the cost could escalate to A$15 billion or A$25 billion to reach the planned 98 percent of Australia's sparse population.
A government decision on a possible split could come late this year, but the battle could drag into 2009 if Telstra fights the move in court.
Separation of Telstra would probably follow the model of New Zealand Telecom (TEL.NZ: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) or British Telecom (BT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). Neither was required to sell assets, but strict regulations were imposed to open up the phone network to competitors.
Telstra's rivals say it is the only way to ensure a level playing field.
"There's a lot of anecdotal evidence that alternative carriers are being frustrated in getting access to the network at the moment," said Fortis Investment Partners analyst Theo Maas.
Giving regulators the power to split up Telstra could help break the deadlock and ensure equal pricing for rivals -- the key issue that stalled a previous Telstra broadband plan last year, after two years of haggling over prices.
"Operational separation is the most important negotiation tool for the government to keep Telstra in line in terms of access pricing," said Fortis's Maas.
A split would erode Telstra's market share in broadband and could hurt its high margins. Similar worries sent Telecom New Zealand shares diving 20 percent after its split was announced, and JP Morgan estimates a split would knock some A$0.93 cents off Telstra's share price valuation, now around A$4.53.
"There will be a short-term problem for the incumbent because they will have to go from monopolistic rents to market rents," said independent telecoms analyst Paul Budde.
"In every country in one way or another the conclusion is, if you want to deliver services such as health and education, then you have to go for open networks to make it affordable. I can't see any other way forward than separating the infrastructure from the services."
Canada - assessment of markets
CRTC Releases First Combined Communications Monitoring Report
see also full text of report
The Canadian regulator has released the first combined communications and broadcasting report, which provides a range of data on the two converging industries.
Global Insight Perspective
Significance - The CRTC Communications Monitoring Report 2008 provides a wealth of information on the converging industries of broadcasting and telecoms.
Implications - Access independent VoIP saw 38.9% growth y/y as incumbents continued to lose lines to wireless, cable and internet VoIP. While broadcasting provides new revenue opportunities for the telcos, the total revenues are limited in comparison with those generated by telecoms services.
Outlook - While the trends of the last couple of years continue, the core growth areas of wireless and internet are beginning to show signs that they are reaching a plateau as growth slows.
The CRTC has released an exhaustive report into the telecoms and broadcasting industries, as well as examining related technology use. The Communications Monitoring Report 2008 contains industry statistics and survey data consolidating information from a variety of sources and for the first time combines data collection by the CRTC and Industry Canada as the regulator copes with convergence and eliminates overlaps in data gathering.
see also full text of report
The Canadian regulator has released the first combined communications and broadcasting report, which provides a range of data on the two converging industries.
Global Insight Perspective
Significance - The CRTC Communications Monitoring Report 2008 provides a wealth of information on the converging industries of broadcasting and telecoms.
Implications - Access independent VoIP saw 38.9% growth y/y as incumbents continued to lose lines to wireless, cable and internet VoIP. While broadcasting provides new revenue opportunities for the telcos, the total revenues are limited in comparison with those generated by telecoms services.
Outlook - While the trends of the last couple of years continue, the core growth areas of wireless and internet are beginning to show signs that they are reaching a plateau as growth slows.
The CRTC has released an exhaustive report into the telecoms and broadcasting industries, as well as examining related technology use. The Communications Monitoring Report 2008 contains industry statistics and survey data consolidating information from a variety of sources and for the first time combines data collection by the CRTC and Industry Canada as the regulator copes with convergence and eliminates overlaps in data gathering.
UK - Ikea as an MVNO
Ikea Enters U.K. Mobile Market as MVNO
Ikea, the Swedish flat-pack-furniture company, is to commence as an MNVO in the United Kingdom according to Cellular News.
Significance: It is not the first time a non-telecommunications company has entered the MVNO market in the United Kingdom, both supermarkets, ASDA and Tesco have already entered the U.K. mobile market as MVNOs. Ikea has partnered with Mobile Partners U.K. to offer the deal and claims it represents the lowest pre-paid rates on the U.K. market and emphasises that there are no fixed monthly penalties, no contract, and no minimum spend. Customers will also be able to keep their existing numbers; there is also a "Family" package which is only available to Ikea Family members, who currently number 1.4 million in the United Kingdom. IKEA U.K. customer relationship marketing manager, Jason Baker said: "In the current climate where every penny counts, IKEA is offering another benefit to our loyal customers. You can't control the rising costs of petrol, utility bills or food but by being at least 25% cheaper than any other comparable pre-paid offer, Family Mobile can help you take control of your mobile phone costs."
Ikea, the Swedish flat-pack-furniture company, is to commence as an MNVO in the United Kingdom according to Cellular News.
Significance: It is not the first time a non-telecommunications company has entered the MVNO market in the United Kingdom, both supermarkets, ASDA and Tesco have already entered the U.K. mobile market as MVNOs. Ikea has partnered with Mobile Partners U.K. to offer the deal and claims it represents the lowest pre-paid rates on the U.K. market and emphasises that there are no fixed monthly penalties, no contract, and no minimum spend. Customers will also be able to keep their existing numbers; there is also a "Family" package which is only available to Ikea Family members, who currently number 1.4 million in the United Kingdom. IKEA U.K. customer relationship marketing manager, Jason Baker said: "In the current climate where every penny counts, IKEA is offering another benefit to our loyal customers. You can't control the rising costs of petrol, utility bills or food but by being at least 25% cheaper than any other comparable pre-paid offer, Family Mobile can help you take control of your mobile phone costs."
Airborne broadband - the case for per flight billing
Aviation Broadband Won't Fly with Per Flight Pricing
While in-flight connectivity announcements from Southwest, Alaska, Virgin America, JetBlue, and American Airlines have been covered extensively in the press, the aviation broadband industry has been 12-18 months away from large deployments for the last seven years. And while some airlines have delayed airborne Internet for customers, many others have installed wireless access points across their fleet for FOQA (Flight Operations Quality Assurance). But in order to bring cabin communications up to the level of crew operations, service providers will need to develop new pricing structures, according to a new report from Freesky Research.
"If the airline broadband industry wants to move beyond the wait 'til next year philosophy that has defined it since 2001, it needs to lose its fixation with per flight pricing," according to David Gross, author of the report. "Either it needs to charge exceptionally high per minute rates like providers serving business jets and cruise ships do, and serve a high-end niche only, or move to subscription services like most terrestrial hotspot services. The mushy middle approach of charging more than a ground service, but less than a business jet service will neither attract the mass market, nor maximize revenue among price-insensitive travelers."
In addition to pricing, this study, titled Aviation Broadband Networks: 2009-2012, looks at technology developments and economic issues driving the growth of data services on both business jets and airliners. It is available for sale now, and includes forecasts for both satellite and air-to-ground services.
While in-flight connectivity announcements from Southwest, Alaska, Virgin America, JetBlue, and American Airlines have been covered extensively in the press, the aviation broadband industry has been 12-18 months away from large deployments for the last seven years. And while some airlines have delayed airborne Internet for customers, many others have installed wireless access points across their fleet for FOQA (Flight Operations Quality Assurance). But in order to bring cabin communications up to the level of crew operations, service providers will need to develop new pricing structures, according to a new report from Freesky Research.
"If the airline broadband industry wants to move beyond the wait 'til next year philosophy that has defined it since 2001, it needs to lose its fixation with per flight pricing," according to David Gross, author of the report. "Either it needs to charge exceptionally high per minute rates like providers serving business jets and cruise ships do, and serve a high-end niche only, or move to subscription services like most terrestrial hotspot services. The mushy middle approach of charging more than a ground service, but less than a business jet service will neither attract the mass market, nor maximize revenue among price-insensitive travelers."
In addition to pricing, this study, titled Aviation Broadband Networks: 2009-2012, looks at technology developments and economic issues driving the growth of data services on both business jets and airliners. It is available for sale now, and includes forecasts for both satellite and air-to-ground services.
USA - NYC households without broadband
Broadband study: 600,000 NYers not connected
Only 26% of low income households use high speed Internet connection.
More than 600,000 households in New York City have yet to connect to the Internet at high speeds.
Only 26% of low income households in the five boroughs have broadband, compared with 54% of moderate to high income homes, according to a recent study conducted by Diamond Management & Technology Consultants. Diamond presented results of the study to the Broadband Advisory Committee, a private and public commission created three years ago by City Councilmember Gale Brewer to advise the Mayor’s office on Internet access issues across the city, Wednesday morning at City Hall.
The Chicago-based consultancy was commissioned by the city’s Economic Development Corp. to determine the breadth of the digital divide in New York City almost two years ago.
According to the study, 98% of the city’s residents have access to broadband provided by a cable provider, and 87% have access to high-speed Internet service via DSL provided by Verizon Communications Inc. It did not outline how many city residents connect to the Internet via lower-speed dial-up connections.
Households that do not have broadband cited the high cost of a computer and high cost of broadband service as the top reasons why they decided not to subscribe. Many are homes headed by the elderly, at least 65 years old. Specific neighborhoods where these households were located were not disclosed. In 2012, the study projected that the number of low income households without broadband will balloon to 64%, according to Diamond.
To eliminate the city’s divide, the study recommends that New York partner with telecom providers or non-profit groups to implement programs, which include offering low cost hardware and service as well as adequate computer training. Diamond also suggested that the city expand public areas such as public parks and libraries, where New Yorkers can access the Internet for free. The study did not provide estimates on the cost of launching these programs, but Mr. O’Brien noted that it will be in the millions.
“This is a good first step,” said Councilmember Brewer, adding that the Broadband Advisory Committee will meet soon to help facilitate the creation of these new programs.
During the briefing, Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber said the city is committed to addressing the digital divide issue and is enthusiastic about implementing a solution. The city said it expects to raise public and private capital to fund the new projects.
Only 26% of low income households use high speed Internet connection.
More than 600,000 households in New York City have yet to connect to the Internet at high speeds.
Only 26% of low income households in the five boroughs have broadband, compared with 54% of moderate to high income homes, according to a recent study conducted by Diamond Management & Technology Consultants. Diamond presented results of the study to the Broadband Advisory Committee, a private and public commission created three years ago by City Councilmember Gale Brewer to advise the Mayor’s office on Internet access issues across the city, Wednesday morning at City Hall.
The Chicago-based consultancy was commissioned by the city’s Economic Development Corp. to determine the breadth of the digital divide in New York City almost two years ago.
According to the study, 98% of the city’s residents have access to broadband provided by a cable provider, and 87% have access to high-speed Internet service via DSL provided by Verizon Communications Inc. It did not outline how many city residents connect to the Internet via lower-speed dial-up connections.
Households that do not have broadband cited the high cost of a computer and high cost of broadband service as the top reasons why they decided not to subscribe. Many are homes headed by the elderly, at least 65 years old. Specific neighborhoods where these households were located were not disclosed. In 2012, the study projected that the number of low income households without broadband will balloon to 64%, according to Diamond.
To eliminate the city’s divide, the study recommends that New York partner with telecom providers or non-profit groups to implement programs, which include offering low cost hardware and service as well as adequate computer training. Diamond also suggested that the city expand public areas such as public parks and libraries, where New Yorkers can access the Internet for free. The study did not provide estimates on the cost of launching these programs, but Mr. O’Brien noted that it will be in the millions.
“This is a good first step,” said Councilmember Brewer, adding that the Broadband Advisory Committee will meet soon to help facilitate the creation of these new programs.
During the briefing, Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber said the city is committed to addressing the digital divide issue and is enthusiastic about implementing a solution. The city said it expects to raise public and private capital to fund the new projects.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Internet - traffic load
Questioning the coming Internet clog
One of the nation’s top authorities on global Internet traffic growth says his latest data show no reason to fear network capacity shortages, as traffic growth may even be slightly decelerating.
Updating data collected from Internet exchanges around the world, professor Andrew Odlyzko, director of the University of Minnesota’s Interdisciplinary Digital Technology Center,reported late last week that Internet traffic rates in the US and globally are continuing to grow at a rate between 50% and 60% (largely unchanged from recent years) -- rapid growth that nonetheless belies dire predictions of an escalation that would clog today’s networks.
“There is still not [sic] sign of the threatened deluge that was supposed to clog the Internet,” Odlyzko wrote in an email late last week announcing the new data. “Growth rates, if anything, are tending down.”
Last November, Nemertes Research released a study claiming that demand for Internet service could outpace network capacity as early as 2010.
In an interview with Telephony this week, Odlyzko said, “Traffic growth is still quite fast, so in some sense you could say yes, we’re on the way to the exaflood or we’re already in it. The issue is: Is this a reason for panic or action or throwing money at service providers so they could build out new links, etc., and the answer is no, because this growth rate, 50% per year, can be accommodated with essentially the current level of capital investment. We see more of a slowdown than a speed-up.”
Odlyzko now estimates average US monthly Internet traffic to be between 900 and 1550 petabytes per month, up from 750 to 1250 petabytes at the end of last year.
Though traffic growth tends to be higher in the second half of each year than the first, Odlyzko said the industry might consider focusing more on stimulating traffic growth rather than fearing it, an argument he voiced to Telephony last year.
Among the factors limiting Internet traffic growth, Odlyzko said, are the pace of broadband deployment, which he said is “not that fast” in some countries, including the US. But in other places, such as Hong Kong, where deployed bandwidth is much greater, traffic growth rates are slowing.
“Hong Kong is far, far ahead of us in terms of per-capita traffic volumes, and they’ve seen almost a halt in the [traffic] growth rate,” Odlyzko said. “Why? I don’t really understand it. Some people told me it could be due to the penetration of IPTV over there…Instead of downloading pirated video over the Internet, maybe they just get it legitimately from the service provider.”
Meanwhile, on a global basis, he said, “Usage depends very strongly on available services. There haven’t been that many new services. YouTube is the latest one. Hulu is supposed to be coming, but otherwise, there’s not much. Places like Facebook generate very little traffic.”
However, Mike Jude, senior analyst with Nemertes, who has cited Facebook in particular as a “bandwidth-intensive” application contributing to traffic growth, says the social networking site and others like it will increasingly generate more traffic over time, as will YouTube. Facebook users are increasingly adding video, he said, and YouTube users are increasingly using high-definition video.
Still, it remains to be seen if and when such factors might spur an acceleration in traffic growth. “There’s still a lot [of data applications] that can migrate to the Internet, and they should, it’s just doing it at a measured pace,” Odlyzko said. “On other hand, one could say there’s no crisis pushing people to do it. It’s not like people are ditching their TVs. They’re increasing their Internet presence and Internet viewing at the expense of ordinary TV viewing, but not dramatically.”
