Tag Archive for ‘Broadband’ at LIRNEasia

Tag Archive for 'Broadband'Page 2 of 11

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Why Indonesian telecom experts feel their regulatory environment so miserable?

on September 24, 2008

Results for Indonesia in LIRNEasia’s Telecom Regulatory Environment survey show an interesting trend. Unlike their counterparts in other countries (Bangladesh, India, Maldives Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand) Indonesia telecom experts have given marks so low for different aspects of their regulatory environment that none of the categories, in any three sectors, meet the average of 3. (The options were from 1 to 5, 1=extremely unsatisfied, 5=excellent service) The one comes nearest is the score for Market Entry in the mobile sector (there are nine players in the market – eight national, one regional) but that too miss the average by 0.05 points.

The results do not show a change from the previous (2006) scores. The score for the fixed sector remains same as it was in 2006,…

2 Comments
Tags: 2008, Bangladesh, Broadband, Colloquium, fixed, India, Indonesia, LIRNEasia, Maldives, Mobile, Sri Lanka, Telecom, Telecom Regulatory Environment survey, Thailand, TRE survey.

Barack Obama gives up his plans for ‘Net Neutrality’?

Chanuka Wattegama

on September 23, 2008

This might not be good news for the proponents of Net Neutrality. Barack Obama has recently edited his website with significant revisions to the technology plans. Guess what goes out. A large paragraph on Net Neutrality! (which is reproduced below):

[quote] Users must be free to access content, to use applications, and to attach personal devices. They have a right to receive accurate and honest information about service plans. But these guarantees are not enough to prevent network providers from discriminating in ways that limit the freedom of expression on the Internet. Because most Americans only have a choice of only one or two broadband carriers, carriers are tempted to impose a toll charge on content and services, discriminating against websites that are unwilling to pay…

4 Comments
Tags: Barack Obama, basic principle that network, Broadband, Internet applications, net neutrality, technology section.

Not having broadband could cost some households a fortune

Chanuka Wattegama

on September 19, 2008

According to a recent report households that do not have broadband access could be spending a fortune on other household goods and services.

Over recent years an increasing number of consumers have started to use the Internet to find the best deals on everything from holidays and cars to household goods, entertainment, finance, services, and more. The increased Internet access that has come about as a result of more and more people getting onto broadband connections has meant that consumers have been able to scour the web to get the best deals, thus saving money on other products and services.

A recent report from the Post Office service has suggested that homes that do not have broadband access and therefore are not able to get online to…

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Tags: Broadband, broadband access, finance, increased Internet access, Post Office.

Canada’s broadband quality below threshold?

Chanuka Wattegama

on September 16, 2008

Canada is woefully positioned for future internet usage and the quality of current broadband networks is barely enough to cope with current traffic because of a lack of investment by providers, according to a new study.

The survey, conducted by the Oxford Said Business School in London and the Universidad de Oviedo in Spain and released Friday, found that Canada is below the global broadband quality threshold, which measures the proliferation of high-speed internet in a country, as well as the speeds available and the reliability of connections.

While Japan was the only country to meet the study’s standards for future readiness, broadband networks in countries such as Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria scored better than Canada, which ranked 27th out of the 42 nations covered. The United…

2 Comments
Tags: Broadband, broadband network, broadband networks, Bulgaria, Canada, high-speed Internet, Internet traffic, Internet usage, Japan, Latvia, London, Oxford Said Business School, Romania, Spain, United States, Universidad de Oviedo in Spain.

Japan, Netherlands, Sweden Lead in Broadband Quality, reveals study

Chanuka Wattegama

on September 15, 2008

A recently released survey indicates Japan has the best quality broadband Internet services, with Sweden and the Netherlands completing the top three. Researchers used download/upload speeds, and internet latency when compiling numbers from eight million tests completed in May 2008.

Sweden and the Netherlands were able to be the top European broadband nations because of their efforts in “increasing investments in fiber and cable network upgrades, coupled with competition diversity, and supported by strong government vision and policy.”

Even though it’s difficult to define quality internet, regardless of how questions were reworded, Oxford University Said Business School researchers found Japan remained on top of 41 other nations in the “Broadband Quality Score.” Latvia, Korea, Switzerland, Lithuania, Denmark, Germany and Slovenia are the nations that round out the…

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Tags: Broadband, broadband Internet services, Cisco Systems, consumer internet prices, Denmark, Germany, internet latency, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Oviedo University, Oxford University, Oxford University Said Business School, quality internet, Slovenia, Speedtest.net, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands.

‘The meek shall inherit the web’ - The Economist

Ayesha Zainudeen

on September 9, 2008

Sep 4th 2008 | From The Economist print edition

Computing: In future, most new internet users will be in developing countries and will use mobile phones. Expect a wave of innovation

THE World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the body that leads the development of technical standards for the web, usually concerns itself with nerdy matters such as extensible mark-up languages and cascading style sheets. So the new interest group it launched in May is rather unusual. It will focus on the use of the mobile web for social development—the sort of vague concept that techie types tend to avoid, because it is more than simply a technical matter of codes and protocols. Why is the W3C interested in it?

