The Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is an international, multi-stakeholder initiative to improve the availability and quality of ICT data and indicators, particularly in developing countries. It provides an open framework for coordinating ongoing and future activities, and for developing a coherent and structured approach to advancing the development of ICT indicators globally.

George Sciadas of StatsCanada also made a presentation at this event. He highlighted LIRNEasia’s intervention to remove the proposed regressive tax on mobile phones, using its 2006 T@BOP2 survey data as an example of statistics and data being used successfully.

The Forum will focus on using specific indicators to benchmark performance of the sector as well as the regulatory authority, and using indicator data to improve the performance of both. The latest results from LIRNEasia’s Asian Regulatory Web-site Survey, the Mobile and Broadband Price Benchmarks research and the Broadband Quality of Service Measurement research will be presented at the forum, and will set the background for broader discussion on benchmark regulation. The LIRNEasia developed and IDRC-funded Asian ICT Indicators Database will be introduced and hands-on training on using the database will be provided. The agenda is attached.

LIRNEasia hosted a Workshop to discuss the policy level implications and business level possibilities of using ICTs to reduce transaction costs in the agricultural value chain as well as to improve traceability and enhance quality of products sold. The Workshop brought together key stakeholders consisting of policy makers, private and public sector participants and researchers, both in agriculture and ICT. It was based on the pilot projects conducted by LIRNEasia in 2007, which was discussed in detail at the Workshop.

All presentations made at the Workshop can be found below:
Traceability: International Perspective – Visoot Phongsathorn

Linking Sri Lankan farmers to global markets – Dr. Harsha de Silva

Traceability in agricultural markets – Shamistra Soysa

Benefits of ICT applications to farmers with emphasis on transaction costs: experiences from India – Prof. Subhash Bhatnagar

Cost of information in agriculture markets – Dimuthu Ratnadiwakara

Using ICTs to create efficient agricultural markets – Dr. Harsha de Silva

This paper won the “Best Paper in the Practice” at this conference which was one of the three awards given out. The others were for best paper in theory and best paper in linking theory and practise. A pre publication version of the paper is available here

Helani Galpaya will present “The Telecom Regulatory Environment (TRE) Assessment: methodology and implementation results from six emerging economies” at the session on Trade and Harmonizations of Telecommunication Policies on September 30 2007. Payal Malik will present “India’s Universal Service Obligation for Rural Telecommunications: Issues of Design and Implementation” at the session on Promoting Universal Connectivity on September 29 2007.

The papers are available on the TPRC website:

‘Telecom Regulatory Environment (TRE) assessment: Methodology and implementation results from five emerging economies,’ by Rohan Samarajiva, Helani Galpaya, Divakar Goswami and Dimuthu Ratnadiwakara
‘India’s Universal Service Obligation for Rural Telecommunications: Issues of Design and Implementation,’ by Payal Malik

The TPRC, a non-profit organization, hosts this annual forum for scholars engaged in publishable research on policy-relevant telecommunications and information issues, and for public- and private-sector decision makers engaged in telecommunications and information policy. The purpose of the conference is to acquaint policy makers with the best of recent research and to familiarize researchers with the knowledge needs of policy makers.