Mobile connectivity

CTO Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 Professor Yunus, Grameenphone, and the power of ICTs it t Vis grea at nt r te i ou w si to. ne w.c ww WORLD Global Connectivity Mobile connectivity Technology and partnerships to bridge the digital divide VoIP The development of a communications landscape Rural communication Sustainable models of service provision Accessibility to All Telecommunications provision for the disadvantaged Community Internet and radio Empowering remote regions EVENTS 5th Annual CTO Forum 47th Meeting of the CTO Council 24-28 September 2007 - Montego Bay, Jamaica Regular features: ● CTO & ICT News ● Training ● Events & Workshops Visit www.cto.int CONTENTS News & Events The CTO delivers network consultancy services 4 Continuing Commonwealth support for professional development 5 Video, direct-to-home and telecommunications services for dispersed communities 6 The promise of institutional efforts to reduce access costs 7 Sustainable growth in Ghana 8 Advanced infrastructure for Caribbean markets 9 Sri Lankan villagers experience electronic development 10 Research that may transform radio systems 11 FOREWORD Representing successful communication WELCOME TO MORE from the CTO! We’ve grown; with more pages, we have more stories from around the Commonwealth, and the world beyond. We have more news from more communities in more countries, reflecting the varying stages of connectivity achieved and in prospect, in Africa, in the Americas, in Asia and the Pacific, and in Europe. We have more stories to tell in our regional focus. We have more features to convey specific examples of developmental success stories. And you can learn, in our profiles section, about individuals who have influenced lives and institutions. All this and a review of key events to finish your experience of CTO World. The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation is valued for the services it provides: for its consultancy work; for its contribution to professional development and training programmes; for its commitment to progress through partnership. Of the news brought to you in this issue, we highlight the organisation’s work with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) to advance its broadband infrastructure initiative in East and Southern Africa. We highlight, also, the CTO’s contribution to Asian connectivity through the Commonwealth Connects programme. And, in our regional focus, we show how connectivity in Asia means more than simple communication. Mobile communications networks are benefiting from alternative sources of power, from biofuels, and economic sectors outside the communications arena are benefiting as a result. And state governments have begun to improve public sector efficacy through online platforms for e-procurement and e-governance. Such developments are often reflected at conference level, and even in exhibitions, where technologies that drive connectivity are promoted. In a special two-page ‘review and preview’ of key CTO events, we show how the organisation has used conferences and workshops to inspire key thinkers and decision-makers to do more. And we represent those who do more. In our features section, we report on the innovations, the solutions, that support advanced networking in the mining industry, in educational environments, delivering productivity, extending voice and Internet access, supporting socio-economic development. And our profile pages reveal something of the work undertaken by Professor Mohammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank. Following the success of the CTO’s recent event on digital broadcasting, we assess in these pages the progress being made in the transition from analogue to digital transmission and reception around the world. And, finally, we report on the CEO of the CTO, Dr Spio-Garbrah, who delivered a key speech at another event recently, on satellite communications. Events calendar Regional Focus Powering networks across the Indian subcontinent Biofuel for mobile base stations in unconnected rural areas 5 12 14 15 16 17 How to implement e-governance and e-procurement Enhancing public sector efficiency and transparency Growth through revolution Mobile communications spur social and economic development A digital city in prospect Malaysians are set to benefit from world-class infrastructure Finding homes for old devices A recycling campaign aimed at protecting Asia’s environment Features Looking ahead, looking back An overview of upcoming CTO events, and those that have taken place 18 20 22 24 26 The changing face of diamond mining Mission-critical communications to support business control Boosting infrastructure for learning environments Malawi’s measures to expose young people to new technologies Extending voice and Internet access Cellular local loops and ‘the new last mile’ Global progress on digital transition A round-up of advances in programme reception Profile Financing development and connectivity Professor Yunus, who has been acknowledged by Nobel Foundation 30 Review A successful framework for young regulators Effective course delivery by the CTO’s development and training arm 32 CONTACTS CTO World is published on behalf of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation by Editorial Editor Andrew Croft E-mail: ctoworld@alaincharles.com Toby Davies E-mail: t.davies@cto.int Subscriptions If you would like to receive a regular copy of CTO World, complete and send the inside of the back cover to Alain Charles Publishing, at the address on the left, or email ctoworld@alaincharles.com CTO Co-ordinator Alain Charles Publishing Ltd., Alain Charles House, 27 Wilfred Street , London SW1E 6PR, UK Tel: (+44) 020 7834 7676 Fax (+44) 020 7973 0076 Email: ctoworld@alaincharles.com Web site: www.alaincharles.com Repro & printing Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation 26-28 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 7BA, United Kingdom Web: www.cto.int Printed by: Manson-Group, St Albans, UK 2 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 NEWS & EVENTS COMMONWEALTH New Tel-Coop scheme pioneered in Sri Lanka IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Comnet-IT, the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation with the generous donation of funds from the Maltese public and the Government of Malta, has established three multi-purpose telecentres to serve the worst Tsunami affected rural areas in Southern Sri Lanka. The launch of this exciting new project took place on the 13th February and was attended by Mr Anthony De Bono, the former Chairman of CTO and the Maltese government’s representative. Also there were the Hon Gunaratna Weerakon, Minister of Nation Building in Sri Lanka, Mr Henry Alamango, Executive Director of Comnet-IT and Mr Kanchana Ratwatte, Director General of Telecommunications in Sri Lanka. CTO’s representative was Mr Lasantha De Alwis. With the knowledge that increased access to ICTs has a huge role to play in how Sri Lanka both recovers from the Tsunami and protects itself in the future, the telecentres have been designed to provide rural communities with telephones, fax machines, high speed broadband and other vital communication equipment. The centres will be managed by the local communities whose own revenue from business activities will go some way to ensure the sustainability of the project. These multi-purpose telecentres have been designed and implemented using elements of an innovative concept developed by the CTO in 2004, the Rural Tel-Coop. The TelCoop concept was designed as one possible solution to the lack of connectivity in those countries which are characterised by poor access to ICTs in rural areas. Speaking after the completion of the project’s final testing phase at the launch, Mr Anthony De Bono noted, “The collaboration and professionalism displayed between all the partners in the development of these multi-purpose telecentres is evidence of how Sri Lanka is undertaking the rebuilding process with the help of its friends”. Mr De Bono added that “this project highlights the role that ICTs will play in Sri Lanka’s future development; our partners expect that the multi-purpose telecentres will produce numerous socioeconomic gains for those who use them”. The launch of the CTO Tel-Coop initiative in Sri Lanka marks the end of the first phase of CTO’s pioneering scheme, which has already proven to be of great interest to a number of other Commonwealth countries. Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, CEO of CTO, comments, “As we have already seen, this is an invaluable project; the inherent benefits of ICTs, such as faster dissemination of information to rural underserved people, will help reduce the vulnerability of local communities to natural disasters.” Network consultancy delivers on development THE CTO HAS successfully completed its World Bank-funded consultancy, to assist the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) e-Africa Commission in its efforts to bring about the development of the NEPAD Broadband Infrastructure Network in Eastern and Southern Africa. The Network, which will incorporate the highly anticipated Eastern and Southern African Submarine System (EASSy), will span 23 countries in the region and provide affordable bandwidth to millions of citizens. The CTO’s work began in December 2005 and since then the consultancy team, which included consultants from ICT Consultants (Pty) of Botswana, has contributed to the Network’s development by producing a number of important deliverables, to enhance the NEPAD driven consultation process concerning the Network and bring about a ministerial agreement on how the Network will be funded, developed, owned and maintained. Speaking after accepting the CTO’s final report, Dr Henry Chasia said, “It is important that the NEPAD e-African Commission and all stakeholders in the development of the Broadband Regional Network for Eastern and Southern African thank the CTO consultancy team for the effort its has put into the delivery of some first class outputs. Without these outputs, there is no doubt that our efforts aimed at ensuring all stakeholders understand some of the more complex issues concerning the Network would have been undermined. In turn, we would not have reached the critical mass of countries that has made this Network and its many benefits a forthcoming reality for so many citizens of Eastern and Southern Africa.” The key deliverables produced by the team have included a report, which elaborated issues such as Open Access, the use of public private partnerships for funding the development of the Network, business models for owning and operating the Network, as well as policy and regulatory impediments to the development of terrestrial backbone infrastructure in the region. Additionally, the team produced the Kigali Protocol, which confirmed ministerial commitment to developing the Network on Open Access Principles and to harmonising legal, policy and regulatory frameworks in order to ensure it is reality. The CTO has been pleased to deliver its consultancy services to NEPAD’s e-Africa Commission, especially because of the Network’s huge development potential. However, it knows that for benefits to be realised, countries must focus on harmonisation in order to complete it by March 2008, as required by the Kigali Protocol. The CTO is ready to use its extensive knowledge to help governments of the region to fully understand any issues and work toward harmonising their legal, policy and regulatory frameworks. For further information about CTO advisory services, contact Kojo Boakye, Deputy Programme Manager, email: k.boakye@cto.int Tel: +44 207 208 834 1567 Dr Henry Chasia, Dr Spio-Garbrah and other representatives speak of harmonisation CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 3 NEWS & EVENTS COMMONWEALTH Workshop for Ghana’s Northern women Social Development Centre (ISODEC), THE FIRST EVER Information and enumerated challenges impeding Communication Technology (ICT) development of women in Northern region. Workshop for women in the Northern region In his presentation on The State of ICT in of Ghana took place in February 2007 in the North, Agbenyo John Stephen Tamale, the capital city of the region. The programme was attended by a cross-section of women of varying fields of endeavour, including heads of institutions, teachers, traders and social workers. The event was organised by the Northern region branch of the Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing (GINKS). According to the participants, the www.ginks.org relevance of the workshop could recapped the state of ICT in the 1990s in not be overestimated and could not have the region and the current situation. Until come at a more opportune time considering 1996, when state-owned Radio Savanna the fact that the Northern region rates third was established, there was no radio station among the most poverty-endemic regions in the region. Currently, three private in the country. Some of the concerns they stations are fully operating in the area, raised included the need for parents to whilst one is on test transmission and more prioritise the education of the young have licences. The same applied to women and girls, especially in ICT. telephone networks; from the time when Presenting a paper on The Northern Ghana Telecom’s One Touch service could Woman and ICT-Opportunities and How to be afforded by only the affluent to the Use Them, Rosemond Kumah, the introduction of competitor networks like Northern sector director of the Integrated Areeba and Tigo. As noted also by Mr Stephen, another indispensable ICT facility that has seen dramatic evolution and patronage in the last couple of years in the Northern region is the Internet café. Approximately ten Internet cafés are found in Tamale, but more are needed to serve other districts in the Northern region. Osman Dawda, a journalist, highlighted the case of Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo, a new district in the Northern region. The area has not been connected to the national grid, has had no telephone network, and has a barely usable road network. When residents want to make a local call, they have to travel to the next district, some 36 miles away - or cross to the nearest border town to neighbouring Togo, a mile away from the district, and make their local calls via an international network. The situation in this district mirrors scenarios in other districts in the region, and participants pressed for government to attract investment. Support for Commonwealth professionals THE COMMONWEALTH PROFESSIONAL Fellowship Programme application process for 2007-2008 has begun in earnest and, as usual, applicants from across the Commonwealth have eagerly applied to undertake a Professional Fellowship Programme at the CTO headquarters in London, in the UK. Professional development For the fourth consecutive year, the CTO is applying to be a host organisation for Commonwealth Professional Fellows. The organisation is pleased to continue contributing to the development of the Commonwealth’s public and private sector middle managers. The aim of the Commonwealth Professional Fellowship Programme, which is managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and supported by organisations including the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), is to develop the Commonwealth’s midcareer professionals so that they can enhance their own abilities, improve the development of their countries and further contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Speaking at the launch of this year’s application process, Kojo Boakye, the CTO’s Deputy Programme Manager, said, “The CTO is very pleased to continue its association with the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) and this excellent programme. Judging by the quality of those that have already applied to undertake a Professional Fellowship Programme at the CTO in 2007-2008, the competition for one of the coveted Fellowship places will be as fierce as ever. “Indeed, we look forward to providing the CSC with a number of highly qualified candidates from which to choose.” The CTO’s list of Commonwealth Professional Fellowship Alumni is naturally made up of those mid-career professionals with a strong understanding of key ICT for development issues and now 4 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 Kojo Boakye works to support professional development at the CTO boasts members from countries including Swaziland, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Mauritius and Lesotho. In their time at CTO HQ, all the Fellows have made great contributions to the mission of the organisation and used their experiences of working at CTO HQ to improve their existing skills set and help their countries close the digital divide. To apply or learn a little more about the application process for the Commonwealth Professional Fellowship Programme, visit www.cto.int/General/Fellowships/tabid/198/Default.aspx. Alternatively, you can contact Kojo Boakye, Deputy Programme Manager at email: k.boakye@cto.int Tel: +44 208 834 1567 NEWS & EVENTS COMMONWEALTH EVENTS 2007 July Date 2-4 9-10 17-20 30 Jul-3 Aug Show/Location CIIT 2007 - Alberta, Canada 2007 International Conference on ICT in Teaching and Learning - Hong Kong SMPTE Conference & Exhibition - Sydney, Australia eIndia 2007 - New Delhi, India Organiser IASTED OUHK Expertise Events CSDMS Web www.iasted.org www.ict2007.ouhk.edu.hk www.smpte.com.au www.eindia.net.in August Date 6-9 9-11 Show/Location LinuxWorld - San Francisco, USA ICTN Asia 2007 - Karachi, Pakistan Organiser IDG World Expo Ecommerce Gateway Web www.linuxworldexpo.com www.ecgateway.net September Date 11-13 17-20 24-28 Show/Location Indo ICT 2007 - Jakarta, Indonesia EC-TEL07 - Crete, Greece *CTO Forum 2007 and 47th Meeting of the CTO Council - Montego Bay, Jamaica Organiser Napindo PROLEARN CTO Web www.indoict.com www.ectel07.org www.cto.int * = Organised by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation Praise for programme THE JOINT SECRETARY of India’s Ministry of External Affairs Sanjiv Arora has hailed Commonwealth Connects, for providing opportunities to member countries to share best practices in information and communication technology (ICT) usage. Mr Arora has noted, also, that developing Commonwealth countries benefit from the advantages of Commonwealth Connects as they are enabled to bridge the digital divide and boost access to knowledge and sharing information using ICTs. The Commonwealth Connects programme is a multistakeholder partnership aimed at tapping Commonwealth resources to fast-track change by transferring technology and expertise across the whole Commonwealth. The CTO is one of five agencies that leverage the strengths of ICTs for the development of Commonwealth nations. Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, CEO of CTO, is a founding member of the Commonwealth Connects Steering Committee. Lesotho: getting interconnection and tariffs right FOR REGULATORS, THE onset of full liberalisation marks the end of the difficult transition from a national ICT sector that is invariably characterised by monopolistic ICT markets to one in which competition in all ICT markets is unfettered. The Lesotho Telecommunications Authority (LTA) continued its efforts to successfully navigate Lesotho’s transition to full liberalisation by contracting a CTO-led consultancy team to undertake a Tariff Rationalisation and Interconnection Consultancy. The main aim of the project was to recommend an appropriate level of tariff regulation for Lesotho and support the recommendations with cost models for interconnection, wholesale and retail rates for telecommunication networks. In the course of meeting this aim, the team had to: • Establish models for cost-based interconnection and tariff rates for telecommunication networks in Lesotho. • Assist both the LTA and the network operators (fixed and mobile) with a methodology to define appropriate tariff regulation in Lesotho and provide assistance to the LTA to design a sound regulatory regime for interconnection, wholesale and retail prices. • Conduct a study and a benchmark to review retail prices and billing structures for the fixed and mobile networks. In addition to the above, a key element of the project was the delivery of training to LTA on how to effectively use the cost models. Commenting at the end of the five and half month project, Dr Spio-Garbrah, CEO of the CTO, said, “The LTA must be congratulated for the commitment and hard work they have put into ensuring this project was a resounding success. The effort they put into key aspects of the project, including facilitating the necessary consultation with operators and stakeholders, as well as the training aspects of the project, were instrumental. Successful projects of this nature are not undertaken in a vacuum. Consultancy teams and the clients they serve must collaborate effectively throughout the project in order to reap dividends.” For countries trying to develop competitive markets, the importance of interconnection and tariff rationalisation projects, like the one delivered in Lesotho, cannot be underestimated. When delivered successfully, they can ensure that, amongst other things, the market sends price signals that encourage efficient use of ICT services and ensure that operators earn adequate revenue for continued investment in infrastructure and quality of service. For more information on CTO consultancy services, please contact: Mr Kojo Boakye, Deputy Programme Manager, Tel: +44 208 834 1567 Email: k.boakye@cto.int CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 5 NEWS & EVENTS GLOBAL Converged assurance blog launched A NEW BLOG devoted to the ongoing discussion and information sharing regarding quality of experience (QoE) as it relates to next-generation voice, video, data, and mobile services was launched today by Brix Networks, the blog's sponsor. The site www.ServiceAssuranceBlog.com was created to foster a continuing dialogue and an exchange of ideas among those who are interested in advancing the quality of Voice over Kaynam Hedayat promotes Internet Protocol (VoIP), IP constructive dialogue on service provision television (IPTV), and other IPbased services. As these new offerings are increasingly rolled out to consumers and businesses, it has become imperative for service providers to validate performance levels, deliver a positive user experience, reduce subscriber churn, and increase revenue through the use of end-to-end converged service assurance. "This blog is an open forum for everyone interested in the issues associated with deploying quality next-gen services," said Kaynam Hedayat, CTO and vice president, engineering, at Brix Networks. "Our goal for ServiceAssuranceBlog.com is that it becomes a 'must read' for all those responsible for planning, operating, and consuming converged services." In addition to regular postings and observations contributed by Brix Networks' subject matter experts, ServiceAssuranceBlog.com will solicit commentaries from various industry luminaries, and is open for readers to share their experiences and opinions. Regional platforms expand programme offering THROUGH ITS MULTI-YEAR contract on the Intelsat 7 and Intelsat 10 satellites ViewAfrica Network is distributing a free-to-air programming bouquet that now reaches all the Sub-Saharan countries with specific DTH focus on South Africa and Nigeria, and ViewAsia is distributing its programming into the cable headends of Asia. “Intelsat offers broadcasters the best video neighbourhoods and works closely with its customers to find the ideal distribution solution for their market and product,” said Stephen Spengler, senior vice president, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific Sales. “DTH is the perfect way to reach African communities that are geographically dispersed and separated by varied terrain. By launching this platform on IS-7 and IS10, ViewAfrica and ViewAsia Networks gain instant access to established neighbourhoods, enabling them to reach their key distribution penetration goals in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia.” ViewAfrica Network, uplinking out of Telemedia in South Africa, carries a freeto-air bouquet of religious Stephen Spengler describes DTH programming that currently as the perfect way to reach includes the following communities that are networks: Daystar, geographically dispersed LoveWorld, Divine Truth Broadcasting and Emmanuel TV. ViewAfrica is among 27 DTH platforms built on the global Intelsat system. “Intelsat 7 and Intelsat 10 offer the most comprehensive regional coverage that we are looking for, enabling us to deliver our programming into markets that would otherwise be inaccessible,” said Awaes Jaswal, CEO, ViewAfrica Network. “Intelsat’s industry-leading reliability enables us to distribute our programming easily, from one place, and with the highest quality possible.” The Intelsat 7 provides video, direct-to-home and telecommunications services throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Intelsat 10’s Ku-band payload contains multiple high-powered beams focused on Africa, Europe, India, the Middle East, Central and Western Asia as well as Northeast Asia. The beams on Intelsat 10 can be switched between the various regions, offering greater flexibility in the creation of new platforms for the delivery of video, data and IP-based services. Fighting, protecting and empowering INFORMATION AND C O M M U N I C AT I O N S TECHNOLOGIES (ICT) are crucial in spurring “development, dignity and peace”, United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon told a gathering of technology experts, activists, corporate leaders and government officials recently. In a video message at the opening of the Steering Committee’s meeting of the Global Alliance for Information and C o m m u n i c a t i o n s Mr Ban wants to promote new business Technologies and models for development Development, a UN initiative, Mr Ban said, “Let us turn the digital divide into digital opportunity.” He added that governments, civil society, the private sector, academia and others must join forces to “promote new business models, public policies and technology solutions in the global approach to development”. Photograph UN Photo/Evan Schneider www.viewafricanetwork.com 6 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 NEWS & EVENTS GLOBAL Ecosystem created for mobile communities TO SUPPORT THEIR goal of creating the world’s first globally competitive, Linux-based software platform for mobile devices, Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone have announced the official launch of the LiMo Foundation, a notfor-profit organisation aimed at blending the community-based development benefits of transparency, innovation and scalability with the best development practices from the mobile community to create an innovative new business model. The Foundation seeks new members interested in participating in the development of a set of APIs, architecture, and contributing source code for the common components of the Linux based mobile platform. Foundation members will be involved in building an active ecosystem and will have the opportunity to influence the evolution of the platform, leaving them free to provide compelling and differentiated services to customers. The Foundation intends to focus primarily on the joint development of a competitive Linux-based mobile platform, built around a common source code tree that can adapt to ever evolving market requirements around the world. In addition, members will also work on the following: • Establishment of safeguards to minimise fragmentation. • Collaboration on a mobile Linux developer ecosystem. • Co-operation with existing industry organisations. • Securing new members from across the industry: device manufacturers, operators, chip set manufacturers, independent software vendors, integrators and third party developers. Visit www.limofoundation.org Agreement on mobile access in developing countries The GSM Association is a partner of ITU’s Connect the World initiative, a global multi-stakeholder effort that encourages new projects and partnerships to bridge the digital divide. ITU and the GSM Association will focus on three specific issues: • Supporting developing market projects for low cost access to ICT: The GSM Association has established a Development Fund to invest in sustainable projects that seek to extend access to and the value of mobile services in the developing world. Building on these efforts in the context of ITU’s Connect the World initiative, attention will focus on identifying ICT development projects where the contributions of industry and governments can be leveraged to "connect the unconnected", especially through low-cost solutions as well as the innovative use of mobile technology and connectivity in least developed and developing countries. • Industry and governmental cooperation: Facilitating closer dialogue between industry and governments by building partnerships aimed at solving problems and facilitating future planning and investment, with special emphasis on developing an enabling policy and regulatory environment as well as innovative approaches for the use of universal service funds to expand access to ICTs in rural and remote communities. • Global industry benchmarking: Coordinating and enhancing research and statistical databases with a view to improving decision-making by compiling comprehensive shared resource of key industry performance indicators and benchmarks. ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré cements a partnership with Tom Phillips of the GSMA THE GSM ASSOCIATION (GSMA) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have agreed to strengthen cooperation towards improved access to mobile phone services aimed especially at bridging the digital divide in the world’s least developed and developing countries. The agreement focuses on fostering the development of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. "I am very pleased to announce this agreement with the GSM Association and I look forward to the collaboration in developing wireless access to connect the unconnected," said SecretaryGeneral Hamadoun Touré after signing the Memorandum of Understanding at a recent meeting of the Global Symposium for Regulators currently taking place in Dubai, in the UAE. "ITU is the leading United Nations agency specialising in ICT-related issues and represents a global forum for its 191 Member States and over 600 Sector members. GSMA represents a strong voice of the mobile industry and they are making real contributions towards increasing worldwide mobile penetration, including access in rural and underserved areas of the world." Commenting on the partnership, Tom Phillips of the GSMA, said, "Mobile operators have long known the value of government policies that support private investment. Through this new relationship, operators hope to create a dialogue that will cut through today’s hurdles and bottlenecks, creating new investment opportunities and integrating our members’ commercial agenda closely with that of government." HSPA for broadband, WiMax for niche markets WITH OVER 93 commercial networks in operation, HSPA is likely to account for most investment in global mobile broadband networks over the next five years. By comparison, mobile WiMax will be a niche technology, likely to account for at most 15 per cent of this network equipment market and perhaps 10 per cent of mobile broadband wireless subscribers by 2011-2012. However, Arthur D Little reveals in HSPA and mobile WiMax for mobile broadband that the potential complementary nature of HSPA and WiMax can be seen in the increased interest in multi-mode user devices and roaming capabilities across the technologies, reflecting the widespread anticipation of the central role of OFDMA and other technologies involved in WiMax and 3G LTE in all eventual future broadband wireless networks. CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 7 NEWS & EVENTS AFRICA Making progress, realising growth GHANA RECENTLY CELEBRATED 50 years of independence, with 25 heads of state and delegates from over 60 countries in attendance, in March 2007, assured that the next decade may give one of the best-performing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa more reason to celebrate. The last five years have brought higher economic growth (6.2 per cent in 2006), after a steady two decades of moderate four per cent growth. Inflation is lower (10 per cent, down from 40), and so are interest rates (15 per cent, down from 30), and poverty (33.4 per cent in 2005, down from 39.5 per cent in 2000, and 51.7 per cent in 1990). Those statistics, combined with strong improvements in business climate and the democratic process, civil liberties and freedom of the press, indicate Ghana may be able to halve poverty before 2015. “This is striking progress, both on growth and poverty,” says World Bank Ghana country director Mats Karlsson. “Even though we who live and work in Ghana want to celebrate now, we of course also recognise the challenges. But objectively, Ghana scores very well compared with its peers on any grounds: governance, growth, structural reform, and poverty reduction. But it doesn’t score well compared to what people perceive is Ghana’s potential.” Commitment to development In a state-of-the-art move on 1 March 2007, practically all donors (covering 95 per cent of flows to Ghana) signed an innovative commitment, the Ghana Joint Assistance Strategy (G-JAS). Covering a four-year programme, with as much as US$5.3bn, the G-JAS partners commit to back Ghana’s national development strategy at the highest best-practice levels, harmonising work and backing results with efficient resource utilisation. The country is intent on achieving shared growth, entailing both strong investment in competitiveness, particularly infrastructure, but also relying on decentralisation, better quality education at all levels, and greater impact in child survival, nutrition, water and sanitation. An emerging challenge is new urban poverty, even as poverty is falling country wide. Photograph Arne Hoel/World Bank Mobile phone vendors, such as this one in Accra, have contributed to Ghana’s growth in recent years “If you sustain growth, you will also sustain poverty reduction, because it’s basically a one-to-one relationship,” says Karlsson. Sustainable business The Bank alone has committed US$1.3bn to 19 zero-interest IDA-financed projects or grants. Two-thirds support agriculture, rural productivity and sustainable resource use, energy infrastructure, the business environment, and transport. Another third goes to human development, including water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS, and education programme. Over the past four years, 2003-2006, the Bank has committed and disbursed $1.2bn. On top of that, the Bank and other partners have agreed to debt relief which has reduced Ghana’s external debt stock from $6.4bn to $1.5bn. For 2007 the Bank is committing to more than $400mn in new finance. The Bank is seeking, also, to combine the tools of the whole World Bank Group, including IFC and MIGA, for innovative financing solutions to expensive infrastructure investment. Has Ghana changed? “You bet it has,” says Karlsson, “and therefore we are celebrating Ghana’s 50th full of promise. Empowerment is making all the difference.” Top marks for teledensity THE FASTEST TELEDENSITY growth rate in Africa last year was in Ghana, which recorded an increase of 22 per cent, as against the projected rate of 10 per cent by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The growth in the number of telephone subscribers as a percentage of the population, rose from 3,756,518 as of the end of the first quarter of 2006 to 5,581,409 by the last quarter of the same year. The Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Major J R K Tandoh (retd), who disclosed this in an interview in Accra yesterday, said the dramatic progress in the sector painted a promising picture for the country's telecommunications sector in the next 50 years. Comparing 2001 and 2006, he said, "What is more interesting is the fact that the number of telephone subscribers in the country for both fixed and mobile has shot up drastically from a little over 500,000 in 2001 to 5,581,409 as of the end of 2006.” Scancom Ghana Limited, operators of Areeba GSM network, maintained the lead in the mobile telephony sector, having increased its subscriber base from 2,398,521 as of the end of the third quarter of 2006 to 2,585,467 by the end of December 31, 2006. During the same period under review, Milicom Ghana Limited, operators of tiGO GSM and Mobitel analogue services, 8 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 increased its subscribers from 1,234,150 to 1,546,721, while those of Ghana Telecom, operators of Onetouch GSM, increased from 774,885 to 877,106. Kasapa Telecom, which operates the Kasapa branded network, on the other hand, increased its subscribers marginally from 172,810 to 200,104 between the third and fourth quarters of 2006. For fixed telephone lines, Ghana Telecom increased its subscriber base from 351,557 to 357,557 between September and December 2006 but it was unable to add any more payphones and, therefore, maintained the figure of 11,364. Western Telesystems (WESTEL), which has been struggling to make an impact in the sector since it was granted a licence to operate a fixed line service in the country about seven years ago, kept its subscriber base at 2,798 during the same period under review. Although the company received another licence to operate a GSM mobile service in the last quarter of last year, it is yet to roll out its service. Major Tandoh attributed the growth to the strict but conducive regulatory environment, backed by a sound economic environment. Story by Charles Benoni Okine NEWS & EVENTS AMERICAS Caribbean network project nears completion ALCATEL SIGNED A turnkey contract with A next-generation network South Caribbean Fiber (SCF), a subsidiary of "Through this extension, we are moving one step ahead to the LORET Group, in October 2006, to deploy connect 14 islands of the Caribbean, from Trinidad to St. Croix a new submarine cable network spanning the and Puerto Rico, and from there directly to Miami. The nexteastern Caribbean islands. generation submarine network will provide broadband The Caribbean project represents a new, network capacity at economical pricing for the next 20 years significant step in the creation of an or more," stated Ehsan Emami, president of GCN, MCN and advanced submarine network infrastructure SCF. "Following the GCN and MCN awards, we are pleased to that supports the high-speed broadband again contribute to fulfil the escalating demand for broadband connectivity required to generate new services of Caribbean's business and residential users," said opportunities of economic growth and Jean Godeluck, president of Alcatel's submarine network development in the region. activity. With completion scheduled by mid-2007, the Jean-Godeluck oversees the "This achievement further validates Alcatel's expertise in new submarine cable network will extend the delivery of advanced deploying field-proven solutions that offer reliable optical regional communication reach to Antigua, St infrastructure connectivity for faster and more cost-effective communications." Lucia, St Kitts, St Vincent, Barbados, Grenada, and Trinidad. South Caribbean Fiber will interconnect Comprehensive service provision with the Global Caribbean Network (GCN), linking Guadeloupe to Alcatel will supply its new-generation dense wavelength division Puerto Rico and the Virgin islands, through the St Martin and St multiplexing (DWDM) submarine line terminal, unrepeater systems, Barthélémy islands, that is being inaugurated for commercial as well as its Optical Multi-Service Node (OMSN) systems for service today, in Pointe-à-Pitre. SCF will also interconnect with the terrestrial applications. The Alcatel 1350 management suite will Middle Caribbean Network (MCN) submarine system linking manage all the equipment. Furthermore, Alcatel will provide a Martinique and Dominica. SCF will deliver additional multi-Gbit/s comprehensive set of services including marine and terrestrial capacity and will span about 1,000km bringing the total coverage enabled by the three combined projects to about 2,100km. installation, commissioning and integration. Americans commit to technological access in emerging markets and experience in developing communities with Intel's INTEL CORPORATION AND the United States Agency for technology leadership and strong relationship with local International Development (USAID) are working together to industries in emerging markets," said John Davies, vice broaden access and usage of information and communications president of the Intel World Ahead programme. "Synergy from technology (ICT) in developing communities around the world. The organisations signed a memorandum of understanding the strengths of the two organisations will amplify our individual (MOU), identifying three areas of common focus: increasing the efforts in using technology as the catalyst for growth in use of ICT in education, enabling last developing communities, expanding mile Internet connectivity and what's possible for citizens in these supporting ICT usage by small- and communities." medium-sized businesses to enhance economic development opportunities. Sustainable efforts Intel and USAID share the belief of the "USAID believes in the long-term and importance of ICT in accelerating social sustainable benefits that information and economic development in and communications technologies emerging markets. The two bring to developing communities organisations have been working around the world," said Juan Belt, together to develop successful director for Office of Infrastructure community projects in developing and Engineering, USAID. "Our communities preceding the MOU, such collaboration with Intel exemplifies as installing WiMAX technology in the importance of public-private Vietnam. In 2006, Intel, USAID and partnerships to more broadly extend Vietnam Data Communication Company the benefits of ICT to underserved worked together to install WiMAX communities. These benefits include technology in Lào Cai, a city in the Intel’s small notebook PC design for students, codeimprovements to the business mountainous, rural northern Vietnam named “Eduwise,” is the result of extensive ethnographic environment, education opportunities, where telecommunications services are research to provide an affordable, collaborative learning availability of medical services and limited. WiMAX offers access to cost- environment specifically for teachers and young students ultimately the lives of citizens in these efficient broadband Internet and Voice in developing communities. communities." over IP telephony for Lào Cai's citizens, Intel's involvement with USAID is part who depend on good communications to build robust economic of the Intel World Ahead programme - the company's relationships with neighbouring trading partners. Successful comprehensive approach aimed at bringing uncompromised project engagements and technology deployments such as these technology to everyone, anywhere in the world, integrating and help create