Hutch, a pure BOP play that was making very good profits, has reported declining profits and revenue growth. One quarter does not a trend make. But seen together with Dialog’s bad results for the last quarter, it suggests things are not looking good for the telecom sector which is taking multiple hits with tripled spectrum charges, revenue-raising taxes in the name of the environment and all sorts of additional costs imposed in the name of national security. If the government keeps taking JHU advice, they are likely to make the economy slow to a crawl.
A Review by Frederick Noronha. MobileActive.org August 18, 2008 | KatrinVerclas Civil society can play a large role in getting people digitally connected, say the co-editors of the new book ‘ICT Infrastructure in Emerging Asia: Policy and Regulatory Roadblocks’. “However, in order to reap the full benefits from connectivity in a long-lasting manner, underlying issues of policy, affordability and technology need to be addressed,” LIRNAsia’s Executive Director Rohan Samarajiva and co-editor of the book with Ayesha Zainudeen, told Mobileactive.org in an email interview.
Afghanistan is rising like a phoenix. The country is still vulnerable to a lethal conflict. Yet its people have captured the power of technology in their hearts and they have been defying all the odds to build a better life. Mobile phone has now truly become the socio-economic lifeline of Kabul. Hopefully the entire nation will enjoy this bounty of modernity very soon.
LiMo Foundation says that while the world’s population is increasing by a net three persons every second, giving us a population expansion of 180 every minute, 10,800 each hour and 259,200 every day. You think that’s astonishing. Well, mobile phones can better that. Every second there are 38 mobile phones sold and that’s 2,280 every minute, 136,800 each hour and 3,283,200 every day. Who says they don’t rule our lives?
As part of its work to fight the spread of HIV, the BBC World Service Trust has launched a novel ringtone in India designed to break down the social taboo of using condoms. The new advertising campaign, which features a ‘condom a cappella’ ringtone is also funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The strategy is to show social support for condoms, as this has a positive effect on use, and positions condoms as a product that men use to show they are responsible and care about themselves and their families. Read more and watch the advert.
Government’s monopoly over the international telephony is finally breathing its last in Bangladesh. Bangla Trac, Mir Telecom and Novotel are commencing their international gateway services today. The government had asked the telecoms regulator way back in 2003 to liberalize the international gateway. But the illegal call bypassing outfits had succeeded to block that initiative. The bypassing ventures kept on sprouting nationwide until the military-backed government’s crackdown began in 2007.
Responding to Rohan Samarajiva’s views on newly implemented Environmental levy in Lankadeepa last week, Central Environmental Authority Chairman Udaya Gammanpila calls it essential and the ‘first progressive tax’ in Sri Lanka. Assuring it does not burden public, he says any tax can be initially unpopular but the impact should be seen in long term. (Lankadeepa, August 19, 2008) These are his points in brief: 1. If not for the Environmental levy, the government has to find money to address environmental issues by increasing either VAT or customs charges. That will raise prices in general.
Strange will be the telecom world in emerging markets. Free incoming calls are the norm in many counties. Ever thought it can get even better? Operator paying the mobile users for incoming? Where on earth such crazy things happen?
We welcome the USD 71 million project to improve dam safety in Sri Lanka. LIRNEasia , together with several partners including the Sri Lanka Committee on Large Dams, Vanguard Management and Sarvodaya, did a lot of work on raising awareness of the impending dangers posed by ill-maintained dams, going as far as saying that a catastrophic dam failure in this reservoir-dotted country was not a question of if, but when. The repairs will, we understand, address the most serious risks raised by the LIRNEasia participatory research. However, due to ill-informed protests of the opponents of water-use reforms and the weak-kneed response of the government agencies and the World Bank, the component that would have addressed the sustainability issues was stripped out after one exchange. So we have postponed the day of reckoning, but not created a long-term sustainable system for safe water use.
We all missed the obvious flaw, but not Malinda. The full credit for detecting that you are taxed differently for the same service should go to the eighteen year old from Kurunegala – the ever vigilant consumer. He pointed out in the latest post in his local language blog for a 512/128 kpbs Wi-Max connection you may have to pay about Rs. 675 as tax (30%) but for a 512/128 kpbs ADSL connection you pay only Rs. 337.
The Nigerian telecoms sector, one of the greatest success stories not just in Africa but also the whole of the rest of the world, just keeps on going from strength-to-strength. New figures just released by the Nigerian regulator show that, since May of this year, Nigeria’s telephony subscriber base has expanded by a further 3.7 million and now stands at 53.33 million. Teledensity is also improving, standing now at 38.
It’s been a long and glorious history. The German company Siemens was one of the very first companies ever to lay telephone cables and make telephony switches, but today it is exiting the industry after more than a century and a half. The company was founded by Werner von Siemens on October 1, 1847, (the year that Sam Colt sold an early version of his epoch-making revolver to the US government, Denmark began its first railway service and Alexander Graham Bell was born) and the infant company’s first product was a form of telegraph needle that, when activated, pointed out a sequence of letters transmitted from elsewhere. Martyn Warwick passionately writes.
Grameenphone has agreed to pay an administrative fine of BDT 2500 million (US$37.3 million) to the telecoms regulator, the BTRC, for providing E1 connectivity to third parties, enabling the use of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology which is unlawful and illegal. “We deeply regret that such unlawful practices were carried out and not disclosed earlier by Grameenphone,” said the company’s CEO in a statement. “We have cooperated with BTRC in the investigations and the Grameenphone Board also mandated an investigation by an external auditor to look into all aspects of our operations to ensure that we fully comply with all laws and regulations.” Read more.
TRAI’s recent letter to DoT, highlighting shortcomings in the government 3G policy, has kicked up differences between the telecom regulator and DoT. TRAI, in its letter, has highlighted six shortcomings in the 3G auction guidelines that were announced recently. The most significant one that can impact exchequer revenue relates to the need for an “amended’ ’ unified access service licence (UASL), which needs to be acquired by every successful new entrant in the 3G space. TRAI, in its letter to DoT, concludes that a reading of the 3G guidelines “implies that in case a non-licencee becomes successful bidder, he will be given a new (modified) UASL without the provision of 2G spectrum (spectrum in the 800, 900 & 1800mhz) at an entry fee equal to the entry fee of UAS licence’’ . Read more.
Want to buy a SIM while travelling to India? Passport and other identification papers may not be good enough. You will need two guarantors to get a new mobile connection, said The Economic Times.
Central Environmental Authority Chairman Udaya Gammanpila calls the new ‘Environmental tax’ essential, pro-poor and progressive. Releasing used mobile phones and CFL bulbs to environment is dangerous, he warns, with a long list of hazardous chemicals that would perhaps put a chemistry professor to shame. He wants to collect them for recycling. The tax money will be used to build recycling plants. Not everybody agrees.