Monthly Archives: May, 2005
Applications now open for LIRNEasia Young Scholar Tutorials, hosted by NUS, Singapore. Click here for info on how to apply.
LIRNE Course on Telecom Reform
On behalf of LIRNEasia, LIRNE.NET and the School of Communication and Information at the Nanyang Technological University, it is our pleasure to extend to you a special invitation to participate in the 7th LIRNE.NET course on Telecom Reform in Singapore, September 25-30, 2005. The course, Catalyzing change: Strategies to achieve connectivity and convergence, is designed to enhance the strategic thinking of a select group of senior decision makers in the telecom and related sectors in Asia and elsewhere. Previous Telecom Reform courses have been offered in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. This is the first time one is being offered in Asia.
The focus will be more on the most current strategic issues than on nuts and bolts knowledge. A day will be set apart for discussion of cutting-edge research on diverse approaches to network extension commissioned as part of the 2005-06 World Dialogue on Regulation. An opportunity will also be provided to visit the InfoComm Development Authority of Singapore, a leading regulatory agency that has been recognized for its efficacy internationally.
Attendance at Telecom Reform courses is capped at 40. Attendees will include regulators and senior officials of regulatory agencies; senior regulatory staff at operators; ..read more
India’s finance ministry eyes windfall in 3G auction
May 26, 2005
(Economic Times via NewsEdge) India’s Ministry of Finance has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to allocate a 3G spectrum to mobile operators through the auction route.
According to the ministry, it is DoT’s responsibility to price spectrum as per international practices, citing the example of Europe and the US, where governments fetched billions of dollars in revenue by auctioning spectrum.
The ministry has also said that pricing of spectrum should not be in TRAI’s domain. The finance ministry has taken the position that pricing of radio spectrum is not a regulatory issue, and hence, should not have been referred to the telecom regulator.
Instead, it has argued that receipts from radio spectrum should accrue to the government as non-tax revenue.
C 2005, The Economic Times
Dam Safety Expert Consultation May 20
LIRNEasia and Vanguard Foundation, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka National Committee of Large Dams, have conducted an Expert Consultation as the basis for developing a concept paper on an Early Warning System for Dam Related Hazards. Most of the Sri Lankan experts on dam management and safety were invited to this event.
The event was kicked off by Chandra Jayaratne, Director of the Vanguard Foundation and Rohan Samarajiva, Executive Director of LIRNEasia with a welcome address and opening remarks.
The first presentation titled, Nineteen years later, what lessons have been learnt from the Kantale breach (and what changes have been implemented)? by D W R Weerakoon, Former Director General of Irrigation and Secretary, Presidential Commission on the Kantale Dam Breach.
It was followed by a presentation by Nimal Wickramaratne, Director, Headworks of the Mahaweli Authority documenting International best practices in dam safety.
The third presentation documented the Current situation of dam management in Sri Lankaby Badra Kamaladasa, Deputy Director (Dam Safety), Department of Irrigation.
The fourth and the last presentation was made by Tissa Illangasekare, AMAX Distinguished Chair of Environmental Science & Engineering & Professor of Civil Engineering; Director, Center for Experimental Study of Subsurface Environmental Processes (CESEP) Colorado School ..read more
Colloquium: “Diversifying Participation in Network Development: Moving Beyond the Market”
Harsha de Silva & Payal Malik 20 May 6pm
PM: specifically looking at subsidy mechanisms for diversification, hence ‘moving beyond the market . Instruments looking at are hte universal service obligation fund (USF) and hte access deficit charge (ADC). There has been a diminishing of market efficiency gap (i.e, efficiency is improving). Slide # 3 shows the major improvements in efficiency in the market. However there are still further improvements that can be made. Increased focus on cellular mobile infrastructure deployment: 68.81 percent growth vs 6.6 percent Rural DELs installed by BSNL through license fees relief – about Rs. 1 m has been compensated, in the form of reimbursements from license fees Access gap is evident, and affordability is a concern. current ARPU are inadequate to fund necessary capital to expand to rural areas. Mobile operators and others have come to accept that the only way to grow is expanding service, rather than reducing tariffs. operators come to accept taht the only way to grow is via network exansion (thus need capital) rather than lowering tariffs any further. USOs are imposed b/c traditional funding mechanisms (based on cross-subsidising) don’t work in competitive environment. Funding mechanisms: USO Fund (USF) Access Deficit Charge ..read more
ICT policy as development strategy
Samarajiva and Zainudeen had an article published in this issue of E-Gov, the full PDF of which is linked to below.
In 2002, the-government of Sri Lanka embarked upon a broad development strategy, with a focus on services. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) were identified as one of the key drivers of national integration and economic growth. The eSri Lanka Initiative (eSL), which was designed in 2002-03, was intended to �take the dividends of ICT to every village, to every citizen, to every business and transform the way Government works � [to] develop Sri Lanka�s economy, alleviate poverty, and improve the quality of life and the opportunities for all of our people� .
R. Samarajiva & A. Zainudeen, e-Government as part of Sri Lanka�s overall development strategy e Gov (New Delhi), May-June 2005, 9-12
May 20 Colloquium: Diversifying Participation in Network Development
LIRNEasia’s next colloquium is on May 20th at 6:00PM SL Time/2:00PM Copenhagen/10:00PM Canberra/Singapore 8:00PM/5:30PM India/6:00PM Bangladesh/09:00AM Montevideo at LIRNEasia’s premises (SLIDA Campus, 28/10 Malasekera Mawatha) and via live blogging on this web site.
Payal Malik & Harsha De Silva will present their progress on the research project titled Diversifying Participation in Network Development: Moving Beyond the Market which is being conducted under this year’s WDR theme–Diversifying Participation in Network Development. The researchers will present their preliminary findings from their review of the current subsidy mechanism for expansion of rural telephony in India. This mechanism is implemented through two instruments:
(a)Access Deficit Charge (ADC), which is a surcharge on Interconnection fees to compensate the [primarily] the incumbent for below cost regulated tariffs in the rural areas and;
(b) Universal Service Fund (USF), a fund created through a statute to finance network expansion in net high cost rural areas. The disbursement from this fund is made through a competitive least-cost subsidy mechanism.
Research questions, methodology and other details of the project can be found in the attached document below.
Recent Comments