Though he doesn’t agree with Odlyzko that traffic growth may be declining, Jude said Nemertes’ predictions don’t contradict Odlyzko’s findings, in part because the professor is focusing on Internet core backbones, whereas Nemertes is focusing on the last mile, the devices in the home and the end-user experience. If backbone traffic growth were slowing down, Jude said, it may be because more content is being stored locally, bypassing the network core, rather than any cooling in bandwidth demand.
Furthermore, Nemertes’ warnings of Internet networks clogging refer largely to the gap between user demand and user experience, Jude said, rather than that between traffic volumes and network capacities. “We’re not saying the Internet’s going to break,” he said. “We’re saying the things people would like to deliver to you over the Internet probably aren’t going to work that well.”
Watching the video on his computer slow down and freeze as he spoke, Jude said, “The bottom line that no one can debate is: If the Internet were working perfectly, if access were appropriate, would it ever slow down for you?”
One of the nation’s top authorities on global Internet traffic growth says his latest data show no reason to fear network capacity shortages, as traffic growth may even be slightly decelerating.
Updating data collected from Internet exchanges around the world, professor Andrew Odlyzko, director of the University of Minnesota’s Interdisciplinary Digital Technology Center,reported late last week that Internet traffic rates in the US and globally are continuing to grow at a rate between 50% and 60% (largely unchanged from recent years) -- rapid growth that nonetheless belies dire predictions of an escalation that would clog today’s networks.
“There is still not [sic] sign of the threatened deluge that was supposed to clog the Internet,” Odlyzko wrote in an email late last week announcing the new data. “Growth rates, if anything, are tending down.”
Last November, Nemertes Research released a study claiming that demand for Internet service could outpace network capacity as early as 2010.
In an interview with Telephony this week, Odlyzko said, “Traffic growth is still quite fast, so in some sense you could say yes, we’re on the way to the exaflood or we’re already in it. The issue is: Is this a reason for panic or action or throwing money at service providers so they could build out new links, etc., and the answer is no, because this growth rate, 50% per year, can be accommodated with essentially the current level of capital investment. We see more of a slowdown than a speed-up.”
Odlyzko now estimates average US monthly Internet traffic to be between 900 and 1550 petabytes per month, up from 750 to 1250 petabytes at the end of last year.
Though traffic growth tends to be higher in the second half of each year than the first, Odlyzko said the industry might consider focusing more on stimulating traffic growth rather than fearing it, an argument he voiced to Telephony last year.
Among the factors limiting Internet traffic growth, Odlyzko said, are the pace of broadband deployment, which he said is “not that fast” in some countries, including the US. But in other places, such as Hong Kong, where deployed bandwidth is much greater, traffic growth rates are slowing.
“Hong Kong is far, far ahead of us in terms of per-capita traffic volumes, and they’ve seen almost a halt in the [traffic] growth rate,” Odlyzko said. “Why? I don’t really understand it. Some people told me it could be due to the penetration of IPTV over there…Instead of downloading pirated video over the Internet, maybe they just get it legitimately from the service provider.”
Meanwhile, on a global basis, he said, “Usage depends very strongly on available services. There haven’t been that many new services. YouTube is the latest one. Hulu is supposed to be coming, but otherwise, there’s not much. Places like Facebook generate very little traffic.”
However, Mike Jude, senior analyst with Nemertes, who has cited Facebook in particular as a “bandwidth-intensive” application contributing to traffic growth, says the social networking site and others like it will increasingly generate more traffic over time, as will YouTube. Facebook users are increasingly adding video, he said, and YouTube users are increasingly using high-definition video.
Still, it remains to be seen if and when such factors might spur an acceleration in traffic growth. “There’s still a lot [of data applications] that can migrate to the Internet, and they should, it’s just doing it at a measured pace,” Odlyzko said. “On other hand, one could say there’s no crisis pushing people to do it. It’s not like people are ditching their TVs. They’re increasing their Internet presence and Internet viewing at the expense of ordinary TV viewing, but not dramatically.”
Though he doesn’t agree with Odlyzko that traffic growth may be declining, Jude said Nemertes’ predictions don’t contradict Odlyzko’s findings, in part because the professor is focusing on Internet core backbones, whereas Nemertes is focusing on the last mile, the devices in the home and the end-user experience. If backbone traffic growth were slowing down, Jude said, it may be because more content is being stored locally, bypassing the network core, rather than any cooling in bandwidth demand.
Furthermore, Nemertes’ warnings of Internet networks clogging refer largely to the gap between user demand and user experience, Jude said, rather than that between traffic volumes and network capacities. “We’re not saying the Internet’s going to break,” he said. “We’re saying the things people would like to deliver to you over the Internet probably aren’t going to work that well.”
Watching the video on his computer slow down and freeze as he spoke, Jude said, “The bottom line that no one can debate is: If the Internet were working perfectly, if access were appropriate, would it ever slow down for you?”
USA - threats for consumers
Online Threats Cost Consumers $8.5 Billion Over Last Two Years
Consumer Reports cites security problems as a main motivation for buying a new PC or Mac and also lists what it considers to be the seven most common online blunders.
Consumers have lost almost $8.5 billion over the last two years to viruses, spyware, and phishing attacks. But computer security problems have been good for the computer business -- consumers replaced some 2.1 million computers because of malware infections.
Consumer Reports published these findings in its September issue as part of its annual State of the Net survey. The data is based on a survey of 2,071 online households conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.
Among other notable data points: Consumers have a 1 in 6 chance of being victimized by cybercrime, down from a 1 in 4 chance in 2007; 19% of respondents said they didn't have antivirus software on their computers; and 75% of respondents said they didn't have an anti-phishing toolbar.
Consumer Reports also lists what it considers to be the seven most common online blunders. These include failing to keep antivirus software up to date; clicking on e-mail links to access financial Web sites; using a single password for all online accounts; downloading free software; assuming that Macs are safer than Windows PCs; clicking on "scareware" pop-up ads that claim your computer is at risk; and shopping online without taking extra precautions.
Consumer Reports' issue with Macs is that Mac users fall for phishing scams at about the same rate as PC users, yet fewer of them use anti-phishing toolbars than PC users. Because Apple's Safari Web browser does not have built-in phishing protection, Consumer Reports recommends using the most recent versions of Firefox or Opera instead of Safari, as well as trying a free anti-phishing toolbar like McAfee Site Advisor or FirePhish.
However, falling for a phishing scam could be characterized as more of an issue of user gullibility than of platform or application security. And despite singling out faith in the protective power of Macs as one of its seven online blunders, Consumer Reports noted, "As in our past surveys, very few Macintosh users reported so much as a single virus or spyware infection."
The magazine also has some kind words for Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s Windows Vista operating system. It says that Windows Vista users were "significantly less likely to report a spyware infection and less likely to report a virus infection than other Windows users."
Consumer Reports cites security problems as a main motivation for buying a new PC or Mac and also lists what it considers to be the seven most common online blunders.
Consumers have lost almost $8.5 billion over the last two years to viruses, spyware, and phishing attacks. But computer security problems have been good for the computer business -- consumers replaced some 2.1 million computers because of malware infections.
Consumer Reports published these findings in its September issue as part of its annual State of the Net survey. The data is based on a survey of 2,071 online households conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.
Among other notable data points: Consumers have a 1 in 6 chance of being victimized by cybercrime, down from a 1 in 4 chance in 2007; 19% of respondents said they didn't have antivirus software on their computers; and 75% of respondents said they didn't have an anti-phishing toolbar.
Consumer Reports also lists what it considers to be the seven most common online blunders. These include failing to keep antivirus software up to date; clicking on e-mail links to access financial Web sites; using a single password for all online accounts; downloading free software; assuming that Macs are safer than Windows PCs; clicking on "scareware" pop-up ads that claim your computer is at risk; and shopping online without taking extra precautions.
Consumer Reports' issue with Macs is that Mac users fall for phishing scams at about the same rate as PC users, yet fewer of them use anti-phishing toolbars than PC users. Because Apple's Safari Web browser does not have built-in phishing protection, Consumer Reports recommends using the most recent versions of Firefox or Opera instead of Safari, as well as trying a free anti-phishing toolbar like McAfee Site Advisor or FirePhish.
However, falling for a phishing scam could be characterized as more of an issue of user gullibility than of platform or application security. And despite singling out faith in the protective power of Macs as one of its seven online blunders, Consumer Reports noted, "As in our past surveys, very few Macintosh users reported so much as a single virus or spyware infection."
The magazine also has some kind words for Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s Windows Vista operating system. It says that Windows Vista users were "significantly less likely to report a spyware infection and less likely to report a virus infection than other Windows users."
India - 3G and HSPA+
RCom to take GSM route for 3G rollout
Firming up its plans to rollout 3G services in the country, Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Communications (RCom) is planning to overlay a 3G infrastructure on its nationwide GSM network.
The company is gearing up to commence deployment of network and infrastructure and is looking at deploying HSPA+ technology that can support data speeds of upto 40 MBPS, a source close to the development told Business Standard.
HSPA or High Speed Packet Access is a collection of mobile telephony protocols that improve the performance of existing mobile technologies.
At present, two standards - HSDPA and HSUPA - are been used, while the advanced version HSPA+ is soon to be released.
RCom is looking at using HSPA+ technologies as to enable it migrate to 4G or Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology easily. LTE can deliver up to 100 MBPS of data speeds. When contacted an RCom spokesperson declined to comment.
However, it would be while before the company can rollout the services as the spectrum would be auctioned, according to the recently announced 3G policy.
The company is looking providing 3G services - which would provide high quality voice and data - across the top 1,000 cities and towns in the country.
RCom is looking at covering entire population residing in urban areas and around 30-35 per cent of the country's total population. The company would also use 25,000 towers of its subsidiary Reliance Infratel to load 3G equipment and electronics.
Firming up its plans to rollout 3G services in the country, Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Communications (RCom) is planning to overlay a 3G infrastructure on its nationwide GSM network.
The company is gearing up to commence deployment of network and infrastructure and is looking at deploying HSPA+ technology that can support data speeds of upto 40 MBPS, a source close to the development told Business Standard.
HSPA or High Speed Packet Access is a collection of mobile telephony protocols that improve the performance of existing mobile technologies.
At present, two standards - HSDPA and HSUPA - are been used, while the advanced version HSPA+ is soon to be released.
RCom is looking at using HSPA+ technologies as to enable it migrate to 4G or Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology easily. LTE can deliver up to 100 MBPS of data speeds. When contacted an RCom spokesperson declined to comment.
However, it would be while before the company can rollout the services as the spectrum would be auctioned, according to the recently announced 3G policy.
The company is looking providing 3G services - which would provide high quality voice and data - across the top 1,000 cities and towns in the country.
RCom is looking at covering entire population residing in urban areas and around 30-35 per cent of the country's total population. The company would also use 25,000 towers of its subsidiary Reliance Infratel to load 3G equipment and electronics.
Mobile - buying goods
More than 2bn Mobile Users Will Have Bought Digital Goods With Their Phones by 2013, According to Juniper Research
A new analysis of the global mobile payments opportunity forecasts that 2.1bn mobile subscribers will "pay by mobile" for digital goods downloaded to their mobile phones by 2013. Juniper Research defines digital goods as music (ringtones and full tracks), tickets, TV, user-generated content, infotainment and games - in fact any content bought by phone and delivered to the phone.
A new analysis of the global mobile payments opportunity forecasts that 2.1bn mobile subscribers will "pay by mobile" for digital goods downloaded to their mobile phones by 2013. Juniper Research defines digital goods as music (ringtones and full tracks), tickets, TV, user-generated content, infotainment and games - in fact any content bought by phone and delivered to the phone.
News Image
Even though typical transaction sizes will remain in the $3-$5 bracket a sufficient number of users will be using their mobiles to buy music, games, tickets, infotainment and the other digital goods sufficiently often to see gross transaction value grow nearly seven fold by 2013.
A region by region analysis by Juniper Research found that there is a significant growth opportunity not only for mobile payment systems, software, support and consultancy services vendors, but also for mobile operators to increase their ARPU as transaction frequencies accelerate.
Report author Howard Wilcox stated: "Many digital content goods and services are becoming basic 'must haves' - particularly in the sub 35 age group. Devices like the iPhone - even in its 3G incarnation - are undoubtedly contributing to consumer awareness and usage of mobile music services. People who are 15 to 20 today will expect to buy directly with their phones and will drive this market over the next few years."
Highlights from the report include:
* Users are forecast to make at least two payment transactions per month for digital goods by 2013
* Nearly half of all mobile phone users will have bought digital goods at least once with their phones by 2013
* The two leading regions (Western Europe and Far East & China) will account for over 50% of the total digital goods gross transaction market value by 2013.
Howard Wilcox continued: "Even though typical transaction sizes will remain in the $3-$5 bracket a sufficient number of users will be using their mobiles to buy music, games, tickets, infotainment and the other digital goods sufficiently often to see gross transaction value grow nearly seven fold by 2013."
A new analysis of the global mobile payments opportunity forecasts that 2.1bn mobile subscribers will "pay by mobile" for digital goods downloaded to their mobile phones by 2013. Juniper Research defines digital goods as music (ringtones and full tracks), tickets, TV, user-generated content, infotainment and games - in fact any content bought by phone and delivered to the phone.
A new analysis of the global mobile payments opportunity forecasts that 2.1bn mobile subscribers will "pay by mobile" for digital goods downloaded to their mobile phones by 2013. Juniper Research defines digital goods as music (ringtones and full tracks), tickets, TV, user-generated content, infotainment and games - in fact any content bought by phone and delivered to the phone.
News Image
Even though typical transaction sizes will remain in the $3-$5 bracket a sufficient number of users will be using their mobiles to buy music, games, tickets, infotainment and the other digital goods sufficiently often to see gross transaction value grow nearly seven fold by 2013.
A region by region analysis by Juniper Research found that there is a significant growth opportunity not only for mobile payment systems, software, support and consultancy services vendors, but also for mobile operators to increase their ARPU as transaction frequencies accelerate.
Report author Howard Wilcox stated: "Many digital content goods and services are becoming basic 'must haves' - particularly in the sub 35 age group. Devices like the iPhone - even in its 3G incarnation - are undoubtedly contributing to consumer awareness and usage of mobile music services. People who are 15 to 20 today will expect to buy directly with their phones and will drive this market over the next few years."
Highlights from the report include:
* Users are forecast to make at least two payment transactions per month for digital goods by 2013
* Nearly half of all mobile phone users will have bought digital goods at least once with their phones by 2013
* The two leading regions (Western Europe and Far East & China) will account for over 50% of the total digital goods gross transaction market value by 2013.
