The European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) - issued its response to BEREC’s proposals for a mid-term strategy and its contribution to BEREC’s draft report on the promotion of broadband. On the mid-term strategy ECTA suggest that BEREC should make more pro-active efforts to monitor and enforce NGA competition rules. On NGN core networks, ECTA asks BEREC to assess the challenges that IP interconnection will pose for existing termination and to assess broadband competition challenges arising from the trend towards bundling of content with telecoms services. Moreover, ECTA believes that “Consumer empowerment” should primarily be viewed as an “enabler” rather than a substitute for competition. NRAs need to make clearer distinctions between residential consumers and large business customers when applying consumer protection rules.

See BEREC’s proposals for a mid-term strategy
Source: The European Competitive Telecommunications Association

The Mexican government aims to promote high speed internet adoption in part by the sale of concessions which will allow the winning bidders to utilise state-owned fibre-optic lines and to build networks in those areas that currently do not have access to broadband services. According to Bloomberg, the initiative will see the government conduct auctions that will include contracts to use two fibre-optic lines from state-owned powerco Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), while bids will also be taken on the use of fibre links running on along the federal highway network

See Press Release
Source: TeleGeography

The European Commission has published a guide for public authorities managing EU funds on the strengths and weaknesses of different models of investment in high speed internet infrastructures. It provides advice to managing authorities and project promoters on the issues that should be considered when planning a public sector investment in broadband infrastructure. The guide is based on a detailed review of several broadband investment projects (mostly co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund).

See Guide to broadband investment
Source: Europe's Information Society Newsroom

ITU has released an interactive infographic tool showcasing the status of broadband deployment worldwide and the regulatory landscape for broadband. The tool runs with authoritative ITU data and allows visualizing latest broadband trends in an appealing and accessible format.

Try it now!

In October 2011, the Broadband Commission for Digital Development jointly hosted a Broadband Leadership Summit with ITU TELECOM preceding the ITU TELECOM WORLD 2011 event. The Summit convened a number of Heads of State, leading CEOs, senior policy-makers and visionaries from across the ICT sector to debate the issues that matter in the deployment of broadband infrastructure and services.


See Press Release, Targets and Summit Programme

South Korea’s largest mobile network operator in terms of subscribers, SK Telecom (SKT), has said that it has witnessed an increased demand for its fourth-generation services, the Korea Times reports. With SKT having inaugurated commercial Long Term Evolution-based (LTE-based) services in July 2011, company spokesperson Kim Ji-won noted: ‘We don’t have any big questions that 4G-based LTE will become the dominant competitive technology in the mobile industry by the end of 2012.’ Such is the confidence in the technology that the cellco has revealed that it now expects to complete its nationwide LTE rollout by April 2012, eight months ahead of its previously announced schedule. Such expansion is also expected to drive subscriptions further, with one unnamed SKT representative cited as saying: ‘When the LTE network is established in 84 cities around the country, subscription will grow explosively.’ SKT had previously indicated that it aimed to have signed up 500,000 customers to its LTE offerings by end-2011, and it is thought likely that it will achieve this target; SKT currently has around 260,000 LTE subscribers, and one out of three of its new subscribers are opting for 4G tariffs, accounting for around 15,000 new LTE customers every day.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

Regulator Anatel's stats reveal Vivo maintained market leadership. Brazil's mobile phone subscriptions increased to 224 million in August, up 1.67% from July, according to figures released over the weekend by telecommunications regulator Anatel. New subscriptions in August totaled 3.7 million. Telecomunicacoes de Sao Paulo SA, or Vivo, maintained market leadership in August, with a 29.54% share. Vivo is controlled by Spain's Telefonica SA. TIM Participacoes SA was in second place with a 25.99% market share. TIM is the local unit of Telecom Italia SpA. Claro, the local unit of Mexico's America Movil SA, was in third place with a 25.36% market share. In fourth-place, mobile-phone operator Tele Norte Leste SA, or Oi, with a 18.78% share.

See Press Release 
Source: Total Telecom

French telecoms regulator Arcep has sold the first blocks of fourth-generation (4G) mobile frequencies in the 2600MHz band for a total of EUR936 million (USD1.28 billion), awarding concessions to all four of the country’s main mobile network operators. The watchdog says it received the highest bid from Iliad’s Free Mobile – the start-up that is preparing to enter the market within the next few months. Free Mobile agreed to pay EUR271 million for the two larger blocks of 2×20MHz spectrum. France Telecom (Orange) was also allocated a duplex frequency block of 20MHz, for which it bid a little over EUR287 million. FT also agreed to host mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) on its new infrastructure. Meanwhile, Vivendi’s Societe Francaise du Radiotelephone (SFR) bid EUR150 million for a 2×15MHz block of spectrum, and Bouygues Telecom offered EUR228 million for a duplex frequency block of 15MHz.

See Press Release 
Source: Telegeography

Amid the political fighting over LightSquared and whether or not it will interfere with GPS, there’s a far larger issue: Can the nascent carrier really build a business as a wholesale carrier? History offers some perspective that maybe it can’t. A blast from the past. This “next-generation digital wireless technology…will be offered across the country to meet the explosive demand for high-speed access to the Internet” via a “wholesale business plan” that is “an unparalleled opportunity for minority and other small business entities to enter the wireless business.” Of course I’m talking about NextWave’s business plan, circa 1999, which was simply one step on the path to an exit from bankruptcy and a sale of its spectrum assets to Cingular and Verizon.

See Press Release 
Source: GigaOM 

Reuters reports that Hungary’s national telecoms regulator, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH), today launched an international auction for companies wishing to secure the right to use 900MHz mobile frequencies for 15 years. The NMHH is inviting bids through the two-round auction process to award three blocks of spectrum in the 900MHz band for the provision of GSM, UMTS, WiMAX or LTE services. The minimum reserve price for one block of 5MHz of EGSM duplex frequency (or ‘A bloc’), is HUF4 billion (USD20.99 million), while other blocks carry reserves of HUF700 million and HUF560 million. The regulator is looking for bidders to submit applications on or before 20 October and it expects to conclude the tender on 12 December.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

Ofcom has launched the UK’s first interactive map of fixed broadband, using actual data provided by communications providers about the UK’s broadband infrastructure.

