ICT Statistics Newslog - ITU

UNEP Basel Convention joins the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:01:52 GMT

On the first day of the International Telecommunication Unions World Telecommunications/ICT Indicators Meeting in Port Louis, Mauritius, it was announced that the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is expanding with a new member: the UNEP Secretariat of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposals.

The inclusion of the Basel Convention Secretariat is particularly valuable at a time when growing attention is being paid to the measurement of the environmental implications for ICT, such as the growth of electronic waste said the current chair of the Partnership Steering Committee, Mr Torbjorn Fredriksson, Chief of the ICT Analysis Section of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The Secretariat of the Basel Convention will bring to the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development its expertise and experience with e-waste issues on global level, its network of national and international institutions, academics, industry and civil society commented Mr Matthias Kern, who will be representing the Basel Convention Secretariat in the Partnership.

Measuring e-waste is one of the emerging topics we are exploring at this years World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Meeting. I am extremely pleased to announce the new membership of the UNEP Secretariat of the Basel Convention at this occasion said Ms Susan Teltscher, Head of ITUs ICT Data and Statistics Division.

For more information, please contact Susan Teltscher (email: indicators@itu.int).

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. Launched in 2004, the Partnership helps measure the information society by defining a core list of ICT indicators and methodologies to collect these indicators; helping developing countries collect ICT statistics; and collecting and disseminating information society statistics.

Existing members include Eurostat, ITU, OECD, UNCTAD, UNDESA, UNECA, UNECLAC, UNESCAP, UNESCO Institute for Statistics and UNESCWA.

The Secretariat of the Basel Convention is administered by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and is mandated to support parties in the implementation of the Convention. Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste), in particular used and end-of-life equipment from the ICT sector has been identified as a priority waste stream. See www.basel.int.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)s World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Meeting is held annually, bringing together representatives from ICT Ministries, regulatory authorities and national statistical offices to discuss pertinent issues related to information society measurements and to advance the availability of internationally comparable ICT statistics.

Source: ITU Newslog.

Newly released data from ITU's ICT Price Basket (IPB) show that ICT services are getting more affordable worldwide

Tue, 17 May 2011 09:58:49 GMT

Key highlights

Consumers are paying 18% less for ICT services than they were two years ago
The price for high-speed Internet connections dropped by 50% between 2008 and 2010, compared to a 22% drop in prices for mobile cellular services (Table 1)
In developing countries, fixed broadband prices dropped by 52%, compared to 35% in developed countries (Chart 1)

Table 1: ICT Price Basket and sub-baskets, 2008 and 2010

Click here to see full article: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/ipb/index.html

Indicators to measure the WSIS targets

Tue, 17 May 2011 09:31:53 GMT

Under the leadership of ITU, the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development's Task Group on Measuring the WSIS Targets will launch a new report: Measuring the WSIS Targets. A statistical framework.

This report proposes a concrete list of indicators to measure the 10 WSIS targets. A practical tool for policy makers and data producers in developing countries to monitor and assess information society developments, the report is expected to become the main reference document for the final review of the achievements made towards meeting the WSIS targets in 2015.

The Report will be launched on May 17^th, at 14h in room V of the ILO in Geneva and can be downloaded for free. For more information and to download the report, see: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/partnership/wsistargets/

ITU Developing Database of ICT Equipment Compatibility

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:24:29 GMT

ITU has announced plans to set up a global database that will log products declaring conformity to ITU standards (ITU-T Recommendations) - specifically around interoperability issues.

The programme will support much more informed purchasing decisions for end users - be they companies or consumers - and has the potential to widen markets, increase competition and decrease costs. It will allow purchasers to freely consult a comprehensive global database to check whether a product conforms to ITU standards, or will work with other network elements.

Lack of conformity and interoperability of ICT equipment is a major concern, especially in developing countries. Addressing interoperability is one of the founding principles of the ITU, and the new programme seeks to significantly reduce the problems that have faced service providers and others and bring renewed confidence to the market.

