Information Policy

ITU Connect CIS Summit calls for investment in ICT

Broadband access, digital broadcasting aim to stimulate economic growth and development

Minsk, Belarus, 27 November 2009 — The ITU Connect CIS Summit wrapped up today with a declaration by Heads of State and Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) calling for an inclusive and development-oriented Information Society and recognizing "the important contribution of ICTs in stimulating economic growth, employment and broader sustainable development in the region." The leaders also recognized the "essential role of governments in devising national e-strategies and establishing an enabling policy and regulatory framework to foster ICT investment". They reached out to other partners to "achieve the vision and goals of the World Summit on the Information Society in the CIS region."

The two-day Summit brought together some 350 participants, including five Heads of State and Government from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, as well as seven Ministers and other leaders from the CIS Territories and neighbouring countries, the telecommunication/ICT industry, financial institutions, and international and regional organizations. The Summit was hosted by the President of the Republic of Belarus Mr Alexander Lukashenko.

In his message to the Summit, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "Unequal access to ICT impedes productivity and innovation." Asserting that this directly affects efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, he added, "We want to enhance digital opportunities for all, and find new ways for these remarkable technologies to advance economic and social development."

As the specialized UN agency for information communication technologies (ICT), this landmark event was organized as part of ITU’s Connect the World series, an ambitious multi-stakeholder effort aimed at connecting the unconnected by the year 2015. The overall objective of the Connect CIS is to mobilize the human, financial and technical resources required to support a rapid, region-wide transition to digital infrastructure and services, widely recognized as the engine of future employment, economic growth and social and economic development.

In his opening speech, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré noted, "It is now time to turn words into action, and that is why we are here together. This can only happen through a renewed commitment to partnership — in particular partnerships between the public and private sectors. It can only happen if policy and regulatory frameworks are conducive to doing business profitably. And it can only happen with the political will on the part of governments to make ICTs a key priority in their development agendas."

Mr Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, focused his remarks on the increasingly important role of broadband Internet access for the overall economy. He said, "Broadband is no longer a luxury. It has become the core infrastructure of the modern economy, which is needed to support advanced applications and services for governments, businesses and consumers. If we take the right steps together now, broadband networks will serve as a platform in the coming years for innovation, growth and development across the CIS region."

Mr Al Basheer also highlighted a number of "ITU Flagship Initiatives" to connect the unconnected, which are designed to leverage the unique contributions of various global and regional partners, including governments, the telecommunication/ICT industry, development banks and international and regional organizations.

The Director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau Valery Timofeev focused on the transition to digital broadcasting in the CIS territories. "Moving from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting will revolutionize communication in the CIS region and set the stage for a rich digital dividend," Timofeev said. "Digital broadcasting media enables high quality delivery of different multimedia applications such as films, books and data while using less radio-frequency spectrum." He added that in countries where "on-air broadcasting is the main distribution media for delivery of television and sound programmes, it is very important to provide a smooth switchover to digital broadcasting."

Among other initiatives, the President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev, along with CIS leaders attending the Summit, focused on implementing the Transnational Eurasian Information Super Highway project.

Earlier in the week, ITU released a report: "Information Society Statistical Profiles 2009: Commonwealth of Independent States", which showed a striking difference in the CIS region between the uptake of mobile telephony and other ICT services. In the region as a whole, the number of cellular mobile subscriptions has surpassed the number of inhabitants, reaching 113 per cent at the end of 2008 and placing the region second globally after Europe. However, when it comes to Internet use and fixed and mobile broadband access, the region lags behind others. In particular, fixed and mobile broadband penetration stands at only 4.6 and 0.9 per cent respectively, which is below the world average of 6.0 per cent. A major challenge for the CIS territories is to bring the benefits of broadband Internet to a larger part of its population.

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, Mr Victor Burya, representing the host country of the Connect CIS Summit, said, "Information and communication technologies are one of the most important factors in the economic and social development of the state. Using the latest technology facilitates the growing information needs of the population, business and government. It eliminates disparities in access to services and information for urban and rural residents and creates conditions for improving the quality of life of citizens and for the free development of society."