Howard Wilcox continued: "Even though typical transaction sizes will remain in the $3-$5 bracket a sufficient number of users will be using their mobiles to buy music, games, tickets, infotainment and the other digital goods sufficiently often to see gross transaction value grow nearly seven fold by 2013."
canada - paying for incoming SMS
Canadian Wireless Companies Sued Over Text Messages
Frustrated subscribers are suing Canadian wireless operators Telus and Bell Mobility over having to pay for incoming text messages.
Unlike in the United States, the Canadian mobile operators had not been charging subscribers for incoming text messages. But Bell and Telus recently said it would be changing that policy, and there would be a 15-cent charge for each incoming text for subscribers without a text messaging plan.
The move angered many subscribers, as the fee would occur even if the text was spam. Bell plans to start charging Friday, and Telus plans to implement its policy at the end of the month.
Bell subscriber Eric Cormier and Telus customer Natalie Martin said they think the companies are taking illegal actions by unilaterally changing the terms of the cellular contract. They are the main proponents of separate class-action lawsuits filed against the carriers.
"What we're trying to get the court to say is that for the duration of a contract ... the telephone company should not be able to unilaterally modify the conditions of the contract," said lawyer Noel Saint-Pierre, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Bell, Telus, and Rogers Wireless are the major players in the Canadian wireless market, however, Rogers does not charge for incoming texts. The price of text messages could be a critical factor in the market, as Canadians sent more than 10 billion texts last year, according to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association.
The class action suits have not been approved by a judge, and the cases will be presented in September.
These lawsuits are the latest example of customers taking a wireless carrier to court. T-Mobile is currently facing similar litigation regarding its incoming text message fees, and Sprint was recently ordered to pay $73 million in refunds for its early-termination fee policy.
Frustrated subscribers are suing Canadian wireless operators Telus and Bell Mobility over having to pay for incoming text messages.
Unlike in the United States, the Canadian mobile operators had not been charging subscribers for incoming text messages. But Bell and Telus recently said it would be changing that policy, and there would be a 15-cent charge for each incoming text for subscribers without a text messaging plan.
The move angered many subscribers, as the fee would occur even if the text was spam. Bell plans to start charging Friday, and Telus plans to implement its policy at the end of the month.
Bell subscriber Eric Cormier and Telus customer Natalie Martin said they think the companies are taking illegal actions by unilaterally changing the terms of the cellular contract. They are the main proponents of separate class-action lawsuits filed against the carriers.
"What we're trying to get the court to say is that for the duration of a contract ... the telephone company should not be able to unilaterally modify the conditions of the contract," said lawyer Noel Saint-Pierre, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Bell, Telus, and Rogers Wireless are the major players in the Canadian wireless market, however, Rogers does not charge for incoming texts. The price of text messages could be a critical factor in the market, as Canadians sent more than 10 billion texts last year, according to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association.
The class action suits have not been approved by a judge, and the cases will be presented in September.
These lawsuits are the latest example of customers taking a wireless carrier to court. T-Mobile is currently facing similar litigation regarding its incoming text message fees, and Sprint was recently ordered to pay $73 million in refunds for its early-termination fee policy.
Monday, August 04, 2008
South Africa - roaming
MTN's R5 Africa roaming
MTN provides one-rate roaming in Africa.
MTN is building on its 2010 World Cup campaign by providing a standard R5 roaming price throughout Africa.
“No matter where you go in Africa, you can make and receive calls using your MTN cellphone for R5 a minute. If you prefer to just send SMSes, this is even more affordable at only R1.50 per SMS,” the MTN website states.
The per-minute roaming charges for MTN subscribers throughout Africa are as follows:
1. Local calls: R5
2. International calls: R5
3. Calling home: R5
4. Receiving calls: R5
5. Sending an SMS: R1.50
6. Receiving an SMS: Free
The R5 "Africa rate" compares favourably with MTN’s other international roaming rates which vary between R20 and R30 for international calls and R7.50 and R10 for local calls.
The charge of R1.50 per SMS while roaming in Africa is also lower than MTN’s standard international rate of R2.50 per SMS.
The rate of R5 per minute for receiving calls while in Africa is however higher that MTN’s standard international rate of R4.
MTN warns that the standard roaming rate does not apply to data services and advises customers to make themselves aware of these costs if they plan to make use of data services while traveling.
MTN provides one-rate roaming in Africa.
MTN is building on its 2010 World Cup campaign by providing a standard R5 roaming price throughout Africa.
“No matter where you go in Africa, you can make and receive calls using your MTN cellphone for R5 a minute. If you prefer to just send SMSes, this is even more affordable at only R1.50 per SMS,” the MTN website states.
The per-minute roaming charges for MTN subscribers throughout Africa are as follows:
1. Local calls: R5
2. International calls: R5
3. Calling home: R5
4. Receiving calls: R5
5. Sending an SMS: R1.50
6. Receiving an SMS: Free
The R5 "Africa rate" compares favourably with MTN’s other international roaming rates which vary between R20 and R30 for international calls and R7.50 and R10 for local calls.
The charge of R1.50 per SMS while roaming in Africa is also lower than MTN’s standard international rate of R2.50 per SMS.
The rate of R5 per minute for receiving calls while in Africa is however higher that MTN’s standard international rate of R4.
MTN warns that the standard roaming rate does not apply to data services and advises customers to make themselves aware of these costs if they plan to make use of data services while traveling.
Africa - increasing investment in infrastructure
Africa: World Bank Group to Scale Up Infrastructure Investments Significantly
The World Bank Group is moving ahead with an action plan to significantly scale up infrastructure support to developing countries in their growth and poverty reduction efforts, following a Board of Directors meeting that discussed and commended the plan.
The Sustainable Infrastructure Action Plan (SIAP), to be implemented over the next three years, will help countries improve the reach and quality of infrastructure investments through increased financial and analytical support.The value of World Bank Group financing and advisory services in energy, transport, water, and information and communications technologies is estimated to reach US$59-72 billion in fiscal years 2008-2011, compared with US$41 billion over the previous four-year period.
“Modern, cost-effective, reliable, and affordable infrastructure services are critical for sustainable development,” said Katherine Sierra, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development. “Our client countries are asking us to do more to help bring these services to the almost 900 million people without access to safe water, the 1.6 billion people without electricity, the 2.5 billion people without sanitation services, and the estimated one billion people without easy access to an all-weather road. The Action Plan is a roadmap to guide our scaled up investments in infrastructure in a way that also supports environmental sustainability and social inclusion.”
The World Bank Group intends to use its financing, knowledge capital, risk mitigation activities, and environmental and social safeguards to mobilize additional financing. Until the end of FY11, the World Bank Group estimates it will leverage its US$59-72 billion in investments to provide an additional US$109-149 billion through Official Development Assistance, as well as public and private sector investments.
The SIAP foresees increased cooperative approaches among different institutions of the World Bank Group, such as World Bank and IFC (International Finance Corporation) cooperation on sub-national transactions and collaboration between the World Bank, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and IFC on large and complex infrastructure projects, particularly energy sector projects in Africa.
“IFC finances private sector projects which play a major role in satisfying the huge infrastructure needs in developing countries. We expect our investments to double over the next three years from levels during the previous three years,” said Rashad Kaldany, IFC Vice President for Middle East/North Africa and Infrastructure. “In carrying out the Action Plan, IFC puts a special emphasis on public-private partnerships in building such things as power plants and water and transportation systems as the basis for economic growth and poverty reduction.”
The Sustainable Infrastructure Action Plan is an umbrella framework that will provide direction to the many individual efforts to increase infrastructure support by the different World Bank Group institutions through multiple product lines. A key element of the Action Plan is to support continued strengthening of government capacity to design, finance, and implement infrastructure, partner with the private sector, and use new products that address the financial and non-financial risks faced by investors and reduce the overall project costs.
“As part of the World Bank Group, MIGA helps mitigate the risks that typically affect infrastructure investments, such as contract breaches when dealing with untested local governments,” said Edith Quintrell, Director of Operations at MIGA. “By removing noncommercial risks, our investment insurance also helps investors secure the large amounts of financing, at better rates and for longer terms, needed for infrastructure investments.”
The Action Plan is accompanied by emphases on several areas:
• developing more focused approaches to complex cross-sectoral issues, such as the role of infrastructure in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, the role of public-private partnerships in the provision of infrastructure services, and new ways to provide infrastructure support for rural-urban integration and development;
• paying greater attention to improving results monitoring and evaluation of sustainable infrastructure interventions; and
• putting sustainability at the core of infrastructure interventions through focus on the “triple bottom line”—economic/financial, environmental, and social sustainability-based on a platform of strong governance and anti-corruption efforts.
As part of its approach to sustainability, the Action Plan calls for enhancing the environmental outcomes of infrastructure interventions, particularly in areas such as the urban environment (wastewater, solid waste, and air quality management), the household environment (improved sanitation and air pollution, the latter through provision of modern fuels and cookstoves), and the regional environment (sustainable water resources, hydropower, and energy generation infrastructure).
“This is an ambitious plan for the World Bank Group but it is needed at this time if the international community is to reach the Millennium Development Goals” said Jamal Saghir, World Bank Director of Energy, Transport, and Water. “We will harmonize efforts within the World Bank Group, just as we will harmonize efforts with other development partners and the private sector, to ensure that necessary infrastructure investments take place expeditiously for the benefit of the poor.”
The World Bank Group is moving ahead with an action plan to significantly scale up infrastructure support to developing countries in their growth and poverty reduction efforts, following a Board of Directors meeting that discussed and commended the plan.
The Sustainable Infrastructure Action Plan (SIAP), to be implemented over the next three years, will help countries improve the reach and quality of infrastructure investments through increased financial and analytical support.The value of World Bank Group financing and advisory services in energy, transport, water, and information and communications technologies is estimated to reach US$59-72 billion in fiscal years 2008-2011, compared with US$41 billion over the previous four-year period.
“Modern, cost-effective, reliable, and affordable infrastructure services are critical for sustainable development,” said Katherine Sierra, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development. “Our client countries are asking us to do more to help bring these services to the almost 900 million people without access to safe water, the 1.6 billion people without electricity, the 2.5 billion people without sanitation services, and the estimated one billion people without easy access to an all-weather road. The Action Plan is a roadmap to guide our scaled up investments in infrastructure in a way that also supports environmental sustainability and social inclusion.”
The World Bank Group intends to use its financing, knowledge capital, risk mitigation activities, and environmental and social safeguards to mobilize additional financing. Until the end of FY11, the World Bank Group estimates it will leverage its US$59-72 billion in investments to provide an additional US$109-149 billion through Official Development Assistance, as well as public and private sector investments.
The SIAP foresees increased cooperative approaches among different institutions of the World Bank Group, such as World Bank and IFC (International Finance Corporation) cooperation on sub-national transactions and collaboration between the World Bank, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and IFC on large and complex infrastructure projects, particularly energy sector projects in Africa.
“IFC finances private sector projects which play a major role in satisfying the huge infrastructure needs in developing countries. We expect our investments to double over the next three years from levels during the previous three years,” said Rashad Kaldany, IFC Vice President for Middle East/North Africa and Infrastructure. “In carrying out the Action Plan, IFC puts a special emphasis on public-private partnerships in building such things as power plants and water and transportation systems as the basis for economic growth and poverty reduction.”
The Sustainable Infrastructure Action Plan is an umbrella framework that will provide direction to the many individual efforts to increase infrastructure support by the different World Bank Group institutions through multiple product lines. A key element of the Action Plan is to support continued strengthening of government capacity to design, finance, and implement infrastructure, partner with the private sector, and use new products that address the financial and non-financial risks faced by investors and reduce the overall project costs.
“As part of the World Bank Group, MIGA helps mitigate the risks that typically affect infrastructure investments, such as contract breaches when dealing with untested local governments,” said Edith Quintrell, Director of Operations at MIGA. “By removing noncommercial risks, our investment insurance also helps investors secure the large amounts of financing, at better rates and for longer terms, needed for infrastructure investments.”
The Action Plan is accompanied by emphases on several areas:
• developing more focused approaches to complex cross-sectoral issues, such as the role of infrastructure in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, the role of public-private partnerships in the provision of infrastructure services, and new ways to provide infrastructure support for rural-urban integration and development;
• paying greater attention to improving results monitoring and evaluation of sustainable infrastructure interventions; and
• putting sustainability at the core of infrastructure interventions through focus on the “triple bottom line”—economic/financial, environmental, and social sustainability-based on a platform of strong governance and anti-corruption efforts.
As part of its approach to sustainability, the Action Plan calls for enhancing the environmental outcomes of infrastructure interventions, particularly in areas such as the urban environment (wastewater, solid waste, and air quality management), the household environment (improved sanitation and air pollution, the latter through provision of modern fuels and cookstoves), and the regional environment (sustainable water resources, hydropower, and energy generation infrastructure).
“This is an ambitious plan for the World Bank Group but it is needed at this time if the international community is to reach the Millennium Development Goals” said Jamal Saghir, World Bank Director of Energy, Transport, and Water. “We will harmonize efforts within the World Bank Group, just as we will harmonize efforts with other development partners and the private sector, to ensure that necessary infrastructure investments take place expeditiously for the benefit of the poor.”
USA - detecting bandwidth throttling
Switzerland: EFF Software Helps Track ISP Bandwidth Throttling
see also switzerland software
Switzerland - The Electronic Frontier Foundation wants to thwart ISP bandwidth throttling and other devious practices that threaten the idea of network neutrality. But the FCC and other groups that oversee such matters often lack the tools and technical prowess to even know when ISPs are up to no good.
To lend a helping hand and put some more power in the hands of everyday users like you and me, the EFF recently released Switzerland, an open source software tool for “testing the integrity of data communications over networks, ISPs and firewalls.”
“Until now, there hasn’t been a reliable way to tell if somebody — a hacker, an ISP, corporate firewall or the Great Firewall of China — is modifying your Internet traffic en route,” says Peter Eckersley, EFF staff technologist and designer of Switzerland, in the press release.
Eckersley goes on to say that Switzerland is “designed to make general-purpose ISP testing faster and easier.”
Although Switzerland is currently an alpha release and only works on the command line, it does offer a nice looking set of tools that can detection packet modifications or injections as they travel over your networks.
That means if your ISP (Comcast, for instance) is using anti-P2P tools, like those from Sandvine, or otherwise tampering with your internet traffic, you’ll know about it.
see also switzerland software
Switzerland - The Electronic Frontier Foundation wants to thwart ISP bandwidth throttling and other devious practices that threaten the idea of network neutrality. But the FCC and other groups that oversee such matters often lack the tools and technical prowess to even know when ISPs are up to no good.