a model from which Intel and USAID plan to extend extending the company's efforts to advance progress in four that relationship more broadly. areas: accessibility to computers, connectivity, education and "This cooperation brings together USAID's extensive network content. CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 9 NEWS & EVENTS ASIA-PACIFIC Life after connectivity in Sri Lanka’s first e-village IN THE SMALL jungle village of Mahavilachchiya, children rush home once school has ended for lunch and a rest. The scene is similar to that in villages across the country. However, the seemingly isolated, rural countryside can be misleading. The children in Mahavilachchiya, soon after arriving home, turn on their computers and check email, do research for their homework assignments, and read local news. Mahavilachchiya, a village 40km from Anuradhapura, has the privilege of being Sri Lanka’s first e-village and boasts the highest computer density of any other village in the country. On 4 November, 2006, Sri Lanka’s first www.mahavilachchiya.ne outdoor mesh network was launched in the village bringing Internet connectivity to 30 households and two schools. The Mahavilachchiya project was made possible through a partnership between a local NGO, the Horizon Lanka Foundation which has been educating the children of Mahavilachchiya in English and ICT for the past 10 years. The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), through a partnership with Enterprise Technology (Pvt) Ltd (ETPL) and a grant from the Pan Asia R&D Grants Program, was responsible for the implementation of the project. According to ICTA, “The primary objective of the project is to demonstrate the effective contribution of an IT infrastructure in accelerated socio-economic development.” The e-village project aims to increase opportunities for growth and provide a better quality of life for people in rural communities. In the three short months following its inception, the e-village in Mahavilachchiya has demonstrated that it is well on its way to achieving these goals and improving the lives in the region. Comparing Mahavilachchiya with national ICT statistics demonstrates the uniqueness of the project. According to a report by the Dept. of Census and Statistics, the ICT literacy of Sri Lanka is only 10 per cent of the population. Connecting goals and skills In Mahavilachchiya, the Horizon Lanka Academy has provided numerous students with access to ICT. The Foundation also features laptops, Internet connectivity and an extensive computer lab; resources found in less than 10 per cent of Sri Lankan schools and previously only available in affluent areas. The e-village project is not only setting a new standard for the nation but also for other countries seeking solutions to bridge the digital divide. A survey conducted by ICTA in January, 2007 revealed that students in Mahavilachchiya use the Internet for communication, to help with homework, and for access to donors and businesses. Those students surveyed had diverse career goals and the marketable skills to ensure their success. Thanks to the arrival of mesh technology, the village has been working towards economic development and is currently working with a BPO to bring jobs to the region and training has already been provided for some in the village. While the e-village has been a huge achievement so far, the Mahavilachchiya success story is far from over. The next step involves the creation of future e villages and nurturing their progress. President Mahinda Rajapaksha has included funds for replicating the e-village in the 2007 budget. Through studying the Mahavilachchiya pilot project, Sri Lanka’s government hopes that e-villages can be successfully replicated elsewhere. How to connect Pakistan’s mobile users Mr Conway came away from these meetings with the President CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER of the GSMA Rob Conway met and Prime Minister with a full appreciation of the Government’s President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad in March 2007 to strong commitment to continue to lower strengthen cooperation between the government barriers to accessing mobile communications and the mobile industry in getting the next and progress the hugely successful programme 50mn users in Pakistan connected to mobile. of increasing telecommunications penetration. The meeting followed discussions between the In this regard, he congratulated the President GSMA CEO and Pakistani Prime Minister and the Prime Minister, as well as Minister Shaukat Aziz, along with CEOs from Ufone Leghari and PTA Chairman Malik, for Pakistan’s (Mubashir Naqvi), Mobilink (Zouhair Khaliq), recent achievements in extending access to Paktel (Guo Yonghong), Telenor Pakistan (Tore mobile communications. Johnsen), and Warid (Hamid Farooq), as well as “By lowering barriers to connectivity, the mobile the Minister of Telecommunications & IT, Awais industry can connect the unconnected in Leghari, and Chairman of the Pakistan Pakistan. The activation tax is a significant Telecommunications Authority (PTA), Shahzada barrier for people looking to own a mobile Malik. phone and represents a constraint for operators Mr Conway suggested that eliminating the 500 seeking to expand into rural areas,” said Mr Rupees activation tax paid by consumers and Conway. “With 50mn mobile users and 30 per the industry would increase mobile penetration cent penetration, Pakistan is now a leader in and lead to an increase in total tax revenues for mobile usage in south Asia. The next step is to the government. The elimination of this tax build on that achievement by eliminating the could significantly increase mobile usage and activation tax and securing further economic fuel economic growth, according to a study by GSMA CEO Rob Conway focuses on and social benefits for the Pakistani people.” consultancy Deloitte on behalf of the GSMA. the next 50 million mobile users 10 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 NEWS & EVENTS EUROPE The future's bright and ferroelectric RESEARCHERS AT THE University of Birmingham's School of Engineering are working towards achieving lower cost mobile phone calls with less interference in built-up areas or when phone traffic is very heavy by using a novel class of materials called ferroelectrics. Dr Tim Jackson from the University's Department of Electronic, Electrical and Computer Engineering has been building, atomby-atom, thin ferroelectric films which are less than 1 millionth of a metre thick - a 50th of the width of a human hair - with a wafer of advanced superconducting material on the top. This futuristic sandwich, combining ferroelectrics and superconductors - materials with no electrical resistance - can be built into mobile phone base stations to enable them to function far more effectively in difficult circumstances. 'With ferroelectrics,' says Dr Jackson, lead investigator, 'we can improve the performance of a mobile phone. Static antennae with ferroelectric receivers can replace the rotating dishes now needed by airports to maintain coverage with aircraft, and they can transform local area, intranet systems by ensuring that signals are passed accurately to every individual recipient without any interference. 'If there was, for example, a major emergency such as a bomb blast in a big city, thousands of people would be trying to use their mobiles, saturating the base stations with calls and clogging the airwaves. Ferroelectric devices, which are similar to those used in smart credit cards, cut out the interference, enabling base stations to handle far more calls simultaneously.' Funded by a Portfolio Partnership grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, this research is looking to the time when ferroelectrics are routinely used in devices for changing the frequencies and directions of many kinds of radio signals. But the team acknowledges past discoveries, also. In March 2007, the scientists at Birmingham acknowledged the 21st anniversary of the discovery of superconductivity above the boiling point of nitrogen. Broadband slows A REPORT PUBLISHED by the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) reveals a significant slow down in broadband uptake across Europe, falling from 23 per cent to only 14 per cent growth in the half-year period before September 2006. This slowdown comes at a time when Europe is seeing the growth of telecommunication monopolies in key countries, a correlation ECTA believes is not coincidental. The ECTA Broadband Scorecard for Q3, 2006, released in February 2007, shows that incumbents have clawed back market share in key markets, including a substantial increase in Europe’s broadband hotspots, in Denmark and Finland, and in France. Incumbents maintain control, also, of more than half of all broadband lines in Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Greece, and Belgium. ECTA has warned that Europe includes some of the world’s leading broadband countries. Its position could be put at risk, however, if regulators fail to act, to re-enforce competition and open markets. The laboratory where researchers make materials and devices Technologies drive European growth PUBLIC AND PRIVATE investment in information and communication technology (ICT) is bearing fruit, finds the Commission's annual progress report on i2010, the digitally-led strategy for growth and jobs. Technology is fuelling innovation and productivity, and there are signs of fundamental change in markets and user behaviour, as Europe moves towards a knowledge-based economy. "Our integrated European policy for growth and jobs is now starting to pay dividends," said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media. "However, let's not be complacent. ICT companies in Europe are still not able to profit from economies of scale in view of regulatory fragmentation that blocks the emergence of pan-European services and hurts the chances of e-communication operators and software companies to compete on the world market." The ICT sector continues to grow faster than Europe's overall economy, according to the i2010 second annual report. ICT contributed nearly 50 per cent of EU productivity growth between 2000 and 2004, with software and IT services currently the most dynamic growth area (5.9 per cent for 2006-2007). The report shows, also, that businesses are investing in new and more mature ICT solutions, and Europeans are quickly embracing new online services. This is supported by a record number of new broadband connections: 20.1mn new broadband lines connected in the year to October 2006, with high broadband penetration rates in The Netherlands (30 per cent) and the Nordic Countries (25-29 per cent). The online content market is forecast to grow rapidly for the next five years, as already seen with the explosive growth of online music sales and usercreated content. European research received a major boost from the 7th Framework Research Programme's launch, the largest single item of which is over 9bn for ICT research. However, despite national investment expected to bring research spending to 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2010, a further effort is still needed if the EU is to reach its three per cent target. The Commission's eGovernment Action plan has helped Member States boost public services online. These are increasingly sophisticated, and more Europeans use them. ICT support for healthcare and education across Europe are also experiencing strong growth. CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 11 REGIONAL FOCUS How biofuel derived from cotton could soon power mobile networks across the Indian subcontinent Indian mobiles I T’S A LONG-STANDING problem. Lack of access to electricity has hindered the drive towards an improved mobile communications infrastructure across the subcontinent. The simple reason is that running and maintaining base stations requires power. One third of Indian homes are not connected to the power grid and demand for mobile phones is growing rapidly. Recently, however, it emerged that a new pilot scheme launched in west India by mobile firms - in collaboration with industry body the GSMA Development Fund - looks set to find a way around the obstacle. The initiative will see crops used to generate biodiesel to fuel mobile base stations in unconnected rural areas. "It is about connecting the unconnected," said Dawn Hartley, development fund manager at the GSMA. Mobile phone use has exploded across India. In 2003 there were just 13mn mobile phone subscribers. Today, there are nearly 130mn. Much of this new technology adoption has been in urban areas covered by comprehensive mobile networks. However, outside the major towns - where approximately threequarters of India's 1.2bn people reside mobile coverage is fragmented. This is are on to alternative energy They can also be expensive to operate, needing weekly deliveries of fuel. Ericsson estimates that fuel amounts to half of the cost of a remote base station. The pilot scheme, put forward by the GSMA and mobile firms Idea Cellular and Ericsson, hopes to overcome some of these problems by using mobile base stations that use generators running on biodiesel. The fuel is created by combining plant oils with alcohol, and mixing the concoction with a catalyst to accelerate the process. partly because the electricity network, used to power the mobile network infrastructure, is often unreliable and does not cover the whole of the country. "As GSM operators expand their network coverage into new areas, one of the biggest challenges is to overcome operational issues associated with the lack of basic infrastructure," said Mats Granryd, managing director, Ericsson India. Remote base stations, which transmit and receive information from handsets, are already powered by conventional fuel generators. But these can be dirty and maintaining them requires a great deal of time and effort. Crude jatropha oil and biodiesel have a lesser environmental impact Generating power The scheme in India will utilise oil derived from plants such as cotton, a mahoganylike tree called neem, and jatropha. Jatropha trees are already widely grown across India, specifically as a biofuel crop. The seeds of the plant are a traditional remedy for constipation. Biodiesel has a lesser environmental impact than conventional fuels and crucially, can be grown and processed locally. Although at a pilot stage, the scheme hopes to have up to 10 base stations operating in Pune, in the Maharashtra region of west India, by mid2007. The projects expand on other GSMA initiatives operating in Lagos, Nigeria, where the biofuel is derived from groundnuts. The trial is expected to coincide with MTC Namibia’s launch of the world's first mobile phone base station powered by wind and the sun's rays. The pilot for the latter project was held in Swindon, UK, and led by Motorola. Plans are afoot to run a similar scheme in Asia. "We firmly believe we need a solution to go into rural areas and the key is speed we need a quick roll out," said MTC executive Joachen Traut. "Namibia is a huge country with only two million people - to get power to rural areas is very expensive. "You are paying US$8,000 per kilometre to get a grid power line. And to get on the grid you can wait a year or two to get a power line." MTC has been using base stations powered with just solar energy but will turn to the wind for the first time for the Remote base stations, which transmit and receive information from handsets, are already powered by conventional fuel generators. But these can be dirty and maintaining them requires a great deal of time and effort. Photograph: Bill Butterworth Jatropha is widely grown across India 12 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 REGIONAL FOCUS trial in the village of Dordabis, 40 kilometres east of the capital city Windhoek. Linda Brown, GSM solutions manager for Motorola in the UK, said, “We have to generate power significantly higher than what the cell needs for us to pass on power to the base station." Solutions for cells The base station requires between 1,200 and 1,500 watts and to meet that demand the site will have a six-kilowatt turbine and four solar panels. "In Namibia, the turbine and solar panels will also be running the base station with traffic on it, the peripheral communications, VSAT (satellite transmitter/receiver) and even the protective fencing around the site," said Ms Brown. “Capital costs for wind and solar are in the same range as a grid connection. But the roll out time is an advantage; it's much faster. Operating costs are much better than a grid connection or using diesel. We realised there was a market for these alternative power supplies to cell sites to cover both the fact that often power cannot be got to the region or if a grid connection is very costly." Traut added that the cell would serve approximately 1,500 people living in the village as well as farming communities about 30km away. The network will support GSM, GPRS and EDGE connections. "The network will mainly be used for voice," said Traut. "The area is popular with tourism and some business people will use data." As for Motorola’s plans to work with networks in Asia, Traut said, “This solution is perfect for areas only accessible by helicopter - that's where we would be looking to deploy this technology. " Meanwhile, a new service in India does without the need for GSM base stations altogether. Swedish start-up TerraNet has developed a peer-to-peer (P2P) radio technology that enables handset users to share the task of data transfer within a network, providing greater range than short wave radio and equalling the quality of a voice call made on a GSM network. So, a combination of delivery methods may be used, depending on the local environment and economic conditions. ● Barry Mansfield Biodiesel has a lesser environmental impact than conventional fuels and crucially, can be grown and processed locally Biofuels to extend mobile coverage in rural India INDIAN MOBILE OPERATOR Idea Cellular, Ericsson and the GSM Association’s Development Fund have teamed up to develop biofuels as a source of power for wireless networks in rural India. In a pilot project in Pune, Maharashtra, the three organisations have committed to using biofuels to power mobile base stations located beyond the reach of the electricity grid. The first phase of the project has been testing the feasibility of non-edible plant-based fuels, such as cotton and jatropha. The second phase of the project will entail setting up a supply chain using locally grown crops to produce biodiesel to power between five and 10 base stations in the Maharashtra region. The goal is to have these base stations powered by cotton or jatropha by mid2007. Biodiesel has several important advantages over conventional diesel as a power source for base stations. Biodiesel can be produced locally, creating employment in rural areas, while reducing the need for transportation, related logistics and security. Biodiesel has a much lower impact on the environment than conventional diesel. The cleaner burning fuel results in fewer site visits and also extends the life of the base station generator, reducing operators’ costs. “Almost three-quarters of India’s population lives in rural areas that often lack a reliable power supply,” said Sanjeev Aga, Chairman of IDEA Cellular. “Biofuels will help us further extend mobile coverage into these areas bringing major economic and social benefits to rural communities.” The Indian government is encouraging companies in India to adopt biofuels and India has the potential to become a leading exponent of this alternative power source. “The early adoption of biofuels will give Idea a pioneering role in the development of cost-effective and environmentally-sustainable mobile networks to serve rural communities,” said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSMA, the global trade association for mobile operators. “We look forward to sharing the expertise and knowledge gained from this project with other mobile operators around the world.” “As GSM operators expand their network coverage into new areas, one of the biggest challenges is to overcome operational issues associated with the lack of basic infrastructure,” added Mats Granryd, managing director, Ericsson India. “Through this initiative, we are also involving local communities in the wireless revolution and taking the benefits of technology to the masses.” Biofuels equipment enables local production CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 13 REGIONAL FOCUS How the State of Karnataka developed and implemented a solution for improved governance Online collaboration ITUATED IN THE southern part of India, the State of Karnataka spreads over the Deccan Plateau, claimed as the birthplace of the puranic heroes Parasurama and Hanuman, referred to in the legends of Mahabharatha, Ramayana and Jain civilisations. Two thousand years of history have culminated in a profuse growth of its language, literature, art and culture. And modern Karnataka is vibrant with technology, too, its government a particularly strong proponent of the use of information and communication technologies to ensure effective public service. for governance and procurement S Bhoomi, Kaveri, Khajane, Bangalore One, Nemmadi, a Human Resources Management System (HRMS), the Computerisation of Commercial tax and the Computerisation of Regional Transport Offices (RTOs). Moving in the right direction As a further step in this direction, the common e-procurement Platform for the State of Karnataka will facilitate, online and electronically, governmental procurement activities, including: the publishing of tenders and requests for