Malcolm Johnson, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU: "A dizzying array of similar products can sometimes make purchasing decisions difficult. Interoperability is at the heart of what ITU does, so we have put in place procedures that will greatly assist those faced with often complex buying decisions. This new programme will significantly reduce the problems telcos, ICT service providers, businesses and consumers face, including unwittingly being locked into proprietary solutions. I believe this initiative is of great significance in our efforts to bridge the digital divide, but will be equally beneficial to those in the developed world."

The new ITU programme will also focus on skills training and the development of regional testing centres for developing countries. It will be voluntary and open to ITU members and non-members alike.

Conformity to ITU-T Recommendations will be declared only via accredited laboratories or certifiers; testing will not carried out by ITU itself. Once accepted and entered into the new database, products will be given a unique identifier which can be referenced by the manufacturing company.

ITU-T Study Groups are actively developing standards for conformity and interoperability testing - for example, test suites for IPTV - which can be used by external certifiers.

As part of the new programme ITU will also organize a series of interoperability events that will allow two or more vendors to get together to verify that their equipment interoperates satisfactorily. An interoperability declaration can then be added to the database. ITU will also hold regional workshops and tutorials on conformity assessment and interoperability.

Research on how to implement a standards conformity and interoperability programme was initiated with the adoption of Resolution 76 at ITU's World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-08). The recent session of ITU's governing council (20-30 October, 2009) has now given the formal go-ahead.

Source: Cellular News

ITU Advocates Infrastructure Sharing to Counter Investment Drought

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:52:56 GMT

The International Telecomunications Union (ITU) has published a report detailing a set of regulatory strategies designed to lower the costs of telecoms network rollout. The report notes that 2008 has been marked by unparalleled numbers of voice and Internet consumers in both the developing and developed world, the result of network growth and expansion.

This year has also seen an unparalleled global financial crisis which may make it more difficult for investors to obtain financing for continuing network development. Sharing strategies, examined in the new ITU report, are seen as conducive for infrastructure development in the telecommunications/ICT sector, particularly in light of the deepening global financial crisis.

Fixed and mobile broadband evolution

Click here to see full article>

"Sharing strategies are increasingly necessary to ensure that operators can deploy their networks at low cost while guaranteeing that consumers have access to affordable services," said Sami Al Basheer, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau. "Now, more than ever, sharing strategies make sense as operators are forced to reduce the costs of network deployment as they compete for scarce investment funds. This is a forward-looking perspective in light of the current financial and economic uncertainty."

Sharing strategies include the sharing of civil engineering costs in deploying networks, promoting open access to network support infrastructure (poles, ducts, conduits), essential facilities (submarine cable landing stations and international gateways) as well as access to radio-frequency spectrum and end-user devices.

Sharing infrastructure could counter impact of financial downturn

The "Six Degrees of Sharing" theme was first discussed in Thailand during ITU's 2008 Global Symposium for Regulators last March. Few observers could then have anticipated the rough ride that would be in store for financial markets a few months down the road.

Yet, the guidelines announced in March seem almost prophetic in today's circumstances. Taking a broad and innovative view of sharing, the world's regulators sought to capture the productivity of global networks and use it to expand the scope of opportunities for service and content providers and, ultimately, consumers. Developing countries embraced sharing to make more affordable the expansion of ICT networks to rural and under-served areas. Many developed countries are looking at sharing to reduce the cost of rolling out ultra high-speed broadband networks that reach customers' homes and apartment buildings.

Passive mobile sharing: Options available in site sharing

"Sound business and regulatory practices will contribute to extracting the greatest possible value from existing levels of investment in the telecommunication and ICT sectors," said Al Basheer. "ITU is committed to working with Member States and to assist regulators in marshalling the regulatory expertise they need to navigate these rough seas."

