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| Autumn 2006 Issue15 |
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E-Government Summit to Foster Strong Cooperation Among South Asian Countries E-govWorld 2006 (South Asia)£¬October 26-28, 2006, New Delhi, India £¬is the second conference in the series of International workshops and conferences/expositions aimed at enhancing collaboration and exchange of learning practices among the industry, academia, civil society organizations and the public sector. The first conference in the series titled e-GovIndia was held in Chandigarh, India where Indian and European e-Government stakeholders exchanged their experiences. Governments across the South Asian region are in the process of charting out comprehensive e-Government strategies as per their national priorities. However, e-Government is a resource intensive activity and governments, particularly in developing and underdeveloped world, having limited resources need to share their knowledge and experiences to enhance the possibility of success of e-Government projects. Countries under SAARC initiative comprises of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Srilanka. e-GovWorld 2006 (South Asia) and e-SAARC awards for innovation in government is an initiative to promote the cooperation among the South Asian countries and create awareness about successful projects in South Asian region besides providing recognition to the innovative e-government projects . The conference program is aimed at building a strong communication among the community of e-Government practitioners, government officers, researchers and academia for sharing of learning practices on the international level.
Dubai Internet City Seeks to Boost ICT Ties Between Middle East and East Asia Dubai Internet City (DIC), the information and communications technology (ICT) hub of the region, is seeking to enhance ICT ties between the Middle East and East Asia by participating in Communic Asia, one of the largest technology exhibitions in East Asia.
United Nations Agencies to Coordinate Implementation of WSIS Plan of Action Implementation of the outcomes of the recently concluded World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) gathered momentum with the launch of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS). High level representatives of twenty-two UN agencies met on Friday, 14 July 2006 at ITU Headquarters in Geneva under the chairmanship of ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi to facilitate the process. UNGIS will serve as an interagency coordinating mechanism within the UN system to implement the outcomes of WSIS. The Group will enable synergies aimed at resolving substantive and policy issues, avoiding redundancies and enhancing effectiveness of the system while raising public awareness about the goals and objectives of the global Information Society. UNGIS will also work to highlight the importance of ICTs in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. To maximize its efficiency, the Group agreed on a work plan in which it would concentrate its collective efforts each year on one or two cross-cutting themes and on a few selected countries. In the coming period, UNGIS will focus on bringing the efforts of the UN system to bear on expanding access to communications, for instance through multimedia community centres, teleshops, etc. Drawing on the respective competencies of the different members of the Group, UNGIS will also focus on applications related to e-health and e-tourism. At the same time, the Group will examine the e-readiness strategies and policies of one or two countries, to be proposed by UNDP, to develop a comprehensive toolkit for bringing the benefits of the Information society to developing countries. During the first year, UNGIS will be chaired by ITU, with UNESCO, UNDP and WHO acting as vice-chairs. UNGIS has been established by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, at the request of the Summit and in consultation with members of the UN system Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB). WSIS has contributed towards a better understanding of the key issues and challenges of the Information Society. Throughout the process, critical issues such as infrastructure, capacity building, the regulatory environment and financing have been discussed and refined. Pioneering work on financing ICTs for development and on internet governance has resulted in the most comprehensive international documents ever endorsed on the topics at the international level. The Summit set critical targets for global connectivity and ICT for development to be reached by 2015 and established 11 action lines to achieve the objectives of the Information Society. The outcome outlines a detailed blueprint involving governments, the private sector, civil society, the United Nations and other international organizations for implementation and follow-up at the national, regional and international levels.
International Support for E-framework Initiative New Zealand's Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Netherland's SURF Foundation have been formally welcomed as Partners in the e-Framework Initiative, now undertaken by the JISC and Australia's Department for Education, Science and Training (DEST).The e-Framework is an ambitious and far-reaching programme, exploring more flexible approaches to the technical infrastructures for e-Learning, e-Research and e-Administration. The initiative is now attracting growing international support, from national education and research bodies as well as commercial IT suppliers worldwide. Murray Leach, representing the MoE, commented that joining of New Zealand and Nether Land in the initiative signals a timely and strategic investment for the country. Speaking on behalf of the JISC-DEST Cooperation Partnership Board, Sarah Porter said that they were particularly pleased to welcome colleagues from SURF and the New Zealand Ministry of Education to assist them. Both SURF and the MoE have impressive records in developing IT solutions for education and information environments. Their experience will provide valuable perspectives in developing the e-Framework.
United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) Launched On 14 July 2006, at International Telecommunication Union Headquarters in Geneva, under the chairmanship of ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi, with the launch of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) gathered momentum. UNGIS has been established by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, at the request of the Summit and in consultation with members of the UN system Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB). It will serve as an interagency coordinating mechanism within UN system to implement the outcomes of WSIS and it will enable synergies aimed at resolving substantive and policy issues, avoiding redundancies and enhancing effectiveness of the system while raising public awareness about the goals and objectives of the global Information Society. UNGIS will also work to highlight importance of ICTs in meeting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). During the first year, UNGIS will be chaired by ITU, with UNESCO, UNDP and WHO acting as vice-chairs.
Call for Countries of Asia Pacific-Region to Adopt ODF An official from the United Nations (U.N.) has called for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to embrace the Open Document Format (ODF).Sunil Abraham, Manager of the International Open Source Network (IOSN) at the U.N, hopes that governments in the region will now extend that support and 'seriously consider' the Open Document Format (ODF). Malaysia became the one of the first Asian countries to propose the use of ODF as a national standard for office documents. In the Philippines, there is no official policy on the adoption of ODF in the country, according to Peter Antonio Banzon, Division Chief of the Philippines' Advanced Science and Technology Institute, although the government agency has already standardised its internal documents on the ODF. According to IOSN's Abraham, the lack of interoperability is stopping more governments from going ahead to mandate the ODF standard within their countries. Last week, the ODF Alliance announced that more than 280 organisations and industry bodies have joined up to support the format. ODF has been approved as a standard by OASIS. ISO also approved it in May of this year. It can be used royalty-free by anyone.
New Symantec Asia Chief Says EMC Playing Catch Up Bill Robbins, incoming senior vice president of Symantec Corp. Asia Pacific and Japan, believes EMC Corp.'s proposed $2 billion takeover of RSA Security validates the company's recent Veritas merger. Robbins, who previously worked as vice president of Veritas Software in Northern Europe, has just taken up the regional senior vice president position for Symantec. "Like almost all players in the technology market the early mover have the competitive advantage; we are doing this by offering both information security and availability," he said. "We look at the EMC merger with RSA security as a positive, because it validates what we (Symantec/Veritas) did almost 18 months ago. ¡°I like the fact that we are seeing our competition feel as though they need to make moves to keep up with us," Robbins believes the changing market is proof of a trend towards the true convergence of security and availability around the protection of information. He said regulatory compliance has brought together security and storage while the Symantec/Veritas merger supports information integrity
Drive for E-gov Fuels Strong Growth in IT Spend in APAC According to IDC, the drive for e-Government, operational efficiency and the pressure to build an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) savvy nation is fuelling strong growth in IT spending for the public sector in the Asia Pacific region. The public sector continues to be one of the largest IT spending vertical in the region. IDC predicts a strong Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.7 per cent from 2006-2010 with expenditure to reach $ 31.67 billion by 2010. Emerging economies like China and India will be huge drivers of IT spending as they build up their ICT infrastructure, whereas mature economies ¡ª while showing moderate growth ¡ª will be moving up in ICT sophistication. An example of such sophistication is the increased focus on government-to-public interaction and government-to-industry collaborative efforts, driving IT initiatives and service rollout, especially in the education and healthcare sectors. Fuelled by a booming economy, Government policies are driving the consolidation and leveraging of ICT to improve operations and services to the public. China, with the largest public sector market at $ 6.5 billion in 2006, is expected to almost double by 2010 to $11.7 billion. India and emerging economies such as Vietnam will see CAGR of over 16 per cent as they attempt to accelerate the modernisation of their Government and the learning curve of the economy.
South Asia Needs to Talk Across Borders to Solve Language Issue An Indo-Pakistan encounter, in war or cricket, leaves behind tonnes of bitterness and rivalry. But, in information and communication technology (ICT), the main regret facing techies from both sides of the troubled South Asian sub-continent, is why they can't work more effectively together, to tackle the common problems their people face. Local language computing is a major headache for South Asia In part, the problem is caused by the reality that computing primarily created keeping in mind the less-complex 26-alphabet strong English language. In part, it has to do with the complex nature of writing South Asian languages. Or, the fact that techies here tend to be largely English-educated. Whatever the case, this causes a huge impact. Some South Asian languages have more speakers than a large European country. For instance, take Urdu, which has 60 million speakers globally, including in both Pakistan and India. Hindi has many times more that figure, and there are other big and medium-sized languages crying for a computing solution. One of the issues discussed at the APC consultation in Dhaka, in April 2006, was that of language solutions. Commented BytesForAll's Shahzad, a participant at Dhaka: "Urdu is not only the national language of Pakistan, but is among the top six largest spoken languages in the world. But, Urdu still doesn't have a suitable, free and easy to use HTML editor, an Urdu email software, a messenger and freely available fonts. Who's responsible to set the very basics right?" Said he: "Just fail to understand (how this happens) with all the huge financial investments, special focus on IT education during the past six years, tall claims of government, massive injections of funds to resource and equip public sector universities in Pakistan, so called 'revolutions' in IT curricula, the return of brains -drained earlier." Shahzad argued that this might not be a "policy issue" but in fact a matter of willingness. He blogged: "I have seen some students' projects though, which could easily be refined and put on some websites for free downloads. But who cares? The dilemma of Urdu continues... don't know for how long!" Localisation as a passport One of the discussions at the April 2006 APC South Asia ICT policy consultation focused on localisation and free/libre and open source software (FOSS). Some ideas, and a lot of goodwill, came up over how common solutions could be found. Ravikant of New Delhi's Sarai.net and Bal Krishna of Kathmandu, Nepal were the initiators of this session. Ravikant himself, along with quite a few others on both sides of the border, advocates working together. Incidentally, on the IT front, things have worked out pretty smoothly between Bangladesh and its Indian neighbours. The Ankur project is often cited as a successful example of cross-border solutions in localisation on the free software front.The focus at the Dhaka consultation was to share information, learn from each other¡¯s experiences, do a status-check, and look at critical problems being faced by those working in South Asia to translate software into their local languages. "We need to come together so that languages like Urdu (prominent in both Pakistan and North India) and Bangla (spoken widely in both Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal) can share tools and solution across borders. Newer and smaller regional languages could then use our energy, expertise, experience and model (to work out solutions of their own)," it was suggested. The questions remained as to know who could assist in this task. Some said everybody who realised the importance of the language barriers could assist. Others, talking in more concrete terms said that primarily, by talking about it in their respective areas of operation, it would already help. It was felt that wider organisations, having a reach across countries, could be a major boost. Setting up a South Asian Consortium on Localisation was thereby seen as a salutary initiative. Lessons from Nepal Bal Krishna Bal, the project manager of the PAN Localization Project at Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya, PatanDhoka, Nepal, tells of an interesting experience in working towards Nepali language solutions in that part of South Asia. Their institution, the Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya (MPP), felt the need for the electronic cataloguing of its collection of books some four years back. This was not possible, using the existing fonts of Nepali like Preeti and Kanchan. The MPP, a principal archiving house, therefore decided to simply get involved in developing software in Nepali. At that point, existing Nepali fonts lacked data processing facilities like "Sorting" and "Find and Replace". They also lacked uniformity in terms of keyboard mapping of the Nepali characters, thus making Nepali typing difficult to the general public. In March 2002, the Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya undertook a Font Standardization Project, which was assisted by the Ministry of Science and Technology and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This project's results led to the inception of Unicode in Nepal - an encoding scheme that assigns unique code to every character of standard writing scripts of the world. Under the project, Unicode compatible fonts like Kalimati, Kanjirowa, Thakwa Robinson along with two keyboard drivers, namely the Nepali Unicode Keyboard Romanized and Nepali Unicode Keyboard Traditional, were developed. With the development of the keyboard software, Nepali typing has become drastically simple to learn. The development of the Unicode compatible fonts has enabled data processing for the Nepali language. But this was just the beginning, as Bal narrates. "Owing to the fact that a larger Nepali population is deprived of the usage of computers because of the language barrier i.e. English which is the communicating language of the computers, MPP then put the objectives of developing an operating system and localised software applications in Nepali," said Bal. It undertook the 30 months long PAN Localization Project between January 2004 and June 2006. This initiative was supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada and administered by the National University of Computers and Emerging Sciences (NUCES), Lahore, Pakistan. MPP contributed the Nepal component of the released the localised operating system NepaLinux 1.0 on December 22, 2005. Among other utilities available on the CD, are the Nepali spell checker, a thesaurus and Nepali Unicode support. "NepaLinux 1.0 is a Debian and Morphix based GNU/Linux distribution focused for Desktop usage in Nepali Language Computing. Apart from the operating system in Nepali, the CD package comprises a localised GNOME desktop environment, the OpenOffice.Org suite and the Mozilla (internet browser) suite," Bal explains. "With the operating system in Nepali developed, MPP is aiming to focus more on advance language processing and mobile computing applications in future. MPP's works have been increasingly supported both from national and international levels," says Bal.
South Korea Climbs to Top Rank in Global E-Government PROVIDENCE, R.I. ¡ª Asian countries once again dominate e-government ratings, taking three of the top five spots in a global e-government study undertaken by researchers at Brown University. South Korea, ranked 86th last year, earned the top rank, followed by Taiwan, Singapore, the United States and Canada. The study shows that 29 percent of government agencies around the world are offering online services, compared to 19 percent in 2005. The sixth annual survey conducted by Darrell M. West, director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American institutions at Brown University, and a team of researchers evaluated online government Web sites of 198 countries around the globe. The researchers evaluated government Web sites based on two dozen criteria, including disability access, existence of publications and databases, presence of privacy and security policies, contact information, and the number of online services. The Taubman Center released previous studies of global e-government in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. This year¡¯s study reviewed 1,782 government Web sites in 198 countries during June and July 2006. A variety of different sites were analyzed, including executive, legislative and judicial offices as well as such departments and ministries of the government as health, education, foreign affairs, interior, finance, natural resources, foreign investment, transportation, military, tourism and telecommunication. Researchers found that 94 percent of Web sites have online publications and 72 percent have links to databases. Only 26 percent (up from 18 percent in 2005) show privacy policies and 14 percent present security policies (up from 10 percent in 2005). Software provided by the company Watchfire Inc. assesses whether websites provide assistance for the vision- or hearing-impaired. According to this software, government Web sites are still lagging on disability access. Only 23 percent of sites provide disability access, although this is up from 19 percent in 2005. In addition to analyzing particular features, researchers rated countries for overall e-government performance. By evaluating the aforementioned features as well as others including PDA access, user fees, and foreign language translation, researchers rated each country on a zero to 100 point scale. The following table illustrates the rankings of the 198 countries in 2006. (Previous year¡¯s ranking and score are in parentheses.)
