European Broadband Users are Ready for a 'Connected Life'

90 per Cent of European Broadband Users are Ready for a 'Connected Life'

According to new research from the Cisco® Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), broadband users in Western Europe may be even more interested in living 'The Connected Life' than U.S. consumers, and many are willing to pay for the value a service like this can provide. Ninety-percent of European broadband users expressed an interest in a connected life service - anytime, anywhere access to all household digital media content - compared to only 77 per cent in the U.S. Furthermore, 42 per cent are willing to spend €3.5 euros per month to enable easy management of and access to their household digital content, yet they struggle to find the right innovative solution which is simple, quick to install and highly secure.

This view was part of the findings from the Cisco IBSG Connected Consumer study for Western Europe. To conduct the study, researchers selected a hypothetical service as part of a broader connected life service offering, and then canvassed the views of 1,500 broadband users across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. The connected life service would enable the storage, management and use of all of a household's digital media and content via any device, and at anytime or place. The suggested household content includes TV, films, the household calendar and address book, digital photos, video clips and music.

Whilst the concept of ubiquitous connectivity has been discussed for more than a decade, the study shows that the cumulative impact of technology over this time has created a change in consumer behaviour that has primed the market for today. Not only do nearly 90 per cent of broadband consumers enjoy technology, investing in various devices such as mobile phones, personal computers and MP3 players, but 43 per cent credit this technology with giving them the freedom to live their life the way they want to, and 52 per cent believe technology helps them to be more productive and organised.

With the average respondent spending more than 4 hours each day on the go, away from work or home, the ability to communicate with others, enjoy digital entertainment, and access electronically stored information is highly valued. Collaboration anytime, anywhere is essential with 56 per cent of respondents indicating that they want to stay connected to family and friends at all times and 78 per cent of the respondents checking their e-mail wherever possible.

"It is clear that European consumers are changing the way they live and play. They are carrying laptops, PDAs and mobile phones as productivity tools and MP3 players for listening to music, whilst using wireless networks to stay connected," commented Simon Aspinall, Managing Director, Service Provider, Cisco IBSG. "Europeans are also adopting these advanced technologies and new media applications even faster than U.S. consumers. As Web 2.0 offers more open and collaborative technologies, the demand from European consumers for ground- breaking connected solutions has now reached a critical mass."

see also The Connected Life

Singapore - Next generation broadband network

Singapore’s Ultra-high Speed Digital Highway Ready by 2015

Next Generation National Broadband Network Will Spur Flourish of Services

Singapore today took a step closer towards having an open access Next Generation National Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN), which will offer pervasive ultra-high speed connectivity by 2015. The Request-For-Proposal (RFP) is now open to all interested parties to submit their bid to design, build and operate the passive infrastructure layer of the Next Gen NBN.

At a media briefing this evening for the RFP’s launch, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Lee Boon Yang said, “The Next Gen NBN will offer pervasive and competitively priced ultra high-speed broadband connectivity to business users at the workplace as well as to Singaporeans at home, schools and learning institutions and other premises.”

The Next Gen NBN is expected to be available nationwide by 2015, although consumers can begin to look forward to a range of new and exciting Next Gen Services such as high-definition video conferencing, telemedicine, Grid Computing-on-Demand, security and immersive learning applications on the Next Gen NBN from about 2010.

Today’s RFP has been formulated after an extensive year-long industry consultation and studies of deployments internationally. This RFP seeks proposals from industry to put in place the passive infrastructure of Next Gen NBN. Under this RFP, a Network Company, or NetCo, will be selected to design, build and operate this passive infrastructure that will carry the traffic for Next Generation Services. The deployment of active electronics such as switches and routers to manage the flow of traffic on the passive infrastructure will be done by what is called the Operating Company or OpCo, which will also be the entity that offers wholesale broadband access to downstream Retail Service Providers, or RSPs. The latter are the companies that provide Next Generation Services to end-users.