proposals (RFPs), bidding online, the empanelment of suppliers and contractors, contract management, and demand aggregation. The platform will cover activities for the procurement of goods, works and services. Karnataka State has committed to run the e-procurement platform on a public private partnership (PPP) model. Hewlett-Packard India Sales Pvt Ltd has been selected as the private partner for setting up of the single unified e-procurement platform for A commitment to e-governance In December 2006, the Government of Karnataka and Hewlett-Packard India announced a collaboration to provide a unified online e-procurement platform for Government of Karnataka and signed the agreement. Rajeev Chawla, Karnataka Secretary for e-Governance, signed on behalf of the State Government, and HP India public sector director Biswanth Bhattacharya was the signatory from the side of HP India sales Pvt Ltd. The Government of Karnataka (GoK) had taken up various e-governance initiatives before committing to the e-Governance partnership with HP: projects including Balu Doraisamy marks a major milestone in the development of e-governance HP India is happy to partner with the Government of Karnataka to successfully roll out the state’s eprocurement initiative the State. The Centre for e-Governance, which will be the implementing agency for the e-procurement project, is a registered society established under the e-Governance Secretariat, DPAR (AR), for the implementation of various e-governance initiatives in the state. The Government has also constituted an e-procurement cell, which is housed in the Centre for eGovernance and will act as a nodal agency for coordinating and administering the implementation of e-procurement across multiple departments in the State. Speaking at the signing of the agreement between HP and the Government of Karnataka, Dr Malati Das, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, said, “The eprocurement project will enhance the efficiency and transparency in public procurement through the automation and Government process re-engineering. The system shall enable Government maintain a clear picture of its procurement activities on a real-time basis. By engaging in eprocurement, the government catalyses the supplier community to be more efficient.” Phased implementation The implementation of the e-procurement Project has been planned in two phases; the Pilot Phase and the Roll-out Phase. The pilot phase involves the successful deployment of the e-procurement system and test handling of live transactions in selected departments and organisations, and lays the foundation for rolling out the system across the State, including all departments and organisations of Government. Of the collaboration and its significance for online government, Balu Doraisamy, managing director, HP India Sales Pvt Ltd, said, “HP India is happy to partner with the Government of Karnataka to successfully roll out the state’s e-procurement initiative. “This project is a major milestone in the e-governance space, and a significant example of public private partnership success. As the leading end-to-end technology solutions provider HP’s solution portfolio includes comprehensive offerings for e-governance and public sector.” ● Successful field trial THE C-DOT ALCATEL-LUCENT Research Centre (CARC) in Chennai, India, recently completed the country’s first live WiMAX (802.16e-2005) (also called Rev-e) field trial using Aircel’s licenced spectrum, confirming this technology is ready for commercial deployment. The trials were conducted using the 2.5GHz band. Improving service provision Patrick Veron, CEO, C-DOT Alcatel-Lucent Research Centre, said, “WiMAX has the potential to provide India with widespread broadband access that can usher in economic growth, better education and health care, and improved entertainment services as it has done elsewhere in the world.” 14 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 REGIONAL FOCUS Mobile communication is revolutionising economic and social development in rural India A report on access M OBILE COMMUNICATION IS spawning a wave of local entrepreneurs and creating greater access to social services in rural India, according to a study by The Center for Knowledge Societies (CKS), commissioned by Nokia. By the end of 2008, three quarters of India's population will be covered by a mobile network. Many of the new "mobile citizens" live in poor, rural areas with scarce infrastructure and facilities, high illiteracy levels, low PC and Internet penetration. Veli Sundback, Nokia executive vice president, corporate relations and responsibility said, "Mobile phone ownership in India is growing at a phenomenal pace. This new found mobility undoubtedly has the potential to make a major contribution to socio-economic development, and we recognise the responsibility we have to play a key role in achieving this. This report builds on the work Nokia has been doing in developing markets like India for several years to understand how we can deliver on our goal of making universal access to technology and the associated benefits a reality." Dr Aditya Dev Sood, the report author highlights how many new adopters of mobile phones have found their incomes rise. He explained these findings as the increased productivity made possible through mobile communications. "While mobile phones are widely seen merely as a communications medium, they should really be seen as a new and essential form of infrastructure that will transform a host of other service sectors in rural economies around the world," he said. create and co-ordinate car sharing schemes amongst villages, and provide real-time information about public transport services. Micro-commerce: Small businesses in rural areas often have to travel significant distances to markets or other places they can distribute their goods, and cannot make arrangements in advance with buyers or other sellers. Mobile phones could significantly change the logistical issues faced by rural traders and home entrepreneurs, by affording mobile-based ordering systems, delivery requests, and the ability to make more reliable arrangements with partners or clients. Finance: Mobile phones are already being used in rural areas as a tool for financial transactions by swapping airtime for goods and services. The study encourages mobile networks and financial services institutions to work together to test and develop new financial services in this area and address how people can transfer these credits into cash. Healthcare: New mobile services in this area could better connect rural communities, creating networks to share and discuss health information and advice. Governance: Accessing information about public services remains a major challenge for many rural communities. Mobile phones provide a new platform through which rural communities will be able to access government information and services, using text, data, and audio browsing techniques. Education: The study looks at a range of educational services that could be provided via mobiles to children in remote villages and communities, particularly where computers or connections to the Internet are not available. Mobile phones could serve as an essential means for children to become connected to one another for educational and peer-learning activities. These are important for communities that are nomadic or transitional due to displacements due to a natural disaster or for other reasons. Infotainment: Mainstream entertainment industry sees the emerging potential of mobile media, there are many to a communications revolution opportunities for local, peer-to-peer content to be created and distributed, affording cultural and economic opportunities to rural communities. The research is based on detailed ethnography and participant observation among communities living in three rural areas of India - Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, Satara in Maharashtra and Chittradurga in Karnataka - as well as one urban area, Bangalore. Researchers met with business owners, farmers, home owners and others to understand how mobile communication has already transformed their daily lives and the further potential of mobile communications to enhance livelihoods. Support for development The study encourages governments, the mobile industry and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support the development of services by increasing access to, and use of, mobile communications in rural communities. Recommendations in the report include: • Local and state government needs to integrate their telecom regulatory, tax and rural development policies, and do more to incentivise and support the role out of mobile services across the country. • The mobile industry needs to understand the social impact of mobile connectivity in rural communities and make it as accessible as possible to them. This does not only mean lower prices and costs of ownership, to really make a contribution to development they will also need to localise the mobile experience with relevant applications and services. Many of these will be innovated at a grass roots level and it is important for the mobile industry to work at this level to deliver real improvements. • NGOs have an important role to play in working with state agencies to define the needs of rural communities and develop ways to deliver different social and welfare services. To do this they also need to work much more closely with the mobile industry to understand and test the technological possibilities. ● CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 Service areas The report identifies seven service areas that could be transformed for rural communities by mobile communications. Transport: Finding cost-effective, reliable, and safe ways to transport goods and services to market is a major problem for small businesses in rural communities. Public transport is not available in 45 per cent of villages in India, and only one per cent of Indian households own a vehicle. Mobile communication could be used to 15 REGIONAL FOCUS Key agreement holds promise for the continued development of digital potential in Malaysia World-class solutions for infrastructure and services I N MARCH 2007 Cisco and i-City Properties Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of IBerhad, announced plans for a collaborative effort to deliver world-class infrastructure and services to i-City, the first "digital city" in the state of Selangor. The companies intend to implement Cisco Connected Real Estate (CCRE) solutions in i-City, which is expected to start operations in early 2008. CCRE is a framework that uses the power of the network to reduce capital and operating expenditures for key stakeholders over the lifecycle of a building to create a more productive and flexible workplace through scalable collaboration, mobility and remote connectivity tools. It also enhances the health, safety and security of the building's occupants. Convenient, comfortable and safe The MoU between Cisco Systems International BV and i-City Properties Sdn Bhd was announced in the presence of Selangor Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) Dato' Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo. Speaking after the announcement, chief executive officer of I-Berhad Eu Hong Chew said, "i-City is being developed from a start to offer not only world class infrastructure and services but also a demonstration of how a digital community works, plays and lives." As a "digital city", i-City would be a place where information and communication technology (ICT) is used to create a more convenient, comfortable and safe environment not only for residents and visitors alike. More importantly, i-City would be a place where the knowledge industry flourishes. It would be a place where people in the knowledge industry establish their operations; it is an investment location for the ICT industry. "The race is on for nations and cities around the world to build the best facilities and infrastructure to attract not just businesses but also talented individuals. ICity is in a great position not just for the state of Selangor but for Malaysia as a flourishing centre for ICT, and for ICT to be used as an energiser for other industries as well as important segments such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)," said Kumaran Singaram, Cisco's managing director for Malaysia. Kumaran Singaram, Cisco's managing director for Malaysia, says ICTs can be used to energise business Focus on business and technology The first phase of i-City would focus on the SMEs, and with many of the manufacturing industries and their supporting SMEs being located in Shah Alam, i-City would be a catalyst for greater adoption of ICT among these companies. Under the agreement, Cisco technology, solutions and thought leadership expects to play a key role in developing infrastructure and services for i-City. The two companies may also engage in joint marketing activities including i-City housing a demo showcase using Cisco solutions for a "digital city" experience. "Cisco has played a key role in many ICT hubs around the world such as the Dubai Internet City, Hong Kong Cyberport and Belgium I-City. We are honoured to enter into this strategic relationship with Cisco and bring its knowledge and industryleading technology to i-City," added Eu. ● Partnership promotes powerline communications in China THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS Powerline Communications Alliance (CEPCA) and Intelligent Grouping and Resource Sharing Group (IGRS) have formed a partnership to promote powerline communication (PLC) in China. This partnership is based on a Memorandum of Understanding the two organisations signed in December 2006, and symbolises the importance of PLC networking to IGRS member companies. In this ongoing partnership, CEPCA and IGRS will mutually endorse and promote each other’s value worldwide. As a significant first step, IGRS and CEPCA will build a CEPCA certification test centre in China to jointly certify and promote PLC-equipped products. Chinese vendors will enjoy a convenient means for certifying their PLC solutions domestically, which will help guarantee IGRS product reliability. Both organisations also plan to investigate joint projects with even greater significance in the future. 16 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 IGRS president Sun Yuning explains, “Our members are very interested in the advantages that PLC offers IGRS networking solutions. At IGRS, we are protecting our members’ PLC investments by ensuring that any IGRS product that uses PLC technology cannot interfere with another IGRS product with a different PLC technology. Eventually, IGRS may standardise PLC protocols; but, until that work is complete, we must ensure that IGRS PLC networks maintain the reliability that attracts devout customers.” Michael Stelts, CEPCA president, describes the importance of this agreement. “CEPCA members consider IGRS a key international partner and we are pleased to establish the first CEPCA certification centre in China with IGRS. This partnership signifies both the importance of the Chinese market for CEPCA members and the prominent position that IGRS commands in the Chinese home networking market.” REGIONAL FOCUS Mobile equipment manufacturer continues to encourage its customers to protect the environment by handling old units with care Recycled devices POPULAR RECYCLING "take-back" scheme in the Asia-Pacific region, themed The Future Is In Your Hands, encourages customers to join Finnish mobile device manufacturer Nokia and take social responsibility in making recycling a benefit for everyone by protecting the environment in which we live and work. in Asia and the Pacific certification audit, communication and awareness play a key role in translating goals and guidelines into practice. To generate awareness and excitement amongst staff in the Singapore office on the ISO 14001 certification process and implementation, a series of online quizzes on Nokia environmental policy were conducted, and a "Friends of Pedro" day was organised for employees to pledge their care for the environment. Through Nokia's environmental intranet sites, internal stakeholders are constantly presented with a comprehensive view of the environmental policy and updates on environmental issues and activities. Achieving the ISO 14001 certification is not the end of Nokia's environmental efforts in Asia-Pacific. In Singapore, recycling bins for drink cans and glass bottles have been introduced in the office to continue to encourage Nokia staff to do their part for the environment. ● A Implemented in key markets Customers are encouraged to dispose of their used or old mobile phones, batteries and accessories by utilising designated recycling bins at any Nokia Care Centre or Nokia Professional Centre to ensure that these obsolete products are properly recycled and disposed of. Since its introduction in June 2000, the "take-back" scheme has been implemented in Nokia's key markets across Asia-Pacific, including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Nokia now has more than 120 recycling bins in Asia-Pacific. To encourage more people to make full use of the bins, Nokia has, for example, organised awareness campaigns for consumers and the media in Malaysia and New Zealand to convey the importance of recycling. As part of regional efforts at promoting recycling, Nokia also adopted Pedro, a small-clawed otter at the Singapore Night Safari, who performs at the "Creatures of the Night" show, picking up empty plastic bottles and aluminium drink cans and dropping them into a basket, in turn demonstrating the importance of recycling. Whilst the activities in each market to promote the recycling idea may be different, the basis remains unchanged at Nokia, commitment to environmental issues is an integral part of our corporate culture; environment is everybody's business. the most commonly used and recognised standards worldwide for an organisation to manage environmental issues in its operations. More recently, Nokia's office in Singapore was awarded the ISO 14001 certification for its provision of sales, marketing and support services for mobile phones, network infrastructure, Internet security and home communications businesses in the Asia-Pacific region. In preparation for the ISO 14001 Through Nokia's environmental intranet sites, internal stakeholders are constantly presented with a comprehensive view of the environmental policy and updates on environmental issues and activities. An international standard In the Asia-Pacific, all Nokia mobile phone production sites in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Dongguan, and in Korea, have the ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems certification, one of Everyone should take responsibility for used or old phones CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 17 CTO EVENTS The CTO actively promotes connectivity across the Commonwealth, and continues to highlight the economic benefits of enhanced communication Events for everyone Committed to core service delivery HOSTED BY THE Ghanaian Ministry of Communications, in Accra, at the end of March 2007, the African E-Gov Forum 2007 was organised by the CTO’s International Events Department. Following successes in 2006 and in 2007, in India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Great Britain, Jamaica, Mauritius and Nigeria, this crucial forum explored the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Africa, and on the development of digitised government and the benefits that it will bring. With the lead and support of the Ghanaian Ministry of Communications, this forwardlooking event fitted perfectly with Ghana’s 50th anniversary celebrations of independence. The speaker line-up boasted some of the continent’s leading ICT specialists, including: • Hon Prof Mike Oquaye, Minister of Communications, Government of the Republic of Ghana. • Dr Tomas Janowski, Head, UNU – IIST – EGOV, Research Fellow, Center for Electronic Governance, United Nations University International Institute for Software Technology. • Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation. • Hon Dr Benjamin Aggrey Ntim, Deputy Minister of Communications, Government of the Republic of Ghana. showing the way forward • Major John Tandoh, Director General and Chief Executive Officer, National Communications Authority of Ghana • Mrs. Grace Hiwa, Government of Malawi • Mr Lekan Balogun, Microsoft Nigeria These speakers and their peers focused on the core topics that form the wide ranging e-Gov brief. By delivering papers that highlighted best practice and benchmarking, particularly through case studies of projects, the knowledge sharing at this conference was of an extremely high standard. This was augmented with a large amount of time set aside for scheduled and informal discussion. As an ICT developmental organisation, the CTO appealed to individuals who are committed to leading the development of public sector service delivery, to businesses operating locally and nationally, in Ghana, and to international organisations such as event sponsors Nokia, MTN and Microsoft, and supporting bodies such as GINKS, the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM), the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Communications Regulators Association of Southern Africa (CRASA). Conference promotes tough practices A CTO CONFERENCE was held in Mauritius in February 2007 to assist organisations involved with information and communications technology (ICT) to adapt human resource (HR) practices to tough, new challenges. With over 70 attendees, this key forum represented ICT ministries, regulatory agencies and companies in the Caribbean, Pacific, Asian and African regions, delving deep into the implications that convergence and industry-sector transformation have on organisational development. After a slight hiccup, thanks to higher forces, in the guise of a full-scale cyclonic system hanging over Mauritius, the event went ahead as planned with only a twenty-four hour delay and some slightly shaken delegates! With speakers from across Africa, Europe and as far away as the West Indies, delegates were rewarded for their resolve with a pool of HR expertise rarely assembled on the African continent. Key areas for discussion centred on: • Corporate change strategies. • Creating a holistic training process. • HR preparation for the future. • Organisational development. • The HR challenges of convergence. As Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, CEO of CTO noted post-event, “All companies state that their most important corporate asset is their human capital. Yet not many companies do an effective job of tracking how this valuable capital responds to the strains and stresses of a rapidly-evolving sector. This conference has provided a sound appreciation of this matter, and what companies need to do to stay at the cutting edge of human resource management in the ICT sector.” Discussing digital switchover HELD IN JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, at the end of January 2007, the CTO’s Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum received excellent feedback from delegates, speakers and sponsors alike. The conference, which was held over three days, was attended by over 130 delegates. Those attending included Tshoganetso Kepaletswe, senior manager engineering with the Botswana Telecommunications Authority, who noted that the event was “an eye opener to the new digital broadcasting challenges”. Also attending, Lynn Mansfield, chairperson at SABC/SADIBA, was reassured by the Forum that “the planning South Africa has done to-date is very much in line with the thinking in other countries”. Hosted by ICASA and principally sponsored by etv (the independent South African terrestrial television station), Digital Broadcasting Switchover featured presentations and case studies from African and European government ministries and telecom regulators, and from the private sector. 