UNESCO to Launch 'Community of Practice' on Local E-Government UNESCO will launch an international community of practice on local e-Government through its 'Information for All Programme'. The community of practice will help participants to exchange technical information and experiences on the use of ICT for empowerment and participation of citizens in government at local level. It will be a virtual information centre on e-Governance. The network will be operational to Spanish speaking experts at the beginning of 2007. The Information for All Programme was created in 2000 by UNESCO's Executive Board as a successor to the General Information Programme and the International Informatics Programme. Open to experts of all countries, the community will initially bring together the participants of three training courses developed in cooperation with the Union Iberoamericana de Municipalidades under a project promoting ICTs as tools for improvement of local governance that UNESCO runs since 2002. The project is one of UNESCO's contributions to the implementation of the Geneva Plan of Action adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society that includes the implementation of e-Government strategies focusing on applications aimed at innovating and promoting transparency in public administrations and democratic processes, improving efficiency and strengthening relations with citizens.
Intense Debate Aims at Future Shape of Digital Broadcast Services The ITU Regional Radio communication Conference (RRC-06), in session since last week, has been making quiet but steady progress towards an ¡®all-digital¡¯ terrestrial broadcasting service for radio and television. This represents a significant step in the future development of information and communication technologies as well as the revolutionary direction it will provide in improving communications worldwide. In its first week of deliberations, RRC-06 took decisions to allow iteration of the complex software tools used by the ITU secretariat as a basis to generate the draft plan that will facilitate digital broadcasts around the world in the future. Mr Yoshio Utsumi, addressing the inaugural session of the Conference on 15 May, noted that digital terrestrial broadcasting is now a reality in many countries. "Many Member States have already established a cut-off date for migration from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting," he said. "Recognizing the advantages of the digital dividend, these countries are demanding immediate and unrestricted access to digital bandwidths. Meanwhile, other countries remain protective of the analogue system." In view of this divergence, a major challenge of the Conference is to find ways of permitting digital and analogue broadcasting systems to co-habit on the radio frequency spectrum without causing interference. A regional agreement for the digital service, planned in the frequency bands 174-230 MHz and 470-862 MHz, should be reached at the end of the next five weeks of deliberations with important implications for countries of Europe and Africa (Region 1) and the Middle East and the Islamic Republic of Iran (Region 3).Conference Chairman, Mr Kavouss Arasteh of the Islamic Republic of Iran, noted that the overall objective for RRC-06 must be to meet current digital broadcasting requirements while gaining the maximum flexibility for the future use of the spectrum becoming available as a result of digital technology efficiency gains. He added that such spectrum may be provided for broadcasting services, as well as other potential advanced communications services, matching both technological and commercial developments. Digital terrestrial television broadcasting is already a reality in many countries within the planning area. In countries where terrestrial television is still dominant, application of digital broadcasting is providing more channels and increasing choice for the consumers. In other countries where there is a much higher penetration of cable and satellite and less reliance on terrestrial broadcasting, digital broadcasting offers mobile reception of video, internet and multimedia data. Digital broadcasting is roughly six times more efficient than analogue, allowing more channels to be carried across fewer airwaves. The plans for digital switchover will therefore allow for an increase in the efficiency with which the spectrum is used ¡ª a digital dividend ¡ª which will open the way for wireless innovation and the potential for new services. Mr Arasteh also co-chaired the first session of the Radio communication Conference in 2004 and chaired the intersessional planning activities. Digital terrestrial broadcasting services will go a long way in connecting remote communities and in closing the digital divide. Mr Valery Timofeev, Director of the Radio communication Bureau of ITU, said, "This conference represents the first practical response in the radio communications sector to the decisions of the World Summit on the Information Society concerning the existing digital divide. "Nearly 700 delegates representing 120 administrations of ITU Members States within the planning area are currently debating complex technical, regulatory and political issues while simultaneously negotiating with neighbors on the coexistence of broadcasting and other wireless systems. RRC-06 is running in parallel with two short-period conferences for the revision and abrogation of the Stockholm 1961 and Geneva 1989 Agreements dealing with frequency bands and articles relevant to analogue television.
Asia Top Continent for Spam Relay - Sophos Survey Finds That U.S. has Lost 'Title' More spam is relayed through Asia than any other continent -- a sharp difference from the situation two years ago, when the United States accounted for over half of all spam sent to the world. According to a Sophos report on the top 12 spam relaying countries for the first quarter of 2006, Asia has taken over the top spot (42.8%) for spam relaying as a continent, in front of North America and Europe at 25.6% and 25% respectively. The U.S., however, remains the country relaying the most spam, although it now accounts for less than a quarter. China is fast narrowing the gap as the U,S, continues to make good progress in its efforts to reduce spam-relaying statistics. "Asia¡¯s spam relaying numbers is growing because of its growing economy (spam being a tool for marketing) and broadband becoming more widely available," said Dr. Jan Hruska, co-founder of Sophos PLC.Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, also pointed out that more and more viruses, worms and Trojan horses are being designed to take over innocent users¡¯ computers with the intention of stealing information and sending out junk e-mail campaigns. In the U.S., however, the fall in proportion of spam being relayed through the country is evidence that more Americans are waking up to the need to protect their home computers from malicious hackers, he said. Helped by legislation such as Can-Spam and greater information sharing by Internet service providers, the U.S. has imposed severe penalties and fines for its most prolific spammers. During the first quarter of 2006, several gang members responsible for distributing massive quantities of pornography admitted their involvement in a criminal spam ring. "The recent high-profile convictions of some spammers served as a warning to the others, and have helped to reduce the percentage of spam from the U.S.," said Hruska. According to Hruska, one in 40 e-mails contains a virus, and one in two e-mails is spam. The Internet has become an infectious network. "If you connect a PC running on Windows XP, without any patches or antivirus software, to the Internet, and left it alone without doing anything, it has a 94% chance to get infected in 60 minutes, and 40% chance to get infected in 10 minutes," he said."It has become a $3 billion market for spammers, and with the money, they are recruiting professionals to write better quality hijack codes and viruses, and not using amateurs like before."Hruska advised computer users to have at least the following three measures to protect themselves from being zombie computers: Ensure the latest patches are updated for the operating system; use a firewall, even if it is just the version built into Windows; and install anti-virus and antispam software and keep it up to date
Digital Broadcasting Set to Transform Communication Landscape by 2015 A treaty agreement was signed today at the conclusion of ITU¡¯s Regional Radio communication Conference (RRC-06) in Geneva, heralding the development of ¡®all-digital¡¯ terrestrial broadcast services for sound and television. The digitalization of broadcasting in Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Islamic Republic of Iran by 2015 represents a major landmark towards establishing a more equitable, just and people-centred Information Society. The digital switchover will leapfrog existing technologies to connect the unconnected in underserved and remote communities and close the digital divide."The most important achievement of the Conference," remarked Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of ITU, "is that the new digital Plan provides not only new possibilities for structured development of digital terrestrial broadcasting but also sufficient flexibilities for adaptation to the changing telecommunication environment." TThe agreement reached at RRC-06 paves the way for utilizing the full potential of information and communication technologies to achieve the internationally recognized development goals. The date of transition to digital terrestrial broadcasting in the year 2015 is intended to coincide with the targets set by the Millennium Development Goals. The regional agreement for digital services has been reached in the frequency bands 174 - 230 MHz and 470 - 862 MHz. It marks the beginning of the end of analogue broadcasting. The Conference agreed that the transition period from analogue to digital broadcasting, which begins at 0001 UTC 17 June 2006, should end on 17 June 2015, but some countries preferred an additional five-year extension for the VHF band (174-230 MHz).The Regional Radio communication Conference was chaired and brought to a successful conclusion by Mr Kavouss Arasteh of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Spotlight on How the Poor Use Their Phones What kinds of phone connections do the poor use? How much do they spend on telecom services? Are they willing to spend more? How do they choose their phone connection? What do they use phones for? And, what difficulties do they face while doing so? Many questions here... but the hints of possible answers come up in a South Asian study that looks at telecom users in India and Sri Lanka who have monthly incomes of less than USD$ 100.Conducted by LIRNEasia - www.lirneasia.net - or the Learning Initiatives on Reforms for Network Economies, the survey is being called a "path-breaking" one. Some 3199 persons were included in the total sample, and it covered telecom users in seven diverse districts of India and four in Sri Lanka. This study's findings were released and made available at the APC regional consultation on ICT policy in South Asia, in April 2006. Some interesting findings More than half of the respondents do not even own the phone that they use. 31% of fixed owners and 7% of mobile owners allow other people - other than family - to use their phones. 'Keeping in touch' with friends and family locally was the biggest use of telephones. Sixty four per cent of mobile users spend at least USD$ 4 per month on mobile communications. One-third of mobile users in Jaffna, the town in northern Sri Lanka, spend over 12 per cent of their monthly income on telecommunications. Women spend equally as long on the phone as men, and use the phone for the same purposes. Twenty two per cent of Sri Lankan respondents with monthly incomes below USD$ 50 owned a mobile, though only three per cent owned a fixed phone. More than two-thirds of those studied do not take advantage of 'off-peak' rates. Less than ten per cent of mobile users that switch off phones do so to avoid incoming calls. Ten per cent of mobile users are using 'free' handsets, 33 per cent of Indian mobile users bought second-hand handsets. Fixed, mobile and public access is perceived to be more affordable by rural users as against urban users. Mobile is perceived to be more affordable amongst Indian respondents. Pre-paid mobile is used by 83 per cent of mobile owners in the sample.
New Move to Bridge Digital Divide by the Commonweal The Commonwealth has launched a new initiative to take information technology to underdeveloped countries that need it most. The initiative 'Commonwealth Connects' aims to bridge the digital divide that leaves large numbers of people in many vulnerable Commonwealth countries cut off from the information flow. The Commonwealth is a group of 53 nations that were once a part of the British Empire. Its members include some developed countries like Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, strongly developing countries such as India, South Africa and Malaysia, but also very small Pacific and Caribbean states struggling to be a part of the world economy and information network. The 'Commonwealth Connects' programme will seek primarily to ensure that "all developing countries have good ICT (information and communication technologies) policies," Devindra Ramnarine, head of the programme told IPS Friday. "It will seek to make sure that these policies are in line with national development goals, and can be implemented." The Commonwealth will also use its portal to "share intellectual capital among member countries" by making instances of best practice available to others, Ramnarine said. If, for example, there is already a good IT system on taxation developed within one country, it would be placed on the portal for others to benefit from. Both these are low-cost steps, and the Commonwealth needs them to be low- cost. The Commonwealth programme has been launched with very limited funds, no more than 200,000 pounds (375,000 dollars), with another 700,000 pounds pledged. But the programme also plans to use some of this money and to raise more funds to take on particular projects. The first project of the programme, 'Rebuilding After The Tsunami: Using ICTs for Change', "will create a web-based platform to provide greater access to vital information and encourage ongoing exchanges between numerous civil society organisations, governments and citizens," the Commonwealth said in a statement Thursday. "It will complement existing reconstruction efforts in India, Sri Lanka and other countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami," the statement added. Other 'Commonwealth Connects' projects will involve the provision of radio-based business training for women in Cameroon to help them engage professionally in micro enterprise, and training to refurbish computers donated by Caribbean governments and citizens for distribution in schools in other Commonwealth countries. "These programmes can directly address the digital divide, but also raise the profile of the programme and help us attract more funds," Ramnarine said. "These projects are intended to show how we can organise, and the kind of things we want to do." "This programme will provide concrete assistance for the development of ICTs in least developed countries of the Commonwealth," Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said in a statement. "It will enable them to enter the information age fully equipped to compete effectively in the global marketplace." The initiative follows talks on the digital divide at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Malta last year where it was recognised that information technology offers opportunities "to overcome the constraints of remoteness, small size and other factors which have acted as obstacles to development," the Commonwealth statement said. The Commonwealth has instituted a steering committee to oversee the initiative. The committee is headed by Maltese Foreign Minister Dr Michael Frendo. Access to communication technology parallels advancement on the human development index, according to reports presented at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Malta last year. And though it has limited resources, the Commonwealth programme plans to use common connections by way of the English language and institutions to make a difference. An international summit to promote ICTs for development within the Commonwealth will be held in India early next year. Beside governments, the summit will draw the private sector. "We want the private sector involved, and find ways of developing programmes that can also be commercially attractive for them," Ramnarine said. (by Sanjay Suri)
Lack of Innovations at Computex The annual Computex show (Taipei, June 6-10) usually promises a sneak preview of the latest products and hottest trends in the IT industry. At this year's show, however, it seems there were fewer companies pushing the latest IT and digital home innovations."We find improvements in technologies and products, but left the show concluding that the second half of this year will lack hot products," commented Dan Heyler, research analyst for Merrill Lynch & Co Ltd in Hong Kong. According to a government research firm, Taiwanese companies made 98% of the world's motherboards, 30% of desktop computers, 82% of laptops, and 72% of LCD monitors last year. Four Taiwan-based companies - Asustek, ECS, MSI, and Gigabyte - dominate the global supply of PC motherboards and graphics cards. For the past few years, Computex has been where Intel and AMD try to generate attention and revenue for their latest CPUs. This year's show highlighted the continuing transition of desktop and notebooks from 32-bit single core processors to 64-bit dual core platforms. Intel, AMD Intel proved that it can regain some of the market share it has lost to AMD in the past few years. At Computex, the company rolled out its P965 Express chipset, previously named Broadwater, to work with the new Core 2 Duo desktop processor, known as Conroe. The new chipset is among one of the few product launches Intel has slated for the rest of the year. Intel was expected to roll out its Woodcrest server chip in late June, while the new Meron notebook chip is slated to be launched in August. AMD came to Computex with some momentum behind it. A few weeks before the show, Dell announced that it would for the first time use AMD CPUs for its desktop PCs. Acer is making a major commitment to AMD with its new line of high-end Ferrari notebooks at Computex. AMD also showcased its new AM2 CPUs, which are the first to use DDR2 DRAM memory. To counter the Intel Viiv, which aims to integrate the desktop PC with living room entertainment, AMD launched its own media PC platform at Computex. AMD sampled its new Live! platform with OEMs with vendors such as Acer, Alienware, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Gateway, HP, Sahara, and Tsinghua Tongfang. MP3, PMP, LCD With Apple dominating the portable digital music player market, most Taiwan vendors could only offer cheap knockoffs of the latest MP3 and PMP (portable media player) at the Computex show. One serious contender in the PMP race is a company known for its memory products. Kingston Technology showcased a PMP, which it said would be launched in Asia in August. According to a company spokesman, the K-PEX will come in two versions: 1GB and 2GB, with the lower capacity device selling for around US$120-130 and US$170-180, respectively. The K-PEX comes with a 2-inch LCD color screen and can offer playback in AVI, MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, Windows Media Video, ASF, MP3, Windows Media Audio, Ogg, and WAV audio and video formats. It also functions as a photo album that can display text files and JPEG files. Meanwhile Mitac unveiled its MIO 269+ GPS device with a 3.5-inch color transflective touch-sensitive LCD display that supports 320 x 240 resolution, with 65K colors and QVGA resolution in landscape mode. The unit comes with a 2.5GB hard drive with about 500MB available. For extra storage, users can buy an extra memory card to use with the SD/MMC card slot. The MIO 269 runs on a 300MHz Intel Xscale 300MHz CPU, has 64MB of RAM and a rechargeable 1350mAh Lithium-ion battery. HD DVD vs Blu-ray Acer is Taiwan's most recognized global PC brand. The company has jumped into the HD DVD vs Blu-ray fray by rolling out a notebook PC with an HD DVD drive. It is unclear whether the high-end Aspire 9800 notebook will ever make it to store shelves. HD DVD is one of two next-generation DVD formats vying to replace the current DVD discs. Another unusual feature of the Aspire 9800 is its 20.1-inch LCD screen. According to Acer, the monitor's panel delivers image on par with some of the best LCD monitors for desktop computers. It also features twin 120GB hard-disk drives, NVidia GeForce 7600 graphics, a TV tuner, and support for various audio technologies including Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect. Acer's new machine costs about US$2,700 and weighs about 17 pounds. BenQ and Asustek showcased their Blu-ray drives at the show. Although both companies were vague about the exact shipment dates for the devices, the product launches represent a major boost for the Blu-ray standard. (by Van Tran)
India Outstrips China and Russia in IT Race India has outstripped China and Russia in information technology (IT) race, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. India ranks 40th as per the Global Information Technology Report, ahead of China (50th rank) and Russia (72nd), Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Shakeel Ahmad said in a written reply. "The Global Information Technology Report's Readiness Index gives the degree of preparedness of a nation or community to participate in and benefit from ICT developments," he said. India is ranked at 40th position out of 115 member countries. Government has formulated a proposal for establishing one lakh plus Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled Common Services Centres (CSCs) predominantly in rural areas across the country, he said. "These CSCs would have the flexibility to offer a mix of services (both Government and non-Government, including localised servies) that may be needed by the local community," he said. E-GOVERNANCE: To another question, he said the Department of Information Technology has allocated Rs 300 crore for e-governance projects in 2005-06, up from Rs 215 crore in 2004-05. "There is no Central pooling of funds for the implementation of e-governance projects. Concerned ministries or departments are expected to use their respective budget heads," he said.