The Connect CIS Summit was organized by ITU in partnership with The Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications, The Commonwealth of Independent States Executive Committee, The World Bank, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, The European Investment Bank, The Islamic Development Bank, The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and The United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development.

As a key partner at the Summit, Mr Igor Shchegolev, Minister of Telecommunication and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Board of the Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (RCC) said, “Our society has the huge task of building a common information society, without which it would be impossible to increase productivity and generate economic growth.” Noting that the creation of an information society would significantly increase the indicators for a better quality of life, Mr Shchegolev added, “These goals will be achieved collectively if public access to information services is provided in all CIS countries.”

The Connect CIS Summit was preceded 23-24 November 2009 by the CIS Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC). The next WTDC, which will take place in Hyderabad, India from 24 May to 4 June 2010, will set priorities, programmes and initiatives for the coming four year cycle. Proposals from the CIS RPM for consideration by the WTDC global conference included the development of broadband access and the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting with a focus on combating climate change through the use of alternative sources of energy in telecommunication infrastructure.

Note: Countries participating from the region include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2009/54.html

Estonia will have 100Mbit/s broadband connection in 2015

by David Hernandez Garcia

The Estonian Broadband Development Foundation (ELA) will be responsible for the EstWin, a project with the aim of bringing the new generation broadband networks into every home, business and institution and so eliminating the digital divide between the Estonian countryside and the biggest cities.

Broadband 2As Olav Harjo, head of the ELA, said to Estonian Free Press, the “ELA will begin building the network in rural areas where the private sector is not capable of investing due to its unprofitability. Finally is expected that the building of the base network will ensure that 98% of homes, businesses and institutions will be within 1.5 km of fibre optic networks. The ELA will not build connections to end users.”

The final price for the end consumers will depend on the different communication enterprises, as ELA, which is a non-profit organization, will provide to all of them wholesale service on equal conditions. Then the communication enterprises will be able to decide on their own which technologies will offer to their customers.

This super-fast internet network will improve significantly the current one and will become one of the best along Europe.

Last year statistics about level of internet access in households in Europe put Estonia in the 15th place among the 27 state members.

http://www.estonianfreepress.com/2009/11/estonia-will-have-100mbits-broadband-connection-in-2015/

APC assessment of the fourth Internet Governance Forum

This year the fourth internet governance forum was playing it safe – perhaps because next year could be its last – but we still saw real progress. Privacy no longer plays second fiddle to security, people’s rights online are recognised as central by all sides. Social networking was the new star centre stage. There are still too few women and people of colour but participants are getting younger which is a good sign. Next year APC hopes for an IGF focusing on development and human rights and looking to the future.

http://www.apc.org/en/system/files/APCIGF4Assessment_EN.pdf

Two EU Companies among World’s Largest Investors in R&D.

Despite the economic crisis, European companies spent on average 8.1% more on research and development in 2008 than they did in 2007 - roughly the same annual increase two years running.

American and Japanese businesses, the EU''''s biggest rivals in R&D spending, also stepped up investment in new product creation, but the increase - 5.7% and 4.4% respectively - was not as great.

This was the second year running that the R&D growth rate for EU companies was higher than for US companies. The EU also outpaced Japanese companies for the fourth consecutive year.

R&D investment is essential to remain competitive in the global economy. European research commissioner Janez Potoènik welcomed the results: "This is the best strategy to emerge stronger out of the crisis."

The trends are highlighted in the EU''''s 2009 R&D investment scoreboard, a ranking of 2 000 companies (1 000 from the EU, others mostly from the US and Japan) that represent 80% of R&D spending by businesses worldwide.

Two EU companies - Germany''''s Volkswagen and Finland''''s Nokia - and five US companies - including Microsoft, General Motors and Pfizer - are among the top 10 R&D investors. The world''''s biggest single investor was Japan''''s Toyota, with €7.61bn.