Ofcom is required to submit a report on the UK’s communications infrastructure to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport every three years. As the first stage of meeting our infrastructure duty, Ofcom is publishing the online map, which allows users to zoom in and out of administrative authorities of the UK and provides a range of data to offer a picture of broadband provision in each area.

The map, available under this link and was compiled using data provided by communications providers and covers 200 administrative authorities.

See Press Release 
Source: OFCOM

 

Brazil's largest telecom group Oi (TNLP4.SA), Telesp (TLPP4.SA), CTBC and Sercomtel will participate in Brazil's National Broadband Plan, Communications Minister Paulo Bernardo said on Thursday. Bernardo said the plan aims to expand high-speed Internet of 1 megabyte per second across Latin America's largest economy of 200 million people at a cost of 35 reais ($22) a month. The companies are expected to start offering the economical broadband Internet in the next 90 days.

See Press Release
Source: Reuters

The head of Sierra Leone’s National Commission for Privatization, Abu Bangura, says the country is in discussions with Management Development International Co. (MDIC), a Beirut-based company, over the management of Sierratel. The telco is Sierra Leone’s monopoly fixed line operator, and one of 24 state-owned companies that the commission is seeking to sell. A spokesperson for MDIC confirmed that they are ‘holding discussions’ regarding Sierratel, but provided no further details.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

UK-based applications and services company ROK Global has announced that, following the launch of its ‘Mobile TV’ subscription services with America Movil’s assorted subsidiaries in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay and El Salvador, the service has now gone live with Claro Guatemala and Claro Nicaragua. Mobile TV offers ten different TV channels, spanning news, sports, music and entertainment. Monthly subscriptions are priced at between USD6 and USD10, although daily and weekly payment options are also available to subscribers.

See Press Release 
Source: Telegeography

European Commission has expressed a number of concerns on a proposal by the Belgian audiovisual regulators to regulate broadcasting services in Belgium. It has also raised some questions on the Belgian telecommunications regulator's proposal to regulate broadband access. In particular, the Commission is asking the Belgian regulators to take full account of market developments in both markets and to further substantiate and justify its reasoning with regard to the broadcasting market. The Commission's role is to oversee the details of remedies proposed by national telecoms regulators to address competition problems so as to ensure that customers and businesses are able to benefit from a fair and competitive single EU telecoms market, and that operators have the regulatory certainty they need to confidently operate EU-wide.

The plans would oblige Belgacom and cable operators to allow alternative operators to compete more effectively in the markets for both cable and the xDSL (where data is transmitted over telephone networks).

Under the proposed measure, Belgacom would have to give access for competitors to its broadband network (using telephone lines) and the cable operators, Telenet, Brutélé, Numéricable, Tecteo and AIESH would have to give access for competitors to their cable networks.

Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice President for the Digital Agenda said "I fully share the objective of the Belgian audiovisual and telecoms regulators to enhance competition for the benefit of the Belgian consumers, who are entitled to more choice and lower prices. However, regulators have to carefully examine market developments and avoid imposing disproportionate obligations on market operators, as this may create unnecessary burdens and ultimately stifle investment and innovation. The Commission has therefore asked the Belgian regulators to carefully examine the competitive conditions in the markets concerned and provide further evidence for their proposed measures".

 

See Press Release 
Source: European commission - Information Society

11 companies due to particpate in government's spectrum sell-off. Spain's Industry Ministry Friday said it will auction mobile spectrum in coming days, with bids starting at EUR1.45 billion, in the largest such tender for telecom companies looking to launch high-speed, fourth-generation services. Eleven companies will be allowed to take part in the auction, including existing top operators Telefonica SA, Vodafone PLC and France Telecom SA, as well as local cable firms and smaller players, the ministry said in a press release. This will be the second 4G mobile spectrum auction, after France Telecom and Sweden's TeliaSonera AB won the first one last month, and committed to pay Spain's government EUR168 million.

See Press Release
Source: Total Telecom

The French telecom regulator Arcep today launched the auction of fourth-generation (4G) mobile licences in the country, hoping to raise a minimum EUR2.5 billion (USD3.6 billion) for state coffers in the process. The country is one of several EU member states to be auctioning 4G mobile spectrum, which will be used to provide ultra-high speed data applications on mobile phones, PDAs and tablet PCs. Arcep has set a deadline of 15 September for bids for 2600MHz spectrum and 15 December for spectrum applications in the 800MHz band; the latter are considered the most valuable.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

Brazilian state-owned telecoms company Telecomunicacoes Brasileiras (Telebras) has signed its first contract to supply cheaper broadband services, as part of the federal government’s plan to improve internet access in the country. Under the broader remit of the National Broadband Plan (PNBL), Telebras signed the contract with internet service provider (ISP) Sadnet, which offers services in the city of Santo Antonio do Descoberto about 30km from Brasilia. Sadnet plans to begin marketing the plan in about 30 days and is looking to provide a maximum 1Mbps connection for BRL35 (USD22.2) per month. Sadnet currently offers end users tariff plans ranging from 100kbps to 200kbps for between BRL29.90 and BRL39.90.

Telebras was given the green light by the telecoms regulator Anatel to operate broadband internet services in the last mile. The decision to issue a Multimedia Communication Service (SCM) licence, published on 20 January, allows Telebras to provide services directly to consumers, as part of the PNBL’s plan to provide nationwide access for high speed internet access by 2014.