18 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 CTO EVENTS Technology for disaster management in the Pacific THE THIRD OF the CTO’s highly successful Using ICT for Disaster Management Fora is set to take place in the South Pacific, during June 2007. It follows two excellent Fora held in Sri Lanka (June 2006) and Jamaica (October 2006). The Pacific Forum will present stakeholders in the Pacific with the opportunity to examine key issues concerning the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in disaster management. The main aim of the CTO’s Using ICT Effective Disaster Management Fora is to increase and improve stakeholders’ use of ICT during all four phases of the disaster management life cycle: Preparedness, Mitigation, Relief and Reconstruction. Best practices and innovative technology Amongst other things, the Pacific Forum will examine the region’s current disaster management practices and what role ICT currently plays in it. Importantly, they will also discuss international best practices in disaster management, innovative technologies and what steps they must take to improve disaster management in the pacific. The regional Using ICT for Effective Disaster Management Fora are part of the CTO’s ICT for Disaster Management Programme, which aims to meet the need of stakeholders who have expressed serious concerns about the lack of focus on how ICTs can help improve their disaster management practices. Growing concerns about a lack attention paid to how ICTs are used in disaster management come at a time when there is a global focus on the devastating Photographs: Redzuan Ibrahim Disasters such as the Asian Tsunami have led to concern about damage to villages and coasts, like this seriously affected area in the Kuala Muda District of Malaysia impact that natural disaster can have on countries. In part, this global focus has arisen because of high profile natural disasters such as the Bam earthquake, the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Yet, these widely reported examples only add to a body of now irrefutable evidence which confirms that the frequency and socioeconomic cost of natural disasters are increasing. Meeting the challenges The inherent characteristics of ICTs mean they have critical role to play in helping stakeholders meet the challenges posed by this worrying trend. Few would question the assertion that effective disaster management is dependant on the collection of quality information and the timely dissemination of information in a format that will help save lives and property. To learn more about the Pacific Using ICT for Effective Disaster Management Forum, please contact: Mr Kojo Boakye CTO Deputy Programme Manager E-mail: k.boakye@cto.int Tel: +44 208 834 1567 Looking ahead to the Forum THE 5TH ANNUAL CTO Forum will be held at the Ritz-Carlton, Montego Bay hotel, Jamaica, from the 24th to the 28th September. The Forum will be complemented by the 47th CTO Council meeting, taking place on the 27th and 28th of September. This key event will be hosted by the Office of the Utilities Regulator (OUR) in Jamaica. CTO Members and Sector Members are currently being canvassed as to their opinion on the most relevant topic and the CTO anticipates that the choice will lie between, Convergence, ECommerce and E-Governance. Amongst other things, the Pacific Forum will examine the region’s current disaster management practices and what role ICT currently plays in it For further information on attending, speaking at the event or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Mr Matthew Dawes on +44 (0) 870 777 7697, email m.dawes@cto.int, or visit the CTO website shortly at www.cto.int. CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 19 FEATURES Adding an extra sparkle to mission-critical communications E STABLISHED IN 1888, De Beers has been a major and influential player in the diamond industry. In the early years it was the major supplier, producing over 90 per cent of the world’s diamonds, and still remains today the largest global supplier of rough diamonds. Discovered by prospectors in 1960, the Finsch ‘pipe’ was bought by De Beers in 1962, which two years later opened the production mine. Located 165km west of Kimberley, in South Africa’s Northern Cape, the Finsch pipe was found to contain diamond bearing kimberlite, making it the second largest economically important kimberlite pipe in South Africa. Automated mining Diamonds are forged over long periods of time from carbon crystallised by extreme pressures deep within the Earth. Volcanic pathways - kimberlite pipes - connecting the deep Earth mantle to the surface transport diamonds, amid vast quantities of magma, pushed rapidly upwards in very forceful volcanic eruptions. The intensity and speed of these eruptions preserve the integrity and form of the diamond. Not all kimberlite pipes pass through diamond bearing rock on their way upwards. “What makes Finsch mine special is that it’s a living example of the use and application of technology,” explains Danie Smit, ICT specialist communications manager at De Beers. “We use the most advanced methods for ore extraction and diamond liberation, which has culminated in our latest project to automate the underground ore transportation system.” Today, the underground mining and delivery of the ore to the surface in Finsch mine is fully mechanised and computerised. The operation, including a sophisticated, driverless truck system to carry the ore from the mining face, is all controlled from a new, high-technology, control room situated above ground. Ethernet adoption Several years ago, when some equipment reached the end of its lifespan, Smit and his team made the decision to adopt Ethernet as the network protocol standard and employ a structured cabling approach for the infrastructure design, using ADC Krone TrueNet Structured Cabling System. “The structured cable approach gave us a lot of advantages,” explains Smit. “For the first time we were able to integrate our voice and data systems as well as achieving a high degree of flexibility in the way we deployed our extensive network.” Finsch mine is a large site spread across several square kilometres, with multiple buildings on the surface, as well as vast underground workings. With over 1,200 permanent employees, as well as nearly 2,000 contractors deployed on this and other projects, Smit and his team have nearly 3,000 people to support, of whom more than 700 need network connectivity and telephony services. “It’s a massive operation just supporting the people on the surface,” explains Smit. “People working in mining tend to move around a lot, so it was important for us to have an infrastructure that could easily support all the moves and changes that are needed. My staff needs to be able to quickly route and configure telephone and network points to keep up with staff movement.” High performance infrastructure To assist with the reconfiguring of the network, De Beers decided to deploy the TrueNet Highband solution from ADC Krone to provide the high density, high performance networking environment required. Highband is a jumpered rather than RJ-45 patched connectivity solution with the advantage of being more tamperproof and less prone to accidental disconnection. In addition, the Highband technology has the unique ability to redirect previously jumpered circuits simply by inserting a special patch cord, without having to take circuits down or inhibit performance. “The Highband modules give us the flexibility to patch on the frame, so we can effect temporary installations and fast changes,” states Smit. “In addition, this ability reduces the amount of contact with essential equipment such as switches and routers, Mission-critical infrastructure allows people in the above ground control room to manage the vast array of heavy mining equipment below ground 20 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 Photograph ADC Krone FEATURES Photograph ADC Krone The Finsch mine communications room adding further to the reliability and availability of our network. The other benefit is that we always have a neat and tidy communications closet - no tangled mess of wiring, simplifying maintenance and record keeping.” From here, operators control all the underground vehicles and safety systems together with the mining operations, as well as the underground ventilation and fire detection systems. Benefits Advanced cabling technology For its latest project, fully automating the underground ore transportation system and building a new control centre, Smit went back to the infrastructure drawing board. “This was an important project for the mine, so we started from scratch looking for an advanced cabling technology that could provide scope for the future if our needs changed and we required more bandwidth”, says Smit. After evaluating all the options, and based on the high specification, De Beers chose CopperTen cabling for the control room with a blown fibre backbone that would also extend down the mine shaft linking the underground operations with the surface. “It’s not an easy task getting fibre down a mine shaft,” admits Smit. “So, it was important that we got it right.” To provide for future needs 250 network points in the control centre were cabled with CopperTen, providing the potential to deliver 10Gigabit/s Ethernet (10GE) to the desk. “Automating the underground operation has had enormous benefits for productivity, as well as increasing safety underground,” states Smit. Without people on board, the underground trucks can travel faster, reaching speeds of up to 35km per hour, as opposed to a maximum of 16km per hour with drivers as stipulated by law. This has increased the throughput of ore reaching the surface. Operators in the control room monitor computer screens that indicate the position of each vehicle, while on-board and fixed cameras give visual feedback. Each computer screen includes all the usual controls required to drive these 50ton dump trucks - from gearshift to steering wheel and a complete dashboard of speedometer and gauges. When a truck is introduced to the mine, it is first driven around by the operator so that it can learn its routes. Divided into sections, the operator will specify the speed and gear for each section, teaching the truck to slow down at intersections and where it is safe to drive faster. Onboard gyroscopes, internal and external sensors and detectors all help to keep the truck stable and on course. “Because the trucks don’t run on rails, they aren’t limited to where they can go, so when we open up a new part of the mine, all we have to do is teach them the new route,” explains Smit. “There are lots of safety systems in place, like detectors preventing humans from entering the tramming loop and antenna and trip wire placed on each truck that will prevent the truck from exiting the loop in automation mode. These systems all feed information back to the control room and each truck is also programmed to shut down immediately if it finds anything outside of the norm. This is why reliability and robustness of our network infrastructure is crucial to our operations, and why we choose to work with ADC Krone.” With over 54.3km of ADC Krone cable now in place throughout the mine complex, Smit and his team have every confidence in their network. “The cabling is very stable and we are extremely pleased with its performance,” says Smit. “The highest we’ve pushed the CopperTen infrastructure to is a Gigabit and it has worked very well, reporting absolutely no media errors. This is extremely important for the smooth running and safety of our mining operation, especially underground.” ● Linda More Photograph ADC Krone Mission-critical infrastructure ensures the communications that get this truck moving CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 21 FEATURES Wireless infrastructure in learning environments T HE MALAWI GOVERNMENT and its partners have been taking bold measures to expose young people in schools to information and communication technologies, ultimately to help improve the dwindling standards of education in the country. Most learning institutions in Malawi must learn how to work with advanced technologies that once were regarded a luxury by most in the country. They are preparing themselves for the day when access to information and knowledge sharing through technologies becomes commonplace in education. One of the key developments, enabling this revolution in ICT, is the ‘WiFi Revolution’. Wireless networking is taking off, and hardware sales have been increasing. People and businesses throughout Malawi are adopting the technology. However, experts had warned until recently that the use of modern communications tools had been concentrated mainly in the corporate sector, with unimpressive adoption in the education sector. “Very few learning institutions have proper infrastructure to enable them to fully embrace modern communications technologies, but the trend is changing” said Chimwemwe Kamkondo, marketing manager for Globe Internet, the Malawi Internet service provider (ISP). In an interview with CTO World, Mr Kamkondo was quick to point out that a some schools have managed to take a step ahead in embracing the WiFi revolution to encourage student engagement with the developments taking place in communications in this country and across Africa and the world beyond the continent. Historically, there has been a lack of communications infrastructure, including traditional telephone lines. Ready to connect, ready to learn According to Kamkondo, wireless broadband access is set to offer real benefits to those in the education sector, as elsewhere. Most Malawian schools following the British system of education in the country have ‘universal access’ to the Internet on campus, courtesy of the number of ISPs’ wireless hotspots installed across the country, and thanks to the implementation of wireless local area networks (WLANs), which link computers in an intranet on campus. Since wireless connectivity uses the spectrum-spread technology based on radiowaves, students and members of staff can access the Internet and any intranet without having to go to a computer laboratory. Hence, students will be able to engage in educational research and associated projects, such as webdesigning, with relative ease. It should be noted, also, that computers for sale today come pre-equipped with wireless LAN capability, so inexperienced users will not have to worry about the technical hassles that once affected such connectivity. Also, now that there are several ISPs in a country where less than 10 per cent of a population of 12mon have access to the Internet, new installed wireless facilities are expected to make Internet access considerably cheaper, a much more affordable experience, and not only for learning institutions. Growth in service provision The leading ISPs in the Malawian market are Africaonline, Burco, Globe Internet, the Malawi Sustainable Development A comprehensive guide to measurement and management SINCE IT WAS first published in the early 1990s, Effective Measurement and Management of ICT Costs and Benefits has been regarded as a comprehensive approach to understanding the economics of how information is used to boost the efficiency or effectiveness of organisations. The ideas in this book have been used extensively in business, and the book is widely adopted and recommended at leading business schools around the world. The 3rd Revised edition of this book, which has just been released, tells readers: • How to use cost benefits analysis or business case accounting. • How to use user satisfaction surveys, and value for money studies. • How to integrate IT benefit delivery into project management. The book’s authors - Dan Remenyi, Arthur Money, and Frank Bannister - offer a basic understanding of the issues affecting IT cost and benefit solutions, and present clear guidance on how to perform the techniques required to measure and thus manage IT costs and benefits. Business figures have valued this book because it has helped to manage difficulties in measuring IT 22 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 benefits and managing their delivery. The book covers all the practical aspects of business case accounting, ranking techniques and user information system surveys in connection with the effective measurement and management of IT costs and benefits. It identifies a basic framework to help readers understand the economic and financial issues of information technology investment. It presents evaluation concepts as well as several approaches to cost and benefit measurement. Usefully, the book includes an IT Assessment Metric (ITAM), which enables measurement of progress towards obtaining maximum value from information technology procured. New to the third edition is an account of the evolution of recent thinking on ICT costs and benefits; management instinct; a more thorough treatment of the identification and treatment of ICT costs; an expanded chapter on risk analysis, incorporating new thinking on the subject; and new chapters on ICT evaluation as a political act, and the evaluation of an outsourcing contract. The book includes, also, a number of helpful website references, throughout. To learn more, visit www.cimaglobal.com FEATURES Network Programme (SDNP), Malawinet, Skyband. “The growth of ISPs would also see growth in the quality and affordability of services, such as the wireless connectivity that is rapidly enabling access across the country. What makes such services more suited to the future of Malawi is that, when connected to WiFi/ WLAN, it is possible to create an intranet, from which many users can access information at no extra charge,” said Information Deputy Minister John Bande recently. “The Government would like to see many schools embracing ICTs, as in wireless computer networking, to enhance academic performance and prepare students for the workplace of the future, which is highly likely to demand greater knowledge from them.” Cost and convenience Bande reiterated a challenge, already voiced by his senior Malawi Information Minister Patricia Kaliati, to the country’s ISPs to create low cost connectivity environment specifically for schools, so that even children in public schools can benefit. ISPs have responded that they have created a conducive environment for wholesale connectivity already, but some schools feel a lot still needs to be done. Principal at Blantyre-based IZFB School Chavuta Mpunga says although his school acquired 10 processors (CPUs) and five sets of Pentium 4 computers from the American and British governments, respectively, they had to restrict Internet access for students, because they are can afford only a dial-up connection. Mpunga said that wireless connectivity is too expensive at present, and his institution had opted, for the time being, to retain limited dial-up access - which, he said, is is controllable in terms of usage and cost. “I understand operational costs may be low but the initial set up of the infrastructure is prohibitive because of the strains of our budget. We are yet to see whether schools will be given special rates so as to bring proliferation of student connectivity,” Mpunga said. Local ICT experts say it’s necessary to weigh the initial costs against the convenience of the use and ease provided of wireless technology. There is a need