“A Next Generation Broadband Network will contribute to Singapore’s continued economic success. It is also critical for the Next Gen NBN to provide effective open access to downstream operators. This will create a more vibrant and competitive broadband market. As a policy, we have therefore decided to adopt separation between the different levels of the Next Gen NBN to achieve effective open access. The RFP to construct the network will therefore provide for structural separation of the passive network operator from the downstream operators. If necessary, the Government is also prepared to consider legislation to achieve such effective open access for downstream operators in the next generation broadband market,” said Dr Lee. “The Next Gen NBN tender will require that the appointed NetCo be structurally separated from downstream operators and vice versa to be consistent with the policy objective of effective open access. The successful bidder in the RFP would have met the requirements of effective open access.”

The Next Gen NBN will require the OpCo to be operationally separated between the Next Gen NBN OpCo and RSPs. Operational separation while less onerous than structural separation, requires the Next Gen NBN OpCo to maintain separated operations, branding, personnel and board of directors. The OpCo RFP tendering exercise is scheduled to be called in the second quarter of next year.

Under the terms of the Next Gen NBN NetCo RFP launched today, the Government is prepared to provide a grant of up to S$750 million for the project. The RFP, which is expected to close on 25 March 20081, will be evaluated based on four key criteria:

1. Attractiveness of business plan to industry
2. Quality of network infrastructure
3. Level of Government grant
4. Financial proposition and strength of bidder

Amsterdam - Fibre network

European Commission concludes City of Amsterdam investment in fibre network is not state aid

The European Commission has approved the investment by the municipality of Amsterdam and other shareholders in a glass fibre telecommunications network in the Dutch city. After an in-depth investigation, launched in December 2006, the Commission concluded that the municipality participates in the project on the same terms as would a market investor. Therefore the Commission has concluded that no state aid is involved.

Europe - future of the Internet

European Commission - Internet and media

White paper on the Networked Media of the future, by Networked Media Task Force (NM-TF) that cmprises of three Networks of Excellence in the area of Networked Media funded under the EC Framework Programme 6, October 2007.

Report on User Centric Media - Future and Challenges in European Research, the cluster of EU projects on User Centric Media of the Information Society and Media Directorate General of the European Commission. The report encompasses the contributions from 11 European Research projects funded under the 6th EU Research and Development Framework Programme (for further information on the projects contributing to this report please refer to Annex III of the report).

The Advisory Group of the IST Program (ISTAG) has published a report on New Business Sectors in Information and Communication Technologies, The Content Sector as a case study

Algeria - FTTH

Algérie Télécom Becomes First Operator to Pioneer Fibre-to-the-Home Strategy

Algérie Télécom is the first African telecoms operator to put together a business strategy that includes Fibre-To-The-Home. Although the price of connecting households to fibre has dropped considerably elsewhere, it still remains an expensive way to provide a local connection. However, the prize it is seeking to create is a large user base for its forthcoming triple play offer. Russell Southwood looks at what it's up to.

The operator is deploying an FTTH network from French vendor Sagem Communication and on15 December it will be launching a triple play offer with voice, broadband Internet and television. The triple play service will initially be offered in Oran, Alger, Sétif and Constantine before being rolled nationally in 2008.

According to Malik Hachelef, the Manager overseeing the FTTH roll-out:"The service will consist of a modem that can connect to the fibre network that will give very high capacities allowing either triple or quadruple play."

Algérie Télécom has 500,000 ADSL lines in place and is on its way to 3 million lines by the end of 2009. According to CEO Slimane Kheiredine, a WiMAX service will fill in gaps in the company's service where it does not offer ADSL and allow it to consider new services such as IP-TV. The Algerian national operator is working with foreign partners like BT and Korea Telecom on developing new services and is also planning to launch digital terrestrial TV trials.

The drive to offer triple-play was triggered earlier in the year by a change in the French satellite Pay-TV market. Previously TPS and Canal Satellite could be received in Algeria using smart cards purchased in France by friends or relatives. But the merger between the two French platforms has created problems for Algerian viewers, as the unified platform uses a more secure encryption technology, eliminating the foreign smartcard option.

This turn of events has helped Saudi-owned ART, the only digital pay-TV operator that officially sells subscriptions in Algeria, which offers 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions for DZD 3,000 (Algerian Dinars, approximately US$ 42.00), DZD 5,000 (US$69) and DZD 9,000 (US$125). The only other option is satellite reception of the unencrypted French TV channels such as TF1, M6, France 2, France 5 and France 3.