p align="left">PCs for the Poor: Ultimate Solution or Scam of the Century? At the 2005 World Economic Forum in Switzerland a soft-spoken academic made an announcement that sent seismic waves across the computer industry. Nicholas Negroponte, then director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, spoke of making laptops available at US$100 for schoolchildren in developing nations. The price was not the only big news. Negroponte named companies that had agreed to collaborate on what would become the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project. Notably, the list did not include Microsoft and Intel, the world's largest software and microchip manufacturers, respectively. Instead, the laptop would use a processor from Advanced Micro Devices and an operating system based on Linux, whose code is freely available for anyone to modify and distribute. The technology race A cascade of announcements followed. In November 2005, Negroponte demonstrated the first prototype at the UN's World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia. Microsoft soon responded. At the January 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, United States, Bill Gates unveiled his company's answer: a prototype cellphone that could be turned into a computer by connecting it to a TV and keyboard. Microsoft touted its Cellular PC as a cheaper and more practical alternative, since it relied on components already in use. Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer told The New York Times, "everyone is going to have a cellphone ¡ in places where TVs are already common, turning a phone into a computer could simply require adding a cheap adaptor and keyboard." In February, leading Taiwanese microchip manufacturer Via showed off prototypes it has developed for its PC-1 initiative, which aims to enable a billion people to connect to the Internet using cheap and energy-efficient notebook and desktop computers. Then in May, Intel's chief executive officer Paul Otellini launched his company's foray into the low-cost computing arena with EduWise, a US$330-400 'education notebook PC' aimed at developing nations. Intel spokesperson Mike Green says EduWise has an advantage over the OLPC laptop in that it can accommodate more standard software and tools. Its hardware will be almost identical to that of regular computers. Moreover, it will use Microsoft's Windows operating system, which runs about 90 per cent of the world's personal computers and is compatible with more software applications than most other operating systems. Negroponte's US$100 laptop, with its trimmed-down hardware, has drawn criticism from Otellini. "We do not think you [can] cross the digital divide with old technology," he told The New York Times in May. "[EduWise] doesn't need exotic technology and it runs real applications." These are not the first attempts to provide affordable computing for the poor. Back in 2003, Advanced Micro Devices introduced its Personal Internet Communicator, a relatively cheap box that could be used to access the Internet when it was connected to a screen and a keyboard. But it couldn't be used as a word processor, and it cost US$400 ¡ª both major weaknesses. The company ended up pulling the plug and partnering with Negroponte instead.
p align="left">Google Sees a Mobile Future in Asia As Google looks to conquer the emerging markets of Asia, Deep Nishar, its head of wireless products, is turning the focus of the company from its PC roots to mobile phones in its bid for global ubiquity - and tackling criticism for censorship along the way. In the search giant's established markets its accepted guise is as a mostly white, blank web page with a search bar located at the heart of the PC screen. As it looks to charge headlong into fast growing Asian markets such as China and India, Mr Nishar argued that it could well be the mobile phone, not computers that become the device of choice for accessing information in these countries. His statistics are persuasive. There are more than 2bn mobile phones worldwide and about 1bn PCs. In emerging countries the number of internet-connected PCs are often limited, and certainly not in every household and office, but mobile phones seem to be in everyone's hand. China Mobile now claims to be the world's largest wireless operator by number of subscribers. It has more than 200 million customers, while Vodafone has 186 million customers worldwide despite being a much more global business. Furthermore, there are already in the vicinity of 440m mobile handsets in China - close to the total in the US and Europe combined, according to Mr Nishar. And India has about 100m handsets in a market growing at some 5m a month. "It is fair to assume that accessing the internet or data services could well be primarily done through these devices," he said. "We believe that mobile is the next big opportunity for Google." In countries where there is limited access to media, especially trusted sources, the use of mobile phones to access foreign news is becoming increasingly important. When Google News first launched on mobile in English, the company saw an unexpected surge of access from English-speaking Nigeria. And when it launched a service in French, there was similar spike from some former French colonies such as the Ivory Coast. "Mobile users are looking for trusted sources - they want to 'find', not 'browse', as is often the case with PC users," said Mr Nishar. "Mobile queries are often of a more direct, urgent nature. "This is something that the BBC has also found with its WAP-based mobile internet service. According to its July figures, Africa - especially Nigeria - dominated international usage, accounting for 61% of traffic outside the UK. Slow, unreliable landlines, making for poor internet connections, is also a factor in the popularity of mobile access outside the US and Europe. Generating revenue - something Google has become extremely adept at via its PC-based search service - from mobile search services is not easy. However, Mr Nishar said Google's services are making money, in test form, from mobile text ads in the Japanese market. For Mr Nishar's global Google mobile dream to become a reality, the company needs help. Mobile search and services are still in their infancy and, he argued, investment must come before the grab for profits. "Mobile is still in the investment phase and it requires the major players in the handset business, the mobile network operators and the content providers to continue to invest," he said. An informal Google company motto outlined by founder Sergey Brin at the time of its launch in the 90s was "Don't be evil". Launching a censored version of its website in China would appear to go against that principle, but Google argues that offering some information is better than none at all. "This issue is the same for any device - mobile or PC - and we operate by the standards of the country in which the laws are being set," said a Google spokesman. "The balance is that as mobile search grows in the developing world, access to a wider range of information expands. Is it better to be operating there with limitations, or not providing any access at all?" Pressure has recently been heaped on technology companies operating in China by Human Rights Watch, which claimed that many web firms had become complicit in political repression. The New York-based campaign group called the policies of Yahoo!, Google and Microsoft "arbitrary, opaque and unaccountable" and said users deserved to know more about the way they operated. In a report published earlier this month, the group said that it was "ironic that companies whose existence depends on freedom of information and expression have taken on the role of censor, even in cases where the Chinese government makes no specific demands for them to do so". For Google's part, it still offers unrestricted access for Chinese users to information through the Google.com site, although it is not available in all parts of the country. The restricted version is the Chinese domain site at Google.cn
50 Leaders Say Information Security Is Imperative TThe six member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have vowed to enhance international information security and eliminate possible dangers of using information and communication technologies for criminal or terrorist purposes. The heads of state of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed a statement on international information security yesterday during the summit. They believe information technologies have opened up huge potentials for human development but there is a possible danger for the technologies to be used for criminal, terrorist, military or political purposes that run counter to the maintenance of international security. The negative impact of using information and communication technologies in a destructive way by criminals "may cause a catastrophe for the entire world tantamount to that resulted from the use of weapons of mass destruction," reads the statement, which was signed by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, President Hu Jintao, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov and Uzbek President Islam Karimov. They said that it is imperative for all countries to step up their efforts on information security through bilateral, regional and international cooperation. "Only with well-coordinated and complementary measures taken by all the countries, can the current challenges and threats to information security be effectively dealt with," they said in the document. The six countries have decided to establish an expert group amongst themselves to formulate an action plan for international information security and define ways to solve relevant problems
Key ICT Players Meet to Discuss Future - CEOs and CTOs to Provide Unique Vision What: Celebrating ITU¡¯s leading role in setting standards in communications: one day event to hear what some of the top executives from the world of ICT have to say about the future of this remarkable industry. When: 20 July 2006; Where: International Conference Centre Geneva, (CICG), Geneva; Why: In 2006, ITU celebrates its leading role in making the standards that have played a massive role in shaping the information and communication technologies (ICT) and services of today. In 1924/5, two technical committees were created to set standards regulating technical and operating questions for international long-distance telephony and telegraphy. Fifty years ago, in 1956, these two technical committees were merged to become CCITT (Consultative Committee for International Telegraphy and Telephony) which later became ITU-T, where all standards-setting activities of ITU were consolidated for wire and wireless networks. While celebrating the past achievements of ITU in the field of standardization, the event will be forward looking in focus. The morning will see keynote speeches from among others the Chairman of the Board of China Netcom and the CEO and President of NTT and CEO of Svyazinvest. In the afternoon there will be two executive round table discussions on the future of ICTs. The discussion panels will consist of CTOs and other senior experts from some of the world¡¯s major ICT companies, including Alcatel, Cisco, Deutsche Telekom, France T¨¦l¨¦com, KDDI, Korea Telecom, KPN, Nortel, Rostelecom, Siemens, Telef¨®nica and ZTE. Who: Study group chairs and experts attending the meeting on next generation networks ¡ª global standards initiative (NGN-GSI) will be present. The event is free and open to any interested party but only a limited number of places are available, so please register online as soon as possible. An audio webcast of the entire event will be available here. Journalists interested in attending should contact the ITU Press Office.
Government Technology (GT) Summit & Exhibition 2006 in Dubai Dubai-based World Development Forum has announced the launch of the Government Technology (GT) Summit & Exhibition 2006, in association with the UNDP and The League of Arab States, a three-day event on 3-5 September 2006 at the JW Marriot Hotel in Dubai. This event will focus on the theme of 'Integrated Secure Services to Government, Business & Citizens' and will provide a platform for senior IT decision-makers in the public sector throughout the Middle East to debate cohesive and practical strategies for the common good of the Arab world. ICT indicators in the Arab region are still weak. The UNDP introduced a new regional initiative namely, 'Information & Communities Technologies for Development in the Arab Region' (ICTDAR) to assist Arab States in harnessing ICT to reduce poverty, address digital divides and improve both public administration performance and private sector hold and expansion. As an integral part of their objectives, an e-Governance programme was launched to provide policy advice to Arab government, to establish a regional e-Governance Institute (REGI). The GT Summit programme will address the most challenging issues faced by regional governments. This invitation-only event will target high-level government ministerial officials in communications, commerce, education, finance, health, infrastructure and public works.
Asian Data-Storage Industry Set for Strong Growth SINGAPORE : Small- and medium-sized businesses across Southeast Asia, including Singapore, are on track to spend US$630 million on data storage-related investments in this year alone. Storage network professionals at a seminar in Singapore on Tuesday say the industry growth outlook remains strong. They add that markets like Singapore can look into adopting standards and training programmes to help its information technology professionals ride the growth. Economic growth and emerging regulations across Southeast Asia are driving growth in the data storage industry. Industry professionals say that even smaller companies are now recognising the need to stay competitive by having faster access to business and customer information offline, as well as providing services online. Said Vincent Franceschini, chairman (strategic alliances committee), Storage Networking Industry Association, "Areas like Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand are really seeing SMBs, SMEs investing in their IT infrastructure because of their business development. Governments of the Asian area are starting to impose certain rules on how data centre and IT infrastructure ought to be managed in order to preserve access to information over a certain period of time. In Singapore, we have several rules like the retention act, the limitation act." Industry players say the strong growth prospects will lead to job opportunities for trained storage technicians, which are lacking here. They add that such skilled technicians are especially important in a market like Singapore, where consumers are quick to use electronic transactions for government-related matters. Said Rajesh Prabhakaran, chairman (governing committee), Storage Networking Industry Association, South Asia, "There is going to be an ever increasing demand for storage professionals in the Singapore's society. You need good professionals who can actually handle the storage and also the management challenges associated with storage. That is where I think education plays a big role. Education helps not only in terms of e-government but also in providing gainful employment in a growing industry." The association says it is in talks with Singapore's Infocomm Development Authority to develop a training and certification programme for storage professionals. Industry players say storage technologies have moved beyond just infrastructure systems to become more tied in with consumer applications and services. They say this means that solution providers will have to be more in tuned with end-users' habits, so that they can come up with next-generation technologies when it comes to storage needs. (by Jeana Wong)
The Largest Conglomeration of ICT Practitioners & Experts to Meet in New Delhi Three parallel conferences, egov India 2006, Digital Learning India 2006 and Indian Telecentre Forum will bring together 700 high-level participants from public sector, private sector and academia from India and world over. The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Government of India and United Nations Development Program are co-organising three joint conferences on 23-25 August 2006 at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi, India. These are egov India 2006, Digital Learning India 2006 and Indian Telecentre Forum 2006. Organized by the Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS) a leading research organization from India, the three joint conferences will see around 700 high-level domain experts, policy makers and industry leaders. With the theme "Vision 2010", these conferences would focus on the milestones to be achieved, strategies and steps to be adopted to leap forward to a much more developed and prosperous nation. It will provide a platform to deliver and deliberate on the realities and strategies of e-Governance, e-Learning and Rural Telecentres in India. It will have a grand inauguration, which will set the vision statement of the conference and will be graced by Kapil Sibal, Minister for Oceanography and Science and Technology, Government of India, Kraisorn Pornsutee, Permanent Secretary, Royal Thai Government, Kiran Karnik, NASSCOM President, Maxine Olson, Resident Representative, UNDP, Dr. M S Swaminathan, Chairman, MSSRF among others. The conferences are receiving sincere commitment and support from UNDP, USAID, The Asia Foundation, National Institute of Smart Government (NISG), GESCI, Telecentre.org, PLAN, Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion (KADO), SIDA and has got overwhelming response from private companies like SAP, Nortel, Alcatel, Adobe, Cisco Systems, Microsoft among many others Joint conferences spread over 3 days in plenary as well as parallel tracks will have around 200 speakers who will talk on important issues reflecting present situation and future aspirations of e-Governance, e-Learning and Rural Telecentres in India. With eminent speakers such as R. Chandrashekhar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communication, Government of India Subash Khuntia, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, Basheerahmad Shadrach, Senior Programme Officer, Telecentre.org, Wajahat Habibullah, Chief Information Commissioner, India, Neelam Dhawan, Managing Director, Microsoft, the conference will provide a great learning experience and a platform for sharing ideas. The ICT joint conference will host a 3-day exhibition that will showcase the latest e-solutions, services, initiatives and case studies from across Asia and beyond. Professional service providers, IT vendors, consulting firms, government agencies and national/international development organizations involved in the ICT, e-Governance and telecentres and education domain are participating in the exhibition.