The booming volume of digital bits generated by the move to convergence and packet-switching has produced a need for increased network capacity. Regulators have a responsibility to create and maintain an environment in which operators and service providers can maximize network capacity and efficiency by fostering capital investment and market expansion as the sector continues to evolve.

Mobile penetration showed high growth rates through 2008. By year end, mobile networks and subscribers will rise to an all time high, reaching an estimated 4 billion mobile subscribers worldwide. The world also counts over 1.5 billion Internet users, a growing number of which use fixed and mobile broadband services. Dial-up is being replaced by broadband across developed and developing countries alike. In developing countries such as Chile, Senegal and Turkey, broadband subscribers represent over 90 per cent of all Internet subscribers.

Click here to see full article>

A growing array of broadband wireless systems are now available, opening the way for users in developing countries to access the Internet on mobile phones and other handheld devices. At the same time, more developing countries are deploying national fibre backbones and backhaul networks to transport their growing data-rich traffic. In addition, several new international submarine cable networks are set to connect developing countries to the global network of Internet backbones - just as a group of high-tech entrepreneurs are working to revive plans for a constellation of broadband satellites to connect the developing world. The Trends report catalogues efforts by governments, and in particular ICT regulators, operators and service providers to expand the reach of affordable broadband services and meeting universal access goals.

Timely steps for ICT sector

What had been foreseen as ideal strategies to extend broadband network access in developing markets may now be viewed as a prescription for the entire world. If the sources of capital for network investment suffer a temporary drought, policy-makers could take steps to make their markets more amenable to the shrinking pool of investment:

Lower investment barriers that inhibit capital flows from one country to another
Reduce regulatory barriers (high licence fees or market-entry bans) that represent hostile environments for capital investment and market growth
Share essential facilities, such as cable landing stations, local switching centres or fibre backbone networks
Adopt rules to provide for infrastructure sharing, particularly "passive" sharing of towers, ducts, rights-of-way and other support facilities
Overhaul and streamline cross-agency processes to create a 'one-stop shop' for various network-related authorizations, such as land management, port access, environmental and safety permits
Add innovative spectrum management mechanisms that promote increased sharing and efficient use of spectrum
Amend regulatory frameworks to eliminate discriminatory rules that favour one company or industry over another in a converged services market
Ensure that government policies and rules maximize the ability of incumbents and market entrants to choose between different opportunities for business plans and long-term strategies, including resale, wholesale, and niche markets

The full report (pdf file, 40 pages) can be downloaded from the ITU website.

Source: Cellular News.

>> >>

Worldwide mobile cellular subscribers to reach 4 billion mark late 2008

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:43:59 GMT

ITU estimates over 60 per cent penetration driven mainly by BRIC economies

Geneva, 25 September 2008 >ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré announced in New York that worldwide mobile cellular subscribers are likely to reach the 4 billion mark before the end of this year.

Dr Touré was speaking at the high-level events on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in New York, where he also participated in UN Private Sector Forums addressing the global food crisis and the role of technological innovation in meeting the MDGs.

The MDGs were adopted following the United Nations Millennium Declaration by UN Member states in 2000, representing an international commitment to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat epidemics such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development that would include making available the benefits of information and communication technologies. ICTs have been recognized as an important tool to achieve the MDGs.

Since the turn of the century, the growth of mobile cellular subscribers has been impressive, with year-on-year growth averaging 24 per cent between 2000 and 2008. While in 2000, mobile penetration stood at only 12 per cent, it surpassed the 50 per cent mark by early 2008. It is estimated to reach about 61 per cent by the end of 2008.

"The fact that 4 billion subscribers have been registered worldwide indicates that it is technically feasible to connect the world to the benefits of ICT and that it is a viable business opportunity," said Dr Touré. "Clearly, ICTs have the potential to act as catalysts to achieve the 2015 targets of the MDGs."

While the data shows impressive growth, ITU stresses that the figures need to be carefully interpreted. Although in theory a 61 per cent penetration rate suggests that at least every second person could be using a mobile phone, this is not necessarily the case. In fact, the statistics reflect the number of subscriptions, not persons.