See Press Release 
Source: Total TeleGeography

Paris, 6 June 2011 – Governments around the world need to rapidly formulate and implement national multi-sectoral broadband plans – or risk being seriously disadvantaged in today’s increasingly high-speed digital environment, according to a new report released today by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development at its third meeting, held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

The report, entitled Broadband: A Platform for Progress, argues: “To optimize the benefits to society, broadband should be coordinated on a countrywide basis, promoting facilities-based competition and with policies encouraging service providers to offer access on fair market terms...efforts should be coordinated across all sectors of industry, administration and the economy. Developing isolated projects or piecemeal, duplicated networks is not only inefficient, it delays provision of infrastructure that is becoming as crucial in the modern world as roads or electricity supplies.”

The report also makes a strong case for broadband as a driver of economic growth and new jobs, citing country case studies and reports by leading consultancies.

See Press Release 
Source: ITU press release

The European Commission has invited stakeholders' views on the forthcoming revision of EU rules on the public financing of broadband infrastructure. The current guidelines, adopted in September 2009 provide a comprehensive framework for furthering the deployment of high and very-high speed broadband in Europe. However, fast evolving markets and rapid technological progress may require adaptations. This is why the Commission has set up a questionnaire on relevant issues, such as the development of very high speed broadband technologies or how best to design the access conditions on subsidized next generation networks. Comments should be submitted by 31 August 2011. In light of the results, the Commission will decide whether a revision of the guidelines is indicated and, in the affirmative, put forward a proposal for discussion in early 2012.

 

See Press Release 
Source: Europe's Information Society

According to local press reports, mobile operator Vodacom South Africa has confirmed that it has exceeded 1,000 active 43.2Mbps HSPA+ sites on its network. Although the deployment has taken place over time, Vodacom stressed that it did not want to publicise the improved speeds until they had achieved ‘significant’ HSPA+ coverage. CEO Pieter Uys commented: ‘We have actually had the technology up and running for some time, but we wanted to have a critical mass of at least 1,000 base stations before flipping the switch to allow consumers access at up to double the speed. We wanted to make sure that we had the service available in more than just one city’.

See Press Release 
Source: Telegeography 

Technical rules on how the 900 and 1800 MHz radio frequency bands should be opened up to advanced 4th generation (4G) communication devices have just been adopted by the European Commission. The rules, which are important to avoid interference problems with existing GSM and 3G devices, are an important step to bringing wireless broadband access to more EU citizens and businesses. The Commission Decision, which must be implemented by Member States by the end of 2011, will therefore help to achieve the targets of the Digital Agenda for Europe to give every European access to basic broadband by 2013 and fast and ultra fast broadband by 2020 (see IP/10/581, MEMO/10/199 and MEMO/10/200). Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda, said: "This Decision opens the way for the latest 4G mobile devices to gain access to the radio spectrum they need to operate, and so further stimulate high-speed broadband services and foster more competition."

See Press Release 
Source: Europe

Bolivian mobile network operator Entel Movil, a subsidiary of fixed line incumbent Empresa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (Entel), is set to spend around USD32 million on the introduction of HSPA+ technology to its network, national news agency ABI.bo reports.

According to the general manager of the cellco’s parent company, Roy Mendez, theoretical speeds over the improved network will reach up to 21Mbps, the fastest downlink rates offered by any operator in the country, and commenting on the development he said: ‘With this technological leap, Entel offers Bolivians technology at the same level as in the major capitals of the world, significantly reducing the digital divide.’

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

The Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) announced on March 28, 2011 that Qatar’s government has established a new company - Qatar National Broadband Network Company (Q.NBN) – with a mandate to accelerate the rollout of a nationwide, open, and accessible high-speed broadband Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network.

Q.NBN will provide fiber access to citizens and businesses across Qatar, achieving coverage targets in excess of 95 percent by 2015. The resulting high-speed broadband connectivity will enable the effective use of multimedia and communications applications that are central to developing Qatar’s knowledge economy.
“The Qatar National Broadband Network represents a bold step forward in Qatar’s drive to be a leading knowledge economy. Ubiquitous access to a high-speed network is essential to business development, economic growth, innovation and enhanced government services for our citizens.  This network will do more than connect Qatar to the world; it will truly help enrich the lives of those who live here,” said Dr. Hessa Al-Jaber, Secretary General, ictQATAR.

 

See Press Release 
Source: ictQATAR

 

Germany’s network regulator, the Federal Network Agency (FNA), has lowered the monthly fee that incumbent telecoms operator Telekom Deutschland (TD) can charge rivals for using its lines connecting homes and businesses to the local telephone exchange, known as the ‘last-mile’. The FNA has made a preliminary decision that the rate will fall to EUR10.08 (USD15.3) per month from today (1 April 2011), from the previous fee of EUR10.2. The FNA also lowered the fee for local loop unbundling (LLU) access to a street cabinet from EUR7.21 to EUR7.17. The new rates are subject to national and European Union (EU) consultation procedures, with a final decision expected by the end of the second quarter of 2011. 

See Press Release 
Source: TeleGeography

 

Price reductions expected for landline and broadband customers

New prices that Openreach, BT’s wholesale access division, can charge communications providers for access to some of its main wholesale telecoms services were today proposed by Ofcom.The prices are regulated by Ofcom because Openreach has been found to have significant market power in the delivery of these services.

Ofcom expects its proposed prices to lead to real term price reductions for consumers, as communications providers pass on savings to their landline and broadband customers.

Competitive landline and broadband markets

Today’s consultation relates to wholesale charges for telephone and broadband services delivered to homes and businesses over BT’s copper network in two ways:

 

·         Local Loop Unbundling (LLU), which allows communications providers to install their equipment in Openreach’s telephone exchanges to provide broadband and telephone services to their customers; and

·         Wholesale Line Rental (WLR), which is used by communications providers to offer telephone services to consumers using lines rented from Openreach.

 

These wholesale products underpin the competitive provision of broadband and landline services in the UK.  LLU can be supplied alongside or in combination with WLR, providing choice and flexibility for consumers.