FTTH is considered the most expensive way to connect users at the local loop but it does offer extremely high speeds, both up and down unlike DSL. The average price per household connected in the USA varies between an estimated US$750-1,000. Actual turn-out figures for one US scheme were between $809-3682, with an average of US$1171. What is extremely hard to estimate is how much lower these figures can be taken in a developing world context.

Algérie Télécom recently saw off SNO Lacom which retired hurt, saying that the incumbent had been given undue advantageous in the competition between the two companies. If Algérie Télécom succeeds with its current business strategy, it will have built itself an almost impregnable position in the market.

UK - review of the Telecoms Strategic Review

Impact of the Telecoms Strategic Review

This is the second report evaluating the impact of our Telecoms Strategic Review. The goal of the Telecoms Strategic Review was to promote the development of a communications market that produces lower prices and a choice of high quality and innovative services for both business and residential consumers. Delivering these benefits for consumers involves promoting sustainable competition, ensuring incentives for timely and efficient investment, and removing regulation which is no longer necessary.

USA - Court of Appeals - broadband regulation

United States Court of Appeals for District of Columbia

Argued October 15, 2007 Decided December 7, 2007

No. 06-1111 Consolidated with 06-1113, 06-1115, 06-1167, 06-1200

Sprint Nextel Corp., petitioner
v.
Federal Communications Commission and United States of America, respondents

Qwest Corporation, et al., intervenors

Judgement

The court held that the tied vote (2:2) and the expiration of the period permitted by the Telecommunications Act, were not reviewable acts. The request by Verizon for regulatory forbearance was thus granted and valid. The effect of 47 U.S.C. § 160(c) was that no judicial review was available.

Europe - roaming - legal challenge

Mobile operators to challenge law

The UK's four leading mobile operators were given clearance yesterday to take a challenge over the EU roaming law to the European Court of Justice. 02, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile allege that Viviane Reding, European commissioner for telecoms, had no legal right to introduce the law, which forced the operators to cut the charges they impose on customers for calls outside their home countries. A London high court judge agreed to refer the issue to the European court of justice.

Australia - FTTN

Government committed to FTTN national network

Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy today said that Labor is committed to building a national high-speed broadband fibre‑to‑the‑node network.

The new network will deliver minimum broadband speeds, 40 times faster than current speeds to 98 per cent of Australians.

The remaining two per cent of Australians will receive a standard of service that is as close as possible to that offered by the new network, and will be delivered by the best available wireless, microwave and satellite technologies.

“This new network will jump Australia into the 21st century,” said Senator Conroy.

“It will be open access, promote competition and put downward pressure on consumer prices.

“We will hold an open and transparent process to determine who will build the network with our ambition being to complete the process by the end of June next year.

“We expect that there will be much public commentary, jockeying and lobbying from parties as they work to convince the Government that they are best placed to build the new network and seek the terms that are most favourable to them,” said Senator Conroy.

UK - Broadband

Customer Satisfaction Levels Decrease as Service Call Wait Times Rise

LONDON: 6 December 2007 — Tiscali ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction among eight of the leading broadband Internet service providers (ISPs) in the UK, with only 42 index points separating the highest-and lowest-scoring providers, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 UK Broadband Internet Service Provider Satisfaction StudySM released today.

Despite lower costs and a quicker broadband service being offered by providers, the study, now in its third year, reveals a continued downturn in customer satisfaction levels. Satisfaction levels have fallen by 9 points to an average of 645 as many providers perform below average in customer service/technical support, and performance and reliability.

“The 2007 study finds that call waiting times continue to increase when customers contact their ISP, with customers now waiting an average of 17 minutes before initially speaking with a representative,” said Caspar Tearle, director of service industries research at J.D. Power and Associates. “Complaints to customer service departments have risen again in 2007, and now outnumber customer service-related questions for the first time (52% vs. 48%). With customers of most suppliers paying from their own pocket for these calls, these high levels of complaints come as no surprise.”

The study also finds that, on average, broadband customers are now spending less for service—£21.10 per month, down from £25.91 in 2006. In addition, the average broadband speed has increased nearly 40 percent to 4.87Mbps (up from 3.50 Mbps in 2006), with service disruptions increasing slightly (from 5.62 in 2006 to 5.91 in 2007).