Click here to see full article>

Double counting takes place when people have multiple subscriptions. Also, operators methods for counting active prepaid subscribers vary and often inflate the actual number of people that use a mobile phone.

On the other hand, some subscribers, particularly in developing countries, share their mobile phone with others. This has often been cited as the success story of Grameen Phone in rural Bangladesh, for instance.

ITU further highlights that despite high growth rates in the mobile sector, major differences in mobile penetration rates remain between regions and within countries.

The impressive growth in the number of mobile cellular subscribers is mainly due to developments in some of the worlds largest markets. The BRIC economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China are expected to have an increasingly important impact in terms of population, resources and global GDP share. These economies alone are expected to account for over 1.3 billion mobile subscribers by the end of 2008.

China surpassed the 600 million mark by mid-2008, representing by far the worlds largest mobile market. India had some 296 million mobile subscribers by end July 2008 but with a relatively low penetration rate of about 20 per cent, India offers great potential for growth. Market liberalization has played a key role in spreading mobile telephony by driving competition and bringing down prices. Indias mobile operators increasingly compete for low-income customers and Average-Revenue-Per-User in India has reached around USD 7, one of the lowest in the world.

ITU recently published two regional reports for Africa and Asia, which indicate how mobile telephony is changing peoples lives. Apart from providing communication services to previously unconnected areas, mobile applications have opened the doors to innovations such as m-commerce to access pricing information for rural farmers and the use of mobile phones to pay for goods and services. While mobile broadband subscribers remain concentrated in the developed world, a number of developing countries, including Indonesia, the Maldives, the Philippines and Sri Lanka in Asia-Pacific have launched 3G networks.

Broadband uptake enables a range of socially desirable and valuable online services, specifically targeting the MDGs in areas such as e-government, e-education and e-health. The use of broadband technologies can help overcome many of the basic development challenges faced by developing countries.

For more information, please contact:

Sanjay Acharya Chief, Media Relations and Public Information ITU
Tel:	+41 22 730 5046
Mobile:	+41 79 249 4861
Email:	pressinfo@itu.int

Source: ITU.

Report Measuring ICT availability in villages and rural areas available now!

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:09:48 GMT

ITU just published a new report on Measuring ICT availability in villages and rural areas. The study will help measure one of the objectives of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to connect villages with information and communication technologies (ICT) and establish community access points. The study estimates that the world is home to about three million villages, of which 92 per cent are in the developing world.

Note  Regional figures are country averages. Telephone refers to fixed-telephone service. Data are from the latest national household survey which is not always compiled on an annual basis. The dates of the surveys used to compile the date range from 2000-2006.

Source: ITU/BDT research.

It also provides estimates on the availability of electricity, fixed-telephone service and public Internet facilities in localities, by region, across the world. Except for Africa, the level of electrification has reached over half the worlds cities, towns and villages, including almost all in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Country averages for communities with a telephone service reache close to 50 per cent in the Americas and in the Asia-Pacific region, and 60 per cent in Europe & CIS. In Africa , just over ten per cent of communities have a fixed-telephone service, compared with nearly 30 per cent in the Arab States. Except for Europe&CIS, country averages for Internet access are very low. In the Americas , around one in six communities has Internet access, compared to one in ten in the Asia-Pacific region. Elsewhere, the country average is below five per cent. Africa stands out with very low levels of access to ICT. For the developing world as a whole, ITU estimates that 30 per cent of communities have fixed-telephone access and eight per cent have Internet access. >

To see the full report, go to: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/material/Measuring%20ICT_web.pdf.

Source: ITU.