The number of ‘unbundled’ lines has increased from 123,000 in September 2005 to 7.59 million today and there are 6.14 million WLR connections in the UK, enabling a range of communications providers to offer landline and broadband services.

 

See Press Release
Source: OFCOM

The Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) that monitors the electronic communications and postal sectors in Sweden conducted the Broadband Survey for 2010 showing that 44 per cent of all permanent households and businesses in Sweden have, or have the possibility of ordering, at least 100 Mbps broadband downstream. This means that the sub-objective of the Government’s Broadband Strategy – that 40 per cent of households and businesses should have access to at least 100 Mbps broadband by 2015 – has been achieved.

PTS will present no later than 31 May a complete follow-up of the sub-objective of the Government’s Broadband Strategy of 100 Mbps for 90 per cent of households and businesses by 2020, together with how access to IT infrastructure will continue to develop.

See Press Release 
Source: PTS

The government statistics bureau of Argentina, Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censos (INDEC), has reported that the country ended 2010 with a total of 5.22 million broadband subscribers, up from 4.26 million a year earlier. In terms of technology, xDSL made up the lion’s share of total connections (2.9 million, or 56%), followed by wireless, satellite and other connections (1.35 million, or 26%) and cable technology (962,354, or 18%).

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

­TeliaSonera's subsidiary, the mobile operator EMT in Estonia, has created a world's first mobile identification service which makes it possible to vote via a mobile phone. The service enabled the citizens of Estonia to cast their vote to yesterday's parliamentary elections via their mobile phone - for the first time in the world.

See this article

Source: Cellular News

Algerie Telecom (AT) has resumed service for 3,700 of the 29,833 phone lines that it deactivated in Oran, the country's second largest city. The fixed line incumbent claims that the reconnected subscribers – who are primarily believed to be corporate customers have agreed to pay off their outstanding debt under the 'Seheli' repayment programme, which was launched in October 2010. According to El Moudjahid, AT has recovered around DZD21.5 million (USD291,743) of an estimated DZD367 million in unpaid bills. The telco has confirmed that the Sehelli programme will remain in operation until 1 March 2011. Any customers who make good their debt will be given the option of opening a broadband subscriber account as an incentive.

See Press Release
Source: TeleGeography

Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, has issued an urgent call to twenty one EU countries to rapidly introduce all the legislative measures necessary to allow the pan-EU deployment of mobile satellite services that could be used for high-speed internet, mobile television and radio or emergency communications to EU consumers and businesses. According to the timetable agreed by a Decision of the European Parliament and the EU's Council of Ministers in 2008, Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) should be deployed in all EU Member States by May 2011 at the latest (MEMO/09/237). But, more than twenty months after the Commission selected two operators to provide such pan-European services, 21 Member States have not yet adopted all the national rules needed to facilitate MSS deployment. Vice-President Kroes recently appealed also to the two operators concerned to step up their efforts.

See Press Release
Source: Europe's Information Society

Venezuelan state-owned telco, Compania Anonima Nacional Telefonos de Venezuela (CANTV), announced on Friday that it has finished building a fibre-optic cable linking the southern part of the country to northern Brazil. Officials revealed the news at a press conference broadcast on state-run television, following the completion of the rollout of optical fibre across the border to the city of Manaus in Brazil, via small Venezuelan city Santa Elena de Uairen.

The link will support transmission of broadband internet with a maximum capacity of 10Gbps. According to Venezuela's Ministry of Science, Technology and Intermediate Industries, the country has around 10,700km of state-controlled fibre-optic infrastructure, and over the next two years the backbone is expected to reach 18,000km; the ministry added that the fibre network has been enlarged by 20% over the last two years.

See Press Release
Source: TeleGeography

EriTel, Eritrea’s state-owned incumbent telecoms operator, has completed the first phase of its network expansion and upgrade project, local newspaper Shabait reports. According to the company’s head of trade, Tekle Woldeslasie, EriTel has fully renewed its network connections and changed all transmitters in the past two years. To ease mobile network congestion, the company has constructed additional stations in Asmara, Keren, Mendefera and Massawa, among other areas, while new telephone stations have been installed in Merhano, Tsaeda Kristian, Arbaete Asmera, Bisha, Foro and Massawa to accommodate more customers. Additionally, EriTel is rolling out a third-generation mobile network in order to upgrade data and internet services, and is also considering expanding its 2G network nationwide.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

National regulator Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) says new telecoms operators wishing to set up shop in the country will not be able to offer 3G mobile services, as it lacks spectrum bandwidth as all available frequencies are currently occupied by Nepal Telecom (Nepal Doorsanchar Company Limited, or NT) and Spice Nepal Private Ltd (Ncell). Speaking at the latest meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), NTA chairman Bhesraj Kandel confirmed that the only way for operators to get 3G spectrum would be if the existing spectrum was reallocated.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

Survey finds faster broadband needed in schools and libraries The Federal Communications Commission today released a report on the state of broadband connectivity at schools and libraries receiving funds from the federal E-rate program, which provides support to help connect schools and libraries to the Internet. The report is based on data from a survey conducted in 2010 that examined the success and challenges related to broadband use faced by schools and libraries. This survey will help the Commission make data-driven policy decisions for the E-rate program by providing information on the educational and technological needs of schools and libraries.

See Press Release
Source: Federal Communications Commission - FCC

Syria's third mobile license will be awarded next April, with an action on April 11th, the local Al Watan newspaper reported, citing an executive from Detecon consultancy firm, which is acting as an advisor on the deal. Syria will also announce the establishment of an independent telecoms regulator before the license auction starts, Imad Sabouni, the Syrian communications and technology minister added. Last month it was announced that Etisalat, France Telecom, Qtel, Turkcell, Saudi Telecom were pre-qualified for the license auction.