To lend a helping hand and put some more power in the hands of everyday users like you and me, the EFF recently released Switzerland, an open source software tool for “testing the integrity of data communications over networks, ISPs and firewalls.”
“Until now, there hasn’t been a reliable way to tell if somebody — a hacker, an ISP, corporate firewall or the Great Firewall of China — is modifying your Internet traffic en route,” says Peter Eckersley, EFF staff technologist and designer of Switzerland, in the press release.
Eckersley goes on to say that Switzerland is “designed to make general-purpose ISP testing faster and easier.”
Although Switzerland is currently an alpha release and only works on the command line, it does offer a nice looking set of tools that can detection packet modifications or injections as they travel over your networks.
That means if your ISP (Comcast, for instance) is using anti-P2P tools, like those from Sandvine, or otherwise tampering with your internet traffic, you’ll know about it.
Mobile TV
MobiTV Soars Past Four Million Subscribers
MobiTV, Inc., the leader in the delivery of rich media mobile content and services, today announced that its managed network for mobile television and radio has surpassed four million subscribers. Since launching its first mobile television service in November 2003, MobiTV has successfully sparked a new market for wireless entertainment services, deploying its Emmy® Award-winning television offerings on more than 15 carrier networks, including Sprint, AT&T Wireless, Alltel, Telus, Rogers and Bell Mobility among others.
“The company continues to accelerate its growth trajectory, adding another million subscribers in the past 10 months,” said Charlie Nooney, chairman and CEO, MobiTV. “We are thrilled to be on the cusp of mass market acceptance for mobile entertainment in North America. We see a vibrant future for user-driven programming, interactivity and connected media experiences, all of which we continue to create and innovate to deliver a superior value to network operators, content owners, advertisers and viewing consumers.”
With unlimited channel capacity and more than 50 channels available in the U.S. currently, MobiTV offers the industry’s largest line-up of live television, premium and primetime programming, video-on-demand and satellite and digital music services programming from major brands such as ESPN, NBC, Disney ChannelSM, A&E Networks® and Discovery Communications. MobiTV’s extensive programming line-up includes MSNBC, Animal Planet, Bravo, USA Network™, Bloomberg Television, Access Hollywood, CNBC, CNET, Fox Business, Oxygen (Oh!), Pussycat Dolls, Sci Fi, The History Channel™, The Weather Channel®, TLC, ToonWorld TV Classics, V40 Top Hits, XM Radio® and more. Available channel line-ups vary by carrier partner.
“Not only are we experiencing a phenomenal rise in subscriptions, we’re also seeing rapid growth in daily unique users and viewing time, both of which have increased over 50 percent in the first half of 2008,” said Paul Scanlan, president and co-founder of MobiTV. “These indicators confirm that we are entering a period of mass market mobile TV adoption and MobiTV is quite simply the best delivery platform for carrier and content partners as we all work together to create, distribute and monetize the next generation of mobile entertainment services.”
The MobiTV® service is available on more than 350 devices currently, the widest range of handsets in the mobile television industry, and provides the market’s first and only truly interactive platform for advertising, voting, polling and mCommerce. MobiTV’s ongoing development initiatives focus on enhancing both the back-end infrastructure as well as the front-end user experience for mobile television.
MobiTV, Inc., the leader in the delivery of rich media mobile content and services, today announced that its managed network for mobile television and radio has surpassed four million subscribers. Since launching its first mobile television service in November 2003, MobiTV has successfully sparked a new market for wireless entertainment services, deploying its Emmy® Award-winning television offerings on more than 15 carrier networks, including Sprint, AT&T Wireless, Alltel, Telus, Rogers and Bell Mobility among others.
“The company continues to accelerate its growth trajectory, adding another million subscribers in the past 10 months,” said Charlie Nooney, chairman and CEO, MobiTV. “We are thrilled to be on the cusp of mass market acceptance for mobile entertainment in North America. We see a vibrant future for user-driven programming, interactivity and connected media experiences, all of which we continue to create and innovate to deliver a superior value to network operators, content owners, advertisers and viewing consumers.”
With unlimited channel capacity and more than 50 channels available in the U.S. currently, MobiTV offers the industry’s largest line-up of live television, premium and primetime programming, video-on-demand and satellite and digital music services programming from major brands such as ESPN, NBC, Disney ChannelSM, A&E Networks® and Discovery Communications. MobiTV’s extensive programming line-up includes MSNBC, Animal Planet, Bravo, USA Network™, Bloomberg Television, Access Hollywood, CNBC, CNET, Fox Business, Oxygen (Oh!), Pussycat Dolls, Sci Fi, The History Channel™, The Weather Channel®, TLC, ToonWorld TV Classics, V40 Top Hits, XM Radio® and more. Available channel line-ups vary by carrier partner.
“Not only are we experiencing a phenomenal rise in subscriptions, we’re also seeing rapid growth in daily unique users and viewing time, both of which have increased over 50 percent in the first half of 2008,” said Paul Scanlan, president and co-founder of MobiTV. “These indicators confirm that we are entering a period of mass market mobile TV adoption and MobiTV is quite simply the best delivery platform for carrier and content partners as we all work together to create, distribute and monetize the next generation of mobile entertainment services.”
The MobiTV® service is available on more than 350 devices currently, the widest range of handsets in the mobile television industry, and provides the market’s first and only truly interactive platform for advertising, voting, polling and mCommerce. MobiTV’s ongoing development initiatives focus on enhancing both the back-end infrastructure as well as the front-end user experience for mobile television.
ICTs and regional development
Conference report of eris@ annual conference 2008: "Opportunities and Rewards for Regional Development through ICT: New Paradigms – New Challenges"
1 August 2008
The eris@ Annual Conference 2008 debated issues of vital concern for Europe and its regions - offering a range of perspectives from regional, national European and global levels on the opportunities and challenges that regions will face; offered participants the opportunity to gain understanding of the ways regions can contribute to the Lisbon Agenda and their own development; focused on Innovation and Creativity, the critical success factors in the emerging Knowledge Society.
1 August 2008
The eris@ Annual Conference 2008 debated issues of vital concern for Europe and its regions - offering a range of perspectives from regional, national European and global levels on the opportunities and challenges that regions will face; offered participants the opportunity to gain understanding of the ways regions can contribute to the Lisbon Agenda and their own development; focused on Innovation and Creativity, the critical success factors in the emerging Knowledge Society.
Kenya - cheaper calls
Kenya President Calls for Reduced Calling Charges
Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki has added his voice to the call for reduced calling charges.
Speaking at the official launch of Zain (formerly Celtel) last week, Kibaki said that the government has made available cheaper technology, which can reduce costs for telecommunication companies.
The government has zero-rated duty on all computers and computer accessories, including telecommunications equipment, as a way of encouraging growth in the ICT sector, he said.
With the liberalized telecom sector, Kenyans can expect to reap benefits through cheaper calling rates and improved access, Kibaki added.
The president also challenged telecom companies to expand their networks to rural areas, where a majority of Kenya's people live without service.
Citing the reduced calling charges within the Zain network, Kibaki underscored the need for continued innovation in linking networks across Africa and the Middle East, adding that it would greatly reduce call charges for business travelers across the two continents.
"This will make it cheaper and easier for businesses and families operating in Africa and the Middle East," Kibaki said.
Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki has added his voice to the call for reduced calling charges.
Speaking at the official launch of Zain (formerly Celtel) last week, Kibaki said that the government has made available cheaper technology, which can reduce costs for telecommunication companies.
The government has zero-rated duty on all computers and computer accessories, including telecommunications equipment, as a way of encouraging growth in the ICT sector, he said.
With the liberalized telecom sector, Kenyans can expect to reap benefits through cheaper calling rates and improved access, Kibaki added.
The president also challenged telecom companies to expand their networks to rural areas, where a majority of Kenya's people live without service.
Citing the reduced calling charges within the Zain network, Kibaki underscored the need for continued innovation in linking networks across Africa and the Middle East, adding that it would greatly reduce call charges for business travelers across the two continents.
"This will make it cheaper and easier for businesses and families operating in Africa and the Middle East," Kibaki said.
USA - broadband in Massachussetts
In Massachusetts, Governor to Sign $40 Million Broadband Bill Aimed at Spurring Investment
At 10 a.m. this morning, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is scheduled to sign state-wide broadband legislation at the town hall of Goshen, about 12 miles northwest of Northhampton and in the Berkeshire Mountains.
The law creates a $40 million Massachusetts broadband incentive fund, allowing the state to issue 30-year bonds to help bring broadband to unserved communities like Goshen. The funds will be administered by a quasi-public agency, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, which has been studying broadband in Massachusetts.
Goshen is one of the 32 town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – out of a total of 351 towns and cities – that have no commercial broadband providers, according to Sharon Gillett, Commissioner of the Department of Telecommunications and Cable.
The 32 towns – all of which are in the western portion of Massachusetts, are “the one that we have defined as having no consumer-level provision of service,” Gillett said in an interview. Gillett said that state defined “unserved” as meaning that they had no access to fiber-optic, cable modem, or digital subscriber line (DSL) service.
The bill, which passed the Massachusetts House on June 30, cleared the Senate in July. Initially composed of $25 million, the House added $15 million to bill in an effort to allow underserved communities to tap into the funding.
Once signed into legislation, the technology collaborative will have the authority to tap into the fund, and “issue requests to the private sector, to anyone who wants to co-invest with the commonwealth, in servicing” these areas, said Gillett. “The governor’s initiative was always intended to stimulate private investment.”
In May 2006 the John Adams Innovation Institute, the economic development arm of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, developed a broadband initiative to support fast and ubiquitous high-speed connectivity throughout Massachusetts.
Last fall, the the John Adams institute published a town-by-town map (see below) of broadband availability, including the names of the providers that offer service to each township. The map identifies townships with 0 providers, with broadband coverage in a portion of the township (which it defined as “underserved”), and townships with 1, 2 or more broadband providers.
The Massachusetts data differs from the data about the numbers of providers indicated by the Federal Communications Commission.
In the Goshen, MA, ZIP code of 01032, for example, the FCC says that there are 5 broadband services; while Massachusetts says that there are 0 broadband services.
Because Massachusetts publicly releases the names of the available providers, BroadbandCensus.com has been able to incorporate this data onto its web site. BroadbandCensus.com combines data from individual internet users, carriers, and state and local government officials. As a result of the data from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, BroadbandCensus.com coverage is more complete in Massachusetts than in any other state.
Gillett said the federal government’s Universal Service Fund and Rural Utilities Service provide subsidization to only 3 of the 32 communities. That’s one reason for the state-wide initiative, she said.
In addition to the unserved communities, “there are another 63 towns that we have identified as underserved or partially served” because they have coverage within a portion of the township.
“Massachusetts has been has been very lucky [in that] we have been a very attractive market,” for investment by major carrier, said Gillett. Speaking of the fiber optic service offered by Verizon Communications, she said, “there are about 70 communities that have FiOS, and the biggest complaint people have about FiOS is, ‘when can I get it?’”
Referring to the combination of internet, cable television and telephone service, Gillett said, “the largest cable provider Comcast has triple play service, and they have all three services available in all communities” in which they offer service.
Gillett said that she expected the state to continue to disclose the names of carriers and where they offer service. “I am all for public disclosure; I understand that the carriers have some issues with that,” she said. “Once you are spending public money, there is accountability as to how you spend it, and there is accountability to make sure that you are spending it in the right places.”
“We need [disclosure] in a way that the state can hold the carriers accountable for the spending of public money,” she said.
At 10 a.m. this morning, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is scheduled to sign state-wide broadband legislation at the town hall of Goshen, about 12 miles northwest of Northhampton and in the Berkeshire Mountains.
The law creates a $40 million Massachusetts broadband incentive fund, allowing the state to issue 30-year bonds to help bring broadband to unserved communities like Goshen. The funds will be administered by a quasi-public agency, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, which has been studying broadband in Massachusetts.
Goshen is one of the 32 town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – out of a total of 351 towns and cities – that have no commercial broadband providers, according to Sharon Gillett, Commissioner of the Department of Telecommunications and Cable.
The 32 towns – all of which are in the western portion of Massachusetts, are “the one that we have defined as having no consumer-level provision of service,” Gillett said in an interview. Gillett said that state defined “unserved” as meaning that they had no access to fiber-optic, cable modem, or digital subscriber line (DSL) service.
The bill, which passed the Massachusetts House on June 30, cleared the Senate in July. Initially composed of $25 million, the House added $15 million to bill in an effort to allow underserved communities to tap into the funding.
Once signed into legislation, the technology collaborative will have the authority to tap into the fund, and “issue requests to the private sector, to anyone who wants to co-invest with the commonwealth, in servicing” these areas, said Gillett. “The governor’s initiative was always intended to stimulate private investment.”
In May 2006 the John Adams Innovation Institute, the economic development arm of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, developed a broadband initiative to support fast and ubiquitous high-speed connectivity throughout Massachusetts.
Last fall, the the John Adams institute published a town-by-town map (see below) of broadband availability, including the names of the providers that offer service to each township. The map identifies townships with 0 providers, with broadband coverage in a portion of the township (which it defined as “underserved”), and townships with 1, 2 or more broadband providers.
The Massachusetts data differs from the data about the numbers of providers indicated by the Federal Communications Commission.
In the Goshen, MA, ZIP code of 01032, for example, the FCC says that there are 5 broadband services; while Massachusetts says that there are 0 broadband services.
Because Massachusetts publicly releases the names of the available providers, BroadbandCensus.com has been able to incorporate this data onto its web site. BroadbandCensus.com combines data from individual internet users, carriers, and state and local government officials. As a result of the data from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, BroadbandCensus.com coverage is more complete in Massachusetts than in any other state.
Gillett said the federal government’s Universal Service Fund and Rural Utilities Service provide subsidization to only 3 of the 32 communities. That’s one reason for the state-wide initiative, she said.
In addition to the unserved communities, “there are another 63 towns that we have identified as underserved or partially served” because they have coverage within a portion of the township.
“Massachusetts has been has been very lucky [in that] we have been a very attractive market,” for investment by major carrier, said Gillett. Speaking of the fiber optic service offered by Verizon Communications, she said, “there are about 70 communities that have FiOS, and the biggest complaint people have about FiOS is, ‘when can I get it?’”
Referring to the combination of internet, cable television and telephone service, Gillett said, “the largest cable provider Comcast has triple play service, and they have all three services available in all communities” in which they offer service.