to embark on sensitisation campaigns to generate awareness of the real benefits of wireless technology. Lucious Ofeni, coordinator for Youth for Information and Communications Technology Development, a nongovernmental organisation interested in the promotion of ICT implementation and usage in schools, says that the organisation has embarked on campaigns in cities throughout the country and he and his colleagues are optimistic that, with time, universal access will be achieved. “Our schools may have computers, but if they are not fully used it won’t make any difference, because information would still not be available or shared. We don’t want ICT facilities to be for prestige and of symbolic value, but for real value that can be felt at national level. We need ICT as teaching and learning aids,” Ofeni said. However, many Malawian schools suffer from a chronic lack of learning facilities such as basic teaching and learning aids, and even have insufficient classrooms, desks, and books. It is easy for cynics to maintain that the campaign for ICT is a non-starter, unless these needs are addressed first. The government counters such critics by saying that it is doing everything possible to ensure that these problems are addressed without hindering the process of introducing ICTs to the country. Until a few years ago, computers were rarely seen in Malawian schools, but now the government, donor partners and multinationals are supplying computers to both public and private schools. The British and American governments, computer giants Microsoft and ComputerAid have donated thousands of used computers to Malawian schools, creating a conducive environment for adoption of information and communication solutions. Additionally, the Malawian government has waived duty on ICT equipment, thereby making prospects brighter for the education sector. ● Statistical website to help developing countries stimulate growth TWELVE YEARS AGO, a young Brazilian woman started a swimwear factory with an investment of US$1,000. Continuous improvement in managerial skills, and the use of such tools as e-commerce, has turned the undertaking into a successful enterprise that now has 20 employees and exports 35 per cent of its products to Europe and the United States. The process has been boosted by Government policies intended to encourage the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by Brazilian firms, and Government officials have been monitoring the effectiveness of their policies by collecting and analysing statistics. To capitalise on the opportunities ICT offers, and to enable Governments to make informed decisions that increase the impact of ICTs on economic growth, UNCTAD has expanded its efforts to help developing countries collect statistics and set up effective ICT policies. Matching information needs The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has redesigned the subsite (http://measuringict.unctad.org) to match national statistical offices (NSOs) needs better in offering key information on ICT data collection and dissemination. The website also includes information on UNCTAD's advisory missions and training courses; for example, most recently, in December 2006, an advisory mission on ICT statistics was carried out to Morocco; and in January 2007, UNCTAD provided a training course to the NSO of Thailand on applying econometric methods to ICT data analysis. In addition, it shows the results of UNCTAD's data collection, carried out every year, on the use of ICT in enterprises of developing countries and on their ICT sector (the 2007 data collection was launched in February 2007), as well as the highlights of the UNCTAD database on these indicators. Finally, the website contains comprehensive information on the many activities of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, of which UNCTAD is a leading partner. The UN body helps monitor the digital divide by providing the tools to collect and compare ICT data on ICT use by enterprises and on the ICT sector. When data is comparable between countries, it can help Governments evaluate the digital gap between developed and developing nations. Much room remains for progress in the developing world, where both ICT and detailed information on its use remain in short supply. In 2006, while 116 developing countries had already set up national ICT master plans, only 28 had official data on ICT use in enterprises. CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 23 FEATURES Wireless technologies form the backbone of new developments in emerging markets, extending voice and Internet access The new last mile M OST WESTERN ECONOMIES are built on copper. Not raw copper or the copper goods trade, but the filaments of copper that extend into our homes and businesses, carrying voice and Internet traffic over a copper wire network. In some places, a copper infrastructure doesn't exist, or isn't sufficiently reliable to support vital traffic. In large parts of Africa, deploying a copper loop was never economically viable or practical because of rough terrain, complicated land rights and security. In areas of Eastern Europe, much of what was deployed has since degraded or become obsolete, and is being bypassed. In these places, a technology leap is being made which bypasses the progressive development of digital networks to jump straight to mobile communications. The wireless networks and devices that make this possible are providing much more than just simple communication. for homes and businesses POS was an obvious early application because of the low bit rates required. Other early applications include remote meter reading and monitoring systems that could even use a simple SMS system to return data. But as networks developed from 2G to 3G, and higher bandwidths have become available, applications have become much more sophisticated. For example, in Romania, wireless systems have almost become the primary delivery system for Internet services. Zapp uses CDMA 2000 and 1xEV-DO on the 450MHz band to deliver both voice services and residential and business Internet. Local provider Radiocomunicatii delivers Internet voice and data services to SMEs using point-to-multipoint equipment in the 3.5GHz and 26GHz frequency bands. Putting wireless to work One of the earliest examples of a wireless network being used as a day-to-day alternative to copper is in point of sale (POS) terminals for electronic transactions. These have long been deployed in developed countries, not because of their mobility, but because of their ease of use and reliability in areas where broadband connections aren't available or are financially unfeasible. Now, with economical wireless links available at smaller scales, small merchants with unreliable dial-up access can choose to send the small amounts of data required for a transaction over the cellular network instead. Today, these terminals are enabling merchants in developing countries to offer card-based transactions - merchants who previously had no option because of the lack of a reliable traditional infrastructure - or any infrastructure at all. This has been particularly successful in rural areas of South America. Going all wireless The Romanian operators have one thing in common. Not only is the access portion of their service delivered wirelessly, but the vast majority of their core networks are also wireless. Using point-to-point microwave radios, both companies created a national network much more quickly and cheaply than would have been possible if they were to deploy fibre or copper. Particularly in areas where a long link is required to reach a small community, microwave links can be much more cost effective. In Africa and South America too, the wireless portion of the network extends much further than just the last mile. Because microwave links only have to be deployed at discrete points, rather than in a continuous line, they don't suffer the same issues with land rights as their buried counterparts. This is a significant issue in parts of Africa where land ownership is often tribal and territories can be subdivided into very small plots, each under different ownership. In the developed world, all-wireless networks have been around in Europe since the first days of widespread GSM deployments in the early 1990s. Quite apart from network conditions in Africa or Eastern Europe, the reasons for going all- Increasing productivity and speeding time to market NOKIA HAS ANNOUNCED the availability of the Open C PlugIn extension for the S60 3rd Edition Software Development Kit (SDK), enabling easier porting of Linux-targeted open source projects to Symbian OSbased S60 smartphones and increased productivity for developers of mobile applications running on S60 devices. Nokia’s Open C significantly improves productivity of S60 developers working in the Symbian C/C++ environment, giving them the use of familiar standard C function libraries for easy migration of open source and desktop applications to S60 on Symbian OS. By enabling the reuse of code from existing open source projects, Open C frees up developer time and resources to focus on the core mobility aspects of their applications. Now available for download at www.forum.nokia.com/openc, the Open C SDK PlugIn announced today allows deployment of Open C projects on existing S60 3rd Edition devices, millions of which have already been shipped into the global marketplace. By end-2006, Nokia alone had cumulatively shipped nearly 85mon S60 devices and of the 49 different S60 device models currently in the marketplace, 20 are built on the latest S60 3rd Edition platform. 24 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 FEATURES wireless in Western Europe had much to do with the high price of leasing E1 circuits and the unacceptably long lead time mandated by the mainstream carriers of the day. As a result, as soon as regulations allowed, new network operators deployed their own access networks to carry voice and data traffic. This habit did not cross the ocean to America, where today, most of a wireless operator’s access network is built across wire lines leased from other, often competing carriers. This is changing, however, as companies such as Sprint realise that there are important business reasons that justify migrating to an allwireless infrastructure. Interoperability for Microwave Access and is defined by the WiMAX Forum as "a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL". The technology continues to evolve rapidly, with the first generation (802.16d) likely to be used by carriers for fixed services. But its successor, 802.11e, offers the opportunity for true wireless broadband delivered to the same remote, rural and poorly connected regions supported by cellular networks today. pocket communities or hard to access areas. Private network operators are choosing wireless more and more to link many business or government sites in applications from software manufacturing to public safety. And in many regions around the world, service providers are choosing wireless trunking technologies to extend national networks to the entire population. ● An accelerating alternative Fibre is an indispensable part of today and tomorrow’s global network, especially in metro and other high population density areas. In addition, much of the world’s copper wire infrastructure is still playing an important role in both access and trunking applications. However, in recent years wireless technologies have advanced by leaps and bounds and are now being accepted more each year as an equal or superior alternative to copper access for a wide variety of applications. Broadband wireless technologies are now taking the place of copper to extend voice and Internet access to businesses, small WiMAX for the future? The next major development in bypassing the copper local loop is likely to be WiMAX. As applications demanded by businesses and consumers require everincreasing bandwidth, service providers are looking to new access technologies that can increase the speeds available from tens of kilobits to megabits per second and beyond. WiMAX stands for Worldwide This article was written by Keith Donahue, Director, Division Growth, Harris Stratex Networks Foundation support for farming information TWO COOPERATIVE MARKETING centres have been set up in Kpandai and Salaga, in the Upper East Region of Ghana, to provide local farmers with information regarding their produce and market rates at any time of the year. The formation of the cooperative marketing centres is an initiative of Social Enterprise Foundation of West Africa (SEND), to promote the cultivation of soya beans in the northeast of Ghana through Eastern Corridor Agro-Market Information Centre (ECAMIC), a project supported by the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD). This initiative is aimed at improving the lives of more than 2000 farming families on the Eastern Corridors of Northern Ghana. The ECAMIC project focuses on supporting farmers in the Eastern Corridor of the Northern Region through forming cooperative farmer groups. Cooperative sales With IICD support, a market information facility has been developed to serve as a source for market data for twenty four community based farmer cooperative groups. By selling cooperatively, individual farmers have become reliable suppliers of products and have profited from an enlarged market and up-to-date information on market prices. The goal of the ECAMIC project is to contribute towards improved livelihood and food security of small-scale food crop producers on the eastern corridors of Northern Ghana through improved access to market information and data. The project uses ICT innovatively to promote market access and equity for farming communities on the Eastern Corridors of the Northern Region of Ghana. Also, very small aperture terminals (VSATs) have been installed at the project headquarters in Tamale, as well as in community offices in Salaga. These devices are presently being used by the project team to transmit information between the headquarters and the communities. It should be noted that an access base database system has been developed for off-line usage that allows the technical information officers (TIOs) and cooperative information officers (CIOs) to process and disseminate weekly information to the farmers. Furthermore, the provision of accurate and timely market information to farmers on the Eastern Corridors has enhanced their negotiations and marketing decisions concerning the sale of their produce. This is because farmers are now equipped with market information on the price of various produce in the cities or towns before they sell to buyers. Farmers are provided with information on farm inputs to enable them to manage their farms and take good care of their produce. It also helps farmers to take good decisions on the type of crop to store as grain banks. As part of the training programme, local farmers have been taken through a hands-on training on selected programmes to build their capacity on data management to enable them to properly manage the database system and to enhance the quality of their work. CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 25 FEATURES A global assessment of current progress in the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting Ending analogue M ORE NONSENSE HAS been written and spoken about The Great Analogue Switchoff than any other aspect of broadcasting. Most of it by politicians and daily-newspaper columnists who can barely distinguish a millisecond from a megabyte. The broadcast industry began the transition from analogue to predominantly digital operation years ago, initially within their own studios to save on maintenance costs. Digital cameras and camcorders, for example, are inherently far more stable than their analog predecessors. Progress in electronic equipment manufacturing techniques and higher component packing density meant that expensive highprecision mechanisms such as video tape transports could be replaced by lightweight mass-produced mechanisms controlled by low-cost integrated-circuit electronics. Today, many television camera crews set out each day with equipment little more elaborate or expensive than that used by hobbyists. Today, many television camera crews set out each day with equipment little more elaborate or expensive than that used by hobbyists. Digital radio broadcasting started in many countries years ago and, in Britain at least, has thus far proved a spectacular failure. Torn between television on the one hand and internet-based music downloading (plus, more recently, audio podcasting), radio has one remaining trick up its sleeve - to become radio plus pictures. Television audiences worldwide are currently in a different kind of transition, gradually replacing bulky cathode-raytube-based receivers with flat-panel displays that allow large screens to be accommodated more or less flat against the wall. broadcasting around the world however, and you feel you have entered the world of HD even if you are still viewing 625-line or 525-line SD. Make the extra investment in a 720-line or 1080-line HD signal source and the result genuinely justifies the term 'home cinema'. For many satellite television viewers, the digital switchover has already happened; when terrestrial analog delivery finally ends, they won't even notice. But what of the analog diehards, their eyes glued faithfully to the analogue CRT up until the final moment the analogue feed is disconnected? For the chairmen of broadcast channels dreading the loss of millions of viewers, the solution is simple: invest in a character generator and command that the words 'BUY A DIGITAL TO UHF ADAPTER IF YOU WISH TO CONTINUE VIEWING' be superimposed over all programme content. Such adapters have been available for years and cost far less than a new receiver. The switch from analogue to digital terrestrial transmission will inevitably occur first in the most industrialised countries and is obviously not a high priority elsewhere. The following examples show the rate of change in various regions of the world. For many satellite television viewers, the digital switchover has already happened; when terrestrial analog delivery finally ends, they won't even notice Many of the new sets incorporate terrestrial digital reception circuitry though in most cases the signal feed is likely to be via a digital set-top-box connected to a satellite dish. A 40-inch LCD screen coupled to a noisy analogue aerial feed is thoroughly unpleasant to watch. Connect a digital satellite receiver, Support for South African mobile broadcast TV trial INTELSAT, WHICH PROVIDES fixed satellite services to media and communications companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and government/military organisations, has announced that MultiChoice, a leading South African direct-to-home (DTH) television provider, selected Intelsat to support its mobile broadcast TV trial in the metropolitan areas of Johannesburg, Soweto, Pretoria and Cape Town. Intelsat provides fixed satellite services (FSS) worldwide to the media, network services and telecom and government customer sectors, enabling constant access to information and entertainment. The trial seeks to refine the transmission of Digital Video Broadcasting to Handheld (DVB-H) technology as well as understand more about the viewing patterns and content preferences of subscribers for mobile TV. From its headquarters in Randburg, South Africa, MultiChoice is uplinking 10 to 12 trial channels of sports, entertainment, news, music and specially developed “made for mobile” content to Intelsat’s 26 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 IS-902 satellite, which then distributes the content to multiple terrestrial transmitter sites throughout the trial region. “MultiChoice has always been at the forefront of technological developments, and though mobile broadcast TV is in its infancy, we believe that there will be a growing demand for it in South Africa in the near future; especially in light of the 2010 World Cup,” said Gerdus van Eeden, MultiChoice chief technology officer. “Intelsat has long partnered with us in the expansion of our services, and we are confident that its network will continue to support us as we develop our mobile TV platform.” Stephen Spengler, senior vice president, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific sales, commented, “Enabling innovative applications is an essential aspect of Intelsat’s strategy to create customer value and to grow demand for satellite-based services. This project represents Intelsat’s third mobile video application, as we are supporting systems that are in commercial deployment in Europe and in the United States.” FEATURES Africa and Middle East Saudi Arabia is the first country in the Arab world, the Middle East and Africa to have started the digital television and broadcasting transmission. The Saudi government has introduced digital terrestrial television services carrying Saudi TV and the programmes of the Saudi Broadcasting Station. The service covers Mecca, Medina, Riyadh, Jedda, Dammam, Khobar, Burayda, Abha, Ha'il, Jubayl and Hofuf. Viewers can to watch the Saudi First Channel, Al-Ikhbariya, Sports Channel and the Second Channel without a satellite dish or the need to subscribe to satellite networks. Iran has chosen DVB-T as its terrestrial digital TV system. DVB-T pilot broadcasts are currently being conducted in Israel and South Africa. Many other countries in the Middle East and Africa have shown serious interest in DVB-T and look likely to adopt that standard in due course. They include Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros Union, Congo Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Rep