The simple answer is that the number of mobile…

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Tags: Broadband, emerging markets, Internet users, Mobile banking, mobile Internet, mobile phones, mobile Web, Mobile-web access, mobile-web users, Mobile2.0, web access.

Net Neutrality debate: No free lunches, so why ‘FREE BROADBAND’?

Chanuka Wattegama

on September 7, 2008

We pay for other utilities (electricity, water, phone services) by the amount utilised, but usually a flat rate for broadband depending upon the bandwidth. I have earlier compared this to paying for water based on the diameter of the pipe, instead of liters consumed.

The following letter by a reader to USA Today highlights similar concerns - may be in another context.

WHY SHOULD BROADBAND BE FREE?

James Lakely - Chicago

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin’s reference to the phone industry exposes the weakness of his argument to provide free broadband access in the USA.

Yes, copper phone lines were, for decades, “the main means of communication for millions of Americans.” But the government didn’t invent that technology, nor give it away for free. The market provided, and…

12 Comments
Tags: Broadband, broadband access, Chicago, electricity, Federal Communications Commission, James Lakely, Kevin Martin, net neutrality, phone services, United States, USA Today.

India: Internet, broadband fail to catch up with mobile growth

Chanuka Wattegama

on September 4, 2008

The debate over Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum auctions and internet telephony comes at a time when international organizations and analysts are painting a starkly contrasting picture of the Indian telecom and IT sectors.

Recent International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data reveals that the success of India’s telecom revolution is restricted to mobile voice with very little to showcase in fixed line and internet access, or high-speed broadband. For a country that is the global IT and ITeS capital or the world’s back office, its own internet penetration remains one of the lowest in the world. Forecasts are equally uninspiring, projecting high-speed internet access to remain abysmal till 2012.

Internet broadband penetration will limp along to eventually reach a measly 3.9 connections for every 100 citizens by 2012.…

Comment
Tags: Broadband, broadband wireless access, high-speed Internet, HIGH-speed Internet access, high-speed internet subscribers, India, International Telecommunication Union, Internet access, Internet broadband penetration, Internet penetration, Internet Telephony, Internet users, IP telephony, mobile telephony, The Times, wireless access.

Asia-Pacific region leads high-speed Broadband connectivity, but wide divide prevails, says ITU

Chanuka Wattegama

on September 3, 2008

While some Asia-Pacific economies are world leaders in information and communication technologies (ICT) where broadband access is ultra-high speed, affordable and close to ubiquitous, in most of the region’s poorer countries Internet access remains limited and predominantly low-speed.

This is what ITU’s Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Report for the Asia-Pacific region 2008 says. It was released at ITU TELECOM ASIA 2008, Bangkok, Thailand yesterday (Sept 2, 2008).

The Report finds evidence that ICTs and broadband uptake foster growth and development, but the question remains as to the optimal speed that should be targeted in view of limited resources.

The area in which the region really stands out is the uptake of advanced Internet technologies, especially broadband Internet access. The Asia-Pacific region is the world’s largest broadband market with a 39…

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Tags: 3G, Asia-Pacific, Bangkok, Bangladesh, Broadband, broadband access, broadband and triple-play services, broadband Internet access, broadband Internet subscribers, broadband technologies, Cambodia, China, communication services, communication technologies, continuous high-speed Internet access, desirable and valuable online services, Distance Learning, fibre optic, Fixed and mobile broadband technologies, HIGH-speed Internet access, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Internet technologies, Internet Telephony, IP telephony, ITU TELECOM, Japan, Laos, Maldives, mobile phones, Myanmar, poorer countries Internet access remains, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Philippines, Tonga, ubiquitous Internet access plan combining, ultra-high speed Internet applications, USD, Wi-Fi.

Net Neutrality: Why LIRNEasia may not see byte to byte with Barack Obama

Chanuka Wattegama

on September 2, 2008

Barack Obama stands for Net Neutrality while John McCain sternly opposes. Internet should be open space, says Obama, for anyone to use any application of his/her choice without discrimination.

That is like saying the roads are free for anyone to drive any vehicle they like at any time. It sounds good in theory. However, in practice it is a different story.

Can we let the container-trucks to move during peak hours congesting roads? Can we let bullock carts in a high way?

In spite of the tech-savvy image he tries to cultivate, perhaps Obama has not heard about the broadband quality issues. Perhaps he assumes at the zenith of developed world USA does not face bandwidth issues. He is wrong.