Gillett said that she expected the state to continue to disclose the names of carriers and where they offer service. “I am all for public disclosure; I understand that the carriers have some issues with that,” she said. “Once you are spending public money, there is accountability as to how you spend it, and there is accountability to make sure that you are spending it in the right places.”
“We need [disclosure] in a way that the state can hold the carriers accountable for the spending of public money,” she said.
Africa - foreign ownership
African Telecom Faces Race, Foreign Ownership Questions
In July, Vodacom South Africa unveiled "the biggest empowerment deal" with the expectation that 50,000 black citizens would buy shares in the country's most popular cellular network.
The 6.25 percent shares up for grabs will benefit middle- to low-income citizens in a country where racial inequality is still manifested in the wide wealth gap between whites and blacks.
The offer came a day after Paris Mashile, chairman of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), termed telecommunications as a new gold rush, where large white-owned companies pocket the wealth and leave nothing for the masses. Mashile argued that the lowest rungs of society would be alienated if the ICASA did not actively demand a greater role for black people in the industry.
ICASA is now insisting that new licenses for spectrum go to companies that are at least 51 percent black-owned. The six new licenses on offer are for WiMax, and each license will allocate 20MHz of spectrum.
The race question in South Africa is almost a taboo subject, but the new proposition has angered many in the telecom sector.
Thami Msimango, Telkom's chief technical officer, argued that licenses should be given to people who can afford to roll out infrastructure, while Vodacom CEO Alan Knott-Craig said that true empowerment will not be achieved by favoring operations owned by the previously disadvantaged.
While South Africa tackles the race question, other African countries are grappling with favoritism of foreign companies over local ownership.
Case in point is an operator who was controversially licensed by the Kenyan government, despite the fact that a few years before the tender, a high-powered team of some of Kenya's brightest technocrats found that the company should never have been allowed to bid in a privatization tender, said telecom analyst Mike Theuri.
"Local companies must be given equal opportunity, but they must not whine about foreign companies," he advised. "They must raise their game and compete at the highest level of global standards today."
The unwritten requirement of telecom licensing in Africa has been that you must be foreign, said Joseph Okpaku, president and CEO of The Telecom Africa Corporation. Local entities have always been seen as inferior and less attractive, with the licensing bodies being overly focused on direct foreign investment, he added.
"The innovative way local entities have got into telecom has been coming in under the wings of foreign bidders," Okpaku said. "In Kenya, when locals had oversubscribed the Safaricom IPO by almost 300 percent, the government was still insisting on a portion of the IPO being reserved for foreign investors."
Citing examples from India, Brazil and China, Theuri argued that most countries do not know how to leverage markets for investment and, rather, demand foreign direct investment in return for access to the markets.
"We give away the crown jewels away for cents. For instance, only $25 million was paid for a 3G license to Vodafone's Safaricom in Kenya, while close to $600 million was paid in Egypt for the same," Theuri said. "In reality, the record profits earned every year are proof that the average consumer is still getting a raw deal, even when providers are offered licenses at throw away prices."
Proper policies need to be put in place and regulators must implement tight regimes governing access to markets by foreigners, Theuri said.
"Protectionism is the name of the game," he noted. "Try and see if you can acquire more than 25 percent of an American airline or a controlling stake in a U.S. or Canadian telecom company as a foreigner: One simply cannot."
In July, Vodacom South Africa unveiled "the biggest empowerment deal" with the expectation that 50,000 black citizens would buy shares in the country's most popular cellular network.
The 6.25 percent shares up for grabs will benefit middle- to low-income citizens in a country where racial inequality is still manifested in the wide wealth gap between whites and blacks.
The offer came a day after Paris Mashile, chairman of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), termed telecommunications as a new gold rush, where large white-owned companies pocket the wealth and leave nothing for the masses. Mashile argued that the lowest rungs of society would be alienated if the ICASA did not actively demand a greater role for black people in the industry.
ICASA is now insisting that new licenses for spectrum go to companies that are at least 51 percent black-owned. The six new licenses on offer are for WiMax, and each license will allocate 20MHz of spectrum.
The race question in South Africa is almost a taboo subject, but the new proposition has angered many in the telecom sector.
Thami Msimango, Telkom's chief technical officer, argued that licenses should be given to people who can afford to roll out infrastructure, while Vodacom CEO Alan Knott-Craig said that true empowerment will not be achieved by favoring operations owned by the previously disadvantaged.
While South Africa tackles the race question, other African countries are grappling with favoritism of foreign companies over local ownership.
Case in point is an operator who was controversially licensed by the Kenyan government, despite the fact that a few years before the tender, a high-powered team of some of Kenya's brightest technocrats found that the company should never have been allowed to bid in a privatization tender, said telecom analyst Mike Theuri.
"Local companies must be given equal opportunity, but they must not whine about foreign companies," he advised. "They must raise their game and compete at the highest level of global standards today."
The unwritten requirement of telecom licensing in Africa has been that you must be foreign, said Joseph Okpaku, president and CEO of The Telecom Africa Corporation. Local entities have always been seen as inferior and less attractive, with the licensing bodies being overly focused on direct foreign investment, he added.
"The innovative way local entities have got into telecom has been coming in under the wings of foreign bidders," Okpaku said. "In Kenya, when locals had oversubscribed the Safaricom IPO by almost 300 percent, the government was still insisting on a portion of the IPO being reserved for foreign investors."
Citing examples from India, Brazil and China, Theuri argued that most countries do not know how to leverage markets for investment and, rather, demand foreign direct investment in return for access to the markets.
"We give away the crown jewels away for cents. For instance, only $25 million was paid for a 3G license to Vodafone's Safaricom in Kenya, while close to $600 million was paid in Egypt for the same," Theuri said. "In reality, the record profits earned every year are proof that the average consumer is still getting a raw deal, even when providers are offered licenses at throw away prices."
Proper policies need to be put in place and regulators must implement tight regimes governing access to markets by foreigners, Theuri said.
"Protectionism is the name of the game," he noted. "Try and see if you can acquire more than 25 percent of an American airline or a controlling stake in a U.S. or Canadian telecom company as a foreigner: One simply cannot."
USA - aging text messagers
Seniors Tap Into Texting
The fastest-growing group of cellphone users, older adults are eager to train their thumbs to do more than dial.
Jane Stohlman, 69, stared intently, trying to figure out why in the dickens that tiny envelope kept appearing on her cellphone's screen.
The helpful young man sitting beside her explained. It was a text message, and it was far more useful than one of those old-fashioned voice mails.
"Not at my age," Stohlman informed him. "And who the heck was texting me?"
Stohlman was one of about 50 senior citizens who came to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda yesterday to decode the mysteries of the cellphone. Many had bought the contraptions to be safe, to call home if the car broke down or they were running late. Once they got them, their children and grandchildren started nagging, demanding more and more virtuosity. Now, they are confronting texting. Next, they might take a photo. With a telephone, for heaven's sake.
The session at the mall on how to go beyond making phone calls was organized by the Montgomery County chapter of Oasis, an organization for people 50 and older. The cellphone masters were provided by AT&T.
For wireless companies, senior citizens are a relatively underserved market. About 50 percent of seniors over age 65 own a cellphone, compared with nearly 90 percent of consumers 18 to 29, according to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Two percent of seniors own a BlackBerry or other PDA, compared with 17 percent of their younger counterparts. Six percent of seniors have sent a text message, while 75 percent of the younger group are ravenous texters.
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"It's becoming a more acceptable piece of technology for older adults," said Jane Silberman, co-director of the Montgomery County Oasis chapter, which also holds classes that teach members how to use computers and surf the Internet. Yesterday's event had a 72-person waiting list. Cellphones "used to be there just for safety reasons, but it's become a tool they're comfortable with," Silberman said.
Seniors make up the fastest-growing market for companies like AT&T. And they control about half of the disposable income in the country, said Mike Bennett, AT&T's executive director of consumer and government affairs, who helps coordinate such training sessions with senior groups. The Oasis chapter in Hyattsville will hold a similar event in October.
David Perkins of Friendship Heights wanted to know why he got stuck with roaming charges on his bill every time he visited his son in Texas. He also wondered why it had to be so difficult to attach his cellphone to its charger. But he was most bewildered by the text messages his grandchildren keep trying to send him.
"I've told them not to send me any because I have to pay every time I get one," he said. He was pleased to find out that Verizon Wireless, his carrier, offers a $5 plan that will allow him to send and receive about 250 texts a month.
Tobi Esler, 76, of Chevy Chase, wanted to know what a SIM card was and why anyone would want one. Archie Bassett, an AT&T sales representative, explained that a SIM card is a tiny memory-storage card lets you transfer your phone number and address book to another phone. He assured her that her phone already had one.
"Oh . . . cool," she said, still sounding unsure. "So why would anyone not store their contact list on a SIM card?"
Some SIM cards don't let you attach a photo to a name, Bassett said. Some people instead store everything directly on their phone, so pictures pop up when certain people call. Just then, his girlfriend's picture flashed on his own cellphone's screen as she called.
"Why would you want to do that?" Esler teased. "Just in case you forget what she looks like?"
Alas, Esler's phone can't take pictures. She got it about four years ago, when cellphones were still mainly used for, of all things, making phone calls.
"My grandkids call it a toy phone," she said. "They've all got the fancy flip-phones."
Bassett then showed her how to designate her daughter as a contact under "ICE," short for "in case of emergency."
But when he typed the wrong letter, he was one who was stumped. He couldn't find the delete button.
Now it was Esler's turn to show off her cellphone skills. She proudly pointed out the correct button. "It may be old, but it still works fine."
Tap, tap, tapping away in search of the right letters to spell out "Hello" for a text message seemed a bit overwhelming to Stohlman.
It's all about rhythm, she was encouraged by Damon Frazier, also an AT&T sales representative. It just takes practice.
"It's a pain in the neck!" Stohlman said.
Actually, Frazier said, texting can be quite addictive.
"Trust me," Stohlman said. "I have plenty of other things to do."
The fastest-growing group of cellphone users, older adults are eager to train their thumbs to do more than dial.
Jane Stohlman, 69, stared intently, trying to figure out why in the dickens that tiny envelope kept appearing on her cellphone's screen.
The helpful young man sitting beside her explained. It was a text message, and it was far more useful than one of those old-fashioned voice mails.
"Not at my age," Stohlman informed him. "And who the heck was texting me?"
Stohlman was one of about 50 senior citizens who came to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda yesterday to decode the mysteries of the cellphone. Many had bought the contraptions to be safe, to call home if the car broke down or they were running late. Once they got them, their children and grandchildren started nagging, demanding more and more virtuosity. Now, they are confronting texting. Next, they might take a photo. With a telephone, for heaven's sake.
The session at the mall on how to go beyond making phone calls was organized by the Montgomery County chapter of Oasis, an organization for people 50 and older. The cellphone masters were provided by AT&T.
For wireless companies, senior citizens are a relatively underserved market. About 50 percent of seniors over age 65 own a cellphone, compared with nearly 90 percent of consumers 18 to 29, according to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Two percent of seniors own a BlackBerry or other PDA, compared with 17 percent of their younger counterparts. Six percent of seniors have sent a text message, while 75 percent of the younger group are ravenous texters.
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"It's becoming a more acceptable piece of technology for older adults," said Jane Silberman, co-director of the Montgomery County Oasis chapter, which also holds classes that teach members how to use computers and surf the Internet. Yesterday's event had a 72-person waiting list. Cellphones "used to be there just for safety reasons, but it's become a tool they're comfortable with," Silberman said.
Seniors make up the fastest-growing market for companies like AT&T. And they control about half of the disposable income in the country, said Mike Bennett, AT&T's executive director of consumer and government affairs, who helps coordinate such training sessions with senior groups. The Oasis chapter in Hyattsville will hold a similar event in October.
David Perkins of Friendship Heights wanted to know why he got stuck with roaming charges on his bill every time he visited his son in Texas. He also wondered why it had to be so difficult to attach his cellphone to its charger. But he was most bewildered by the text messages his grandchildren keep trying to send him.
"I've told them not to send me any because I have to pay every time I get one," he said. He was pleased to find out that Verizon Wireless, his carrier, offers a $5 plan that will allow him to send and receive about 250 texts a month.
Tobi Esler, 76, of Chevy Chase, wanted to know what a SIM card was and why anyone would want one. Archie Bassett, an AT&T sales representative, explained that a SIM card is a tiny memory-storage card lets you transfer your phone number and address book to another phone. He assured her that her phone already had one.
"Oh . . . cool," she said, still sounding unsure. "So why would anyone not store their contact list on a SIM card?"
Some SIM cards don't let you attach a photo to a name, Bassett said. Some people instead store everything directly on their phone, so pictures pop up when certain people call. Just then, his girlfriend's picture flashed on his own cellphone's screen as she called.
"Why would you want to do that?" Esler teased. "Just in case you forget what she looks like?"
Alas, Esler's phone can't take pictures. She got it about four years ago, when cellphones were still mainly used for, of all things, making phone calls.
"My grandkids call it a toy phone," she said. "They've all got the fancy flip-phones."
Bassett then showed her how to designate her daughter as a contact under "ICE," short for "in case of emergency."
But when he typed the wrong letter, he was one who was stumped. He couldn't find the delete button.
Now it was Esler's turn to show off her cellphone skills. She proudly pointed out the correct button. "It may be old, but it still works fine."
Tap, tap, tapping away in search of the right letters to spell out "Hello" for a text message seemed a bit overwhelming to Stohlman.
It's all about rhythm, she was encouraged by Damon Frazier, also an AT&T sales representative. It just takes practice.
"It's a pain in the neck!" Stohlman said.
Actually, Frazier said, texting can be quite addictive.
"Trust me," Stohlman said. "I have plenty of other things to do."
South Korea - infodemics - epidemics of information
Bruised South Korean government takes on "infodemics"
South Korea's unpopular young government is having second thoughts about the benefits of running the world's most wired society.
The mass access to the Internet, which helped ex-CEO Lee Myung-bak to his resounding presidential election victory, went on to become the instrument helping shatter that popularity in just five months in office.
Now the government is working on new rules to rein in the excesses of its netizens and bring some control to the information -- and disinformation -- that bombards the nation's computer screens.
"We have to guard against 'infodemics,' in which inaccurate, false information is disseminated, prompting social unrest that spreads like an epidemic," Lee told parliament early in July.
Lee has every reason to take it personally.
Barely had he taken office in February than he was accused of putting the nation's health at risk by agreeing to import U.S. beef, long banned because of concerns over mad cow disease.
Much of the fear, at times hysteria, was fanned by blogs and discussion boards that crammed into South Korea's Internet space. It helped trigger mass protests that daily clogged central Seoul in late spring and early summer as tens of thousands took to the streets to demand U.S. beef be kept from South Korean tables.