See Press Release 
Source: Cellular-news

Five out of the six original bidders have been qualified to bid in Syria's forthcoming tender for the country's third mobile operator license. Etisalat, France Telecom, Qtel, Turkcell, Saudi Telecom were pre-qualified, with Iranian group Tamco being dropped from the tender. The bids were evaluated by a joint committee from the ministry and a German advisory company. The second phase of the auction competition related to technical qualification will be announced Dec. 12. Applicants need at last three years of experience in operating a cellphone license and must be already operating in two countries with at least 1.5 million customers in each. The two incumbent operators will have to buy out their current BOT agreements and convert to a conventional license agreement. The buyout price has been previously reported as being around US$500 million.

See Press Release
Source:Cellular-news

Operator expects size of fixed broadband market to triple in the next three years. Brazilian telecommunications company Tele Norte Leste Participacoes S/A, seeing limited growth in the mobile business, is betting heavily on its wireline network to deliver faster-growing fixed-broadband and pay-television service. Tele Norte Leste, also known as Oi, will introduce an Internet-based TV service within the next six months, according to Chief Financial Officer Alex Zornig. He also expects the fixed-broadband business to triple over the next three years. "The name of the game in Brazil is broadband and cable TV," Zornig said in an interview Tuesday.

See Press Release
Source: Total Telecom

The Federal Communications Commission recently took action to extend the deadline for broadcasters, cable companies, satellite radio and television operators, and wireline video service providers to implement the new federal common messaging protocol adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the transmission of next generation emergency alerts and warnings to the public.

See Press Release
Source: FCC Federal Communications Commission

A government-appointed panel in Japan, set up to oversee plans to roll out fibre-optic broadband access to all homes by 2015, has said it will not force the incumbent, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT), to spin off the division responsibility for fibre infrastructure. The Nikkei daily reports that although the fibre-optic networks are primarily owned by the telco’s regional units NTT East Corp and NTT West Corp, rivals such as Softbank Corp are calling for government intervention arguing that NTT’s dominance in the sector makes for an unfair playing field.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA will formally announce their joint venture to create a mobile payment network, which will be financially backed by Barclays PLC and Discover Financial Services, as soon as Tuesday, according to people familiar with the situation. The joint venture will be lead by Michael Abbott, formerly chief marketing officer at General Electric Co.'s GE Capital division. Discover and Barclays will also officially announce that they are participating in the venture. A formal announcement can come any time between Tuesday and Thursday.

See Press Release
Source: Total Telecom

The USA is planning to release 115Mhz of radio spectrum for use in wireless broadband service within the next five years under plans announced today by the US Commerce Department, through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

In late June, President Obama committed to make available 500 megahertz of Federal and nonfederal spectrum over the next 10 years. The NTIA has now undertaken a fast-track review to identify some reallocation opportunities that exist in the next five years and to make a down payment on the overall goal. In the coming months, NTIA will continue to investigate reallocation opportunities that will maximize private sector investment, while protecting critical Federal missions.

See Press Release
Source: Cellular-news

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has been called upon to investigate a number of so-called ‘text and win’ promotions being run by Ghanaian telecoms operators amid concerns they may contravene the country’s gaming laws. Ghana Business News says the probe is being forced by Minister of Communications Haruna Iddrisu who has asked the NCA to identify if telecom operators’ practices are consistent with existing rules and regulations. If not, those found to be in breach will be dealt with accordingly. It is understood that MTN and Tigo, in particular, have run campaigns that require customers to text at premium rates in order to stand a chance of winning. However, out of the millions of subscribers who participated in these so-called ‘customer loyalty rewards promotions’ only a few have actually won any prizes.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

Slovakia's Telecommunications Office (TU SR) opened a tender for 10GHz band wireless frequencies intended for the provision of regional local broadband access services via fixed wireless access (FWA) technology. Licences are up for grabs in eight localities: Komarno, Levice, Liptovsky Mikulss, Martin, Nitra, Nove Zamky, Povazska Bystrica and Turcianske Teplice. The only evaluation criterion is the amount offered in a one-off payment for the allocation of a spectrum block. The minimum price for a block is set at EUR665 (USD925). Candidates must submit their tender documents to the regulator by 22 November 2010.

See Press Release
Source Telegeography

Brazil's telecoms regulator, Anatel has published the details of its planned auction the remaining 3G radio spectrum - the Band H block. The spectrum auction has been designed in a manner that could potentially see a new entrant into the market, although this is felt by analysts to be unlikely. The auction is expected to be held on the 15th December 2010, and the minimum price for the sale of all the frequency blocks in Band H is R$1.1 billion (US $640 million).

The auction will also include some additional 2G spectrum in the 1900Mhz bands. The H band is made up of (10 MHz + 10 MHz), Sub-band extension H (SE) (5 MHz + 5 MHz), sub-bands on the (S), D (S), E (S) and M (S) and extension sub-bands (SE ) 900 MHz and 1800 MHz, including the sub-bands for TDD Systems.

See Press Release
Source: Cellular-news

The Federal Communications Commission announced the release of a white paper entitled, “Mobile Broadband: The Benefits of Additional Spectrum.” This detailed technical and economic forecast of mobile broadband market trends details the looming spectrum crunch in a concrete, data-driven fashion. The National Broadband Plan recognized the exponential growth of mobile data usage and recommended that the Commission make available 500 megahertz (MHz) of new spectrum for wireless broadband within ten years, including 300 MHz for mobile flexible use within five years. In addition, the President directed in a June 28, 2010, Executive Memorandum that 500 MHz of new spectrum be made available for mobile and fixed broadband use.

See Press Release http://www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2010/db1021/DOC-302330A1.pdf
Source FCC Federal Communications Commission http://www.fcc.gov

As the U.K. government spared rural network investment from a raft of spending cuts, Lloyds TSB's telecoms head on Thursday stressed the need for states to play a role in funding broadband rollout. "Is it reasonable to expect BT's shareholders to fund an uneconomical business? Well in my opinion, in principle, no," said Richard Price, head of telecoms at Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets. He commented to Total Telecom that governments need to provide the private sector with incentives to spend money on putting infrastructure into sparsely-populated areas. 