Government Technology Forum 06 - Incorporating Government Technology Showcase Talk, listen, learn at the second annual Government Technology Forum. Organised by Public Sector Technology & Management, Asia¡¯s only government IT magazine, the Government Technology Forum is a two-day event bringing together senior regional administrators and policy-makers:26-27 October 2006, Raffles Convention Centre, Singapore, www.pstm.net/forum06.The unique format of the event - two days of roundtable discussions held behind closed doors in front of a Director- level audience of regional officials - provides an effective platform for a frank exchange of ideas and genuine peer learning. A series of networking opportunities throughout the day will enable delegates and speakers to build new relationships of lasting value. Delegates to Government Technology Forum 06 will benefit from interacting with twelve focused panel discussions, each of which features leading government officials and opinion-formers from around Asia Pacific and beyond. Key themes for Government Technology Forum 06 include: Optimising Enterprise Architecture for Government£»Calculating and managing operational risk£»Technology, transparency & the reform of governance£»Collaboration across tiers£»Citizen-centric government£»Proprietary vs. Open Source Software£»Public Private Partnership£»Securing government systems£»Procurement Policy
Regional Radiocommunication Conference 2006 Landmark Digitization Framework agreed On 16 June 2006, an agreement was signed in Geneva that will form the basis of digital television and radio broadcasting in more than 100 countries for years to come. The Final Acts of ITU¡¯s 2006 Regional Radiocommunication Conference (RRC-06) is an international treaty covering the frequency bands 174¨C230 MHz and 470¨C862 MHz. It sets out a plan for ending almost all analogue broadcasts by 17 June 2015 in Africa, Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, parts of Asia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. A future framework for digital broadcasting is assured. Digital dividend Digital broadcasting offers more channels and increasing choice for consumers, as well as the possibility of mobile reception of video, internet and multimedia services. It is about six times more efficient than analogue broadcasting, allowing more data to be carried across less bandwidth. This not only means better quality and more applications in countries where services have started; it also promises a ¡°digital dividend¡± that can help in connecting remote communities and in closing the digital divide. The dividend comes from the increased efficiency with which the radio spectrum is used, opening the way for innovative wireless technologies and potential new services. In this way, the plans produced by RRC-06 are a powerful and practical response in ITU¡¯s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU¨CR) to the goals of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). RRC-06 was the first treaty-making conference to be held by ITU since the conclusion of WSIS in November 2005. More than 1000 delegates took part in the conference. More than 1000 delegates attended RRC-06, which began on 15 May. Under the chairman ship of Kavouss Arastehof the Islamic Republic of Iran, the conference held some 850 meetings and satisfied 70 493 requests (known as ¡°requirements¡±) for entry in the plan for digital broadcasting. It was also the first time that ITU had undertaken the planning of analogue and digital services, in single and multiple frequencies, all at the same time. Finding solutions was an enormously complicated task, but nevertheless the conference achieved all the objectives set out by the ITU membership. Almost every requirement was met, while fully complying with the Radio Regulations and a fundamental principle of ITU¡¯s Constitution that the Union should ¡°maintain and extend international cooperation¡ for the improvement and rational use of telecommunications of all kinds.¡±The reasons for this success lay in the careful preparation begun in 2002 and continued at the first session of the Regional Radiocommunication Conference in 2004. Also, on the sidelines of RRC-06, many discussions and negotiations took place among small groups of neighbouring countries, leading to agreements that were then approved by the plenary session of the conference. Overall, this process was aided by a strong spirit of consensus and cooperation among delegates. During the entire conference, it had never been necessary to take a vote on any contentious point.
The 6th Annual Forum on City Informatization in the Asia-Pacific Region Coming Soon The 6th Annual Forum on City Informatization in the Asia-Pacific Region (CIAPR VI) will take place in Shanghai, China, 18-19 October 2006, with the theme ¡°ICT for a Better Life: The Role of Local Government.¡± The Forum will be co-organized and co-sponsored by the Shanghai Municipal People¡¯s Government and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (UN/ICT/TF), the State Council Informatization Office of China, the Ministry of Information Industry of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), five successful CIAPR Forums have been held since 2000. With a focus on inclusion for the poor, innovative e-government solutions and tools, and engaging citizens¡¯ participation in the decision-making process, the 6th Forum will be composed of a plenary session, a number of parallel sessions and workshops, covering topics such as ICT and e-government development for all, creating a public value for citizens, enhancing participation and partnership with citizens, creating e-government toolkits (information technology & applications), and citizen-friendly e-government policies and cyber laws. The United Nations Public Service Awards, in the category of ICT Application and Local e-Government, will be presented by UNDESA to recognize outstanding achievement and contribution in local e-government applications. The Forum is expected to attract over 800 participants worldwide, including senior officials form the UN and from central and municipal governments of both developed and developing countries, CEOs of well-known IT companies, and famous experts and scholars of academia, international organizations and NGOs. Contact: The Regional Cooperation Office for City Informatization (RCOCI), Tel: (86-21) 6112 3736, Fax: (86-21) 6112 3739, Email: hyliu@apcity.org or hyliu@siecc.org
Asia¡¯s Doors Open Only Very Slightly to Community Radio DHAKA, Bangladesh -- AMARC Asia-Pacific ¨C http://asiapacific.amarc.org/ ¨C is part of an international non-governmental organisation serving the community radio movement, with almost 3,000 members and associates in 110 countries. The goal of the ¡°Association mondiale des radiodiffuseurs communautaires (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, AMARC) is to "support and contribute to the development of community and participatory radio along the principles of solidarity and international cooperation".¡±AMARC Asia-Pacific was launched in February 2003 by the global meeting, AMARC 8, in Kathmandu. That meeting decided to officially establish AMARC Asia-Pacific," says Suman Basnet (37), AMARC Asia-Pacific's regional coordinator, based in Kathmandu. Adds Basnet, a former television man and documentary filmmaker himself: "It took us all this time till November 2005 to meet in Jakarta and do a regional assembly and elect the first official board of the region." AMARC's Asia-Pacific president is the Bangalore-based Ashish Sen, whose non-governmental organisation, called VOICES, now an APC member, has long been associated with the campaign for community radio in India. (See https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india, a mailing list that has been pressing for this). Its deputy president is Sonia Randhawa from the Centre for Independent Journalism in Malaysia. She has initiated a community radio station that, due to difficulties in broadcasting from Malaysia, has set up its transmitter in neighbouring Indonesia, broadcasting over shortwave. "There are some very progressive groups involved, and they also work with migrant workers (in Malaysia)," Basnet says. AMARC Asia-Pacific's treasurer Shane Elson, from Alternative Radio, Australia, is also vice-president of the Community Broadcasters Association in Australia (CBAA). "Our office (in Kathmandu, Nepal) is very small. We have only three people. A colleague who looks after finances, and a messenger, who helps us with running around and cleaning," says Basnet. But so far, AMARC Asia-Pacific has been able to mobilise nearly 200 members in the region. Basnet says the largest numbers, about 40, come from Indonesia, with members in Australia, Fiji, thirteen in Nepal, and three in the India and Bangladesh (VOICES, and two others), in a region that has not been very conducive to the idea of community radio, as Asia has long been accustomed to state-monopolised (and more recently, commercialised) broadcasting. AMARC Asia-Pacific accepts applications for two types of members. Voting members are community radio stations or an organisation earnestly planning to start such a station. Associate members are those supporting the idea. The latter cannot vote.
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CHINA: Blogs, Search Engines to Be Supervised Blogs and search engines, the most active parts of China information industry, will become strictly supervised by the government. "As more and more illegal and unhealthy information spreads through the blog and search engine, we will take effective measures to put the BBS, blogs and search engines under control," said Cai Wu, director of the Information Office of the State Council, at a meeting held on Wednesday. China launched a project on February 21 to purify the environment of Internet and mobile communication network. According to a report made by the prestigious Qinghua (Tsinghua) University in Beijing, 36.82 million blog sites operate in China, and may exceed 60 million this year. "The market cannot develop without efficient management," said Cai, adding that the government will enhance research on the concerned technology and make entry standards for blog Websites. Last year, Chinese search engine users reached 97.06 million, accounting for 87.4 percent of Chinese Internet users, said iResearch Consultative Ltd. IResearch forecasts that the number will top 100 million this year. The Chinese internet search engine service providers formed a self-governing organization two years ago, refusing to support pornographic and obscene Websites. Wang Xudong, Minister of Information Industry, said the government plans to do more research on Internet security issues triggered by emergence of blogs and search engines.
Expatriates Eligible for IT Elites The selection of the top ten young IT elites in Shanghai will open to expatriates for the first time. Young foreigners who have worked in the city for more than one year and have made achievements in the IT sector can now apply. The event, sponsored jointly by the Shanghai Municipal Committee of Youth League, Shanghai Municipal Informatization Commission, Shanghai Mobile Communications Co., Ltd and Wenhui Daily, will accept public votes via short-messages. Detailed information is available to the public by logging onto www.why.com.cn.
Search Engines Get Internet Regulation Protection China's first regulation on online copyright, implemented on July 1, gives search engine operators some legal status and protection from copyright infringement claims, according to industry experts. "Under the regulation, search engines providing links can be exempted from copyright infringement claims," said Wang Bin, secretary general of the Online Copyright Alliance of the Internet Society of China. In September 2005, seven record companies accused Baidu.com, China's largest search engine, of offering free pirated downloads of songs. The claim triggered a spate of legal cases against search engine operators. However, the new regulation stipulates that Internet service providers which merely offer search services and links are not liable for copyright infringement if they remove links to pirated content at the request of copyright owners. However, if the search engines persist and provide links to pirated content, they would be deemed to share liability for infringement along with websites that offer the pirated content. "It means search engines would not be directly responsible for pirated products they provide links to," Wang explained. Government statistics show that China has over 111 million Internet users and Internet companies are beginning to focus on providing sound and image content. "Copyright has become a prominent issue for websites and laws and regulations are needed to guarantee the websites' legal right to provide content," Wang said. He believed the new regulation would encourage Internet content providers to view intellectual property rights protection more seriously. Baidu.com welcomed the new regulation and believed it would give search engines a legal status and help promote cooperation with copyright owners. "Baidu hopes to enter into mutually beneficial cooperation agreements with record companies. The protection of online copyrights requires the coordination of the whole industrial chain," said Wang Dong, brand and marketing director of Baidu. Music searches are Baidu's most popular service after website searches. Last October, it launched an alliance with six record companies. That number has since increased to 30. The regulation spells opportunity and responsibility for search engines, according to He Qifeng, an analyst with the China Center for Information Industry Development. "It lays a framework for Internet service providers and clarifies their liabilities." But the regulation was hard to implement to some extent, He said. Due to the large number of pirate websites, copyright owners are finding it difficult to list them all, and even if they could, search engines might be reluctant to remove all the errant links, particularly if this affects general search results, He said."Search engines might find themselves in a dilemma then." However, Wang pointed out that if copyright owners fail to first inform the search engine operator of the infringement and chose to proceed immediately with legal action, the regulation gives no guidance to courts on how to rule in such cases.Wang said the Online Copyright Alliance would discuss the issue with Internet companies, and judicial and legislative departments.
Streamline Online Copyright Protection The Copyright Union of the Internet Society of China wants to streamline copyright infringement notification procedures for internet companies in order to better protect online copyright. Copyright Union secretary general Wang Bin said here Wednesday that internet companies should have a quick and convenient means of notifying and processing copyright infringement. China's first regulation on online copyright, which took effect on July 1, requires copyright owners to inform internet service providers (ISPs) when infringements occur and request them to delete the link in question. However, there is no simple notification channel. Copyright owners do not know how to provide notification and what evidence to produce. ISPs find it hard to determine whether the link is authorized. "Since there is no single authentification organization, we have to spend a lot of time and energy checking whether the content is pirated or not and sometimes we cannot get the right answer," said Liang Zhixiang, director of the Baidu.com legal department. Copyright owners complain that they cannot list all the websites which steal their material as there are so many. Both ISPs and copyright owners hope to have a unified platform through which they can easily solve copyright disputes. Wang said her copyright union would create a database to list all authorized users of some important products such as frequently downloaded songs and movies. Government statistics show that China has over 123 million internet users and internet service providers are beginning to focus on providing sound and image content. "Copyright has become a big issue for websites. Laws and regulations are needed to guarantee the websites' legal right to provide content," said Wang.
From http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/07/27/2006
Rules May Vex Foreign Operators BEIJING -- New rules issued by China's telecommunications regulator could create significant complications for foreign Internet companies operating in China as well as for Chinese Internet companies listed overseas, lawyers and analysts said. Just how much the measures, unveiled this week by the Ministry of Information Industry, will affect Internet companies in China could depend largely on the level of enforcement, experts said. The rules appear to target a complicated legal structure that has been widely used for years to enable foreign investment in the Chinese Internet industry. The new requirements come amid ballooning interest in the Internet in China, which boasts more than 120 million users, the second largest such population after that of the U.S. Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN service each launched operations in China last year, joining other big foreign Internet companies like Yahoo Inc. and eBay Inc. Numerous Chinese Internet companies, such as portal Web site operators Netease.com Inc. and Baidu.com Inc., have attracted foreign investors through listings on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The measures are aimed at strengthening control over foreign investment in "value added telecom services," a category that includes search engines and other Web sites. The rules require that local providers of such services own the domain names and trademarks that they use in China -- key pieces of intellectual property that are often controlled by foreign affiliates or investors. Because China's laws limit direct foreign ownership of domestic companies that provide Internet content and related services, Chinese Web-site operators that want to sell shares overseas first establish a legal entity offshore, such as in the Cayman Islands. That entity owns the trademark, domain name, and other key intellectual property for the site. The Chinese Internet-content provider license and related licenses, meanwhile, are owned by one or more separate Chinese legal entities, which themselves are often controlled by top executives of the offshore companies but not by the companies themselves. The relationships between these offshore companies and their local operating affiliates are governed by contracts. Generally, the local operator collects revenue in China from sales of online ads or other sources, which it passes on to the offshore company in exchange for the license to use the trademarks, domain names, and other intellectual property. Lawyers say most or all foreign companies that operate in China or have bought into local companies use similar legal structures, but their arrangements generally aren't made public. Chinese Internet companies that list overseas, however, must describe their structures in detail in their regulatory filings. Nasdaq-listed Baidu.com, a major Chinese search-engine operator, for example, stated in the prospectus for its initial public offering last year that it licenses its domain names, trademarks, and certain software to a Chinese affiliate that is owned by two top Baidu executives. Google ran into questions about its structure in China this year. In February the MII said it was investigating the licensing of the U.S. search-engine giant, which had recently launched a Chinese Web site. MII didn't elaborate on the nature of the investigation, but local news reports said it centered on whether Google had obtained proper licenses. A Google spokeswoman said at the time that Google's partnership with Ganji.com, a local Internet content provider, provided Google with the required licenses. New rules issued by China's telecom regulator may require foreign and domestic companies operating in China's Internet industry to revise their structures. * Domain names used by Internet companies and other value added telecom (VAT) providers must be owned by the local operators. * Trademarks used by VAT providers must be owned by the local operator or its shareholders. * Applications for new VAT licenses that fail to meet the specified requirements can be rejected. * Existing VAT license holders whose structures don't comply with rules could have their licenses withdrawn.