An early hot topic was a scientific study, heavily distorted in the retelling but widely believed judging by Internet postings, that Koreans had a genetic predisposition to catching the disease.
Another was that a beef by-product used in the manufacture of diapers put the nation's babies at risk of succumbing to bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
But the government argues its concern goes beyond attacks on its policies, and rules are needed to bring a largely uncontrolled media into line with its traditional counterpart.
Stories abound of people being cruelly and very publicly hounded on the Internet, sometimes to the point of suicide.
Personal information too has become increasingly vulnerable. Earlier this year, the country's biggest online market place was hacked and enough information to identify some 13 million people released to anyone with an Internet connection -- which includes most of South Korea's population.
The Justice Ministry is working on what it calls a Cyber Defamation Law.
"The reality is that we lack the means to effectively deal with harmful Internet messages," a ministry official said.
The Korean Communications Commission, which regulates the industry, has come up with its own rules to oblige portals to suspend sites stepping outside the limits and force Websites to use real names of anyone posting comments.
The commission says the measures are designed to improve security and reduce the spread of false information.
FREEDOM
Predictably, voices are rising that the government moves are attempts to erode freedom in a country that has had only two decades of democratic elections.
"The regulations violate the autonomy of the Internet and are an effective tool for tighter media control by the government," said Lee Han-ki, senior editor at the popular citizen news Website OhMyNews.
"The regulations would bring about a reverse in the advancement of the Internet media as a whole."
But an official with one major local portal, who asked not to be identified, said he thought the commission was right to get tough.
It was also backed by some academics, including Kweon Sang-hee, a journalism and mass communications professor at Sungkyunkwan University.
"South Korea is a leading testbed for the IT industry and the Internet media here certainly has a frontier-like aspect in leading experimental democracy.
"But the Internet media should also serve public good, and compared with other countries, South Korea has lacked the institutional control over the media, in which people tend to expand and reproduce unverified, one-sided information."
South Korea's netizens remain unconvinced.
"If you want to sue me with the Cyber Defamation Law, go ahead. History will charge you with insulting South Koreans," read one posting.
South Korea's unpopular young government is having second thoughts about the benefits of running the world's most wired society.
The mass access to the Internet, which helped ex-CEO Lee Myung-bak to his resounding presidential election victory, went on to become the instrument helping shatter that popularity in just five months in office.
Now the government is working on new rules to rein in the excesses of its netizens and bring some control to the information -- and disinformation -- that bombards the nation's computer screens.
"We have to guard against 'infodemics,' in which inaccurate, false information is disseminated, prompting social unrest that spreads like an epidemic," Lee told parliament early in July.
Lee has every reason to take it personally.
Barely had he taken office in February than he was accused of putting the nation's health at risk by agreeing to import U.S. beef, long banned because of concerns over mad cow disease.
Much of the fear, at times hysteria, was fanned by blogs and discussion boards that crammed into South Korea's Internet space. It helped trigger mass protests that daily clogged central Seoul in late spring and early summer as tens of thousands took to the streets to demand U.S. beef be kept from South Korean tables.
An early hot topic was a scientific study, heavily distorted in the retelling but widely believed judging by Internet postings, that Koreans had a genetic predisposition to catching the disease.
Another was that a beef by-product used in the manufacture of diapers put the nation's babies at risk of succumbing to bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
But the government argues its concern goes beyond attacks on its policies, and rules are needed to bring a largely uncontrolled media into line with its traditional counterpart.
Stories abound of people being cruelly and very publicly hounded on the Internet, sometimes to the point of suicide.
Personal information too has become increasingly vulnerable. Earlier this year, the country's biggest online market place was hacked and enough information to identify some 13 million people released to anyone with an Internet connection -- which includes most of South Korea's population.
The Justice Ministry is working on what it calls a Cyber Defamation Law.
"The reality is that we lack the means to effectively deal with harmful Internet messages," a ministry official said.
The Korean Communications Commission, which regulates the industry, has come up with its own rules to oblige portals to suspend sites stepping outside the limits and force Websites to use real names of anyone posting comments.
The commission says the measures are designed to improve security and reduce the spread of false information.
FREEDOM
Predictably, voices are rising that the government moves are attempts to erode freedom in a country that has had only two decades of democratic elections.
"The regulations violate the autonomy of the Internet and are an effective tool for tighter media control by the government," said Lee Han-ki, senior editor at the popular citizen news Website OhMyNews.
"The regulations would bring about a reverse in the advancement of the Internet media as a whole."
But an official with one major local portal, who asked not to be identified, said he thought the commission was right to get tough.
It was also backed by some academics, including Kweon Sang-hee, a journalism and mass communications professor at Sungkyunkwan University.
"South Korea is a leading testbed for the IT industry and the Internet media here certainly has a frontier-like aspect in leading experimental democracy.
"But the Internet media should also serve public good, and compared with other countries, South Korea has lacked the institutional control over the media, in which people tend to expand and reproduce unverified, one-sided information."
South Korea's netizens remain unconvinced.
"If you want to sue me with the Cyber Defamation Law, go ahead. History will charge you with insulting South Koreans," read one posting.
USA - FCC and Comcast
F.C.C. Vote Sets Precedent on Unfettered Web Usage
The Federal Communications Commission formally voted Friday to uphold the complaint against Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, saying that it had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service from using popular file-sharing software. The decision, which imposes no fine, requires Comcast to end such blocking this year.
Kevin J. Martin, the commission’s chairman, said the order was meant to set a precedent that Internet providers, and indeed all communications companies, could not keep customers from using their networks the way they see fit unless there is a good reason.
“We are preserving the open character of the Internet,” Mr. Martin said in an interview after the 3-to-2 vote. “We are saying that network operators can’t block people from getting access to any content and any applications.”
The case also highlights the broader issue of whether new legislation is needed to force Internet providers to treat all uses of their networks equally, a concept called network neutrality. Some have urged legislation to make sure that big Internet companies do not discriminate against small companies or those that compete with their video or telephone services.
The legal complaint against Comcast, which is based in Philadelphia, relates to BitTorrent, software that is commonly used by people downloading movies, television shows, music and software. Many, but hardly all, of those files are copyrighted material traded without authorization.
Comcast says that a small percentage of its customers using BitTorrent consume a large share of its network capacity, degrading the Internet access of other customers. So it installed equipment that slowed — but did not completely block — file transfers using BitTorrent.
Comcast has already said that it plans to move to a new way of managing its network at times of peak use to avoid singling out certain programs. Nevertheless, the company objected rather strongly to the commission’s decision.
“We believe that our network management choices were reasonable, wholly consistent with industry practices,” Sena Fitzmaurice, a spokeswoman for the company, said in a statement. “We are considering all our legal options and are disappointed that the commission rejected our attempts to settle this issue without further delays.”
Analysts said they expected Comcast to appeal the decision.
The company’s blocking received wide publicity last October after The Associated Press ran tests of Comcast’s network that substantiated some users’ allegations. Two public advocacy groups, Free Press and Public Knowledge, then filed a formal complaint with the commission, which held several hearings into the matter.
Mr. Martin, a Republican, was supported in Friday’s decision by the two Democratic commissioners, Jonathan S. Adelstein and Michael J. Copps. The move was opposed by the two other Republican members, Robert M. McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate.
In a lengthy dissent, Mr. McDowell wrote that the commission did not have the legal authority to take such action because it had never issued formal regulations on the issues in question.
“This matter would have had a better chance on appeal if we had put the horse before the cart and conducted a rule-making, issued rules and then enforced them,” he wrote.
Mr. Martin responded that it was common practice for agencies to address new policy issues when dealing with complaints.
Mr. McDowell also wrote that Comcast’s systems were a legitimate method of managing the capacity of the network and not an attempt to disadvantage rivals.
“Americans download more than 11 billion Internet videos per month, yet the record contains no evidence that Comcast is interfering with sites like YouTube,” he wrote, adding that YouTube does not use the BitTorrent software that was blocked.
Curiously, representatives from other telecommunications companies praised the decision, even though they objected to the commission meddling in how they manage their networks. They said they would prefer such rulings to legislation from Congress, which has discussed enshrining net neutrality principles in the law.
Jim Cicconi, senior executive vice president for external and legislative affairs for AT&T, said in a statement, “Regardless of how one views the merits of the complaint against Comcast, the F.C.C. today has shown that its national Internet policies work, and that they are more than sufficient for handling any net neutrality concerns that may arise.”
Edward J. Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, has introduced legislation to mandate network neutrality. He said in a statement that the F.C.C.’s action in fact proved that Congress must act on the issue.
“Vigilance by regulators and policy makers, coupled with a commitment to act when necessary, is vital to thwart the emergence of new bottlenecks to competition and innovation,” he said.
The Federal Communications Commission formally voted Friday to uphold the complaint against Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, saying that it had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service from using popular file-sharing software. The decision, which imposes no fine, requires Comcast to end such blocking this year.
Kevin J. Martin, the commission’s chairman, said the order was meant to set a precedent that Internet providers, and indeed all communications companies, could not keep customers from using their networks the way they see fit unless there is a good reason.
“We are preserving the open character of the Internet,” Mr. Martin said in an interview after the 3-to-2 vote. “We are saying that network operators can’t block people from getting access to any content and any applications.”
The case also highlights the broader issue of whether new legislation is needed to force Internet providers to treat all uses of their networks equally, a concept called network neutrality. Some have urged legislation to make sure that big Internet companies do not discriminate against small companies or those that compete with their video or telephone services.
The legal complaint against Comcast, which is based in Philadelphia, relates to BitTorrent, software that is commonly used by people downloading movies, television shows, music and software. Many, but hardly all, of those files are copyrighted material traded without authorization.
Comcast says that a small percentage of its customers using BitTorrent consume a large share of its network capacity, degrading the Internet access of other customers. So it installed equipment that slowed — but did not completely block — file transfers using BitTorrent.
Comcast has already said that it plans to move to a new way of managing its network at times of peak use to avoid singling out certain programs. Nevertheless, the company objected rather strongly to the commission’s decision.
“We believe that our network management choices were reasonable, wholly consistent with industry practices,” Sena Fitzmaurice, a spokeswoman for the company, said in a statement. “We are considering all our legal options and are disappointed that the commission rejected our attempts to settle this issue without further delays.”
Analysts said they expected Comcast to appeal the decision.
The company’s blocking received wide publicity last October after The Associated Press ran tests of Comcast’s network that substantiated some users’ allegations. Two public advocacy groups, Free Press and Public Knowledge, then filed a formal complaint with the commission, which held several hearings into the matter.
Mr. Martin, a Republican, was supported in Friday’s decision by the two Democratic commissioners, Jonathan S. Adelstein and Michael J. Copps. The move was opposed by the two other Republican members, Robert M. McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate.
In a lengthy dissent, Mr. McDowell wrote that the commission did not have the legal authority to take such action because it had never issued formal regulations on the issues in question.
“This matter would have had a better chance on appeal if we had put the horse before the cart and conducted a rule-making, issued rules and then enforced them,” he wrote.
Mr. Martin responded that it was common practice for agencies to address new policy issues when dealing with complaints.
Mr. McDowell also wrote that Comcast’s systems were a legitimate method of managing the capacity of the network and not an attempt to disadvantage rivals.
“Americans download more than 11 billion Internet videos per month, yet the record contains no evidence that Comcast is interfering with sites like YouTube,” he wrote, adding that YouTube does not use the BitTorrent software that was blocked.
Curiously, representatives from other telecommunications companies praised the decision, even though they objected to the commission meddling in how they manage their networks. They said they would prefer such rulings to legislation from Congress, which has discussed enshrining net neutrality principles in the law.
Jim Cicconi, senior executive vice president for external and legislative affairs for AT&T, said in a statement, “Regardless of how one views the merits of the complaint against Comcast, the F.C.C. today has shown that its national Internet policies work, and that they are more than sufficient for handling any net neutrality concerns that may arise.”
Edward J. Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, has introduced legislation to mandate network neutrality. He said in a statement that the F.C.C.’s action in fact proved that Congress must act on the issue.
“Vigilance by regulators and policy makers, coupled with a commitment to act when necessary, is vital to thwart the emergence of new bottlenecks to competition and innovation,” he said.
Mobile web - standardisation
W3C Standards Make Mobile Web Experience More Inviting
see also w3c
W3C today announced new standards that will make it easier for people to browse the Web on mobile devices. Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0, published as a W3C Recommendation, condenses the experience of many mobile Web stakeholders into practical advice on creating mobile-friendly content.
"Mobile Web content developers now have stable guidelines and maturing tools to help them create a better mobile Web experience," said Dominique Hazaël-Massieux, W3C Mobile Web Activity Lead. "In support of the W3C mission of building One Web, we want to support the developer community by providing tools to enable a great mobile Web user experience."
Mobile Web Design Guidelines Address Challenges on the Go
People who want to use the Web while "on the go" face several challenges, including hardware and software diversity, device constraints, and bandwidth limitations. Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0 helps content authors face those challenges and develop content that works on a wide array of mobile devices. Authors and other content producers will find practical advice for managing user experience challenges such as data input and page scrolling.
Until today, content developers faced an additional challenge: a variety of mobile markup languages to choose from. With the publication of the XHTML Basic 1.1 Recommendation today, the preferred format specification of the Best Practices, there is now a full convergence in mobile markup languages, including those developed by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA).
The W3C mobileOK checker (beta), when used with the familiar W3C validator, helps developers test mobile-friendly Web content.
Next Steps: Mobile Web Application Guidelines
According to Juniper Research, "the global market for Mobile Web 2.0 will be worth $22.4 billion in 2013, up from $5.5 billion currently." Keeping pace with this trend, the Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP) Working Group published today the first draft of the next generation of guidelines, Mobile Web Application Best Practices, aimed at mobile Web applications. While the "original" best practices document focused on traditional Web browsing, the new guidelines will focus on the use of Web applications and widgets for user interaction opportunities on mobile devices. For example, mobile content providers might use Web applications together with geolocation information to provide users with richer location-based services and interfaces.
W3C is also developing resources to help authors understand how to create content that is both mobile-friendly and accessible to people with disabilities. A draft of Relationship between Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is jointly published by the The Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group and WAI's Education & Outreach Working Group (EOWG).
The MWBP Working Group participants, including key leaders from the mobile industry and representatives of the Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) sponsors, are declaring their support for today's set of published mobile Web technologies.
see also w3c
W3C today announced new standards that will make it easier for people to browse the Web on mobile devices. Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0, published as a W3C Recommendation, condenses the experience of many mobile Web stakeholders into practical advice on creating mobile-friendly content.