Although European companies are pumping money into R&D at a faster rate than their US and Japanese rivals, they still spend less in real terms. European investment as a percentage of sales was 2.7% in 2008, compared with 4.5% in the US and 3.4% in Japan. Those numbers are similar to 2007.

US companies increased their lead over the EU in sectors where R&D is most intense - pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, information and communication technologies. But spending on alternative energy is growing and dominated by EU companies.

Globally, industrial R&D investment grew by 6.9% - less than in 2007 (9%) and 2006 (10%).

Companies from emerging economies account for a small share of the total investment, but that is changing. China spent 40% more on R&D last year than in 2007, India 27.3 % and Taiwan 25.1%.

http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=sa&id=1797

Hungarian mobile internet user tops 800k in October

The total number of mobile internet subscribers in Hungary reached 803,000 by the end of October, up from 767,000 a month earlier, according to data published by the National Communications Authority (NHH). In the first nine months of this year the NHH reports net growth of 309,000 in the segment, adding that out of the full total, the number of ‘active’ mobile internet subscriptions stood at 627,000 at 31 October, up from 605,000 in September. T-Mobile’s Magyar unit commanded a 46% share of the mobile broadband segment at the end of last month, down from 47.11% in September. Vodafone Hungary’s share also dropped, from 27.44% to 26.61%, while Pannon increased its portion of the pie from 25.45% to 26.69%.

http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=31135

Telecommunications Minister Announces Broadband Development Plan for Brazil

Brazil’s communications minister has presented the country's new broadband targets for 2014.

Brazil's Minister of Communications Hélio Costa this week presented the country's ambitious broadband development plan.

Costa's plan, which aims to reach 30 million fixed broadband accesses and 60 million mobile broadband connections by 2014, will require total investment of 75.5 billion reais (US$43.7 billion).

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has yet to make a final decision on the plan, has asked a ministerial group in charge of the plan's development to provide additional technical information.

Brazil's Minister of Communications Hélio Costa on Tuesday (24 November) presented a first proposal for the implementation of the country’s broadband development plan—Plano Nacional de Banda Larga (PNBL). The 169-page document contains a series of actions aimed at reaching 30 million fixed broadband accesses and 60 million mobile broadband connections by 2014. The ambitious plan looks to bring broadband access to all government bodies and institutions in the country, including local government agencies, health centres in rural and urban areas, schools, public libraries, and public security institutions. The plan also aims to bring affordable broadband access to 50% of urban and 15% of rural households, as well as all micro and small firms that request a connection. According to the minister, without this initiative Brazil could only reach 18.3 million broadband connections by 2014.

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has yet to make a final decision on the plan, has asked a ministerial group in charge of the plan's development to provide additional technical information. A new meeting will be scheduled in three weeks.

Costa’s proposal promotes broadband development on different fronts, including initiatives to promote public-private partnerships to bring affordable internet access to all Brazilians, as well as the allocation of public investment funds to streamline the use of the government's data transmission infrastructure, such as the rehabilitation of fibre-optic networks of state oil company Petrobras and electric company Furnas. The government plans to invest a total of 75.5 billion reais (US$43.7 billion), of which 26.49 billion reais will be provided by the government and the remaining 49.01 billion will be provided by private operators. Operators have already expressed their concern over the implementation of the ambitious plan and have urged the government to introduce more investment incentives.

The government is also pushing forward new regulatory initiatives to boost mobile penetration levels. This includes the preparation of frequency auctions for WiMAX and 3G services. Costa has also said that the government is considering giving free mobile handsets to low-income groups. The plan, which would reach 11 million potential subscribers, has an estimated cost of 2 billion reais (US$1.2 billion) that would be partially financed by operators in exchange for fiscal benefits. The Brazilian market is highly competitive, particularly in the main urban centres in the wealthier central, western, south-eastern, and southern regions, where mobile penetration rates are markedly higher. In the Federal District this rate reached 155.5% in September 2009, while in the states of Piauí and Maranhao mobile penetration rates were 58.2% and 41.7%, respectively. Under this scheme, each family would receive a mobile handset free of charge and 7 reais per month for calls. Private operators expect subscribers to exceed the 7-reais credit and plan on making profits from any extra minute. According to the latest figures published by telecoms regulator Anatel, Brazil ended September with 166 million mobile accesses, 18% more than in the previous year, and a penetration rate of 86.7%. Vivo continues to lead the market with 48.8 million subscribers and a 29.4% market share, followed by América Móvil’s Claro, with 42.3 million subscribers and a 25.5% share of the market. Italy's TIM Brasil, once Brazil's second largest mobile operator, ranks third with 39.6 million accesses and 23.9% of the market, while Oi maintains fourth position with a 20.9% market share and 34.8 million accesses. With regard to technology of choice, GSM continues to be the most popular option, adopted by 90.5% of the total subscribers.