The study examines seven factors that drive overall satisfaction with broadband Internet service providers. The importance weights reflect what is most relevant to ISP customers. The factors are: performance and reliability (24%), customer service/technical support (17%); cost (13%); image (12%); billing (12%); e-mail services (12%); and offerings and promotions (9%).

With an overall index score of 668 points on a 1,000-point scale, Tiscali moves from ranking third in 2006 to rank highest in 2007. It is the only provider to achieve a score significantly above the industry average and performs particularly well in the billing factor, increasing by 30 points since 2006. Virgin Media (660) follows Tiscali in the rankings, having acquired both Telewest and NTL. Sky (657)—included in the study for the first time—follows Virgin Media and performs particularly well in the image and offerings and promotions factors.

The study results include the following key patterns:

* More than two-thirds of respondents reported subscribing to services other than Internet service from their ISP, including home telephone, cable or satellite TV, or mobile phone. Among those customers currently not subscribing to any other services from their ISP, slightly fewer than one-half (46%) expressed an interest in doing bundling multiple services with the same provider.

* Nearly one-half of all users (49%) now have wireless networks at home (up from 35% in 2006). Despite this increase, the incidence of customers having a firewall on their computers is down from 89 percent in 2006 to 85 percent in 2007.

* More than three-fourths (77%) of respondents used an online search engine in the past 12 months, while more than two-thirds (70%) found maps/directions, conducted online banking (69%) or purchased products or services (69%).

The 2007 UK Broadband Internet Service Provider Study is based on responses from 1,683 Broadband ISP customers across the UK.

Egypt - Cairo Orange Laboratory

Creation of an Orange Lab in Egypt: memorandum of understanding signed with the Egyptian authorities

On December 4, 2007, Tarek Kamel, the Egyptian Communications and Information Minister and Didier Lombard, the France Telecom Group's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, were guests of honor at the ceremony to sign the memorandum of understanding, officially recognizing the creation of the new Orange Lab, which will be launched on January 3, 2008 in Cairo.

The creation of the Cairo Orange Lab will allow the France Telecom Group to expand its presence in Egypt, a country where France Telecom is already present since 1998 through Mobinil and Orange Business Servicers. France Télécom is the main shareholder of Mobinil, which is the first mobile operator in Egypt with 14 million customers. Orange Business Services, dedicated to communication services to multinational companies has 1500 engineers in Cairo and is serving approximately 150 multinational companies, as well as around 50 airlines. With the new Cairo Orange Lab, the Group has now 18 Orange Labs around the world.

The work carried out by Orange Lab Cairo will make it possible to further enhance the Group's range of innovative services, creating synergies with the local ecosystem and the global Orange Labs network. The main research and development work will focus on the following subjects:

* Development of global solutions for the Group
* Ergonomics for products and services on the multinational business market and the local retail market
* Voice services and content access in Arabic
* Financial services for the region's countries
* Research into local uses
* Network solutions set against specific economic and environmental constraints

In terms of the workforce, the Cairo Orange Lab will be made up of 50 members of staff, with over 90% Egyptians.
In order to integrate this new Orange Lab into the local ecosystem, the laboratories have been set up to the west of Cairo, in the "Smart Village" technology hub, which is home to various companies from the IT and telecoms sector as well as various public organizations (Telecommunications Ministry, National Telecommunications Institute, etc.).

Mobile - content

Nokia predicts 25% of entertainment by 2012 will be created and consumed within peer communities
see also Entertainment Study - A Glimpse of the Next Episode

Nokia identifies Circular Entertainment as a coming trend as consumers get collaborative

Espoo, Finland -- Up to a quarter of the entertainment consumed by people in five years time will have been created, edited and shared within their peer circle rather than coming out of traditional media groups. This phenomenon, dubbed 'Circular Entertainment', has been identified by Nokia as a result of a global study into the future of entertainment.

"From our research we predict that up to a quarter of the entertainment being consumed in five years will be what we call 'Circular'. The trends we are seeing show us that people will have a genuine desire not only to create and share their own content, but also to remix it, mash it up and pass it on within their peer groups - a form of collaborative social media," said Mark Selby, Vice President, Multimedia, Nokia.