of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabonese Republic, Gambia, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe. broadcasters estimate they will have to commit a total of 800bn yen. The biggest cost will be terms of the transmitting networks. The commercial broadcasters possess 15,000 transmitters while NHK has 3,500 transmitting towers. Switching all of them over to digital will involve a considerable financial burden. NHK plans to convert facilities for 95 per cent of the areas in Japan. But even after that investment, five per cent of areas will still be left with analogue facilities. Cable or satellite will be required to bring digital broadcasts to those remaining areas, in which case, consumers will have to be supplied with set-top boxes. Each local commercial station will, on average, have to spend five billion yen, a sum equal to its annual turnover. The restrictions on the ownership of commercial broadcasters, which were designed to prevent over-concentration of ownership in the mass media, have also been eased. Many local commercial stations are likely to merge in the future. It is not yet certain if the switchover to digital can be achieved by 2011. Europe In Britain, Ofcom has published a draft code of practice for broadcasters in preparation for Britain's switchover to digital television. The digital switchover is scheduled to take place between 2008 and 2012, in accordance with the regional timetable set out by the government in September 2005. The industry watchdog said that an extensive programme of upgrading needs to begin on the Britain's transmission infrastructure in order for the timetable to be to achieved. Viewers over the age of 75 (an estimated seven million people) are expected to be given a free Freeview adapter. The French analogue switch off will occur on a region-by-region basis beginning in March 2008 and ending in November 2011. An amendment approved by the French National Assembly mandates that all television sets sold in 2007 must incorporate a digital tuner. In addition, all HD television sets will need to have an HD MPEG4 AVC decoder included by December 2008. ph devolo Photogra Asia In the People’s Republic of China, DVB-T pilot broadcasts are on-going. India, meanwhile, chose the DVB-T standard for terrestrial digital broadcasting in July 1999 after 18 months of study and testing. The state broadcaster Doordarshan commenced a pilot trial in Delhi during 2002 which is extending to Calcutta, Mumbai and Chenai. Japanese digital terrestrial broadcasts started in December 2003 and can now be seen in 35 per cent of areas in Japan, or by 18mon households. Licence-based NHK has an income of 675bn yen. The 127 commercial broadcasters, which rely on advertising, have a market worth 2.47 trillion yen. The outlays for going digital are enormous. Digital broadcasts will require large-scale investment. NHK estimates it will have to invest a total of 400 billion yen while the commercial Emerging technologies, such as the integrated dLAN 200 AV adapter developed by Devolo, enable delivery of broadcasts to the home via DVB-S, DVB-T and DVB-C CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 27 FEATURES Following analogue switch off, DTT services will be available to 95 per cent of the population and the remaining five per cent will have access to the same services from a satellite transmission to be provided by the government. The satellite service will be available from the summer of 2007. Viewers will have access to 20 free to air and 19 pay DTT services after analogue switch-off. At least one HD multiplex will be made available for the launch of HD services by September 2007. One Finnish household in three has a digital television receiver, according to a recent survey. Digital take-up accelerated in the past year but the penetration of 785,000 homes by the end of August 2006 (33 per cent of total) will be insufficient to allow analogue signals to be switched off by the target date of August 2007. Over 600,000 decoders have been purchased for digital terrestrial reception; 154,000 households have digital cable and 76,000 homes had digital satellite. Communications minister Susanna Huovinen recently commented that the Finnish government could end up subsidising the cost of digital decoders for low-income households; these already receive free television licences. The German digital switchover started in 2003 in Berlin, and has now been completed in Bremen and Hamburg. Simulcast digital transmissions have started in other parts of the country, in an effort to prepare for a full switchover. In Ireland, 500 people in the Dublin and Louth areas, eventually rising to 1,000, will take part in the latest phase of the Department of Communications' digital terrestrial television pilot as Ireland makes preparations to keep pace with the EU's plans to switch off analogue TV across Europe by 2012. The trial will involve content from some 20 TV and radio stations, including RTE, Today FM, the BBC, Channel 6 and Sky. Sky Ireland now claims a total of 465,000 digital TV homes - almost one third of all households in the republic. Terrestrial digital television broadcast services based on the European DVB consortium's DVB-T system have also been introduced in Albania, Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Croatia, Czech Republic, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan. DVB-T transmits a compressed digital audio/video stream, using OFDM modulation with concatenated channel coding. The adopted source coding methods are MPEG-2 and, more recently, H.264. Latin America DTV services using the DVB-T standard commenced in Argentina in July 2006. The subscription-based service, by Antina Argentina, began with 10 UHF TV channels each broadcasting four services. Eventually 60 digital channels will be available. It is designed to reach those outside cable areas, in boats and areas where existing viewing options are limited. Brazil has adapted the Japanese integrated services digital broadcasting (ISDB) model to create its own Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão Digital (SBTVD) standard. Honduras' telecommunications regulator Conatel has chosen to adopt the US ATSC digital television standard. Uruguayan regulator Unidad Reguladora de Servicios de Comunicaciones (URSEC) HD system selected for South East Asia's first terrestrial trial MEDIACORP TV (MCS), the Singaporean terrestrial broadcaster, has installed a Miranda high definition (HD) system for its new Channel 38, South East Asia's first HDTV trial on a terrestrial platform. The installation includes interfacing, master control and channel branding equipment, as well as signal and facility monitoring. The new channel will air to over a thousand Singapore households, community clubs, libraries and retail outlets during the six-month trial. Currently, the new channel is providing an average of 14 hours of HD content per week during primetime hours. In Singapore, HD adoption is handled by the Media Development Authority (MDA), which was formed by the merger of the Singapore Broadcasting Authority, the Films and Publications Department, and the Singapore Film Commission (SFC), in January 2003. As part of the MDA's initiative to speed up the adoption of HD technology in the region, MCS developed the system to determine the viability of HDTV over this free-to-air platform. The HD system includes Miranda's Imagestore HDTV master control and branding processor, the Kaleido-K2 multi-image display processor, the iControl facility monitoring system, and a range of interfacing products. "We heard about a large number of major broadcasters and networks, in the US, Europe and in other parts of Asia, who have transitioned to HD with Miranda's support, and we liked the company's approach to managing aspect ratio during SD and HD conversion using AFD", said Yeo Kim Pow, senior vice president of MediaCorp Technologies Pte Ltd. "We wanted one man operation for the HDTV channel, and the Miranda system has achieved this. A single operator can control and monitor the playout of one or more HD channels". Miranda High Definition Playout System at MediaCorp TV 28 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 FEATURES León Lev reports the country must decide on which digital TV standard to adopt this year as it cannot afford to fall behind on technology. Commission seeks proactive strategy AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE everywhere and anytime, attractive commercial offers, interoperability of devices, spectrum availability and light regulation on licences are all vital ingredients for boosting the demand for mobile television in Europe, observed European Union Telecom Commissioner Viviane Reding in March at CeBIT 2007 in Hannover, in Germany. Mobile TV is an exciting new platform for distribution of audiovisual content that could well generate new business opportunities for content creators and service providers, bring new value-added services to citizens, and create jobs in Europe. Whereas, for the time being, each country is developing its own mobile TV market, the Commission underlines the need for a proactive and coordinated EU strategy. "With an estimated worldwide market of 11,4bn Euro by 2009, mobile TV represents an opportunity for Europe to combine its strength in mobile communications with the richness and diversity of its audiovisual sector," said Ms Reding. Communication from the Commission The Commission encouraged the setting up, in July 2006, of the European Mobile Broadcasting Council (EMBC). This first "convergence" forum gathered players from the telecommunications hardware manufacturers, and the software, broadcasting and content industries. Their work, as well as discussions with Member States, will feed in the preparation of a Commission Communication on mobile TV due for Mid-2007. However so far, the EMBC talks have not made much concrete progress. Although all participants of the EMBC recognise that a single standard for mobile broadcasting across Europe could deliver significant economies of scale, they at the same time stress that there us little or no prospect of an industry-agreement on a single standard. To date, the Commission has invested 40mon in mobile TV-related research, and supported the emergence of open digital video broadcasting (DVB) standards. It is widely recognised that the business model for mobile TV will combine telecommunications technologies such as 3G and broadcasting technologies such as DVB-H. Only broadcasting technologies have the necessary capacity to support large scale consumption of Mobile TV. "European industry has already developed successful standards in the past, and I am very confident that on the basis of DVB-H, Mobile TV services can develop the economies of scale they need for take-up across Europe and around the world," said Commissioner Reding. Spectrum and switchover Spectrum availability is essential, also, for the deployment and large-scale takeup of mobile TV. Whereas the Commission has indicated that the Lband could be a solution suited to most EU countries in the short term, the potential of other frequency bands such as the S-band and the UHF band is also being explored. It is the switchover from traditional analogue to digital broadcasting that will free-up premium spectrum in the UHF band. The Commission is working with EU Member States in the Radio Spectrum Policy Group to define an EUwide approach to capitalising on the digital dividend, and for re-using spectrum for innovative services such as mobile TV. This will be set out in a Commission Communication later this year. A thriving mobile TV market will not develop unless regulatory obstacles are first identified and removed. Clarifying the impact of different regulatory approaches and measures, and sharing examples of best practice will allow the Commission and national authorities to create a regulatory environment that drives investment and innovation, and allow providers of Mobile TV services to offer attractive prices based on sustainable business models. Recent trials in Europe reveal a strong consumer interest in mobile TV. These include the trial in Germany during the 2006 Football World Cup, and the launch of first commercial services in Italy and Finland. Other competing regions are aware of the potential; China is preparing a mobile TV trial for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 North America In the USA, analog over-the-air signals will be turned off on 17 February 2009. Digital television technology should become more energy efficient if a plan put forward by the US Environmental Protection Agency is enacted. As the nation changes to digital television signals in February 2009, new specifications should cut energy use of digital-to-analog converter boxes by more than 70 per cent. Currently-available models consume about 17 watts when operating and 8 watts in standby mode. Products qualifying for the EPA's Energy Star seal of efficiency must meet specifications of 8 watt and 1 watt respectively, and automatically power down after extended periods of inactivity. File-based programme delivery A side issue from the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting is the ever-increasing speed of internet-based data transmission. Within a few years, the worldwide telephone infrastructure should be powerful enough to allow direct delivery of programmes from producer straight to viewer. Content will be chosen from a vast online archive and downloaded as one or more digital files to be stored within the television receiver or in an attached recorder. Buffering the signal in this way will overcome the Internet's inherent variable latency. Television receivers will in turn increasingly resemble personal computers to the point where, eventually, they will become a single two-way communication device used to order content as well as for general household computing, communication and entertainment. Conventional live broadcasting services will survive this transition but will increasingly focus on coverage of live events and late-breaking news. How this all gets paid for given the increasingly fragmented nature of television audiences is a question that still needs to be resolved. ● David Kirk 29 PROFILES Professor Mohammad Yunus, who was rewarded by the Nobel Foundation recently, for three decades of service to the poor A vision of peace OR THEIR EFFORTS through the provision of microcredit to create economic and social development, the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006 has been divided equally between Mohammad Yunus and Grameen Bank. Born in Bangladesh in 1940, Professor Yunus spoke at the Nobel Lecture, in December 2006, of the “hard working, striving and honest” people of Bangladesh, who had been “deeply committed to bring change and development into their lives”. Nine elected representatives of the seven million borrowers-cum-owners of Grameen Bank nine women from Bangladeshi villages accompanied Professor Yunus to the lecture in Oslo, Norway, to receive the prize. through economic and social development F Working for the people The Grameen Bank Project was established in the village of Jobra, Bangladesh, in 1976. In 1983 it was transformed into a formal bank. Borrowers of Grameen Bank own 94 per cent of the total equity of the bank, and the remaining six per cent is owned by the Government of Bangladesh. For three decades, Grameen Bank has pursued a model of collateral-free housing, student and micro-enterprise loans to poor families, offering also a host of attractive savings, pension funds and insurance products for its members. The bank has 6.6mn borrowers, 97 per cent of whom are women. It works exclusively for them. Grameen Bank does not require any collateral against its microloans. Although each borrower must belong to a five-member group, the group is not required to give any guarantee for a loan to its member. Repayment responsibility solely rests on the individual borrower. The bank has 2,226 branches and it operates in 71,371 villages. Jon Fredrik Baksaas, president and CEO of Telenor, congratulates Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Mohammad Yunus Changing the world Professor Yunus is noted, also, for Grameen Phone. At the Nobel Lecture, he said, “Information and communication technology (ICT) is quickly changing the world, creating distanceless, borderless world of instantaneous communications. Increasingly, it is becoming less and less costly. I saw an opportunity for the poor 30 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 people to change their lives if this technology could be brought to them to meet their needs.” Grameen Phone was instituted as a first step to bring ICT to the poor. Grameen Bank gave loans to poor women to buy mobile phones, to sell phone services in villages. Says Professor Yunus, “The phone business was a success and became a coveted enterprise for Grameen borrowers. Telephone-ladies quickly learned and innovated the ropes of the telephone business, and it has become the quickest way to get out of poverty and to earn social respectability. Today, there are nearly 300,000 telephone ladies providing telephone service in all the villages of Bangladesh.” Grameen Phone is a joint-venture company owned by Telenor of Norway and Grameen Telecom of Bangladesh. Telenor owns 62 per cent share of the company, Grameen Telecom owns 38 per cent. Today, Grameen Phone has more than 10mn subscribers, and has become the largest mobile phone company in Bangladesh. A new partnership Just before the presentation of the Nobel Prize for Peace at the Nobel Lecture, Professor Yunus spoke of a new partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) , intended to combine power of ICTs and micro-credit financing, to assist the poor. In a special address to participants at the ITU Telecom World opening ceremony in Hong Kong in December 2006, Professor Yunus announced that Grameen, the ITU and other partners including Cisco Systems, Qualcomm and a newly formed consortium called Enclusion, would launch a virtual, global 'ICT Empowerment Network' as part of their collaboration through the Connect the World initiative. "We need to press the international community into action, so I am grateful to ITU for helping push this cause," Professor Yunus said, adding that "this is just the beginning of an exciting, new, open collaboration and I encourage others to join us in this global effort." PROFILES Investment in development The recently launched ICT Empowerment Network represents the first concrete area of collaboration, combining Grameen's micro-credit expertise with the ITU's experience in implementing ICT development programmes and partnerships. The ICT Empowerment Network seeks to implement the vision outlined by Professor Yunus when he received the ITU World Information Society Award in May 2006. During his acceptance speech, Professor Yunus called on ICT companies to take part in a global effort to combine the power of ICTs with micro-credit financing to help the poor to earn sustainable incomes. To help make this initiative a success, Grameen has approached microfinance organisations and borrowers worldwide, while ITU has sought the support and participation of its 191 member states and around from private sector members from around the world. "This is a truly powerful partnership that will yield benefits for years to come," ITU Secretary-General Utsumi said of the agreement. "From the moment we heard him speak last May, the entire ITU team was motivated to work with Grameen to help make Professor Yunus' vision of empowering the underprivileged with ICTs and micro-credit a reality." The ICT Empowerment Network consists of independent, self-financed groups of partners that collaborate either in physical centres or virtually. Each group focuses on at least one of three work streams: • ICT solutions. • Sustainable business models. • Capacity-building. Initiatives for empowerment Of those partners, Cisco has pledged one million dollars to support ICT related micro-financing initiatives within the global ICT Empowerment Network. Through its network of ITU-Cisco supported Internet Training Centres, Cisco has committed to working with the ITU and Grameen Bank to provide micro-credit loans to eligible students, to undertake their information and communications technology (ICT) education. In addition, Cisco is working with the ITU and Grameen Bank to help eligible graduates of ITU Internet Training Centres receive entrepreneurial business training and/or mentoring as well as micro-credit start up capital, to launch their own ICT-related businesses. In 2002, Cisco and the ITU had launched the Internet Training Centre Initiative for Developing Countries with the goal of setting up 50 centres around the world by 2003. That effort led to the establishment of 66 such ITU-sponsored centres in 56 countries, including 20 least-developed countries. ITU-Cisco Internet Training Centres leverage the comprehensive curriculum created by the Cisco Networking Academy programme, which celebrates a decade of ICT education in 2007. There are Cisco Networking Academies in roughly 165 countries worldwide serving half a million students annually. "Education and enhanced ICT skills have proven to expand communities, so increasing access to ICT education in the developing world through micro-credit financing is a great idea," said, Yoshio Utsumi. "The continued growth of Internet Protocol networking in the developing countries, especially through active support from government and private sector leaders, will yield tangible benefits for the global economy as a whole." ● Connectivity promotes national economy SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FROM