See Press Release
Source: Total Telecom

President Cristina Kirchner has launched a national connectivity plan to bring broadband access and free digital television to parts of the country not yet served by existing networks. ‘Argentina Conectada’ will involve the deployment of a 26,000km backbone by state-owned satellite company Arsat in rural and unprofitable areas to complement the existing infrastructure. The project will require government investment of around ARS8 billion (USD2.02 billion) over the next three years.

See article
Source: Telegeography

Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) unveiled on Wednesday a new service as part of plans to upgrade its mobile network, amid calls by Italy's telecom regulator for more investment and rival plans to boost mobile broadband coverage. Telecom Italia, Italy's largest telecom operator, said its new service would allow users in Milan and Rome to enjoy speeds of up to 21 Megabits per second over a wireless network, up from a maximum of 14.4 Mbit/second now. The service, to be rolled out nationwide gradually, is part of the company's plans to develop its mobile network to keep up with the growing amount of traffic generated by mobile phones, USB modems, smartphones and tablet computers, it said. "In Italy, there is little use of broadband at home and a lot on the go," Telecom Italia CEO Franco Bernabe told a news conference, noting that 30 percent of Italian users of the social networking site Facebook do so via the mobile network.

See Press Release
Source: Reuters

Canada's federal government has announced that it plans to hold a radio spectrum auction in 2012 to allocate the digital dividend spectrum that is due to become available when analogue television signals are switched off at the end of August 2011. "We know that 700 megahertz is going to be available as people switch to digital TV," Industry Minister Tony Clement told reporters. "And we know that the 2500 megahertz is also going to be available, so I have instructed my department to get ready and to start the process rolling." The auction is also expected to act as a spur to the government to clarify the laws on foreign shareholding in Canadian telecoms networks. Any confusion over shareholder limits could deter investors and reduce the potential revenues for the government.

See Press Release
Source: cellular-news

House Democrats have shelved a last-ditch effort to broker a compromise between phone, cable and Internet companies on rules that would prohibit broadband providers from blocking or degrading online traffic flowing over their networks. House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., abandoned the effort late Wednesday in the face of Republican opposition to his proposed "network neutrality" rules. Those rules were intended to prevent broadband providers from becoming online gatekeepers by playing favorites with traffic. The battle over net neutrality has pitted public interest groups and Internet companies such as Google Inc. and Skype against the nation's big phone and cable companies, including AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp.

See Press Release
Source: cellular-news

The US Federal Communications Commission approved a proposal on Thursday that would open vast amounts of unused broadcast television airwaves for high-speed wireless broadband networks and other unlicensed applications.

See Press Release
Source: USA Federal Communications Commission

Ofcom today published research which shows that nearly half (45%) of consumers with broadband or a landline think that switching communications provider is too much hassle. Ofcom is considering ways to make the switching processes quicker and easier across communications services, initially focusing on broadband and landlines, to improve consumers’ experience and to make competition more effective. Ofcom committed to review switching processes in its latest Annual Plan. In addition, a number of broadband and landline providers, as well as consumer groups, have expressed the view that Ofcom should consider these issues.

See Press Release
Source: OFCOM

The following mobile network operators (MNOs) have published performance pledges for their mobile broadband services. Consumers may access the websites of these MNOs to obtain the information via the following links: CSL Limited Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Limited Hutchison Telephone Company Limited SmarTone Mobile Communications Limited The performance pledges do not represent service “guarantees” of the MNOs. They are intended to give consumers an indication of the normal service quality level of the MNOs concerned. Actual performance statistics of the MNOs against the pledges will be published by the MNOs at their respective websites within one month after the end of each quarter. The first batch of performance statistics shall be available before January 2011.

See Press Release 
Source: OFTA - Hong Kong Office of the Telecommunications Authority

The Digital Economy Act 2010 requires Ofcom to produce a report for the Government every three years giving a clear picture of the state of the UK’s landline, broadband, mobile and broadcast networks and services. Today’s consultation sets out the information that Ofcom plans to gather from stakeholders, whilst considering the need to minimise the administrative burden on them.

The consultation can be found here

Source: Ofcom

Las licitaciones 20 y 21, de las bandas 1.7 y 1.9 megahertz, respectivamente, continúan ya que no existe impedimento legal alguno para la entrega de las concesiones a los ganadores de dichos procesos, conducidos por la Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones (Cofetel). Por medio de estas licitaciones la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) y la Cofetel impulsan la oferta de servicios de telecomunicaciones inalámbricas en el país en beneficio de todos los usuarios.
Para fortalecer el sano desarrollo de esta industria, las licitaciones 20 y 21 se han conducido en todo momento con equidad y transparencia. Ello, permitirá que cada vez más mexicanos tengan acceso a más y mejores servicios de telecomunicaciones a costos más competitivos. A lo largo de los procesos, varias empresas han interpuesto más de 60 medios de impugnación en contra de las licitaciones. Sin embargo, ninguno de éstos ha derivado en detenerlas o suspenderlas.

See Press Release
Source: Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes

Gabon's government has announced a tender to set up and operate a 3G phone network. Tenders have to be submitted to the regulator, Artel by 30th September. "The third generation is a revolutionary tool that will allow the public easier access to information and conduct business transactions over the Internet," said the Minister of Communication, Postal Services and the Digital Economy, Ms Laure Olga Gondjout.
The country currently has four mobile networks, Libertis, Zain, Moov, Azur. According to the Mobile World analysts, the country ended March with 1.93 million subscribers, representing a population penetration level of 126%. Gabon is more prosperous than most nearby countries, with a per capita income of four times the average for Sub-Saharan Africa. This is in large part due to offshore oil production.