Selby continues, "We think it will work something like this; someone shares video footage they shot on their mobile device from a night out with a friend, that friend takes that footage and adds an MP3 file - the soundtrack of the evening - then passes it to another friend. That friend edits the footage by adding some photographs and passes it on to another friend and so on. The content keeps circulating between friends, who may or may not be geographically close, and becomes part of the group's entertainment."

USA - pay-phones

AT&T to end dwindling pay phone business

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top U.S. phone company AT&T Inc (T.N) said on Monday it plans to end its dwindling pay phone business by the end of 2008, as more consumers use mobile phones.

The move affects AT&T pay phones in the company's previous 13-state service area, including California and Texas. BellSouth Corp, which AT&T acquired late last year, has already exited the pay phone business in its nine-state service area.

Pay phones in the United States have declined across the industry from about 2.6 million phones in 1998 to an estimated 1 million phones today, AT&T said.

The use of pay phones has been declining in much of the developed world due to the popularity of mobile phones. But some complain that ending pay phone service restricts low-income, low-credit consumers' access to communications.

AT&T has grown its profit in recent years, as strong sales from its mobile phone and Internet business make up for a fall in traditional phone use.

Europe - Broadband

Internet access and e-skills in the EU27 in 2007

More than 40% of households have broadband internet access
More than one individual in two use internet search engines

In the EU27, 54% of households had access to the internet during the first quarter of 2007, compared with 49% during the first quarter of 2006, and 42% had a broadband connection, compared with 30% in 2006. This data comes from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. This release presents only a small part of the results of a survey from 2007 on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) usage in households and by individuals in the EU27 Member States, Norway and Iceland. As well as internet use and broadband connections the survey also covers e-shopping, e-government and e-skills.

Household internet access ranged from 19% in Bulgaria to 83% in the Netherlands

In 2007, the highest proportions of households with internet access were recorded in the Netherlands (83%), Sweden (79%) and Denmark (78%). The lowest levels were registered in Bulgaria (19%), Romania (22%) and Greece (25%).

The proportion of households with a broadband connection in 2007 was also highest in the Netherlands (74%), Denmark (70%) and Sweden (67%).

A quarter of individuals chat online, 15% make phone calls over the internet

In the first quarter of 2007 individuals in the EU Member states were asked which internet related activities they had already carried out in order to measure their e-skills. In the EU27, 57% of individuals had used internet search engines. Half of them had sent e-mails with attachments, while 30% said they kept viruses and spyware off their computers. Slightly more than one quarter had downloaded and installed software from the internet. Around one quarter of individuals had taken part in chatrooms, newsgroups or online discussions, and 15% had used the internet to make phone calls. Peer to peer file sharing for exchange of movies and music had been used by 13%.

One tenth had created a web page.

The Member States most often reporting high proportions of individuals performing these different internet activities were Denmark, Estonia, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Europe - VAT on telecommunications

Council approves new rules for VAT on services, requiring taxation in the country of the consumer with a one-stop system for tax payments

The Council today reached political agreement1 on two draft directives and a draft regulation aimed at changing the rules on value-added taxation (VAT) so as to ensure that VAT on services accrues to the country where consumption occurs, and to prevent distortions of competition between member states operating different VAT rates.

The new rules will require taxation for VAT on business-to-business supplies of services at the place where the customer is situated, and no longer at that where the supplier is located, as is currently the case.

For business-to-consumer supplies of services, the place of taxation will continue to be that where the supplier is established. However, in certain circumstances, the general rules for both businesses and consumers will not be applicable, and specified rules will apply to reflect the principle of taxation at the place of consumption. These exemptions concern in particular restaurant services, the hiring of means of transport, cultural, sporting, scientific and educational services, and business-to consumer supplies of telecommunications, broadcasting and electronic services.