Net Neutrality comes with a price tag attached. If…

32 Comments
Tags: Barack Obama, Broadband, India, John McCain, Sri Lanka, United States.

Download caps in the US

Rohan Samarajiva

on August 31, 2008

One of the key debates on broadband is between those who believe in “all you can eat” service packages and pricing and those who do not. Our research so far indicates that broadband can only be provided to the Bottom of the Pyramid using the same kind of business plans that were effective in providing mobile service to the BOP, that is, not all-you-can eat.

Comcast, a leading US ISP, has just announced caps on downloads. If this is the future for rich country users, can there be any doubt about what the future for BOP users in poor countries?

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Tags: Bottom Of The Pyramid, Broadband, Comcast, ISP, pricing, Quality of Service, quality of service experience.

Internet traffic bypassing the US?

Rohan Samarajiva

on August 31, 2008

Ten years ago, pretty much all the traffic went through the US Internet backbone. Today, claims are being made that only 25 per cent of traffic is routed through the US system.

This may require changes in LIRNEasia’s (and Singapore’s) efforts to improve broadband quality of service experience through benchmark regulation or otherwise, using as one of the measures, Round Trip Time to the Internet cloud, defined as first point of landing in the US. An alternative will not be easy to come by, but we have faith in the wisdom of the many. Please contribute.

3 Comments
Tags: Broadband, Internet backbone, Internet cloud, Quality of Service, quality of service experience, Singapore.

UK Broadband customers overpay by 70% - Survey

Chanuka Wattegama

on August 29, 2008

It is the same story everywhere. Broadband prices are falling, so the early adopters pay more than newbies – unless they switch fast. To make the matters worse, operators have started selling the same packages with new prices – in the same manner an Airline bringing ticket prices down at the eleventh hour to fill the seats.

This is the tirade of one user.

UK customers are paying 70% more than they need to for their broadband connections despite the credit crunch. Masses of broadband customers (70,000 in fact) on 8Mbps broadband packages have been surveyed by Broadband Expert to find out how much they pay for their connections. Compared to the deals currently available on the market, it’s no surprise that there’s a huge disparity between the two…

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Tags: Broadband, energy market, GBP, United Kingdom.

Pakistan focuses on expanding broadband services

Chanuka Wattegama

on August 29, 2008

Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Dr. Muhammad Yaseen has said that data usage is increasing in Pakistan and proliferation of broadband services will help establish Information Society. He was talking in a seminar on The Future of Mobile Communications in Pakistan.

Chairman PTA said that for mobile phone industry future direction could be value addition and innovation in services including mobile commerce, video streaming, and high speed mobile internet.

He said presently broadband costs are high in the country but broadband usage was showing growth in the recent quarter. He said that PTA has carried out surveys to know the socio economic impact of mobile phone, which revealed that with the introduction of mobile communications productivity has increased significantly.

He said that the spectacular rise of telecom industry…

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Tags: 3G, 3G mobile communications, Broadband, broadband services, cellular telephone, Information Society, mobile communications productivity, Muhammad Yaseen, Pakistan, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, speed mobile internet.

Obama = Broadband; McCain = Dial-up?

Chanuka Wattegama

on August 27, 2008

Leading Democrats on Tuesday attacked the Bush administration’s broadband policy and the technology track record of GOP presidential hopeful John McCain, while leading tech companies pushed for a more tech-savvy and innovative federal government.

“The Obama campaign is the broadband campaign and the McCain campaign is the dial-up campaign,” said Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on telecom and the Internet.

Markey and other members of Congress were on hand at the Democratic National Convention in Denver for several technology panels hosted by the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and the Silicon Flatirons Center at the University of Colorado.

“On McCain’s watch, the U.S. fell from third to fifteenth in broadband penetration,” said Julius Genachowski, technology advisor to Democratic…

2 Comments
Tags: Barack Obama, Broadband, Bush administration, Colorado, Commerce Committee, Computer and Communications Industry Association, Congress, Denver, Edward Markey, House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, John McCain, Julius Genachowski, Massachusetts, open Internet, Republican Party, Silicon Flatirons Center, technology industry, technology panels, technology track record, United States, University of Colorado.

LIRNEasia

Tag Archive for 'Broadband'Page 2 of 11

Why Indonesian telecom experts feel their regulatory environment so miserable?

Barack Obama gives up his plans for ‘Net Neutrality’?

Not having broadband could cost some households a fortune

Canada’s broadband quality below threshold?

Japan, Netherlands, Sweden Lead in Broadband Quality, reveals study

‘The meek shall inherit the web’ - The Economist

Net Neutrality debate: No free lunches, so why ‘FREE BROADBAND’?

India: Internet, broadband fail to catch up with mobile growth

Asia-Pacific region leads high-speed Broadband connectivity, but wide divide prevails, says ITU

Net Neutrality: Why LIRNEasia may not see byte to byte with Barack Obama

Download caps in the US

Internet traffic bypassing the US?

UK Broadband customers overpay by 70% - Survey

Pakistan focuses on expanding broadband services

Obama = Broadband; McCain = Dial-up?

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