the World Bank suggests that mobile growth is a significant contributor to GDP growth. According to World Bank figures, a 10 per cent increase in mobile penetration boosts GDP growth by 0.6 per cent while a one per cent increase in the number of Internet users in a country increases total export by 4.3 per cent. This impact on the economy stems largely from the fact that ICT improves the flow of information and improves efficiency. A well-developed ICT infrastructure in a country is attractive, also, for foreign investments in general. Therefore, GDP is higher and growth faster in countries with a more advanced ICT sector. Grameenphone’s network today covers approximately 95 per cent of the population of Bangladesh. The entire network has EDGE or GPRS connectivity allowing mobile Internet access to customers with no alternative Internet facilities. EDGE was launched in September 2005, and Grameenphone now has more than 1.3mn EDGE users as opposed to approximately 600.000 million fixed-line Internet service subscribers in the country as a whole. Up to May 2006 Grameenphone’s accumulative contribution to the national exchequer was approximately BDT50bn (US$900mn) in direct and indirect taxes. In 2005 alone, this contribution amounted to more than BDT16bn (US$230mn). Grameenphone currently has 5,000 employees. An estimated further 100,000 people in Bangladesh make their living as vendors, suppliers and retailers of Grameenphone. In addition, more than 280,000 village phone ladies make a living by retailing mobile phone services to their fellow villagers. In order to further ensure universal access to communication technology across the country, Grameenphone initiated the Community Information Centre (CIC) project in February 2006 in collaboration with the GSM Association Development Fund. These centres are shared data access centres located in rural areas using Grameenphone’s nationwide EDGE connectivity. After the successful pilot phase a target has been set to establish 500 CICs around the country. There are currently 400 CICs in operation. The CICs are independent businesses run by local entrepreneurs. They provide high speed Internet access and other information based services in the rural areas, the nearest Internet facilities to these places would otherwise be at least 20-30 miles away in the nearest big city. Exploring new service opportunities Grameenphone is constantly exploring new services that reflect the distinct needs of the people. Recently the company launched HealthLine, a 24-hour call centre manned by registered physicians who provide basic health information. The service is accessible to all Grameenphone subscribers and those who register are also able to conduct consultation over the phone (their medical files are retained at call centres). In Bangladesh there is a ratio of one doctor per every 4,000 people and this service helps to extend primary health care information and services to a large number of people (all Grameenphone subscribers). The initial results are promising and plans are under way to increase the capacity of the 24-hour call centre. CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 31 REVIEWS A CTO workshop that demonstrated the organisation’s ability to bring comparative expertise to newly-formed regulatory agencies A vision of governance for young regulators W ITH JOINT EVENT management by TM Solutions and Alliances Consulting Group Inc, the Programme for Development and Training (PDT) arm of the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation held a Workshop on Regulatory Governance in Port Louis, Mauritius, from 27th to 31st January, 2007. The workshop enabled understanding, over a five-day period, of a range of topic areas in regulatory governance, to technical and non-technical participants, including many administrative staff. Addressing issues The aim of the programme was to learn how to address the regulatory issues faced in developed countries. Specifically, the learning objectives were that participants to the workshop programme would be able to: • Review evolution of deregulation and privatisation that has led to ‘last mile’ issues. • Examine advantages and disadvantages of fibre versus cable. • Identify issues with unbundling of the Local Loop and Wireless Local Loop. • Investigate the role of the Regulator. • Outline an approach to address ‘Last Mile’ issues. The workshop, the course Over 65 participants attended the first two days, and the number subsequently fluctuated between 18 and 23 participants. Attendees to the first two days of the workshop included a number of senior management figures, including representatives from the Information and Communication Technologies Authority of Mauritius (ICTA), which had requested the event, and a number of local carriers. Those attending the last three days were technical and regulatory personnel, including some senior figures at directorship levels, representing engineering, regulatory, and legal groups. Discussions were, as might be expected, extremely involved, very interactive and vibrant. The course was designed well, and was effective in eliciting feedback and encouraging active participation by attendees. There were good exchanges between agency representatives and the suppliers. Both TM Solutions and Alliances Consulting presented case studies on their respective regulatory environments in the UK and in Europe (TM Solutions), and in Canada and the USA (Alliances). Facilitated by Alliances Consulting, the course covered: principles of regulation; licensing; interconnection; costs and tariffs; universal service; unbundling the local loop; numbering; spectrum; dispute resolution and consumer issues; and the regulatory framework in a converged environment. Specific sessions delineated the role and responsibilities of the regulator, international licensing practices, interconnection regimes, cost modelling, universal service funding, issues affecting stakeholders in local loop unbundling, number portability, spectrum allocation, and handling customer complaints. Course evaluation Feedback provided anonymously by 18 participants indicated a very positive experience for participants. The feedback included an evaluation questionnaire administered by Alliances as part of its quality assurance and course evaluation process, a best practice followed upon the completion of all consulting and training engagements. Table 1, below, summarises results based on the quantitative feedback. Qualitative statements and comments on the course revealed that attendees had learned·about numerous issues affecting new regulatory environments and converged frameworks, about the viability of local loop unbundling (LLU) and electronic numbering (ENUM). They learned something, also, of licensing regimes in Malaysia and Singapore, and more general regulatory issues associated with emerging ICT environments. The workshop enabled increased awareness of several new concepts and technological developments, including: potential challenges arising from the implementation of next generation networks (NGN) and convergence frameworks; best practice in regulation; and possible future trends in licensing and the regulation of information technology. One participant wrote, “The presentations on LLU and convergence issues, along with licensing were very informative and addressed a number of questions we had.” Nevertheless, there were issues that were not covered in the workshop Table 1 Summary Feedback of Quantitative Results Questions/Grade 1. How well have you learned from this course? 2. Was the course stimulating? 3. How would you rate the following? a. Quality of the learning materials b. Flow of the course c. Facilitator’s knowledge d. Facilitator’s effectiveness e. The facilitator’s methods of presentation 4. Overall rating for the course? 32 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 6 33% 33% 33% 17% 89% 50% 44% 28% 5 39% 39% 39% 44% 11% 44% 39% 61% 4 28% 22% 28% 33% 6% 11% 11% 3 6% 6% - 2 - 1 - No Response - Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% REVIEWS programme, that participants wanted to see. One attendee would have like to have learned about “the role of regulator in cases of cyber crime”. Another would have liked to have seen more on “the pricing and costing methodologies for ICT services, the developments that have taken place in these areas, and the applicability to Mauritius, in terms of pricing/costing evaluation.” When asked how they expected the skills and knowledge gained at the workshop would be applied, participants responded with a variety of comments. One respondent suggested that what had been learned would contribute to the implementation of planned improvements to current legislative and licensing structures. One more intended to use that which had been learned in scheduled consultations with stakeholders. And another wrote, “The knowledge will find direct application in the think process for establishing rules and regulations for the ICT sector in Mauritius.” Asked if the course was stimulating, those responding to the survey noted that the question-and-answer element of the programme, and the interactivity, were “lively and enlightening”, and that the examples given “were very concrete”, lending a practical dimension to the programme. In summary, the course was well-received and there was a lot of interest in global and local issues. ● Designers connect the world AMD ANNOUNCED THE winning teams of the inaugural “Connecting the World” product design contest in December 2006. A team from the University of Chile received the Chairman’s Award for GOTA, an affordable Internet connectivity solution that local water utility companies would commercialise for rural populations. Another team from UnicenP, a university in Brazil, received the Judges’ Award for ECipó, an Internet access terminal that utilises GPRS wireless technology to connect to television sets via UHF signals, thus eliminating the need for a computer monitor. Contesting connectivity In support of AMD’s 50x15 Initiative, to enable 50 per cent of the world’s population with Internet access and computing capability by the year 2015, AMD challenged university students to develop Internet access devices based on AMD processing technology. In addition to stimulating creativity, the “Connecting the World” contest promotes integration among multiple student disciplines to create product prototypes and business models aimed at accelerating the digital inclusion process throughout the region. The development of local ecosystems that foster indigenous design is one of the core tenets of the 50x15 Initiative. “The concept behind this contest is that innovative thinkers who reside within the high-growth nations of Latin America best know the features, form factors and functionality of Internet connectivity devices that would be best suited for local citizens,” said Billy Edwards, AMD chief innovation officer and senior vice president. The Chairman’s Award was selected by AMD CEO Hector Ruiz. The Judges’ Award was selected by the panel of judges. Both awards included a cash prize of US$30,000, of which US$10,000 was given to the winning university. The five finalists groups - Fly Tech, Gota, Eco Red, Interaction in Movement and ECipó - presented non-working prototypes to the judges’ commission in São Paulo, Brazil, which comprised: Hector Ruiz, AMD chairman of the board and chief executive officer; Billy Edwards, AMD chief innovation officer and senior vice president; Gustavo Arenas, AMD corporate vice president of High-Growth Markets & Innovations; Rob Enderle, chief analyst of the Enderle Group; Judith Várhelyi, director of the Hungarian Design Council; and Guillermo Winnicki, Buenos Aires City Hall Metropolitan Center manager for the Interactive Design brand. The winning projects were selected from among 30 entries submitted by university student teams from throughout Latin America. The projects were judged on how well they met the criteria of user experience, affordability, aesthetics and ecological responsibility. Zain Khan, CMC, President and Managing Consultant, Alliances Consulting Group Inc The potential for e-tourism in Asia and the Pacific A CONFERENCE ON e-tourism in the Asia-Pacific region has been held in Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Jointly organised by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Ministry of Tourism of Malaysia, and the Sabah Tourism Board, with the assistance of the AsiaPacific Sustainable Development Center (APSDEC) and Carlota´s Borneo Holidays, the event was supported also by the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs. Exploring ICT opportunities for tourism Asia-Pacific E-Tourism for Growth: Matching market efficiency and social inclusion, which took place on 13-14 March 2007, was the first Asia-Pacific gathering on the topic. UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi and UNESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su attended the twoday meeting together with Ministers of Tourism and Information Technology, Government officials and national, regional and international tourism experts. Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi opened the Conference and presented UNCTAD e-tourism partnerships to those attending a ceremony on the first morning. The Conference provided a forum for exploring the use of information and communication technologies to promote tourism, and for exchanging experiences and best practices in tourism, which is an information intensive sector. Tourism will benefit from the use of ICT as a tool to empower local stakeholders, including hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and banks, to promote themselves on the market and target tourists directly. This will increase the chances of a "localisation" of earnings derived from tourism. The conference focused on ICT and its impact and role in the development of the tourism sector, including the management of information and networking, "e-payments" and "e-branding"; ICT and sustainable tourism; using ICT to build partnerships between small- and mid-sized tourism firms; and tourism emarketing. CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 33 REVIEWS Africa is urged to invest in communications technology and content development at key satellite event Recommendations C HIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Dr Ekwow SpioGarbrah, has urged African governments to invest, alongside private entities, in the creation of suitable content that will facilitate Africa’s development, rather than rely on foreign entities to develop most of the content currently consumed in Africa through various information and communication technologies (ICTs). The CEO also recommended the early establishment of an African regulatory body, to help reduce the costs of telecommunications in Africa. He was contributing to a panel discussion on the liberalisation and regulation of African telecoms at a conference still underway in Johannesburg on Satellite Communications (SATCOM 2007). According to Dr Spio-Garbrah, although considerable liberalisation has taken place in Africa’s ICT policies and and regulatory practices over the last ten years, which has led to a rapid expansion of access to ICTs on the Continent, Africa was still quite far from bridging the ‘digital divide’ because most of the content currently being developed for use through ICTs consumed in the region is foreign. He noted, for example, that whereas the explosion in mobile communications growth has excited that segment of the telecom industry to begin promotion of 3G (mostly audiovisual content transmitted on 3 gigahertz frequency), much of the content of 3G transmission could be characterised as involving “Girls, Games and Gambling” - meaning pornography, sports and entertainment. The real needs of Africa, he noted, were for three Es; that is “Education, Employment and Empowerment”. “In order to bridge this widening content divide,” said Dr Spio-Garbrah, “we need serious partnership between the government (public), entrepreneurial content develop (private) and consumers (people) - a public-private-people’s partnership - aimed at creating suitable content that meets the developmental aspirations of African people.” for African governments communications as well as radio and television broadcasts. Dr Spio-Garbrah agreed with earlier speakers who had highlighted the potential of satellite communications to make significant contributions to such areas as telemedicine, distance learning. egovernance and e-agriculture, and indicated that as long as the content for these were developed with Africans and by Africans they could be of immense value. In separate comments at the Conference, Dr Spio-Garbrah re-iterated his long-standing view about the merits of a supranational ICT regulator for Africa. He stated that for African countries to reduce significantly the cost of satellite communications to the people of the continent, a pan-African regulatory body which could be responsible for certain kinds of multi-country licensing and equipment approvals would be helpful to the industry. He recalled that he had first made this suggestion in 1997 when, as Ghana’s Minister of Communications, he and other African ministers were contemplating, at another conference in Johannesburg, the strategic potential of telecommunications for Africa’s development. He clarified that such a pan-African regulatory body will not replace or usurp the functions of existing country ICT regulatory agencies. In his vision, while African national regulators would continue to regulate those aspects of ICTs that were of purely domestic application, such as licensing most mobile and broadcast operations, and the African regulator would concentrate on only those aspects of Africa’s ICT issues that involved multicountry approvals. He suggested that while such an initiative would have to come from African ministers, it was proper for the satellite and other interested segments of the ICT industry to promote such a concept and put pressure on policy makers, as African ministers and regulators were unlikely to move quickly enough in this direction without encouragement from interested stakeholders. ● The conference, the exhibition Attending the SATCOM Conference were some 500 leading ICT practitioners from throughout Africa, including Ministers, regulators, senior civil servants, CEOs of operating companies and manufacturers, and other industry representatives including consultants, researchers and academics. Associated with the conference, there was an exhibition featuring around 50 leading suppliers of satellite and related services to Africa. The potentials of satellites In his contribution to the discussion on liberalisation in the African ICT sector, the CTO CEO - a former Minister of Communications of Ghana - commented that most discussions of sector liberalisation failed to take into account that liberalisation and competition in the ICT sector in Africa has been aided by considerable liberalisation across whole economies. As such, it was necessary to take into account liberalisation decisions take in other spheres, such as in business registration, foreign ownership limitations, exchange controls, capital markets development, taxation of imports of ICT products, provision of expatriate work permits, in addition to the usually-cited liberalisation of licensing regimes, access to international telecom gateways or even spectrum ownership and allocation. He argued that amongst the driving forces for telecom sector liberalisation has been the realisation of the great impetus and contribution that communications play in the development process. In this regard, he said, most African countries are committed to the promoting national ICT plans or e-strategies, which invariably required close attention to the merits of satellite communications in supporting especially remote and rural communication, and as well as some specialised needs, in the areas of geographic information systems, disaster early warning systems and management, meteorological information, land use management, civil aviation, maritime 34 CTO World - Issue Two: Apr-Jun 2007 CTO MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION This form is for use by industry and development partners, but excluding governments. For the CTO’s Constitution, Rules of Procedures and membership fees, visit www.cto.int. Please fill in the form in BLOCK CAPITALS, using BLACK INK only. Once filled in, please return by post to: CTO, 26-28 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 7BA, UK ORGANISATION’S DETAILS Organisation’s name Address Country YOUR DETAILS First name Position Telephone Fax E-mail Last name Telephone Fax Please give reasons why you wish your organisation to join: Please list other associations your organisation is a member of: How did you become aware of the opportunity to be a CTO member? Through a CTO officer Through news reports Through CTO website Through this publication At a CTO event Other About your organisation Number of staff Event name Specify Officer’s name Less than 50 50 - 99 100-149 150-199 200 or more Type of training or technical assistance you think your organisation may need from the CTO or you can contribute to its members. Legal Technology Business Development Finance Other FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO CTO WORLD To enable a friend or colleague to receive a FREE REGULAR copy of CTO World, please complete this form below and post to: CTO, 26-28 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 7BA, UK, or send this information by e-mail to: info@cto.int First name Position Organisation’s name Address Country Email Last name Tel Fax