Convergence of mobile and banking

The Regulatory Implications of Mobile and Financial Services Convergence

Ivan Mortimer-Schutts

The long awaited integration of mobile telephone and retail financial services is beginning to emerge—in developing markets. To enhance the potential benefits from innovations in this domain, governments need to make complementary adjustments to domestic banking regulation and strengthen frameworks for international cooperation. In particular, as a highly regulated activity, deposit taking is insufficiently contestable for mobile operators to break into the market with enough independence from incumbent banks to stimulate valuable competition and innovation in payment networks. The success of mobile banking will also depend on the willingness and capacity of regulators to accommodate increasing international trade in retail financial services, new forms of distribution and customer due diligence rules that are more appropriate to less traditional markets. The paper provides an analysis of the relation between existing regulatory frameworks and the rise of mobile banking. And it outlines policy changes that governments should pursue in order to foster this form of innovation and target the benefits that it can bring, especially to consumers on the margins or excluded from modern financial services.

Australia - telecommunications portfolio

Senator Conroy's Expanded Portfolio Good for ICT

The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has welcomed Senator Stephen Conroy as the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, claiming that the expanded portfolio is a win for ICT sector.

AIIA CEO Sheryle Moon says that during his time as Shadow Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Senator Conroy was a strong advocate of improved telecommunications infrastructure and the wider ICT industry in Australia.

Now that he has taken charge of a portfolio refocussed to include the digital economy, Moon says that it is important that the ICT industry is recognised at the level of policy and legislation for its wider contribution to Australia�s national interests.

The association supports the ALP�s plans for a national broadband infrastructure, saying that the parties pitch during the election was viable.

"The first order of the day for the new minister must be to provide Australia with a clear timetable for the rollout of a national broadband infrastructure," said Moon. "Australian business needs this information now if it is to compete successfully in a global marketplace."

While the association recognises that the government has presented good policies in other areas that will address pressures on the global competitiveness of the Australian ICT industry, it notes that what the industry requires is clear vision and consistent leadership across many areas of policy - including education, trade and the environment.

India - merger control - views from the USA

ABA Issues Warning on India's Merger Law

Lawyers group warned Indian government leaders the proposed notification requirements 'could be disastrous to Indian investment'

The most influential lawyers group in the U.S. warned senior officials in India that the country's new merger law could have a devastating effect on that country's economic surge.

Enforcing the new merger regime "may be so burdensome as to discourage competitive conduct and investment in India," the American Bar Association's Section of Antitrust wrote in letters delivered to Indian government leaders on Wednesday, Nov 28.

The ABA's antitrust branch often works with competition authorities around the globe, coaching them on the value of competitive markets while cautioning against pervasive regulation. They are often joined in their efforts to spread the news about competition law by American antitrust regulators, the International Bar Association and the International Competition Network, made up of private firm and government regulators around the world.

But this time, antitrust, business and international lawyers have united to send the unprecedented warning not just to mere competition authorities but to India's minister of finance, and minister of commerce and industry, and members of the India Investment Commission as well.

The goal in targeting such high-ranking officials was to "send a message that this law could be disastrous to Indian investment," said an international lawyer who asked not to be identified.

The strong words were also tempered with offers of further assistance in the murky waters of competition law.

The problem as the ABA sees it is that the proposed revisions to the county's competition law, for which the resulting could be implemented any day, would broaden the nation's premerger notification jurisdiction far beyond any particular transaction's ability to affect the Indian economy.

The new law requires companies with as little as $126 million of assets in India, even if they are only subsidiary operations, to notify officials there of any acquisition from around the globe. Reporting the merger plans and waiting 210 days before completing the deal would be required even if the target is not located in India and doesn't do any business there.

The ABA complained that India's requirements are out of step with international efforts to promote generally accepted antitrust principles that nations would adhere to. Ideally, the ABA notes, most countries require a nexus between the country and the mergers it reviews, because the goal is to make sure that competition within a country is not harmed by any given merger.

India's demanding proposed notification requirement, the ABA said, could make it harder for merging parties to coordinate multiple notifications across different jurisdictions, an issue that is increasingly important as deals reflect ongoing globalization.

The roughly seven-month mandatory waiting period is also cited as a major problem with the new law. In the U.S., there is a 30-day waiting period once parties have filed their merger plans with the government, and that period can be shortened if there are no competitive problems and the parties request an early termination.

The letter said ABA lawyers are "unaware of any other jurisdiction that prescribes such a lengthy waiting period for all transactions."

The ABA's letter went on to say: "The prospect of a seven-month waiting period applicable to all notifiable transactions will unduly delay and may deter many transactions, and will not further India's interests in economic development."