"Mobile Web content developers now have stable guidelines and maturing tools to help them create a better mobile Web experience," said Dominique Hazaël-Massieux, W3C Mobile Web Activity Lead. "In support of the W3C mission of building One Web, we want to support the developer community by providing tools to enable a great mobile Web user experience."
Mobile Web Design Guidelines Address Challenges on the Go
People who want to use the Web while "on the go" face several challenges, including hardware and software diversity, device constraints, and bandwidth limitations. Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0 helps content authors face those challenges and develop content that works on a wide array of mobile devices. Authors and other content producers will find practical advice for managing user experience challenges such as data input and page scrolling.
Until today, content developers faced an additional challenge: a variety of mobile markup languages to choose from. With the publication of the XHTML Basic 1.1 Recommendation today, the preferred format specification of the Best Practices, there is now a full convergence in mobile markup languages, including those developed by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA).
The W3C mobileOK checker (beta), when used with the familiar W3C validator, helps developers test mobile-friendly Web content.
Next Steps: Mobile Web Application Guidelines
According to Juniper Research, "the global market for Mobile Web 2.0 will be worth $22.4 billion in 2013, up from $5.5 billion currently." Keeping pace with this trend, the Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP) Working Group published today the first draft of the next generation of guidelines, Mobile Web Application Best Practices, aimed at mobile Web applications. While the "original" best practices document focused on traditional Web browsing, the new guidelines will focus on the use of Web applications and widgets for user interaction opportunities on mobile devices. For example, mobile content providers might use Web applications together with geolocation information to provide users with richer location-based services and interfaces.
W3C is also developing resources to help authors understand how to create content that is both mobile-friendly and accessible to people with disabilities. A draft of Relationship between Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is jointly published by the The Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group and WAI's Education & Outreach Working Group (EOWG).
The MWBP Working Group participants, including key leaders from the mobile industry and representatives of the Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) sponsors, are declaring their support for today's set of published mobile Web technologies.
IM - six degrees of freedom
Study revives six degrees theory
A US study of instant messaging suggests the theory that it takes only six steps to link everyone may be right - though seven seems more accurate.
Microsoft researchers studied the addresses of 30bn instant messages sent during a single month in 2006.
Any two people on average are linked by seven or fewer acquaintances, they say.
The theory of six degrees of separation has long captured people's imagination - notably inspiring a popular 1993 film - but had recently seemed discredited.
One of the researchers on the Microsoft Messenger project, Eric Horvitz, said he had been shocked by the results.
"What we're seeing suggests there may be a social connectivity constant for humanity," he was quoted as saying by the Washington Post newspaper.
"People have had this suspicion that we are really close. But we are showing on a very large scale that this idea goes beyond folklore."
A US study of instant messaging suggests the theory that it takes only six steps to link everyone may be right - though seven seems more accurate.
Microsoft researchers studied the addresses of 30bn instant messages sent during a single month in 2006.
Any two people on average are linked by seven or fewer acquaintances, they say.
The theory of six degrees of separation has long captured people's imagination - notably inspiring a popular 1993 film - but had recently seemed discredited.
One of the researchers on the Microsoft Messenger project, Eric Horvitz, said he had been shocked by the results.
"What we're seeing suggests there may be a social connectivity constant for humanity," he was quoted as saying by the Washington Post newspaper.
"People have had this suspicion that we are really close. But we are showing on a very large scale that this idea goes beyond folklore."
India - licensing 3G
MTNL, BSNL jump 3G queue
Indian consumers will have their tryst with 3G telecom services in the next six months, with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announcing that it is issuing state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) spectrum to roll out all-India services.
3G or third generation services offer consumers internet access at speeds that are at least 30 times faster than 2G.
The move will give the state-owned corporations a four-to five-month head-start in the 3G space over private sector rivals.
The government, which announced the broad guidelines of the 3G policy today, said details of the auctioning of spectrum - radio frequencies that enable wireless communications - and the number of players allowed in each circle will be finalised within four months.
The state-owned corporations, for which spectrum has already been reserved, will have to match the highest bid after the auction for private companies is completed.
Announcing the new 3G initiative, Communications Minister A Raja said: "We expect to earn Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 crore through this 3G auction."
BSNL Chairman Kuldeep Goyal added: "We will roll out an all-India 3G network in six months starting from the north and east." The company has placed orders for equipment and said 25 per cent of the 40 million-line GSM order is for 3G services.
Industry experts predict 45-70 million 3G customers by 2012, roughly 10 per cent of the mobile customer base. New players that win bids will, however, have to pay additional cash (Rs 1,650 crore for an all-India 3G licence) for mandatorily taking a universal access service licence (UASL) also.
The industry is divided on today's announcement. "The government's plans to allocate additional spectrum should ensure the fullest possible breadth of competition in 3G services," said T V Ramachandran, director general, Cellular Operators Association of India, which represents GSM mobile operators.
"This will surely push our valuations up since new players who win bids for 3G, will have to tie up with us for 2G," said Mahendra Nahata, a shareholder in all-India licence-holder Datacom Solutions.
But new players interested in entering the country (AT&T, Sprint and some West Asian telcos) said the guidelines will make it unviable for them until they also get 2G spectrum simultaneously.
"You can't sustain a business in which 10 players are fighting for only 70 million 3G customers. You need a mass consumer base of 2G subscribers to survive, so getting 2G spectrum with 3G is essential," said a senior executive of a telco with plans to enter India.
Although new players have to pay more for a UASL, there is no guarantee that they will get the 4.4 MHz start-up 2G spectrum that comes bundled with the licence because such spectrum is in short supply.
Also, a new player would need $3 billion to $3.5 billion to roll out a 3G network from scratch. A 2G incumbent can roll out 3G operations for half the cost, giving it a huge competitive advantage.
Indian consumers will have their tryst with 3G telecom services in the next six months, with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announcing that it is issuing state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) spectrum to roll out all-India services.
3G or third generation services offer consumers internet access at speeds that are at least 30 times faster than 2G.
The move will give the state-owned corporations a four-to five-month head-start in the 3G space over private sector rivals.
The government, which announced the broad guidelines of the 3G policy today, said details of the auctioning of spectrum - radio frequencies that enable wireless communications - and the number of players allowed in each circle will be finalised within four months.
The state-owned corporations, for which spectrum has already been reserved, will have to match the highest bid after the auction for private companies is completed.
Announcing the new 3G initiative, Communications Minister A Raja said: "We expect to earn Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 crore through this 3G auction."
BSNL Chairman Kuldeep Goyal added: "We will roll out an all-India 3G network in six months starting from the north and east." The company has placed orders for equipment and said 25 per cent of the 40 million-line GSM order is for 3G services.
Industry experts predict 45-70 million 3G customers by 2012, roughly 10 per cent of the mobile customer base. New players that win bids will, however, have to pay additional cash (Rs 1,650 crore for an all-India 3G licence) for mandatorily taking a universal access service licence (UASL) also.
The industry is divided on today's announcement. "The government's plans to allocate additional spectrum should ensure the fullest possible breadth of competition in 3G services," said T V Ramachandran, director general, Cellular Operators Association of India, which represents GSM mobile operators.
"This will surely push our valuations up since new players who win bids for 3G, will have to tie up with us for 2G," said Mahendra Nahata, a shareholder in all-India licence-holder Datacom Solutions.
But new players interested in entering the country (AT&T, Sprint and some West Asian telcos) said the guidelines will make it unviable for them until they also get 2G spectrum simultaneously.
"You can't sustain a business in which 10 players are fighting for only 70 million 3G customers. You need a mass consumer base of 2G subscribers to survive, so getting 2G spectrum with 3G is essential," said a senior executive of a telco with plans to enter India.
Although new players have to pay more for a UASL, there is no guarantee that they will get the 4.4 MHz start-up 2G spectrum that comes bundled with the licence because such spectrum is in short supply.
Also, a new player would need $3 billion to $3.5 billion to roll out a 3G network from scratch. A 2G incumbent can roll out 3G operations for half the cost, giving it a huge competitive advantage.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Ghana - privatisation
Ghana Telecom's Privatisation Faces Legal Challenge
Concerned Ghanaians—a protest group—has said that it has launched legal proceedings against the sale of a 70% stake in Ghana Telecom to Vodafone. The group says that it plans to file a writ in the coming days with the aim of obtaining a court order to ban the deal. The group argues that the deal undervalues Ghana Telecom and as such is not in the best interest of Ghanaians. According to local sources, parliament will convene an extraordinary session on 12 August 2008 to discuss the issue.
Significance: Organised opposition to the deal appears to be mounting. The issue has become an electoral one: with elections in December 2008, the opposition is ramping up pressure on the government to abandon the sale. However, given Ghana Telecom’s loss-making status and high levels of debt, it remains unclear whether another bidder would emerge.
Concerned Ghanaians—a protest group—has said that it has launched legal proceedings against the sale of a 70% stake in Ghana Telecom to Vodafone. The group says that it plans to file a writ in the coming days with the aim of obtaining a court order to ban the deal. The group argues that the deal undervalues Ghana Telecom and as such is not in the best interest of Ghanaians. According to local sources, parliament will convene an extraordinary session on 12 August 2008 to discuss the issue.
Significance: Organised opposition to the deal appears to be mounting. The issue has become an electoral one: with elections in December 2008, the opposition is ramping up pressure on the government to abandon the sale. However, given Ghana Telecom’s loss-making status and high levels of debt, it remains unclear whether another bidder would emerge.
Japan - Softbank as the top mobile Internet company
Softbank Eyes World's Top Mobile Internet Company
Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son has set a goal to become the world's largest mobile Internet company, he said Saturday in a speech aimed at inspiring owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China.
Calling Softbank "the Internet version of Berkshire Hathaway," referring to the company of the world's richest man, Warren Buffett, Son sees the mobile Internet as the future of connected communications. He cited Japan's 80 percent penetration rate for 3G (third generation telephony). "In the past, we learned from the U.S...for 3G, Japan is bringing the new technology. I think this will happen in the rest of the world," he said. He also noted that currently China and India, which are among the world's top five mobile markets, have no 3G services, and therefore the potential for growth is huge.
Without making any announcements, Son made it clear that he will continue to look for investment opportunities in China. "In the future, if you do not become number one in China, you will not be the number one in the world." Son has so far found success here with his investment in Alibaba, which went public late last year, and Softbank holds a 14 percent stake in social networking site Xiaonei, with an option to increase its holdings to as much as 40 percent.
Softbank is already the largest Internet company in Asia by market capitalization (currently 2.1 trillion yen or US$19.53 billion). It earned net profit of about $240 million for its 2007 fiscal year, about 60 percent of which came from mobile communications, Son said.
He spoke at the Second APEC Business Advisory Council SME Summit in Hangzhou, Alibaba CEO Jack Ma's hometown.
Softbank invested US$20 million in Alibaba in 2000 as part of a $25 million round. Son serves on Alibaba's board, and Softbank and the Chinese company created Alibaba Japan earlier this year as a $20 million joint venture.
Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son has set a goal to become the world's largest mobile Internet company, he said Saturday in a speech aimed at inspiring owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China.
Calling Softbank "the Internet version of Berkshire Hathaway," referring to the company of the world's richest man, Warren Buffett, Son sees the mobile Internet as the future of connected communications. He cited Japan's 80 percent penetration rate for 3G (third generation telephony). "In the past, we learned from the U.S...for 3G, Japan is bringing the new technology. I think this will happen in the rest of the world," he said. He also noted that currently China and India, which are among the world's top five mobile markets, have no 3G services, and therefore the potential for growth is huge.
Without making any announcements, Son made it clear that he will continue to look for investment opportunities in China. "In the future, if you do not become number one in China, you will not be the number one in the world." Son has so far found success here with his investment in Alibaba, which went public late last year, and Softbank holds a 14 percent stake in social networking site Xiaonei, with an option to increase its holdings to as much as 40 percent.
Softbank is already the largest Internet company in Asia by market capitalization (currently 2.1 trillion yen or US$19.53 billion). It earned net profit of about $240 million for its 2007 fiscal year, about 60 percent of which came from mobile communications, Son said.
He spoke at the Second APEC Business Advisory Council SME Summit in Hangzhou, Alibaba CEO Jack Ma's hometown.
Softbank invested US$20 million in Alibaba in 2000 as part of a $25 million round. Son serves on Alibaba's board, and Softbank and the Chinese company created Alibaba Japan earlier this year as a $20 million joint venture.
France Telecom - financial results
Mobile Telephony Drives France TéLéCom Revenue
France Télécom reported revenue up 1.5 percent for the first half of the year, with growth strongest in its mobile communications division.
Consolidated revenue for the half-year totalled EUR 26.3 billion (US$41.5 billion as of June 30, the last day of the period reported), up 1.5 percent on the same period last year.
However, the company suffered from exchange rate changes, and sold off its mobile and Internet operations in the Netherlands during the year. At constant currency rates the company's continuing operations grew 3.9 percent, the company said Thursday.
Net income declined to EUR 2.7 billion for the half-year, from EUR 3.3 billion a year earlier. Excluding the effect of nonrecurring items, income rose 4.4 percent to EUR 2.5 billion.
France Télécom's mobile division, personal communication services, accounts for over half the company's revenue: EUR 14.4 billion for the half-year. Excluding the effect of exchange rate fluctuations and the sale of mobile operations in the Netherlands, that's a growth rate of 7 percent.
Fixed-line revenue in the home communication services division grew more slowly, up 0.3 percent on a comparable basis. The 29 percent year-on-year growth in broadband services was offset by continuing decline in traditional telephony services.
Enterprise communication services revenue continues to grow more slowly than the company as a whole. At EUR 3.8 billion, it rose just 1.1 percent year on year, or 2.9 percent excluding currency effects and discontinued operations -- its best performance in the last 18 months. The company sees the strongest growth in what it calls extended business services, primarily consulting and service management activities.
Looking ahead, the company is counting on Apple's iPhone 3G to boost mobile revenue in the second half. The company has the exclusive right to distribute the phone in France, and is also an authorized distributor in Poland and a number of the other countries in which it operates.
France Télécom reported revenue up 1.5 percent for the first half of the year, with growth strongest in its mobile communications division.
Consolidated revenue for the half-year totalled EUR 26.3 billion (US$41.5 billion as of June 30, the last day of the period reported), up 1.5 percent on the same period last year.
However, the company suffered from exchange rate changes, and sold off its mobile and Internet operations in the Netherlands during the year. At constant currency rates the company's continuing operations grew 3.9 percent, the company said Thursday.