China to Issue New Regulations to Censor Online Video Programs China is to issue new regulations against websites which broadcast short films without state permission, according to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). The administration has listed the well-known websites of Sina, Sohu and Netease as authorized providers of online video programs. But others face an uncertain fate as the administration will inspect the online video contents they release. SARFT has emphasized strict measures will be enforced to prevent any malpractice. The new regulations will be unveiled in late August or September, despite a rising popularity in online short films. The shorts, often parodies of classic movies or events that occur in everyday life, have spread quickly on the Internet, provoking controversies on morality and intellectual property right protection. A 10-minute video using clips from the 1974 patriotic film about the Chinese revolution "Sparkling Red Star" is now under the spotlight. Pan Dongzi, a heroic boy in the original movie, has been converted to a popstar wannabe who competes in a CCTV (China Central Television) singing contest. The video attracted millions of clicks even before the opening of the month-long 12th CCTV singing contest, which is giving way to "Super Girls" and other popular shows employing the "American Idol" formula. The parody turns the evil landowner who brutally exploited tenants to a silly judge taking backdoor bribes, and changes Pan's father from a Red Army soldier to the Beijing real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi. It features at the end the film cutter, Hu Daoge, a nickname actually expanding from another prankster Hu Ge. Hu Ge unexpectedly reaped a fame after posting online his parody of famed Chinese director Chen Kaige's latest epic "The Promise" earlier this year. Chen once threatened to sue him. But unlike the predecessor applauded among the public, the short film about singing contest has incurred severe criticism. Some commentators believe satire should not go too far and the distortion of heroes and China's revolutionary history is immoral and unacceptable. According to an online survey, more than 60 percent of web users who have watched it agree that parody should remain within bounds. Li Ming, a psychological consultant from northeast China's Jilin Province, noted that such spoofs will leave a negative impact on teenagers' ideas about the life and society. "Internet is a public space, and its users should be aware of and responsible for consequences by their online words and deeds," said Qi Si, a professor with the sociology department of the Jilin University.
China Unicom Gets Nod to Develop 3G Network in Macao China Unicom, the smaller of the two cellular operators on the Chinese mainland, has been awarded a licence to build a mobile network in Macao based on third-generation (3G) technology. The firm is expected to invest 48 million Macao patacas (US$6 million) by the end of this year to upgrade its current 2G CDMA (code division multiple access) network in Macao to the 3G network based on the CDMA2000 1x standard. The 3G network will enable Unicom to offer services such as high-speed downloads and mobile Internet access as well as video calls to its subscribers. A spokesman for the parent of Hong Kong-listed China Unicom Ltd said Unicom is now also applying for a licence from the Macao Special Administrative Region to operate the 3G business. "We expect to secure the licence in October, which will enable Unicom to start signing up local customers," he told China Daily. In 2007-08, Unicom will increase its investment in the 3G network by no less than 40 million Macao patacas (US$5 million). Unicom was awarded a service licence by the Macao government last March enabling it to operate a 2G CDMA mobile network in Macao, defeating four other bidders including SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings and Macao's leading operator Companhia de Telecomunicacoes de Macao. This made Unicom the first mainland telecom operator to offer mobile services outside the mainland.
China to Announce Digital TV Standard BEIJING - Chinese regulators will soon announce a digital TV standard for the world's biggest television market, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The system will apply to terrestrial, satellite and cable broadcasts in China, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing Wang Xiaojie, director of the technology department of State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. The government has said that it would start rolling out digital television this year. The technology offers sharper pictures and better sound. Its compressed signals also use narrower segments of broadcast spectrum, allowing for more channels. China has about 400 million television viewers, according to industry estimates. It is also one of the leading producers of digital television sets. China already has 4.13 million households that receive digital pay-TV channels, and companies that serve them will be required to switch to the new standard, Xinhua said. The country has more than 120 licensed pay television channels, according to the government. It said earlier that some 30 million households were expected to sign up for digital pay channels in coming years. China has been testing digital cable TV since 2003 in 49 areas, with more than 1 million subscribers, according to earlier news reports.
IRAN: Minister Vows Lower SIM Card Prices Minister of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Mohammad Soleimani said here on Friday that the ministry is pursuing the policy of further lowering the prices of mobile phone SIM cards. ¡°He general and main policy of the ICT Ministry is to cut down prices of SIM cards,¡° he said in response to a question whether prices will fall further. He told Fars news agency that the ministry will also try to reduce prices of other telecommunications services. ¡®We will try to diversify our services as well,¡° he said, adding, however, that the extent to which prices would fall is not clear at present. The minister further noted that telecoms and postal services tariffs will not increase this year, adding that the ministry has also refused to propose a rise in tariffs for the March 2006-2007 period. He said the agreement between the ICT Ministry and three general contractors (GC) to expand mobile phone network was not favorable. ¡®These three GCs have had delays, which have resulted in losses,¡° he said, adding that the ministry has created a project management team to study the projects on a weekly basis. He added that the ICT Ministry will not sign any contract with GCs, adding that the contractors have failed to meet their obligations some 11 months after signing the contract and receiving the payment. Soleimani said the three GCs are supposed to install 4,600 base transceiver stations (BTS) nationwide.
Cabinet Okays New Technical, Executive Body The cabinet has ratified the State Technical and Executive System, paving the way for further organizing project management systems for investments. ILNA quoted a report by the Cabinet Information Dissemination Council¡¯s Secretariat as saying that the system includes managing and creating investment projects, drawing management-related documents and making investment projects operational. It said the system, announced officially by First Vice President Parviz Davoodi, was devised on a proposal by Management and Planning Organization (MPO). The State Technical and Executive System is a compilation of principles, processes and documents pertaining to managing, creating and implementing investment projects in the frameworks of development plans, it said, adding that the system takes into account the mechanisms for improving productivity and efficiency of investment projects. It further noted that the system has devised such mechanisms in compliance with Iran¡¯s economic, social, cultural and environmental situation. The system also considers quality, cost, time and safety factors in its pursuit for maximum safeguarding of national interests in investment projects.
Presidential Support for Nat¡¯l Computer Network President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad highlighted the need for prioritizing efforts to launch a nationwide computerized network, according to ISNA. ¡°Our neighboring states have a favorable attitude toward the initiative of setting up a regional network. They have expressed willingness to join the network in light of the fact that the global network is insecure and too risky. We might get disconnected from that network at any time,¡° the president said in his address to managers and officials of Ministry of Information Communication and Technology here on Monday. President Ahmadinejad observed that ICT is one of the most essential and elaborate fields that the society benefits from. ¡°It is subject to continuous changes, and is met with new visions and ideas on a daily basis. Communication links all other sectors as a chain.¡° Pointing to the covenant read at the meeting, the chief executive said, ¡°The covenant can be summarized in two words which are being ¡¯virtuous¡¯ and ¡¯service-minded.¡¯ This provides the key to success and prosperity both in this world and the hereafter.¡° President Ahmadinejad advised the ICT managers, ¡°You should look into the world¡¯s latest technology advancements. Not necessarily to get your hands on them but to create the capacity to produce them over here as well. You should eye the zenith and make optimum use of the existing hardware and software capacities to reach your peak.¡° The president pointed to the import of 10 million mobile phone handsets each year and observed, ¡°I am convinced that Iranian experts have the ability to manufacture them domestically. We need to support Iranian manufacturers. As for many imported gadgets, we barely even use 10 percent of their features. It is also possible to manufacture many other telecommunication equipment such as those used in cellular and landline phone systems. By producing them over here, we can make optimum use of the existing potentials.¡° On cost reductions in different sectors, he said, ¡°Great achievements were made last year as part of efforts to cut down costs in communication services by the ICT Ministry. For instance, it reduced SIM card tariffs by up to 800,000 rials. This provides ample proof that it is always possible to cut costs in any sector through efficient management.¡° In conclusion, the president reiterated, ¡°You can be innovative in all spheres. You can benefit from the scientific capacities of domestic universities. But care must be taken not to spend research budget on consultation projects.¡°
JAPAN: Planning Intelligent Road Systems Finding real-time traffic data is becoming less unusual thanks to nav units popping up more frequently in vehicles nowadays, but real-time data about potential road hazards, pedestrians in the way, and other random tidbits that could prevent a serious headache (or worse) isn't quite there yet. Japan's National Police Agency is on the ball, however, and hopes to take the currently installed Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS) to the next level (and make sure that more than 10 percent of the population actually takes advantage of it). The Driving Safety Support System (DSSS) is being developed by the Universal Traffic Management Society of Japan (UTMS), and aside from creating a maze of acronyms to keep track of, it plans on utilizing two-way infrared beacons -- installed about 5.5 meters above the street -- to analyze real-time information about street conditions, hazards, and pedestrians who aren't paying attention. The beacons will reportedly beam the data to your in-car navigation system, and depending on your specific location, will be tailored to address intersections and crossroads that you are actually approaching. Approximately 20 types of subsystems could be installed by 2008, with 5 of these currently being tested -- the beacons are placed in "accident-prone" areas, and are each designed to help prevent a certain type of mishap, be it a rear-end collision, right-turn fender bender, or flattening of an innocent bystander or two. While this sounds like an excellent way to curb vehicular chaos in a nation where traffic is becoming a serious issue, we can't exactly envision this taking off like the UTMS probably hopes -- it's going to take quite awhile before a significant amount of drivers can rock navigation systems in their rides, and who's to say that all this pertinent information demanding the driver's attention won't become a hazard in and of itself?
KOREA: Releasing Informatization White Paper Korea ranked third in terms of the degree of informatization among 50 countries, according to the informatization white paper soon to be released by the National Computerization Agency. The state-funded think tank said Korea, classified in the second-tier group until 1998, jumped to the seventh position in 2004; rose to third in 2005 and maintained that position till this year. Sweden came first, followed by the United States, Korea, Switzerland and Hong Kong. Sweden lagged slightly behind in broadband penetration. Korea's rise is largely because it topped three categories - the number of broadband subscribers, cable TV subscribers and Internet users. The result clearly demonstrates that Korea is an "indisputable" No. 1 in information and technology sector, the NCA said, along with its No. 1 status in digital opportunity index, No.5 position for electronic government readiness index designated by the United Nations. The national informatization index, as calculated by the NCA, is considered a key yardstick for measuring a country's degree of information infrastructure and services. It is based on statistics offered by the International Telecommunications Union. Categories include spread of computers, Internet, telecommunications, broadcasting and the number of Internet users, telephone lines, wireless subscribers and cable TV users. "Korea's level of informatization has reached to a maturation point, as the figures no longer represent explosive, double-digit growth after 2002. We'll publish the white paper for the country's better preparedness for the next-coming ubiquitous era," Kim Chang-gon, chief of the NCA said. The 482-page white paper will be available at bookstores across the country from August. It will also be offered in PDF files and an e-book.
Government Aims to Up Cell Phone Exports The government hopes to make Korea a test lab for mobile phones to help boost exports of domestic phones, the Ministry of Information and Communications said yesterday. If the infrastructure is put in place, all products can be tested in Korea regardless of their bandwidth; currently, countries use different bandwidths or radio frequencies, making it difficult for exporters to test their products in Korea. Information Minister Roh Jun-hyong met with heads of cell phone makers yesterday to discuss problems in the market and how to solve them. According to the ministry, Mr. Roh proposed that the government and large companies invest to create a mobile test lab that can be used by all mobile phone makers. The participants agreed to the plan, the ministry said. The Information Ministry will draw up a basic plan next month. Phone company chiefs asked for more government investment and support in developing new mobile communication technology. They also proposed that digital multimedia broadcasting, or DMB, service be expanded to nationwide coverage to vitalize the domestic mobile phone market. The newest mobile phones support DMB, but the service is not available in all cities. At the meeting, Samsung Electronics President Lee Ki-tae pointed out that Korean firms should look ahead. "Korean companies have technological competitiveness, so we should prepare for the next-generation mobile communications, such as 3.5G and 4G," he said. Park Mun-hwa, president of LG Electronics, said that parts are important. "In the past, new functions and new technology were reflected in the price of the phone, which raised profit. But now competitiveness in parts is an important factor in the market," he said.
Customs to Target Internet Fakes The Internet is an increasingly attractive shopping place for Koreans; Transactions have increased in number each of the past five years. But with the increased volume has come an increase in counterfeit goods. The Seoul office of the Korea Customs Service wants that ended, announcing yesterday that it has signed an agreement with several Internet sites that host retailers. Those "Internet malls" include Interpark, Gmarket and Daum Onket. The customs office said the sites have agreed to share information on suspected counterfeit goods offered by sellers in those malls. The site operators have reportedly agreed to alert customs officials when they spot a suspicious offering and to report monthly on the volume of transactions on their sites. Seoul Customs said it would award prizes to employees at the Internet shopping sites who help uncover illegal online transactions involving fake goods produced locally or imported illegally into this country. It also promised that the program would be expanded to additional sites. "The byproduct of increased Internet shopping transactions has been a growing number of fake products sold in cyberspace," said an official at Seoul Customs. "We hope this deal will allow the two sides to share more information on fake production and to control the counterfeit market more effectively." According to the National Statistical Office, Internet shopping transactions have jumped from 3.3 trillion won ($3.4 billion) in 2001 to nearly 11 trillion won last year. Seoul Customs seized 214 million won worth of counterfeit products offered on the Internet in 2001, but the figure soared to more than 21 billion won last year. Through July, Seoul customs officials have confiscated 20 billion won worth of fake goods this year. In a case in February, the customs agency caught a 40-year-old man who made 1.5 billion won selling fake Chanel purses and Christian Dior watches made in China. Earlier this month, customs found a 35-year-old man selling fake Puma sneakers and clothing at about half the price of genuine goods. The merchandise, customs officials said, had been smuggled from the United States. Seoul Customs said 115 agents would focus on Internet sales of drugs, clothes and jewelry in a campaign that would continue until Nov. 15.
KAZAKHSTAN: Internet Tariffs Planned to Be Lowered Next Year Next year the internet tariffs are going to be lowered again. Kuanyshbek Yesekeyev, deputy chairman of the Agency for computerisation and communication of RK, has stated this today, July 19, at a round table "Development of the e-government of RK and Kaznet," Kazakhstan Today correspondent reports. "Next year the issue of reduction of prices for the internet services provided by "Kazakhtelecom" will be reviewed, - Mr. Yesekeyev has said. He has reminded that this year there has already been one reduction of prices for the internet services provided by "Kazakhtelecom" and this year the prices are going to be reduced once more - by 25%. "The reduction of prices for the internet services provided by "Kazakhtelecom" next year is expected to be at the level of 23%," - he has specified noting that it concerned all users. "Other providers will have to automatically reduce prices for their services, because "Kazakhthelecom" occupies a dominating position at that market," - he believes.