The lawyers urged regulators in India not to wait for legislative change, which is "lengthy and may not provide timely relief," but instead urged the government to implement rules as a stopgap measure.

Whether those rules and regulations will come out at the same time the new law is officially enacted is a big question, and U.S. officials, including Federal Trade Commission general counsel Bill Blumenthal, have already met with Indian officials to discuss the problems and ways to implement modifying regulations.

Indian regulators have said they agree the new law poses a threat to commerce in the country. But so far they have been unable to circumvent requirements of the new law, which was first introduced as an attempt to bring India's merger control regime in line with prevailing global trends but went in a different direction during the give and take in Parliament.

OECD - Internet economy

The Internet economy: Towards a better future

Can you remember life before the Internet? Though quite a new technology, already a world without the web has become as unthinkable for many of us as a world without telephones. But what of the future? Can the benefits of this extraordinary technology be multiplied, and how can the thornier challenges be met?

The Future of the Internet Economy will be the subject of the first OECD ministerial meeting ever to be hosted in Asia. Taking place 17-18 June 2008 in Seoul, Korea (see below), it will examine the implications of the rapid growth in the use of the Internet for our economies and societies and the policies needed for continued growth.

How times have changed since the OECD convened its first-ever ministerial conference on e-commerce in Ottawa, Canada, in 1998. Then, the Internet was only just becoming mainstream, and that meeting tried to make sense of it all. Strategic direction was given to policies in many areas that still concern us today, such as access, privacy, taxation and consumer protection, directions that have been instrumental in nurturing online activity and helping to make it a part of our daily lives.

But a great deal of “Internet time” has passed since that Ottawa meeting. Back then, Google was a month old, and was still operating in a garage with just three employees. Amazon and eBay were fledgling ventures, but have since gone on to become successful mainstream companies. And in the last few years, new services, such as iTunes, Skype and YouTube, have become part of the daily vocabulary of millions of people around the world.

Underneath, the network’s infrastructure has also fundamentally transformed in the last decade. Dial-up Internet access has given way to always-on broadband technology.

USA - Verizon Wireless access conditions

Verizon Wireless To Introduce ‘Any Apps, Any Device’ Option For Customers In 2008

New Open Development Initiative Will Accelerate Innovation and Growth

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless today announced that it will provide customers the option to use, on its nationwide wireless network, wireless devices, software and applications not offered by the company. Verizon Wireless plans to have this new choice available to customers throughout the country by the end of 2008.

In early 2008, the company will publish the technical standards the development community will need to design products to interface with the Verizon Wireless network. Any device that meets the minimum technical standard will be activated on the network. Devices will be tested and approved in a $20 million state-of-the-art testing lab which received an additional investment this year to gear up for the anticipated new demand. Any application the customer chooses will be allowed on these devices.

This new option goes beyond just a change in the design, delivery, purchase, and provisioning of wireless devices and applications.

“This is a transformation point in the 20-year history of mass market wireless devices – one which we believe will set the table for the next level of innovation and growth,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer. “Verizon Wireless is not changing our successful retail model, but rather adding an additional retail option for customers looking for a different wireless experience.”

Verizon Wireless will continue to provide a full-service offering, from retail stores where customers can shop, to 24/7 customer service and technical support, to an easy-to-use handset interface and optimized software applications.

While most Verizon Wireless customers prefer the convenience of full service, the company is listening through today’s announcement to a small but growing number of customers who want another choice without full service.

Both full-service and “bring-your-own” customers will have the advantage of using America’s most reliable network.

Following publication of technical standards, Verizon Wireless will host a conference to explain the standards and get input from the development community on how to achieve the company’s goals for network performance while making it easy for them to deliver devices.

Verizon Wireless has a track record of listening to customers and transforming entrenched industry practices based on those customer needs. The company parted with the industry last year when it introduced pro-rated early termination fees, and in 2004 when it refused to participate in a wireless directory when customers said they didn’t want one. Verizon Wireless also broke with “wireless tradition” when it supported local number portability because customers wanted the freedom to take their number if they switched service providers. Such responsiveness to customers has earned Verizon Wireless the strongest brand reputation in the industry.