Link to full story
Motorola selected to supply affordable and robust handsets for second phase of programme to ‘connect the unconnected’
Singapore 27th September 2005: The mobile industry has driven the wholesale cost of mobile phones to below US$30 as part of the GSM Association (GSMA) programme to make mobile telephony affordable for people in developing countries.
“To get below US$30 per handset is a milestone achievement,” said Craig Ehrlich, Chairman of the GSMA, the global trade association for the world’s GSM mobile operators. “Today’s news cements the formation of a whole new market segment for the mobile industry and will bring the benefits of mobile communications to a huge swathe of people in developing countries.”
At the 3GSM World Congress in Singapore, Rob Conway, Chief Executive and…
Tags: Bangladesh, Craig Ehrlich, Erik Aas, Globe Telecom, GrameenPhone Ltd., GSM, GSM Association, mobile communications, mobile phones, mobile telephony, Motorola, Orascom Telecom, Rob Conway, Singapore, USD, World Congress.
A course on telecom reform, including World Dialogue on Regulation Expert Forum
Catalyzing change: Strategies to achieve connectivity and convergence
LIRNEasia and LIRNE.NET in association with School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA).
Held at The Elizabeth Singapore Hotel
UPDATED PROGRAM
Sujata Gamage
(slides will be posted shortly)
DISCUSSION:On ‘national innovation system’
DG: much of our work is outside the ‘national’ framework.RS: we want to do Asian research to be used the region. think cutting edge leading universities in the REGION, not in any one country. usable knowledge = it is policy-relevant.
SG: 1st order connectivity means making the information available, as simply as putting it up on the web. bypass the ‘national innovation system’.
1st order connectivity: putting information out (not organized; informal)
2nd order connectivity: dissemination (formalized and systematic; e.g. conferences organized to interact and enhance knowledge).
RS: is 2nd order connectivity idealistic? the real world is still very chaotic.
DG: similar to process of dissemination of NEWS:SL
SG: 1st order connectivity is the way that LIRNEasia needs to go.
RS: the objective is to get policy-relevant information…
Divakar presents findings of his study that assesses the success of WiFi based expansion of Internet access and identifies the conditions that gave rise to this innovation in Indonesia.
DG: Indonesia is a challenging country to connect. 17000 islands. teledensity is 12%, compares poorly with its neighbors. Internet penetration is far lower than Asian average.
So what has given rise to Wifi in Indonesia?
- Regulatory conditions (non independent regulator, exclusivities, no local loop unbundling, etc.)
- lack of competition in infrastructure sector (leading to very high prices and proliferation of unlicensed ISPs, etc)
- extent of infrastructural development (uneven backbone development, leased-lines not available)
- grassroots activism (lobbying to get 2.4GHz unlicensed, etc)
Lessons learnt:
- hostile environment spawned Wifi and related innovations; can this be replicated without the baggage?
- Wifi is quick and involves less hassle in…
Pro-Poor Pro-Market Regulation Reform (PPPM)
From IDRC’s website
World Summit on the information Society, Kram Centre, Tunis, November 17, 2005
Conference Organisers: the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Information for Development Program of the World Bank (infoDev)
LIRNE.NET and the World Dialogue on Regulation (WDR)
LIRNEasia Research ICT Africa (RIA)
Diálogo regional sobre la sociedad de la información (DIRSI)
November 17, 2005 - Morning Program
| Time |
Activity |
| 8:30-8:45 |
Welcome - Richard Fuchs
|
|
8:45-9:45
|
ICT Demand, access and usage by the poor
Chair: Laurent Elder, IDRC
ICT Uses on a Shoestring in Asia (LIRNEasia)- Ayesha Zainudeen
Digital Poverty in LAC (DIRSI) - Roxana Barrantes Towards an African e-index (RIA) - Alison Gillwald, Christoph Stork
Discussion
|
| 9:45-10:00 |
Coffee break
|
| 10:00-11:15 |
Core Networks and Policy Issues
Chair: F F Tusubira, RIA
Asia Backbone Study (LIRNEasia) - Rohan Samarajiva
Telecoms Funds and Regulatory Challenges - Judith Mariscal
South Asia ADCs, USFs and Subsidy Auctions (LIRNEasia) - Harsha da…
|
Tags: Adam, Alison Gillwald, Amy Mahan, Andrew Barendse, Asia, Asia Backbone, Ayesha Zainudeen, Bill Melody, Christoph Stork, e-index, Extending Access Networks, Harsha da Silva, Indonesia, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Development Research Centre, Judith Mariscal, Kerry McNamara, Kim Mallalieu, Kram Centre, Laurent Elder, LIRNE.NET, local access technologies, Mostafa Terrab, Onno Purbo, Randy Spence, Richard Fuchs, Rohan Samarajiva, Roxana Barrantes, Telecoms Funds, Tunis.
Recent Comments