MONGOLIA: Customs Designs Master Plan on IT Mongolian Customs Organization completed a meter plan on IT together with the specialists of the Republic of Korea. The plan will be carried out with the support by the ADB under the project "Customs Reform and Modernization in Mongolia". Thanks to it, the Mongolian Customs Organization that successfully implemented the information system GAMAS will meet the standards of international customs services in developed countries.
UZBEKISTAN: National Television and Radio Company Receives Tax Benefits "Changes introduced to the Tax Code of the republic, regulate the issues of taxation of certain categories of companies. In particular, amendments introduced to the Article 71 of the code exempt National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan, as well as companies and organisations included in its structure from the tax on value added," President's press service said Thursday. It is noted that the law adopted by the Legislative Chamber and approved by the Senate of the republic had been signed by the President of Uzbekistan the day earlier and published by local media. The press service reminded that the amendments were developed in accordance with the Presidential Resolution of 27 December 2005 "On the forecast of key macroeconomic indicators and parameters of State Budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the year 2006" and the Decree "On measures on reformation and development of independent television and radio broadcast channels." Meanwhile, it was noted that the additions introduced to the Tax Code do not exempt microfirms and small companies from the payment of taxes on value added. However, the payers of single tax payment are given the right to independently reduce the amount of the single tax payment by the amount of VAT paid to the budget. At the same time, the size of the amount deducted should not exceed 50% of the total amount of the single tax payment due to payment to the budget. Press service said that the law on introduction of additions to the law "On population's employment", housing and tax codes also signed by the head of the state also entered into force. "Additions introduced will allow to involve unemployed population in the production activity, increase the income of families, raise the profitability of the large industrial objects through the organisation of the production of certain types of component parts, and finished products and services using home-based labour. Moreover, amendments will improve the conditions for the attraction of a wide range of companies to the development of cooperation with home-based workers through provision of benefits and preferences, eliminate bureaucratic barriers in the use of housing space for home-based labour," press service emphasised. The law was prepared in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan of 5 January 2006 "On measures to stimulate the expansion of cooperation between large industrial objects and services production on the base of development of home-based labour." For the purpose of legislatively support of the new tax benefits introduced, Article 92 of the Tax Code is expanded with the provision envisioning the fact that legal entities that transfer their equipment, tools and other facilities for non-refundable use to the citizens engaged in the home-based labour in accordance with the established order to fulfil works based on orders will be freed from tax on property for the period of their utilisation. Meanwhile, it is worth noting that if the home-based labour is performed in the living quarters, this does not require such space to be transferred to the category of non-living quarters.
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INDONESIA: House to Debate Draft Law on Electronic Transactions It has been said that the wheels of the market turn on an invisible track called trust. Especially so in Indonesia where there are no laws to protect consumers from electronic errors made by banks, automatic teller machines or through Internet banking. While the wheels run smoothly most of the time -- on trust, between banks and customers and between different financial institutions, the lack of these laws can cause problems. Their absence mean that most people here are unable to buy goods and services over the Internet using local credit cards, because the electronic systems used here are not judged to be safe enough by most overseas financial institutions. To overcome this problem, the government recently proposed a Law on Information and Electronic Transactions to the House of Representatives. The draft that is currently being discussed by a House special committee will spell out the standard legal grounds for all electronic transactions and allow the country's banks to meet overseas requirements. It would make all transactions and all persons or institutions involved in electronic transactions subject to the law, and ensure these transactions are legally protected. Two years in the making, the draft clearly defines terms such as information technology, computers and electronic information, signatures, and certificates -- all requirements for international certification. It would also create a certification body to trust mark all companies involved in electronic transactions, and with the power to audit errant firms. House committee head Soeparlan told The Jakarta Post last week the committee had distributed the draft bill to the business community and wider public and had already received numerous responses. "We have summoned several important institutions and community groups to hear what they have to say about the draft. Their input will help us to formulate the final resolution of the law," he said after a hearing with officials from the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX). Soeparlan said the law would help meet the public demand for goods and services bought electronically and would be an important way to gain the trust of foreign investors and generate more inter-market transactions with local bourses. JSX chairman Erry Firmansyah said the contents of the draft would largely accommodate the demands of capital markets but said there were still some flexibility issues that needed to be addressed. "Information technology is advancing rapidly. Therefore, I suggest the regulation be designed in a way so it can adapt to new technological advancements," Erry said. He said the capital markets were currently implementing the Straight-Through Processing (STP) system, an advanced stock trading system that was more efficient, low cost and could accommodate higher transaction volumes. Soeparlan said the JSX was the last group the government would consult. He said the committee would recess before taking the draft law to a House plenary session next month.
PHILIPPINES: ICT Body Presents Roadmap, Civil Society Takes a Stand MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine Commission on Information and Communications Technology presented its proposed ICT roadmap last June 5, 2006 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ortigas, Pasig City, Philippines. Gathering nearly a hundred stakeholders from government, the private sector and civil society, the activity took place in the middle of a leadership transition within CICT. The proposed ICT roadmap is the output of a process started by former CICT chair Virgilio Pena, consolidating the strategies formulated by the Commission¡¯s four components, namely: Human capital development; e-Government; Business development and Information infrastructure. On the 1st of May, Pena was replaced by banker Ramon Sales. The draft begins with a progressive guiding principle of having a ¡°people centered, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities, and peoples to achieve the full potential in promoting development and improving their quality of life.¡± While civil society affirmed such progressive language, it reiterated that the ICT sector should not be driven by the market, a position that appears to be supported by CICT¡¯s mission and vision, as well as programmes under business development and even universal access. As Aileen Familara of Isis International Manila asserted, ¡°It is not the role of the government to merely enable a good business environment. Instead, it should also concern itself with people¡¯s initiatives.¡± The proposed ICT roadmap also articulated a reliance on the private sector in implementing a national broadband plan, which aims to connect 55 percent of rural villages by 2010, among others. Reuben Ravago of the Advanced Software Foundation opined that the government should ¡°reverse its perspective¡±. Instead of counting on the private sector which is poised to serve profitable areas, each local government unit should be given the resources ¡°to own the infrastructure that addresses its concerns and at the same time opens its network¡± to other Linux User Groups. As a convener of civil society, APC-member Foundation for Media Alternatives compiled the initial set of inputs and submitted this to the CICT. These inputs were the outcome of the two preparatory meetings FMA organised on May 16, 2006 and June 1, 2006. The document lauds the efforts of the CICT in adopting an encouraging set of guiding principles and a multi-stakeholder process. But it also stressed the need for ¡°more references on development goals (not merely competitiveness)¡± and a deeper understanding of an ¡°information society¡±. The document also pointed out that the consultation process has not been as broad and inclusive as it should be. Hence it recommended a series of consultations with more public interest groups, especially from outside Metro Manila. The document likewise explained the need for a more proactive response from the government in providing access to ICTs, especially in the countryside, urging the CICT to further reach out to groups such as women and people with disabilities in order to make the Commission's community e-centers programme more relevant. It also recommended the waiving of licensing fees for community radios. Other recommendations include the redelegation of the ¡°.ph¡± country code top level domain which has been arbitrarily managed by a private individual and a competition policy which can check vertical price squeezing and cross-subsidisation of services. The document also pushed for the adoption of free and open source software; the production of a Gender and Development Plan; and the adoption of a rights-based approach particularly in controversial legislative measures and emerging employment opportunities. As part of its commitment to a multi-stakeholder process and contribution to improve the proposed ICT roadmap, FMA is currently preparing for a national consultation process, which will be held within the third quarter of the year. This activity will culminate into a policy dialogue with the CICT leadership.
Stiffer Penalties Eyed for Cybersex Offenders Davao City (12 August) -- We need tougher laws to punish cybersex operators. With no laws against the sexual exploitation of women and children over the Internet, law enforcers would face uphill battle in its fight against cybersex syndicates in the country, said Davao City Councilor Pilar Braga. Councilor Btaga said Lawmakers should fast-track the passage of laws to give more teeth to the government¡¯s campaign against cybersex operators. With no laws crafted to curb the activities of cybersex operators, exploitation on women and children could take a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has filed a bill calling for the imposition of stiffer penalties against cybersex operators throughout the country. Proposed Senate bill 1945 or the Anti-Cybersex Act of 2005 was filed to fill the void on specific laws against cybersex operators. Cybersex dens have sprouted throughout the country, reaching as far as Mindanao island to become a major problem in the country due to exploitation on women and children. Cybersex is a form of internet pornography wherein men and women perform sexual acts on computer video cameras which are streamed directly to the computers of paying customers. Under the proposed bill, cybersex operators may be penalized with 15 years imprisonment and a fine of up to P1-million. Cybersex den personnel will also be penalized under the bill with imprisonment of up to 12 years and a maximum fine of P500,000. Protectors or coddlers of cybersex operators will also be penalized with reclusion temporal and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P500,000. Cybersex has become popular among internet users because of the ease of access of real-time pornography for a minimal fee. (by Rose B. Palacio)
SINGAPORE: S'pore Unveils New US$1.3B E-govt Plan SINGAPORE--The Singapore government has embarked on a new five-year masterplan that promises to re-engineer back-end processes of public sector agencies to present a more integrated user experience for its citizens. Some S$2 billion (US$1.3 billion) will be invested in the initiative, dubbed the integrated Government 2010, or iGov2010. Changes in the pipeline include 15 new integrated e-government services for the public over the next five years, a revamp of the Singapore government portal, and the introduction of a single SMS (short message service) number for government services by the end of this year. The plans are aimed at helping the government to better connect with citizens and strengthen Singapore's competitive advantage globally, Raymond Lim, Second Minister for Finance and Foreign Affairs, said at the unveiling of iGov2010 on Tuesday. E-government today is more than just automating processes or using the Internet to conduct business, Lim said. The focus of e-government worldwide, he noted, has evolved to bringing "significant improvements to the way the government operates".Singapore has made progress in its e-government efforts, but more can be done, added Lim. "Creating a one-stop experience is different from developing a first-stop portal. We have to move beyond bundling information and services at the front-end, to re-engineering processes at the back end," he said. iGov 2010 is the third nation-wide IT initiative by the government, following the e-Government Action Plan I and II in 2000 and 2003 respectively. The government had pumped around $2.6 billion (US$1.6 billion) into the consecutive three-year projects. "What's new is the strengthened focus and emphasis on transcending organizational structures, changing rules and procedures, reorganize and integrate the government around customers' and citizens' needs and intentions," he explained. For example, businesses will over the next three years be issued one single registration number that can be used to interface with different government agencies, said Lim. Currently, businesses are issued different sets of identification numbers. For instance, a business can own a number issued by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, one from the Department of Statistics for survey purposes, and another by the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board for employers. The CPF Board is a national body that manages the social security savings plans of working Singaporeans. According to a statement from the IDA, an open tender will be called in the first quarter of 2007 to develop a system to issue the Unique Establishment Identifier (UEI) as well as tools to convert the existing numbers held by the various agencies. By January 2009, all establishments will be issued with a UEI. Increasing the reach of e-services Singaporeans are increasingly going online to access public services. According to the latest annual e-government customer perception survey, nine out of 10 who needed to transact with the government over the last year did so electronically, said Wu Choy Peng, deputy chief executive of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and government CIO. Nearly nine in 10 who have interfaced with the government via electronic means indicated they were satisfied with the quality of service, she noted. During the last three years, 15 new integrated e-services were introduced, including a business licensing service, a consultation portal, a dedicated site for those who need to attend to a demise, and a portal for renewal and termination of licenses. An integrated e-service refers to a one-stop avenue to facilitate a process or transaction even if various public sector agencies are involved. The iGov2010 will drive the innovation of e-services and provide the framework for new services, noted Lim Hup Seng, deputy secretary for performance at the Ministry of Finance, and chairman of the iGov2010 Project Steering Committee. "It's about making the service more attractive for people to [transact]," he said.
Singapore has become the latest country to push an initiative creating a next-generation network within a decade. At the CommunicAsia conference this week, Singapore government officials outlined a multibillion dollar IT and telecom plan to build a wired ¡°Intelligent Nation¡± by 2015. The ambitious IN 2015 plan, drafted by the government with plenty of consultation and feedback from the private sector, will start with local service providers offering free Wi-Fi access, initially partly funded by the government, throughout Singapore by Sept. 2007. By 2012, officials promise that an \open-access, next-gen wired network (probably fiber based) will be put in place, delivering broadband speeds up to 1Gbps and hosting a variety of nifty applications ranging from telemedicine and digital learning to IPTV and video conferencing.In the process, the initiative is expected to create 80,000 jobs, including 55,000 in telecom and infocomm, as well as double the size of the industry and nearly triple the amount of current infocomm export revenue. Nine service providers already have put in bids for the wireless portion of the network and nearly three dozen companies have weighed in with ideas on how to build it. It¡¯s certainly a complicated and ambitious effort Singapore is undertaking, done in part to stay competitive with regional powerhouses like India and China. And it¡¯s another indication that some of the world is outpacing the US in its ability to tap private and public sectors to move forward and capitalize on new technology to boost trade and business. Last year British Telecom announced its own multi-billion dollar plan to wire the UK with a 21st Century network. Meanwhile the US is bogged down with scandalously low and expensive broadband penetration; a raging political battle over telecom reform on Capital Hill; a fractured potpourri of competing new technologies; an increasingly vocal municipal vs. private sector battle over wireless broadband access; and no centralized plan or vision to embrace the future. Some may celebrate this as a free-market achievement, but looking at how other nations are embracing telecom¡¯s promise, it seems more like the wheels are falling off the American cart. To be sure, it¡¯s not really fair to compare Singapore or the UK (with their much smaller populations and land mass) to the sprawling US. But ¡°the vision thing¡± is certainly relevant. Singapore has blended private sector initiatives with public sector needs and brought both sides together to develop an exciting future vision. US service providers and the federal government, in contrast, seem to take a one-step forward, two-step back approach, content to let the unbridled ¡°free market¡± determine what technologies survive, seemingly with no direction or underlying design. This may please certain political constituencies in the US, but looking around, it¡¯s easy to see the world is indeed flattening and whatever technology lead the US may have is quickly being squandered as others move aggressively to seize the initiative. Singapore deserves praise for at least trying to define its future IT agenda and espousing a cooperative model that just might turn out to be the correct one.
Singapore Signs Latest UN Convention to Boost E-Commerce Electronic commerce in Singapore will now benefit from even greater legal and business certainties after Singapore signed the latest Convention by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) on Thursday. The Convention was signed by Mr Vanu Gopalan Menon, Singapore's UN Permanent Representative in New York. The Convention, which Singapore played a part in developing, aims to further facilitate electronic commerce by building upon earlier UNCITRAL instruments such as the Model Law on Electronic Commerce. Singapore was one of the first countries in the world to base its Electronic Transactions Act (ETA) on this Model in 1998. The Information, Communications and The Arts Ministry says the signing reaffirms Singapore's commitment to establish itself as a trusted hub for electronic commerce, by aligning its ETA with international standards. Extensive public consultations were carried out in a review of Singapore's ETA with a view to adopting the Convention. The Ministry says a final consultation on the proposed amendments to the ETA will be conducted shortly.