Net income declined to EUR 2.7 billion for the half-year, from EUR 3.3 billion a year earlier. Excluding the effect of nonrecurring items, income rose 4.4 percent to EUR 2.5 billion.
France Télécom's mobile division, personal communication services, accounts for over half the company's revenue: EUR 14.4 billion for the half-year. Excluding the effect of exchange rate fluctuations and the sale of mobile operations in the Netherlands, that's a growth rate of 7 percent.
Fixed-line revenue in the home communication services division grew more slowly, up 0.3 percent on a comparable basis. The 29 percent year-on-year growth in broadband services was offset by continuing decline in traditional telephony services.
Enterprise communication services revenue continues to grow more slowly than the company as a whole. At EUR 3.8 billion, it rose just 1.1 percent year on year, or 2.9 percent excluding currency effects and discontinued operations -- its best performance in the last 18 months. The company sees the strongest growth in what it calls extended business services, primarily consulting and service management activities.
Looking ahead, the company is counting on Apple's iPhone 3G to boost mobile revenue in the second half. The company has the exclusive right to distribute the phone in France, and is also an authorized distributor in Poland and a number of the other countries in which it operates.
Zambia - Celtel network collapse
Celtel Zambia Network Collapses Again
Celtel Zambia's mobile network has collapsed yet again, leaving thousands of customers disconnected only a month after the Communications Authority of Zambia (CAZ) said that Celtel implemented its directives to better the network.
The collapse of Celtel's network was partially caused by maintenance work the company is undertaking, according to Bridget Nundwe, Celtel Zambia public relations manager.
CAZ, however, is now pushing for stiffer telecommunication laws and higher penalties in order to make mobile service providers more accountable to customers for the reliability of their networks.
CAZ's survey on the performance of the country's networks early this year showed that all three national service providers -- Celtel, CellZ and MTN -- were offering shoddy services in many parts of the country, and CAZ threatened punishment if service did not improve.
Celtel Zambia had assured CAZ that it was implementing the authority's directives to address shortcomings identified by the survey, Ngabo Nankamba, CAZ public relations manager, said last month.
Celtel Zambia's mobile network has collapsed yet again, leaving thousands of customers disconnected only a month after the Communications Authority of Zambia (CAZ) said that Celtel implemented its directives to better the network.
The collapse of Celtel's network was partially caused by maintenance work the company is undertaking, according to Bridget Nundwe, Celtel Zambia public relations manager.
CAZ, however, is now pushing for stiffer telecommunication laws and higher penalties in order to make mobile service providers more accountable to customers for the reliability of their networks.
CAZ's survey on the performance of the country's networks early this year showed that all three national service providers -- Celtel, CellZ and MTN -- were offering shoddy services in many parts of the country, and CAZ threatened punishment if service did not improve.
Celtel Zambia had assured CAZ that it was implementing the authority's directives to address shortcomings identified by the survey, Ngabo Nankamba, CAZ public relations manager, said last month.
Nigeria - Zoom mobile
Reltel Changes to ZOOMmobile
Nigerian telecom operator Reltel Wireless has changed its name to ZOOMmobile, the company's executive vice chairman, Ken Aigbinode, announced at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday.
The ZOOMmobile brand identifies itself as youthful, vibrant and dynamic, he said, yet with the professionalism to offer unrivalled speed and reliability.
"Our rebranding is deeply rooted in an evolving internal culture of service excellence," Aigbinode said.
Along with the rebranding, ZOOMmobile introduced a new numbering plan. The 0707 series will allow for up to 10 million lines.
Reltel Wireless launched 10 years ago and has more than 1.5 million subscribers.
Nigerian telecom operator Reltel Wireless has changed its name to ZOOMmobile, the company's executive vice chairman, Ken Aigbinode, announced at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday.
The ZOOMmobile brand identifies itself as youthful, vibrant and dynamic, he said, yet with the professionalism to offer unrivalled speed and reliability.
"Our rebranding is deeply rooted in an evolving internal culture of service excellence," Aigbinode said.
Along with the rebranding, ZOOMmobile introduced a new numbering plan. The 0707 series will allow for up to 10 million lines.
Reltel Wireless launched 10 years ago and has more than 1.5 million subscribers.
Deep packet inspection
What the telecom industry will do about DPI
Based on public perception, Deep Packet Inspection would seem to be a technology either headed for the scrap heap or doomed to very limited applications.
Well-documented problems with how DPI is used have many, including the American Civil Liberties Union, questioning whether this technology, which allows ISPs to look at each packet they transport and know where it comes from, where it is going, and which subscribers and applications are involved, isn’t too dangerous to be widely deployed and used.
“If DPI is built everywhere, will we see the govt. try to force ISPs or search companies to turn over data or create a back door for the government – targeted warrants and requests?” said Timothy Sparapani, ACLU senior legislative counsel. “I don’t think people expect there to be a gatekeeper or recording monitoring their Internet activity.”
That’s why the ACLU and others have argued in Congressional hearings for limits on what telecom service providers can do with DPI.
Telecom industry officials, particularly those who have developed products which use DPI or something similar to enable new applications and services believe that is throwing the baby out with the bath water.
“It’s as if somebody took a hammer and broke into a store and stole some cash and Congress says ‘We are going to outlaw hammers’,” said Kevin Walsh, vice president of marketing for Zeugma, which makes an edge services router that uses Deep Session Inspection, a sister to DPI.
One way Zeugma is avoiding the controversy around DPI is to limit what its product does in potentially controversial areas such as throttling peer-to-peer traffic. Other vendors “are probably doing a noble thing trying to identify peer-to-peer traffic, which is a moving target,” Walsh said. “We don’t do that -- we don’t do signature libraries for peer-to-peer. We are more focused on identifying traffic types and doing things that promote them, delivering the types of services that seemed to have passed scrutiny. It’s a little bit of political correctness and terminology because DPI is now a bad word to use, and that’s unfortunate.”
Other DPI vendors have also tried to use different terminology to describe their products, but as Peder Jungck, co-founder and CTO of CloudShield, pointed out, there are risks associated with merely renaming the technology.
“We can’t completely run away from the concept,” Jungck said. “The problem I have with running away from the words is, does that mean we are going to have a charade out there between us and consumers? Because consumers are bright, and they can figure out what is doing on. If all we do is come up with a new name, and people go on using it in exactly the same way, then we wind up with the same issues all over again. What needs to be established is, what are the appropriate things that service provides can do or not do?”
A number of DPI vendors have come together to create dpacket.org, a group and a Web site that seeks to offer public information about deep packet inspection, with the hopes of calming fears and showing what the technology can do. Among the founding sponsor companies are Allot Communications, Bivio Networks, Cloudshield, Ellacoya Networks (now part of Arbor Networks), LSI, Qosmos, Sandvine, and Solera Networks.
“This technology was originally intended for service providers, but the marketplace has all of a sudden brought attention that we had never expected,” Jungck said. “We are starting to change our focus – we need to help people understand what we are going. Consumers understand these things – how it is good and where it is not appropriate.”
ATIS, the U.S. organization focused on telecom standards, is also preparing to tackle DPI, through its Packet Technologies and Systems Committee (PTSC).
Allot, which incorporated DPI into a service gateway, is addressing the issues head on, said Cam Cullen, director of product marketing and product management, and isn’t seeing any abatement in demand.
“We aren’t seeing any slowdown,” Cullen said. “For us, we know what our product is and what it does and our introduction of service gateway product put our stake in the ground as to where we are going. We are seeing a rise in the need to offer application-based services.”
If, as many believe, the industry moves more toward usage-based billing or tiered services, DPI is likely to play an important role in enabling service providers to manage their networks while offering the differing service levels, much as U.K. ISP PlusNet does today.
Of course, tiered services in and of themselves are likely to set off another firestorm of protest from those who support Net Neutrality and believe service tiers are inherently unfair.
Based on public perception, Deep Packet Inspection would seem to be a technology either headed for the scrap heap or doomed to very limited applications.
Well-documented problems with how DPI is used have many, including the American Civil Liberties Union, questioning whether this technology, which allows ISPs to look at each packet they transport and know where it comes from, where it is going, and which subscribers and applications are involved, isn’t too dangerous to be widely deployed and used.
“If DPI is built everywhere, will we see the govt. try to force ISPs or search companies to turn over data or create a back door for the government – targeted warrants and requests?” said Timothy Sparapani, ACLU senior legislative counsel. “I don’t think people expect there to be a gatekeeper or recording monitoring their Internet activity.”
That’s why the ACLU and others have argued in Congressional hearings for limits on what telecom service providers can do with DPI.
Telecom industry officials, particularly those who have developed products which use DPI or something similar to enable new applications and services believe that is throwing the baby out with the bath water.
“It’s as if somebody took a hammer and broke into a store and stole some cash and Congress says ‘We are going to outlaw hammers’,” said Kevin Walsh, vice president of marketing for Zeugma, which makes an edge services router that uses Deep Session Inspection, a sister to DPI.
One way Zeugma is avoiding the controversy around DPI is to limit what its product does in potentially controversial areas such as throttling peer-to-peer traffic. Other vendors “are probably doing a noble thing trying to identify peer-to-peer traffic, which is a moving target,” Walsh said. “We don’t do that -- we don’t do signature libraries for peer-to-peer. We are more focused on identifying traffic types and doing things that promote them, delivering the types of services that seemed to have passed scrutiny. It’s a little bit of political correctness and terminology because DPI is now a bad word to use, and that’s unfortunate.”
Other DPI vendors have also tried to use different terminology to describe their products, but as Peder Jungck, co-founder and CTO of CloudShield, pointed out, there are risks associated with merely renaming the technology.
“We can’t completely run away from the concept,” Jungck said. “The problem I have with running away from the words is, does that mean we are going to have a charade out there between us and consumers? Because consumers are bright, and they can figure out what is doing on. If all we do is come up with a new name, and people go on using it in exactly the same way, then we wind up with the same issues all over again. What needs to be established is, what are the appropriate things that service provides can do or not do?”
A number of DPI vendors have come together to create dpacket.org, a group and a Web site that seeks to offer public information about deep packet inspection, with the hopes of calming fears and showing what the technology can do. Among the founding sponsor companies are Allot Communications, Bivio Networks, Cloudshield, Ellacoya Networks (now part of Arbor Networks), LSI, Qosmos, Sandvine, and Solera Networks.
“This technology was originally intended for service providers, but the marketplace has all of a sudden brought attention that we had never expected,” Jungck said. “We are starting to change our focus – we need to help people understand what we are going. Consumers understand these things – how it is good and where it is not appropriate.”
ATIS, the U.S. organization focused on telecom standards, is also preparing to tackle DPI, through its Packet Technologies and Systems Committee (PTSC).
Allot, which incorporated DPI into a service gateway, is addressing the issues head on, said Cam Cullen, director of product marketing and product management, and isn’t seeing any abatement in demand.
“We aren’t seeing any slowdown,” Cullen said. “For us, we know what our product is and what it does and our introduction of service gateway product put our stake in the ground as to where we are going. We are seeing a rise in the need to offer application-based services.”
If, as many believe, the industry moves more toward usage-based billing or tiered services, DPI is likely to play an important role in enabling service providers to manage their networks while offering the differing service levels, much as U.K. ISP PlusNet does today.
Of course, tiered services in and of themselves are likely to set off another firestorm of protest from those who support Net Neutrality and believe service tiers are inherently unfair.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Europe - data roaming charges
EU telco chief to propose data roaming cap
The European Union's top telecoms regulator will propose a cap on the cost of downloading data using a mobile phone or laptop while travelling which could cut charges sharply, an EU official said on Wednesday.
Last year the EU executive European Commission introduced a three-year cap on the cost of roamed voice calls, one of Brussels' most popular policies ever.
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said on July 15 she will propose capping the cost of sending text messages while outside a home state in the 27-nation bloc.
Since then Reding has decided the draft law should also extend to capping the prices of roamed data downloading.
"She is favouring this on data roaming though the final decision will be with the Commission as a whole," the EU Commission official said on condition of anonymity.
Reding expects Commission backing for adopting a draft law on capping roamed text prices but it is unclear if she will also get backing for including a cap on roamed data.
The European Parliament and EU states will have final say on Reding's draft law on roamed telecom services.
The average cost of roamed data for consumers is about 3.5 euros per megabyte, excluding sales tax. The Commission's impact assessment will test a cap of around 1 euro, the official said.
The effect on operators may not be heavy, however.
"We see this cap as a safety net to cut out exorbitant tariffs as by the time this regulation comes into effect around next July, many data roaming tariffs will have come down to these levels anyway," the official added.
National telecoms regulators in the EU states back Reding's plans on capping roamed texts and a three-year extension on roamed voice call caps but they are split over whether data roaming tariffs should also be capped.
Operators say the data roaming market is young and regulation would kill innovative, cheaper packages.
Reding has been spurred on by a Danish study which says a pan-EU cap of 1.18 euros per megabyte, including sales tax, would still give operators a fair profit.
Reding visits Copenhagen in September to study the Danish report before finalising her proposal for the Commission which will take a decision late September or early October.
The European Union's top telecoms regulator will propose a cap on the cost of downloading data using a mobile phone or laptop while travelling which could cut charges sharply, an EU official said on Wednesday.
Last year the EU executive European Commission introduced a three-year cap on the cost of roamed voice calls, one of Brussels' most popular policies ever.
EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said on July 15 she will propose capping the cost of sending text messages while outside a home state in the 27-nation bloc.
Since then Reding has decided the draft law should also extend to capping the prices of roamed data downloading.
"She is favouring this on data roaming though the final decision will be with the Commission as a whole," the EU Commission official said on condition of anonymity.
Reding expects Commission backing for adopting a draft law on capping roamed text prices but it is unclear if she will also get backing for including a cap on roamed data.
The European Parliament and EU states will have final say on Reding's draft law on roamed telecom services.
The average cost of roamed data for consumers is about 3.5 euros per megabyte, excluding sales tax. The Commission's impact assessment will test a cap of around 1 euro, the official said.
The effect on operators may not be heavy, however.
"We see this cap as a safety net to cut out exorbitant tariffs as by the time this regulation comes into effect around next July, many data roaming tariffs will have come down to these levels anyway," the official added.
National telecoms regulators in the EU states back Reding's plans on capping roamed texts and a three-year extension on roamed voice call caps but they are split over whether data roaming tariffs should also be capped.
Operators say the data roaming market is young and regulation would kill innovative, cheaper packages.
Reding has been spurred on by a Danish study which says a pan-EU cap of 1.18 euros per megabyte, including sales tax, would still give operators a fair profit.
Reding visits Copenhagen in September to study the Danish report before finalising her proposal for the Commission which will take a decision late September or early October.
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