See Press Release
Source: Cellular-news

South Korea, Netherlands, Hong Kong Take Top Spots in Strategy Analytics' Broadband Composite Index (BCI)
The United States still trails much of the world in broadband development, ranking 23rd on the list of the top 57 countries, according to rankings released this week by analyst firm Strategy Analytics. South Korea holds on to the title of the world’s most advanced broadband market. Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Japan round out the top five slots.

The rankings are the result of a new broadband measurement tool just launched by Strategy Analytics. The "Broadband Composite Index" (BCI) examines and scores the broadband development of fifty-seven individual countries in five categories, including household penetration, speed, affordability, value for money, and urbanicity. The resulting score provides a more balanced and robust view of broadband development, according to the firm.

See Press Release (1), (2)

Source: Information Policy , Strategy Analytics

Ireland is launching a consultation process to determine appropriate price control of  Wholesale Broadband Access in order to prevent abusive conduct from dominant players.

See Press Release
Source: ComReg

Last week U.S. President Obama announced investment in 66 new broadband projects, many of which fill in fiber “middle mile” gaps in rural communities. The awarded projects are believed to “create approximately 5,000 jobs, help spur economic development in some of the nation’s hardest-hit communities, helping create jobs for years to come. In total, tens of millions of Americans and over 685,000 businesses, 900 healthcare facilities and 2,400 schools in all 50 states stand to benefit from the awards.” While the vast majority of projects is related to building and improving middle mile and FttH infrastructures, some of the projects aim to expand computer center capacity for public use in libraries, community colleges and other public venues.

See Press Release
Source: DSL reports, Whitehouse.gov

According to a study report released by the Asia Pacific Carriers’ Coalition (APCC) on 14 June 2010, Hong Kong provides the most economical local broadband access services in the Asia Pacific region. The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) welcomes the findings of the APCC Study, which affirm the position of Hong Kong as the premier telecommunications hub in the region. The APCC commissioned the consultant TRPC to conduct the local access price benchmarking study for the Asia Pacific region in 2009. The Study compares the prices of local leased lines, Ethernet access facilities and DSL respectively in 14 economies, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

See Press Release
Source: OFTA

The Australian Government today welcomed the announcement by Telstra and NBN Co that they had entered into a Financial Heads of Agreement. This agreement paves the way for a faster, cheaper, more efficient rollout of the National Broadband Network, with faster take-up. This is an important step in the delivery of the single largest nation building infrastructure project in Australian history, which will increase national productivity and help build a stronger economy.The Agreement between NBN Co and Telstra, worth an expected value of $9 billion, provides for : the reuse of suitable Telstra infrastructure, including pits, ducts and backhaul fibre, by NBN Co as it starts to rollout its new network Ð avoiding unnecessary infrastructure duplication; and the progressive migration of customers from Telstra's copper and pay-TV cable networks to the new wholesale-only fibre network to be built and operated by NBN Co. The Agreement means that: Taxpayers benefit because it reduces the overall cost of building the network and will result in higher take-up rates and revenue for NBN Co; A greater proportion of the NBN rollout will be underground, with less overhead cabling. Australia's largest telecommunications company, Telstra, will become a participant in the rollout of the NBN, and is likely to become NBN Co's largest customer.

See Press Release

Source : ACMA

For SindiTelebrasil, incentives and regulation would be sufficient to meet the National Broadband Plan (PNBL).

The director of SindiTelebrasil, Eduardo Levy, said that the documents so far published by the government about the National Broadband are vague and do not give legal certainty that no change of rules. It also says that what is posted adds little in relation to targets and conditions for the private sector can contribute to the plan.

See Press Release 
Source SindiTelebrasil, National Union of Telephone Companies and Service Cellular Mobile and Personal

The  National Communications Commission (NCC) has reacted positively to the news that Taiwan's WiMAX operators intend to convert to Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology. 4G licensing will take place in 2014 at the earliest. However, no decisions have yet been made with regard to spectrum planning or the number of 4G licences. Four broadband operators – Global Mobile, Tatung Telecom, FarEasTone (FET) and VMAX – were awarded technology-neutral licences and the NCC has indicated that the quartet may apply to alter their operational plans in order to adopt different mobile technologies – including LTE.

See Article

Source: TeleGeography

The Federal Communications Commission today opened a new proceeding to identify the legal approach that will best support its efforts to ensure universal access to affordable, highquality broadband services; promote broadband innovation, investment, and competition; and protect and empower consumers. A Notice of Inquiry adopted by the agency begins a public process to consider possible frameworks for addressing the high-speed connections most consumers use to access the Internet.

See Press Release
Source: National Broadband Plan

Following the assignment of the fourth 3G licence to Free Mobile in January 2010, two blocks of around 5 MHz duplex remain to be assigned in the 2.1 GHz band. The application procedure to assign these remaining frequencies was launched on 25 February 2010. Under this application procedure, interested players were to submit their applications to ARCEP by 11 May 2010 at 12:00 noon. At the deadline, three applications had been submitted by the following companies:

- Free Mobile, 100%-owned subsidiary of Iliad
- Orange France, 100%-owned subsidiary of France Telecom
- Société Française du Radiotéléphone (SFR), 56% held by Vivendi and 44% by Vodafone

It will then announce its decision by the end of May.

See Press Release
Source: ARCEP

 ITU and UNESCO  announced the establishment of a top level Broadband Commission for Digital Development which will define strategies for accelerating broadband rollout worldwide and examine applications that could see broadband networks improve the delivery of a huge range of social services, from healthcare to education, environmental management, safety and much more.

See Press Release

Source: ITU

The Authority’s conclusion is that there  was a substantive breach of section 7M of the Ordinance in nature and with significant impact on the consumers.    Taking  all factors into account, the Authority is of the opinion that in this case of a first financial penalty for CSL, the penalty which is proportionate and reasonable in relation to the conduct concerned is $130,000.
Source: OFTA

In an online video address, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski explains the suggested “third way” approach developed by FCC staff to secure a solid legal foundation for broadband policy in the wake of the recent Comcast court decision.