Singapore Moves From e-Gov to iGov SINGAPORE: Singapore has announced a $2 billion new initiative to transform its government services reaching out to all citizens and business to make them more intelligent and interactive and new paradigm shift is being labeled, iGov 2010. Citizens will be able to avail 15 new integrated e-services at the click of a mouse, not just from the island, from anywhere in the world. The services include, online business licensing service, consultation portal, one-stop government bills payment, marriage and procreation schemes, employment assistance portal, etc. Outlining the iGov 2010 initiative, Singapore Infocomm Development Authority's director (e-gov policies), Tan Kar Joo said the 2010 plans has been formulated with the vision to make it an integrated government (iGov) that delights customers and connects citizens through infocomm. On the anvil is the widespread use of short message services (SMS) and standardized formats will be made available to all government agencies. Tan said there will also be a single four-digit number to enable citizens to use all services easily. Also, the current CitizenConnect e-services available through five centers will be extended to 25 centers by 2010. Nearly two million of the country's four million people transact online with the government now. A recent audit revealed that only five out of 10 users are satisfied with the online transactions with the government. The iGov2010 has targeted a satisfaction level of eight out of 10 users. Only a third of citizens surveyed found the information content useful. The plan targets to raise this to 90 per cent, by reworking the processes and formats to make them more and more citizen-friendly. We aim to provide information services from the perspective of the citizen users and not in the formats the providers are comfortable with as it is now,? Tan said. The initiative will make all public policies accessible, provide e-consultation to citizens online, receive feedback online and create e-communities linking the separate portals that exist for youths and seniors. The iGov2010 will be dovetailed into another major plan, the iN2015 master plan and will extensively use the infocomm technologies. IDA's CEO, Chan Yeng Kit said use of wireless technologies will enable customers to transact with the government 24X7, and on the move. The public employees will become i-powered employees and will have access all relevant information that citizens require at one place.
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BANGLADESH: Bill to Ban Illegal TV Channels Soon A bill is likely to be placed before the next session of the parliament on banning the telecast of unauthorized foreign television channel in Bangladesh. Deputy Minister for Information Advocate Abdus Salam Pintu disclosed this while inaugurating as chief guest, a month-long Television Channel Journalism?course in the city recently. Centre for Media Watch and Development (CMD) working with journalism and Bangladesh Institute of Communication Studies and Public Relations (BICSPR) jointly organised the function at BICSPR conference room. The Deputy Minister said, though the government is liberal in giving permission to more new television channels, it should control the unauthorized foreign television channels telecasting programmes in Bangladesh. Referring to Ekushey TV and Jamuna TV, Pintu said the government is ready to give approval Ekushey and Jamuna TVs for telecast, but the two will have to apply satellites and not terrestrial for telecasting. A total of 25 students from different public and private universities are participating in the course. CMD Executive Director Shahabul Haque spoke at the function with the Executive Director of BICSPR Mirza Tarequl Kader in the chair.
INDIA: National Policy on E-Waste Electronic waste (e-Waste), unlike other forms of waste, can cause immediate danger to all inhabitants owing to its high toxicity and carcinogenic qualities. E-Waste is very much hazardous type for health. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Bengal, India, was already looking at separate laws under the existing Environment Protection Act to tackle the e-Waste menace. At a recent meet in Hyderabad, the MoEF held detailed discussions with various experts on such legislation, mainly over collection and safe disposal of such waste after proper segregation. Among the major metros, Mumbai is said to be topping the list at 11,000 tonnes, followed by Delhi (10,000) Bangalore (6,400), Chennai (4,032) and Kolkata (4,000).
Govt of Orissa Unveils Road Map for E-Governance The Chief Minister of Orissa Mr. Naveen Patnaik unveiled the e-Governance and capacity building road maps for the State. He said this initiative would make the administration efficient by ensuring greater transparency and accountability in delivery of public service to facilitate moral and material progress of all citizens. The road maps are the first initiative under the National e-governance plan (NeGP) and have been prepared with the assistance from National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) and Wipro Infotech. Naveen said though 15 departments have been selected as mission mode projects, initially only Works, Rural Development, Water Resources and IT departments would be taken up for implementation. Over 200 services of 15 departments have been identified for implementation of the new initiative.
New E-return Forms By Central Board of Direct Taxes in India The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in India has notified new set of tax return forms which are electronic-friendly and annexure less. It will include the one for corporate taxpayers, who would now be required to compulsorily file their return of income electronically. To design the forms, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India was consulted. New return Form No 1 is for corporate taxpayers, Form No 2 is for non-corporate taxpayers having business income and Form No 3 is for non-corporate taxpayers not having business income. It has also notified a Form 3B for fringe benefits. It is optional for the taxpayer to file the return electronically. The new return forms would be available on the Web Site http://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. However, the software for electronic filing of tax returns in form 1, 2, 3 and 3B would be available on the same Web Site from mid of September this year. The CBDT has extended the due date for furnishing of return of income and return of fringe-benefits for assessment year 2006-07 from July 31 to October 31 in all cases of non-corporate taxpayers to provide some time for the taxpayers to get themselves familiarised with the new forms. In case of individuals and HUFs without having income under the head 'profits and gains from business or profession', the due date for filing of return of income would continue to be July 31.
India: Orissa Unveils Blueprint for E-Governance The blueprint unveiled by the State Government of Orissa, India, recently envisages complete computerisation of issue and renewal of permit, registration and driving license to all vehicles owners. If everything proceeds on schedule, the e-Governance blueprint will bring sea changes in the transport sector. Now, there is no facility for receiving applications from vehicle owners electronically. However, processing of applications and issue of permit and registration have been partially computerised under project Vaahan implemented by the Transport Department. Similarly, issue of driving licence has also been partially computerised at some places through project Saarthi. In the first phase, computers would be provided to all regional transport officers (RTOs) and departmental intranet would be extended to all districts. All check gates in the State would be provided computers in the second phase of the programme. Selected field officers of the enforcement wing would be provided with hand-held devices in the third phase to verify the details of the vehicles. Old driving licenses would also be replaced with smart card driving licenses.
ICT to Strengthen India¡¯s Vision for 2020: Kalam Believes The Technology Sabha 06, organised by the Indian Express Group at Goa, brought into focus the various e-Governance initiatives undertaken by the central and state governments and the industry's views on the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. On that occasion a message from the President, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, was read out. The message says that it is highly needed at this point to transform India into a developed nation and ICT has to play a vital role to work it out. The President believes that IT applications have potential for strengthening India's vision for 2020. Kalam also says that IT applications are the key elements in strengthening self-sufficiency among the citizens. Director, Technology Interface, President's Office, V Ponraj identified three technological areas that are going to drive India's growth; these are biotechnology, nanotechnology and information technology. These three areas are different in nature but are interconnected. Goan IT Minister Dayanand G Narvekar said that there is an immense potential for IT in Goa. The Government of Goa has taken up e-Governance initiatives in various areas including the state transport department and land records¡ªa project called Dharni. National Informatics Centre (NIC)'s e-Gov project is about to set up of Common Services Centres (CSCs) in the state. Another important scheme is InfoGram, as part of which 109 village panchayats will be connected through Internet by next year.
E-Service Tax for Users of E-Governance The Government of India will spend a whopping Rs 23,000 crore on various e-Governance initiatives and a part of the funds invested would be recovered through an innovative e-Service tax to be paid by the users of the electronic governance. he funds for the e-Governance initiatives would be generated through Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP) and the same would be recovered through e-Service tax to be paid by the users. While the government is spending lots of money on e-Governance, results are not commensurate with the expenditure. The main focus would be to provide e-Governance at an affordable price so that it could become an effective tool for pushing the GDP growth and sustainable development of the country. There is a crying need to reengineer the existing processes along with infrastructure development through innovative PPP enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the central and state e-Government initiatives in order to achieve 10 per cent GDP growth, in its current second phase. e-Governance initiatives help in the better expenditure management and revenue collection thereby leading to capital gain. The capital gained can be utilised for the infrastructure development in the growing sectors like telecom, IT, infrastructure. Hence, leading to a double digit GDP growth.
Legal Act for Cyber Crime in India The Minister of Communications and IT, India, Mr Dayanidhi Maran told that an act has been amended with a view to provide legal framework relating to theft of data, transmission of images and video voyeurism in a seminar on 'Cyber Crime: Today and Tomorrow' organised by NASSCOM. About 1,400 websites of Indian companies and government agencies have come under attack in the past six months and 55 percent of these threats were from outside the country, according to official data. The major IT crimes in the country are related to the denial of services, defacement of websites, spam, computer virus and worms, pornography, cyber squatting and cyber stalking, the minister said.
Post 7/11, Govt Targets ¡®Extreme¡¯ Websites, Bloggers on the Blink The fast-growing community of online bloggers has borne the brunt of the government¡¯s decision to block some 20 websites in a post-Mumbai show of force. Some of the websites that have been blocked are Dalitstan.org, Clickatell.com, Hinduhumanrights.org and Hinduunity.com. But the most harried Internet users were the bloggers, who couldn¡¯t access Blogspot.com, Typepad.com or Geocities.com pages. Sources in ISPs in Delhi as well as Mumbai confirmed that the one blog government has asked them to block is Princesskimberly.blogspot.com. It seems the order posed technical problems, resulting in a blanket ban on all blogs. ¡®¡®You cannot block a single page on blogspot.com, which is why all of them are getting blocked,¡¯¡¯ said Neha Viswanathan, Regional Editor, South Asia, Globalvoicesonline.org from London. The Indian order was issued on July 13, sources in the Ministry of Telecom confirmed, though the Computer Emergency Response Team (India), part of a global cyber-security network set up three years ago, did not announce the bans officially. Only sources in several ISPs such as Spectranet and Airtel confirmed that they had received the site-blocking order. R Grewal, a spokesperson for Spectranet confirmed: ¡®¡®We received a list of over 20 websites to block from the Department of Telecom, and this (Blogspot.com) was one of them.¡¯¡¯ Apparently, all the websites blocked are said to express ¡°extreme religious views.¡± MTNL officials said they were handed a 22-page document detailing the sites to block a month ago. ¡°It came from the National Informatics Centre (NIC). It was the first time that they had done something of this nature,¡¯¡¯ says RH Sharma, sub-divisional engineer for MTNL in Delhi. Government sources confirmed late in the evening that some websites have been blocked based on police reports that they were fuelling hatred. They denied that the Mumbai blasts had anything to do with censorship and that security checks on the blocked sites were on since before the terrorist attacks.
Digital Guide Maps of Chennai(India) Coming The Survey of India, Tamil Nadu branch, is introducing digital guide maps of City map of Chennai (India) in the form of CDs. They will be on sale by August-end or September this year. Public may have to get Defence Ministry clearance for which they will be guided by the department. Only vital installations or spots, identified by Defence Ministry will be barred from the digital maps. These maps can be updated. The department has planned to bring out guide maps at 1: 5,000 units scale in digital format. More layers such as population and hydrology could be included. Details of the digital maps are available at Geo-Spatial Data Centre, Survey of India at Thiru Vi Ka Industrial Estate, Guindy.
India Rejects One Laptop Per Child India has decided against getting involved in Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child scheme which aims to provide kids in developing countries with a simple USD100 machine. The success of the (OLPC) project depends on support, and big orders, from governments. The loss of such a potentially huge and relatively technically sophisticated market will be a serious blow. The Indian Ministry of Education dismissed the laptop as "pedagogically suspect". Education Secretary Sudeep Banerjee said: "We cannot visualise a situation for decades when we can go beyond the pilot stage. We need classrooms and teachers more urgently than fancy tools." Banerjee said if money were available it would be better spent on existing education plans. Banerjee told the Hindu: "We do not think that the idea of Prof Negroponte is mature enough to be taken seriously at this stage and no major country is presently following this. Even inside America, there is not much enthusiasm about this." OLPC's original schedule was to deliver machines by the end of 2006, but it will not start production until it has received orders, and payment, for between five and ten million machines. But in better news it also emerged earlier this month that Nigeria is ordering one million machines. The idea is backed by AMD, Google, MIT, Nortel and Red Hat. China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria, and Thailand were all named by the OLPC organisation as governments which had expressed an interest. (by The Register)
New Telecom Policy to Be Developed By Government of India The Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Shakeel Ahmad has stated that the Government has proposed to develop a new National Telecom Policy. The planned policy would to be a comprehensive one, encompassing various aspects of the Telecom sector, including, access, spectrum allocation, technology, telecom equipment manufacturing, R and D, deregulation, further simplification, value added services and quality of service. Under the Bharat Nirman Programme, about 8,293 Village Public Telephones (VPTs) in Madhya Pradesh have been provided under the programme, on this scheme INR 11.79 crore has been incurred; remaining 3,601 eligible unconnected villages of Madhya Pradesh would be provided with VPTs by November 2007.
E-Filling of Annual Returns for Corporates in India from September 16 It is mandatory for corporates to file annual returns and balance sheets electronically as the Registrars of Companies (India) will stop accepting these documents in physical form from September 16. The filing in electronic mode is part of e-Governance project 'MCA21' initiated by the Ministry of Company Affairs, India. All the company representatives authorised to sign the documents are required to obtain digital signatures by that time to ensure the security and authenticity of filings in the electronic mode, Company Affairs Minister P C Gupta said. The project includes introduction of anywhere, anytime secure electronic filing for MCA transactions, adaptation of all statutory forms to e-Forms for electronic filing, use of digital signatures to ensure the security of electronic forms and documents. Multi-modal methods of payment encompassing existing payment mechanism and electronic payment options using credit cards and Internet banking are also part of the project. Mr. Gupta said 53 physical front offices are located across the nation to provide facilitation services for electronic filing.
PAKISTAN: Cable Operators Protest Imposition of New Tax PESHAWAR: Cable networks in NWFP suspended their operation for three hours on Tuesday as protest against government decision of levying Rs 25 per month tax on consumers. Telecasts from all cable channels remained off from 7 to 10 pm as protest, which the cable operators said would continue till withdrawal of the tax. The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has imposed Rs 25 per month tax on consumers and asked the operators to collect the same with monthly bills. The cable operators all over the country have decided to resist the move and they launched a token strike from Tuesday. The protest would continue till taking the tax decision back, said Zubair Khalid, president NWFP Cable Operators Association. He said the government had not only imposed new tax of Rs 25 per month on those watching cable TV channels, but also made it mandatory on operators to collect the tax with monthly bills. Consumers are already paying entertainment tax and levying of more tax would definitely affect the cable operator business, he added. It is also astonishing that the operators are made bound to collect the tax, though the government could not properly collect TV license fee and at last started charging entertainment tax through electricity bills, then how it is possible for cable operators to collect the same, he posed a question. He said the consumers, already grinding under skyrocketing price hike, would resist further tax that would ultimately affect cable operators business. The token strike was started through out the country and it would continue till any amicable solution of the problem, he informed. Switching off cable networks annoyed the consumers who remained deprived of entertainment as well as news and information and they were bound to watch PTV transmission or CD programmes. (by Nisar Mahmood)
PM Calls for Quick Setting Up of IT Parks Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday directed the ministry of information technology to urgently set up IT parks in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi on a priority basis. He was presiding over a meeting held here at the PM House to review the IT industry¡¯s growth. The prime minister was informed that plans for land acquisition for the parks were being finalised and the construction of Islamabad IT park would begin in October. In the outsourcing business, the prime minister said that Pakistan offered a viable destination for parsing out services in an environment with reliable infrastructure, adding that undersea cables provided redundancy. At the moment, Pakistan had three international links and more links were being planned, he said. He said the government was facilitating the private sector by providing an enabling environment as well as financial support to Software and IT-enabled companies. Mr Aziz said the government had provided a level playing field to local and foreign companies, which resulted in increased investments and record growth in the sector. The ministry of information technology in its presentation said that IT industry growth and human resource expansion has created 300 per cent increase in office space requirement for IT companies in Islamabad. The ministry submitted a strategy to address the demand for IT-enabled office space to IT companies. Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari said that the total size of IT business in Pakistan was about $2 billion with 50 per cent annual growth during the past three year. It included domestic industry, hardware and export of software and IT-enabled services. The premier was informed that the IT-related product export had reached $600 million and was also expected to grow by 50 per cent annually.