ITU publishes global 2007 data

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:07:44 GMT

Data published by ITU's Market, Information and Statistics Division highlights continued high growth rates in the mobile market, and particulaly in developing regions. By the end of 2007, over 70% of the world's mobile subscribers were from developing countries. A positive trend, since in 2006 developing countries represented 67% of all mobile subscriber. Five years earlier, in 2002, they represented less than 50%. Africa remains the region with the highest growth rate (32% in 2006/2007) and mobile penetration in Africa has risen from just one in 50 people at the beginning of this century to almost one third of the population today. Africas mobile penetration of 28% compares to 37% in Asia, 72% in the Americas , and 110% in Europe . [The latter number, which surpasses the 100 percent mark, confirms that mobile subscriber data do not strictly correspond to mobile phone users. Double counting takes place, especially when one person owns multiple SIM cards and when operators do not identify active subscribers.]

In absolute numbers, China and India are the countries that have added the greatest number of mobile subscribers during the year - some 86 million and 68 million, respectively.

Mobile cellular is increasingly dominating the telephone market and worldwide, mobile subscribers represent no less then 71 percent of all (fixed and mobile) telephone subscribers. In Africa , this percentage is close to 90 percent. The continued growth in the mobile sector is matched by no-growth in the fixed line sector, which has been stagnating at just under 20% globally for the last years. Exceptions include some developing countries, such as Nigeria . Africa s most populated country has been able to increase fixed-line penetration from below one, to over 4% within five years, mainly through fixed-wireless systems.

ITU's Internet and broadband data suggest that more and more countries are going high speed. By the end of 2007, over 50 percent of all Internet subscribers had a high speed connection. Dial-up is being replaced by broadband across developed and developing countries, including Senegal , Chile and Turkey , where broadband subscribers represent over 90 percent of all Internet subscribers. At the same time, major differences in broadband penetration levels remain and the number of broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants varies significantly between regions. While broadband penetration stood at less than one percent in Africa, it had reached much higher levels in Europe (16%) and the Americas region (10%). The difference in the uptake of broadband is also reflected by the regional distribution of total broadband subscribers.

Some of ITU's key World Telecommunication/ICT data, encompassing over 200 economies worldwide, for the fixed line, mobile cellular, and Internet/broadband market, are available through the ITU's ICT Eye , the one-stop shop for ICT information and statistics. For more information on ITU's World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators, see: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database.

Source: ITU. >

WTO Basic Telecommunications Negotiations: 10th Anniversary Symposium

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:59:21 GMT

The symposium organized by WTO on 20-21 February 2008 in Geneva commemorated the 10^th anniversary of the entry into force of the 4^th Protocol of the GATS, more commonly known as the Basic Telecommunications Agreement (BTA). The two day event highlights the transformation of telecommunications over the past decade and the regulatory challenges governments have faced. It also explores the broader implications for the ICT sector, trade, economic development and growth, and prospects for the future.

The ITU Secretary General Dr. Hamadoun Touré gave opening remarks at the first day of the symposium. Ms. Susan Schor of the Regulatory and Market Environment Division of ITU-BDT gave a presentation on 10 Years Regulatory Trends. Ms. Vanessa Gray from the Market Information and Statistics Division, ITU-BDT presented ICT Market Trends, which have swept the sector over the last decade. Dr. Tim Kelly from the Standardization Policy Division, ITU-TSB provided an overview of Regulatory challenges in new and emerging services.

Source: WTO and ITU.

ICT Statistics Newslog - ITU

UNEP Basel Convention joins the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development

Newly released data from ITU's ICT Price Basket (IPB) show that ICT services are getting more affordable worldwide

Indicators to measure the WSIS targets

ITU Developing Database of ICT Equipment Compatibility

ITU Advocates Infrastructure Sharing to Counter Investment Drought

Worldwide mobile cellular subscribers to reach 4 billion mark late 2008

ITU estimates over 60 per cent penetration driven mainly by BRIC economies

Report Measuring ICT availability in villages and rural areas available now!

ITU publishes global 2007 data

WTO Basic Telecommunications Negotiations: 10th Anniversary Symposium

Report Measuring ICT availability in villages and rural areas available now!