https://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/130/38076?7649

Digitised books, digital libraries and media literacy on the agenda at the Council of Ministers in Charge of Culture and Audiovisual Policy, 27 November 2009

26 November 2009 — The Education, Youth and Culture Council will meet in Brussels on 27 November 2009 to discuss, inter alia, key issues related to Europe's Information Society. The European Commission will present its analysis of the impact of the Google Books Settlement on Europe from the angle of copyright, cultural diversity and competition. EU ministers will address the wider challenges for digitising books and other cultural content, and making this material available through Europe's digital library Europeana. The ministers will also discuss media literacy in the digital environment. The European Commission will be represented on these issues by Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media. On the issues related to the Education and Culture portfolio, see MEMO/09/521.

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/526&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

GSA Survey Reports 42 LTE Commitments in 21 Countries

Deployments are essentially taking place in various frequency bands, with the most rational way forward being a mix of lower and higher frequencies. According to a study by industry association GSA, as of late October there were a total of 42 Long-Term Evolution (LTE) commitments, confirmed by carriers that operate in 21 countries.

The GSA expects that by end-2010 there will be 15 LTE networks in commercial service, and by end-2012 a total of 33.

Most significantly, the LTE deployments are taking place in several frequency bands, currently ranging from the 700 MHz to 2.6 GHz. A major benefit of this approach is that this way the new roll-outs will not disrupt the existing UMTS services.

The Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA)—an industry group representing the leading UMTS vendors—has released an information paper on the global status of current long-term evolution (LTE) network trials and deployments. According to the study, as of 28 October operators had confirmed a total of 42 LTE network commitments in 21 countries. The GSA expects that by the end of 2010 there will be 15 LTE infrastructures in commercial service, with the number reaching 33 by the end of 2012.

https://communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/140/38063?7649

Twitter to "start making money" through ads in 2010

Twitter is looking at a variety of potential acquisitions as it moves toward a new revenue model relying on "non-traditional" advertising that will be announced in 2010, according to co-founder Biz Stone. Twitter received a reported $100 million in a new round of investor funding in September, and, according to Stone, it may eventually consider an initial public offering.

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE5AN1TB20091124?feedType=RSS&feedName=internetNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FInternetNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Internet+News%29

Group of magazine publishers is said to be building an online newsstand

A consortium of magazine publishers including Time Inc. and Condé Nast are plan to jointly build an online newsstand for publications in multiple digital formats, according to people with knowledge of the plans. The formation of a new company to run the online newsstand — sometimes characterized as an “iTunes for magazines” — may be announced in early December. Time, Condé Nast, Hearst and Meredith all intend to be equity partners in the new company, although the deals have not yet been signed. In the face of slumping print circulations for many magazines, the publishing houses are eager to exert some control over digital readership, said people at the companies, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the plans. Some newspaper owners have also expressed interest in the joint venture. The new magazine company would, in theory, make it easy to buy print and electronic copies of publications like The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Esquire and Better Homes and Gardens from a single Web site. While mostly leaving the hardware to others, the alliance of competing publishers would develop software standards for magazine viewing on iPhones, BlackBerrys, e-book readers and other platforms, people with knowledge of the plans said

http://www.ejc.net/media_news/group_of_magazine_publishers_is_said_to_be_building_an_online_newsstand/