PTA Given Guidelines on Mobile Phone Jamming Issue The Ministry of Information Technology has given policy guidelines to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to tackle the problem of cellular phone jamming devices being used by the different entities. The ministry has prepared policy guidelines to resolve the longstanding industry issue concerning the use of cellular phone jamming devices by different entities, especially financial institutions in the business districts of metropolitan areas, said a statement on Saturday. The guidelines were issued following consumers that they complaints are unable to avail cellular services across substantial areas due to spill over of jamming effect of such devices deployed by multiple organisations in business districts. The cellular mobile industry has also been demanding for long that they have been licensed country-wide right to use of spectrum, but the deployment of such equipment is causing interference and blockage to the service. The guidelines prescribe review of the current process for authorisation of jammers and withdrawal of permissions accorded to commercial entities after due notice of three months. A separate process based on authorisations in the context of national security will be adopted. Such authorisations will be accorded by an inter-ministerial committee constituted especially for the purpose. This committee will comprise representatives of Ministries of Interior, Defence, Information Technology and National Security Agencies, PTA and technical experts. To address all other situations where use of cellular phones is essentially a matter of "cellular phone use etiquette" eg mosques, churches, cinema halls and other such places, the government and PTA with the co-operation of cellular operators will take up a social responsibility and mass awareness campaign to educate the masses about prudent use of their cellular phones. PTA will devise effective programme for such a campaign. The revision of the policy with regard to jammers will ensure that the consumer's interest with regard to uninterrupted availability of telecom services will be protected, the statement added.
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AUSTRALIA: Coonan Details Porn Laws NEW legislation outlawing inappropriate or offensive content will soon be introduced to federal Parliament to bring regulation of mobile phones and internet portal in line with traditional media. Communications Minister Helen Coonan announced a raft of new regulatory safeguards to limit harmful material emerging on content services like 3G mobile telephony and subscription-based internet portals. While the government would seek to encourage the development of a new and innovative content industry, Senator Coonan said existing media regulation did not adequately cover convergent services. "Existing regulation in Australia has been specific to the platform over which it is delivered - for example television, internet or telephones," Senator Coonan said. "The new capabilities of mobile devices to receive and display audiovisual services means that some of these platforms - and thus regulatory - distinctions are being broken down," she said. "These developments raise the question of the way traditionally distinct content regulatory systems should apply to a single converged device." The government's immediate concern is the fast growing number of premium adult services being offered over 3G phones. But in future, converged technologies will similarly blur the regulatory lines between broadcast televisions and internet TV (IPTV). "Therefore I can announce today that new safeguards will be put in place to protect consumers from inappropriate or harmful material on emerging content services such as 3G mobile phones and subscription-based internet portals" Senator Coonan said. "I will soon introduce to the Parliament legislation to provide content safeguards comparable to those in place for traditional media platforms." Speaking to the National Press Club in Canberra, Senator Coonan said the measures would extend current safeguards that apply to television and the internet to apply to mobile devices. They will include the prohibition of content rated X-18 or above, and will require companies to offer consumer advice and age restrictions on access to adult content. Senator Coonan also poured cold water on a push from Coalition backbenchers to force internet service providers to filter all content coming into Australia to reduce the problems of pornography. While government was prepared to take all reasonable steps to stamp out hard core internet pornography - and in particular to limit children's access to net porn - she said mandatory filtering was not effective, and had been found to degrade network performance. "I support all efforts to find the best way to make the internet a safer place and I would like to make it clear today that the government has not and will not rule out any proven measure to protect children online," she said. "But whatever actions we take must be the most effective tool at our disposal."
GOVERNMENT has released new procurement guidelines aimed at stripping costs and cutting red tape from federal purchasing. Special Minister of State Gary Nairn, who oversees the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO), said automated processes would save time and paper work, as well as improve overall governance of public spending. The new guidelines overhaul a modest e-procurement model set up in 2000. "This strategic guide is all about improving efficiency," Mr Nairn said. "The guide ... provides practical guidance and solutions for agencies that wish to perform procurement transactions electronically," he said. "This would apply to anything that the Government engages with the private sector on, whether it be invoicing and purchasing stationary, computer equipment or professional services. "The electronic alternative may not be the most appropriate for all agencies but in a lot of cases, an automated process will save time and paperwork, minimise double-handling and lower costs." The original e-procurement strategy sought only to pay all suppliers electronically by 2000 and to enable agencies to trade electronically with all "simple procurement" suppliers. The new guide seeks to embed electronic transactions into the government processes. The guide also focuses on the audit trails and activity logs routinely used in electronic procurement to improve governance and control. It advises that where the spend in a purchasing category was high, and where there was a high amount of activity - in planning, procurement and payment - it was important to invest in systems capability. "Fully-enabled" e-procurement systems should provide direct connections between buyers and suppliers; high volumes of purchase orders; invoice-less payments using Recipient Created Tax Invoices; and specialised e-sourcing tools.
Australian Government Frameworks on Smartcards, Authentication and Public Service ID Management The Special Minister of State, The Hon Gary Nairn, speaking today at the Australian Smart Cards Summit 2006, released a number of major documents relating to authentication and security in government. ¡°The range of documents I have launched here today ¨C the Australian Government Smartcard Framework, the AGAF for Individuals: Overview and Principles, and the first five elements of IMAGE - all represent significant commitments on behalf of the government towards improving the way we conduct business¡± Minister Nairn said. 1.Smartcard Framework Minister Nairn said that the Australian Government was releasing the first two parts of the Smartcard Framework, the ¡®Overview and Principles¡¯ document, and the ¡®Smartcard Handbook¡¯, which has been designed as an educational tool on smartcards. Minister Nairn also announced the release of a third part of the framework for comment, the ¡®Standards and Model Specification¡¯. ¡°The vision for the Smartcard Framework is to ensure that government adopts a consistent and interoperable approach to the use of smartcard technology,¡± Minister Nairn said. "It is important to note that AGIMO began work on the Smartcard Framework prior to the Government decision on the Health and Social Services Access Card. The Government decision on the permitted use, scope and limitations of the Access card bound its use. ¡°Importantly, the framework will assist agencies to utilise smartcard technology so that personal information can be appropriately secured and partitioned from other information on the smartcard.¡± 2. Australian Government e-Authentication Framework (AGAF) for Individuals Minister Nairn also released the ¡®Overview and Principles¡¯ section of the Australian Government e-Authentication Framework (AGAF) for Individuals. AGAF(I) deals with the full range of issues associated with people logging onto e-Government websites - a key part of the e-Government strategy. ¡°This document is the first element in a framework that will provide guidance to agencies whose online services require authentication of an individual¡¯s identity,¡± Minister Nairn said. 3. Identity Management for Government Employees Framework (IMAGE) In addition to the Smartcard Framework and AGAF, Minister Nairn released the key elements of the IMAGE framework, which pertains to identity management of Australian Public Service employees. ¡°The purpose of IMAGE is to standardise identity management policies and practices for employees and contractors in the public sector and it will provide, in the longer term, capability for enhanced interoperability across the Australian Government,¡± Minister Nairn said. ¡°IMAGE envisages that a smartcard will be a key element of the solution, providing both evidence of identity and access control, and the Smartcard Framework will clearly be a key reference document as the specifications for the IMAGE card are defined. This will be a different smartcard to the Health and Social Services Card - the key point is that the Smartcard Framework is broader than just the Access card and can deal with more than one card. The release of these three documents is a key component of the implementation of the 2006 e-Government Strategy, which I released in March this year. In particular, the Smartcard Framework and AGAF for Individuals are key components of the government¡¯s roadmap for e-government in Australia.¡±
Watchdog to Vet Internet Content ALL local internet content will come under Federal Government supervision after the Communications Minister revealed her response to the Big Brother sexual assault scandal. The regulatory powers of the media watchdog will be broadened to cover emerging technologies such as video streaming on the internet and mobile phones. The code of practice governing the classification of free-to-air television programs will likely be reviewed, despite it being overhauled two years ago. Australia's media watchdog yesterday said that it was powerless to rule on the Big Brother incident. It did not breach broadcast regulations, because, technically, it was not broadcast. The incident, in which a male housemate rubbed his genitals in the face of a woman while she was being held down, did not appear on the Big Brother TV show, but was streamed "live" on the internet from the show's website and on mobile phones. While Channel Ten, which presents Big Brother, has not screened the footage, Australia's other commercial networks have as part of news stories and it remains accessible on the net. The Australian Communications and Media Authority will soon be given the power to regulate similar broadcasts, on top of its jurisdiction over free-to-air TV, radio and internet content "stored" on particular sites. Communications Minister Helen Coonan said yesterday that legislation to broaden the authority's regulatory powers would be introduced into Parliament as soon as possible. "This matter has reinforced the need for changes to the act to ensure that these new services being offered over the internet and mobile devices are subject to the same content restrictions that apply to television broadcasts," she said. Senator Coonan suggested the code might need overhauling. "Given the community outrage about this matter, it would appear the codes applying to television program classifications may also be out of step with community standards." "I think we really need to consider whether the current approach to the classification of reality programming is appropriate," Senator Noonan said. Prime Minister John Howard said this week that the Big Brother show was "stupid" and urged that it be axed. A record number of public submissions were received during the 2004 review of the code. Commercial television's peak body said it was confident that the code, which shapes the classification of programs, reflected public standards. "Broadcasters take their responsibilities under the code very seriously and will co-operate with the review," Free TV chief executive Julie Flynn said. Mike Van Niekerk, editor-in-chief of the websites for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, received a letter from the minister on Monday, threatening to alert the authority if the Big Brother video was not removed from the sites. Mr Van Niekerk said the video was being removed due to questions about copyright. Shadow communications minister Stephen Conroy said the Government needed to give ACMA the power to punish transgressors, otherwise any changes to the law would be "window dressing".
Canberra Planning Smartcard Manual THE federal Government is planning to formalise guidelines for smartcard projects ahead of the launch of its $1.1 billion human services access card. The move comes as it increases work on the proposed welfare card, slated to be phased in from 2008. A number of contractors have been appointed to the controversial project and the Department of Finance and Administration is planning to boost the roster further as it recruits a consultant to draw up a smartcard introduction guide. The guide will serve as a technical framework that government agencies can use to ensure they introduce smartcard systems compliant not only with the human services access card but with state systems. State smartcard projects under way include the planned Queensland smartcard driver's licence and smartcard public transport ticketing systems in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Western Australia. The guide will be tied to other federal government technology frameworks, including the Australian Government e-Authentication Framework and Identity Management for Australian Government Employees. The Department of Finance is planning a phased approach for the development of the smartcard guide and a first draft is expected to be released for public comment by the end of the year. The final version of the guide is expected to be approved and in place by the end of February. The Department of Finance and Administration is seeking bids from consultants to write the guide under a tender due to close on September 6. The successful bidder will join a growing list of contractors recruited to the human services access card project. Other companies working on the project include lead adviser Booz Allen Hamilton and program monitoring and assurance adviser KPMG. Australia's banks have also signalled a desire to provide transaction services for the welfare access card when their own smartcard eftpos projects are completed. Most banks expect to upgrade all of their eftpos terminals to accept smartcards by the end next year.
Big Win for Small Service Providers SMALL Australian companies have welcomed a federal government decision to cap liability on many IT contracts in an effort to give them a bigger slice of the government spending pie. The decision by communications minister Helen Coonan to introduce limited liability capping comes as South Australia moved to cap liability on contracts and introduce tender-free purchasing for smaller deals. Victoria and Western Australia already cap liability. "Introducing caps on ICT supplier liability is good for business, especially smaller businesses, as reducing the liability coverage required will decrease the cost of tendering and doing business with the government," Senator Coonan said. "These savings should also flow through to tender prices, delivering better value for money for the government and taxpayers." The federal Government will use a risk-assessment procedure to manage contracts, meaning unlimited liability clauses will only be used where there is a compelling reason, rather than as the norm. The Australian understands some small businesses had given unlimited liability undertakings without insurance, hoping they would not be sued. The SA Government has announced an end to unlimited liability, capping it at $2.5 million for high-risk contracts and $1 million for low-risk work. Tendering - a big cost for business - will also be reduced, with deals of up to $200,000 requiring two tenders, and deals of up to $700,000 requiring three tenders. Tenders will need to pre-qualify for a supplier panel. "Unlimited liability (cover) is very hard to get and costs a lot of money, but these insurance costs are well within the reach of even the smallest company," said David Raffen, ICT Council for SA chairman. The Australian Information Industry Association has been lobbying strongly for the changes, and is now urging other states to adopt the caps. "It is very difficult to get insurance for uncapped liability, but it's more the cost of the insurance, particularly where the arrangements are so uncertain," AIIA general manager of strategy and policy James McAdam said. Lawyers welcome capping as a balance between public interest and commercial necessity, as liability insurance makes it expensive for small businesses. "They won't do a job if there's a possibility they'll be sent bankrupt," Hunt and Hunt partner Jim Harrowell said. "Caps are sensible to encourage smaller businesses to bid for government contracts." De facto liability caps are already in place for professionals such as solicitors, accountants and engineers. NSW has its own procurement frame work and develops liability caps based on the value of each contract. In Queensland, departments are able to set a cap on liability if they think it is justified.
NEW ZEALAND: Wireless Broadband Paper Released The Government has opened a new front in its bid to improve New Zealanders' access to broadband Internet. Communications Minister David Cunliffe today released a discussion paper looking at how more of the radio spectrum could be allocated for wireless broadband Internet. The Economic Development Ministry paper said new technologies could make the radio spectrum an extremely cost-effective competitor to existing cellular and hard-wired networks. One possibility was digital TV operators providing broadband access through any spectrum left over. In Korea this was already a reality. Mr Cunliffe said part of improving New Zealand's poor broadband uptake and speeds was encouraging investment in alternatives to the copper-wire phone network. Wireless technology was a competitive alternative, he said. "Most of the services available on wired networks can now be accessed via wireless technologies." Wireless technology was particularly useful in the final kilometre of delivering services to homes where lower traffic volumes meant other networks were not very cost effective.
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