Colombo, Sri Lanka, 19 December 2005: A survey of the websites of National Telecommunication Regulatory Authorities in the Asia Pacific region has revealed that six countries – Australia, Hong Kong, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan and Singapore – stand above the rest, with Pakistan leading.
The research was conducted by LIRNEasia, and supported by the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC) as part of the research program on regulatory and sector performance indicators in the ICT [information and communication technology] sector……..

English Press Release: Pakistan leads in providing regulatory services on-line

Bangladesh Illegal VoIP operators make fortune as govt stalls licensing
Sharier Khan
While powerful illegal internet telephony operators keep on draining out hundreds of crores taka each year, the government is delaying the process of awarding licence for VoIP operation on various pretexts ignoring a fresh recommendation of Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Authority (BTRC).
The government now says the licence for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) will be given after setting up a common platform in four areas of the country under Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) through which Internet phone calls will be channelised. The four areas are Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Bogra.
Such a common platform, to be connected to the submarine cable, will not start operation before June next, even if the authorities try their best.…

The following article emphasizes the importance of the last mile and also demonstrates the value of the research we will be undertaking in 2006 on assessing the suitability of various technology solutions.

Tsunami warning system a work in progress

By JOSEPH COLEMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

	Yuliana, 25, watches her 9 month-old baby, Nurul Husna, as they sit in front of their tent in Lampaseh Aceh, Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 23, 2005. Acehnese prepared for the one year anniversary of last years devastating Asian Tsunami, with many having regained jobs and houses, while thousands are still without employment and living in tents. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — It doesn’t look much like an escape route yet. The path between two plots of property on Indonesia’s tsunami-wrecked coastline…

ICT Policy and Regulation Research from LIRNEasia

LIRNEasia showcased its research from the past year on the 19^th December 2005 at the Palm Lounge, Galle Face Hotel. CEO’s and Managing Directors of local telecom operators attended, in addition to the regulator and representatives of donor agencies, investment analysts and the media.

The presentations are available below. The highlights of LIRNEasia’s first year of Research are available HERE.

1. Introducing LIRNEasia and its 2005 research program
   Rohan Samarajiva
2. Telecom use on a shoestring: Findings from a survey of Sri Lankan and Indian users on less than USD 100 a month
   Ayesha Zainudeen & Ayoma Abeysuriya (TNS Lanka); a report on the ’strategies’ of the financially constrained in the use of telecom services is available on the project page.
3. WiFi Innovation in Indonesia
   Divakar Goswami. More information is…

Phone subscribers in China may reach 746 million by the end of 2005, of which handset subscribers will approach 400 million and fix-line phone users will exceed 353 million, according to xinhuanet.com.

Xi Guohua, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Information Industry, revealed the data at the China Telecom Annual Work Meeting for 2006. Since the competition of handset to substitute fixed-line telephones is intensified growth of handset subscribers continues to surpass that of fixed-line telephone. By the end of 2004 nationwide handset users reached 334.8 million, and about 5 million new users added to the number each month over the year.

The sustained growth of handset users brought with it the swelling short message business. According to statistics, mobile phones sent 217.76 billion short messages in 2004…

The research report: An Investigation of the Replicability of a Microfinance Approach to Extending Telecommunications Access to Marginal Customers: the Grameen Approach (version 3.1) is now available for download as a PDF document HERE.

The researchers would like to invite comment and discussion.

Mahesh Uppal, Director, Com First (India) and a frequent participant in LIRNEasia events contends that the Indian telecom regulator’s authority and independence have been undermined by recent actions of the Minister of Telecom.
T V Ramachandran, Director General, COAI [cellular operators association] argues otherwise and states that the Minister’s actions promote Indian consumers’ interest.
We would like to get your view on this subject, please comment below. The full debate is available at the Business Standard.

No one’s doubting Maran’s recent initiatives, but the TRAI remains emasculated on critical issues like interconnection and BSNL’s monopoly

Mahesh Uppal, Director, Com First (India) “A regulator without robust control of the interconnection regime can hardly ever be effective” Given the tasks before them, of ensuring a competitive and efficient market, telecom regulators can be…

Nov 17, 2005, infoDev session, organized in partnership with IDRC   
A panel of distinguished experts responded to this broad question dealing with what role policymakers and regulators can play in balancing the public interest and fostering a flexible environment for ICT innovations. Rohan Samarajiva’s response is available as a video. [please allow file to load completely before playing]
  

Moderator: William Melody, LIRNE.NET, Center for ICT, Technical University of Denmark
Panelists:     
1. Muna Nijem, Chair, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, Jordan
2. Eng. Alaa Fahmy, Executive President, National Telecom Regulatory Authority, Egypt
3. Jean-Michel Hubert, French Ambassador to WSIS
4. Ronaldo Balsinde, European Telecom Practice Leader, McKinsey & Co.
5. Rohan Samarajiva, Executive Director, LIRNEasia VIDEO [6 minutes]
6. Donald Abelson, Director, International Department, Federal Communications Commisison, USA 
                    

…

Pro-Poor, Pro-Market ICT Policy and Regulation
World Summit on the information Society, Matmata Room, Kram Centre Tunis, November 17, 2005, 9:00 – 16:45
LIRNE.NET and the World Dialogue on Regulation (WDR), LIRNEasia, Research ICT Africa (RIA), Diálogo regional sobre la sociedad de la información (DIRSI)
Sponsored by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and
The Information for Development Program of the World Bank (infoDev)
9:00-9:15 Welcome Randy Spence
9:15 – 10.15 ICT Demand, access and usage by the poor
Chair: Heloise Emdon, IDRC

Telecom Strategies on a Shoestring (Household Income Below USD 100/Month)(PDF download) (LIRNEasia) Ayesha Zainudeen, LIRNEasia team
Digital Poverty in LAC (DIRSI) Roxana Barrantes
Measuring ICT Access and Usage in Africa (RIA) Alison Gillwald, Christoph Stork
10:30-12:00 Core Networks and Policy Issues
Chair: Olivier Nana Nzepa, RIA

Having a Backbone; Making Best Use of What You’ve Got (LIRNEasia) Harsha Vardhana Singh, Rohan Samarajiva
SADC…

The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) organised a seminar on ‘Submarine Cable Connectivity: National Readiness’  in Dhaka on the 2nd of December 2005.  Rohan Samarajiva, Executive Director of LIRNEasia delivered the keynote speech at the seminar (read more in The Financial Express and The Daily Star). A short article based on the keynote speech will be published in the national newspapers shortly, through LIRNEasia’s Rapid Response program, supported by IDRC of Canada.