The FCC also launched a series of new media resources at Broadband.gov -- including blog posts, frequently asked questions, and a glossary of terms -- to educate the public about the complex, technical legal issues involved. These resources will be updated on an ongoing basis. FCC Chairman Genachowski video address available here. FCC Chairman Genachowski blog post available here.

See press release attached

Source: FCC

DOC-297976A1.doc (69,5 KB)

The American Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has decided to take a “third approach” to regulating broadband carriers, partially classifying them as “common carriers” under Title 2 of the Communications Act. This would allow the FCC to control the transmission component of broadband Internet, but not rates or content.
The plan, revealed on Thursday, would reclassify broadband transmission service as a telecommunications service. In doing so, the agency is trying to find middle ground between carriers – who would prefer no regulation on their Internet services at all – and consumer advocates – who would like to see strict regulation to enforce “net neutrality”.

See Press Release
Source: International Telecommunications User Group INTUG

Broadband.co.uk has  been awarded Ofcom accreditation for its price comparison calculator. The Ofcom price accreditation scheme logo is awarded to price comparison sites that have had their calculators put through a rigorous independent audit.  The audit checks whether the information provided to consumers is accessible, accurate, transparent, comprehensive and up to date.

The full news release can be found here

Source: OFCOM

In response to press enquiries on an article on mobile broadband service survey published by the Consumer Council in its CHOICE magazine today (15 March 2010), the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) indicated that in view of the increasing popularity of mobile broadband service, OFTA has taken a number of initiatives recently with a view to increasing the level of customer satisfaction in using innovative telecommunications services and to providing a fair regulatory environment conducive to business investment.

See Press Release

Source: OFTA

The Federal Communications Commission launched new digital tools -- the Consumer Broadband Test and the Broadband Dead Zone Report -- that allow consumers to test their broadband service and report areas where broadband is not available.
“Transparency empowers consumers, promotes innovation and investment, and encourages competition,” said Chairman Julius Genachowski. “The FCC’s new digital tools will arm users with real-time information about their broadband connection and the agency with useful data about service across the country. By informing consumers about their broadband service quality, these tools help eliminate confusion and make the market work more effectively.” The fixed version is available at www.broadband.gov

See Press Release  
Source: Federal Communications Commission - FCC  

El Ministro de Transportes y Comunicaciones, Enrique Cornejo, anunció hoy que en lo que resta del régimen, su despacho pondrá énfasis en sentar las bases para el desarrollo sostenido de la transmisión de datos por la Banda Ancha en todo el país para aprovechar el gran potencial de este moderno servicio de telecomunicación, en beneficio del desarrollo económico nacional.

En ese sentido, el Ministro Cornejo encomió la constitución en la fecha, en el ámbito del MTC, de una comisión multisectorial temporal que se encargará de elaborar el Plan Nacional para el Desarrollo de la Banda Ancha en el Perú, en un plazo de 120 días.

See Press Release
Source: Perú - Ministerio de Transporte y Comunicaciones (MTC)

Federal regulators trying to bring high-speed Internet connections to all Americans will propose tapping the government program that now subsidizes telephone service in poor and rural areas. The Federal Communications Commission will include a proposal to revamp the Universal Service Fund as part of a national broadband plan due to Congress on March 17. Although the proposal itself has been expected for months, Friday's announcement offered the first solid details.

The FCC said it envisions transforming the Universal Service program over the next decade to pay for high-speed Internet access instead of the traditional voice services that it currently finances. The proposal would create a Connect America fund inside the Universal Service program to subsidize broadband, and a Mobility Fund to expand the reach of so-called 3G, or third-generation, wireless networks.

See Press Release
Source: Cellular-news

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is contemplating to come up with a consultation paper on IMT-Advanced (4G) Mobile wireless broadband services. International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced) systems are mobile systems which include the new capabilities of IMT that go beyond those of IMT-2000. In other words, IMT-Advanced (or 4G) will see a progression beyond third-'generation (3G) technology. The new 4G networks will allow users to stream mobile multimedia, such as TV broadcasts and online games, with speeds up to 10 times than that of third-generation (3G) networks. Such systems provide access to a wide range of telecommunication services supported by mobile and fixed networks that are increasingly accessed using hand held devices.

See Press Release
Source: TRAI India

El mercado de la banda ancha mantuvo en diciembre la tendencia alcista de los últimos meses (agosto-noviembre) y sumó 63.722 nuevas líneas, tras un periodo (febrero-julio) de crecimiento más moderado. De esta forma, a finales de año, España superó los 9,7 millones de líneas de banda ancha, un 7,6% más que a cierre de 2008 y alcanzó una penetración de 21,1 líneas cada 100 habitantes, según los últimos datos de la CMT correspondientes a la nota mensual de diciembre.

See Press Release

Source: CMT Comision del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones

Haitian telecoms regulator Conatel has granted 12MHz of additional spectrum in the 850MHz band to local mobile operator Comcel (Voila) to help with relief efforts in the wake of the devastating earthquake on 12 January, Stewart Sherriff, CTO with Voila's US-based parent Trilogy International, told BNamericas. Sherriff stressed that the extra spectrum was crucial as networks were being stretched to the limit with the surge in traffic. ‘We're very grateful for the 12MHz the government gave us. It will aid enormously in relieving the congestion we have in the network, he said. Voila now has 47MHz (2x23.5MHz) in the 850MHz band, whilst just a small 2x1.5MHz block remains set aside for emergency purposes.

See Press Release

Source: TeleGeography

Costa Rica has announced details of plans to break the telecoms monopoly held by he state-owned Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) and introduce competition into the mobile phone market. The telecoms regulator, Sutel aims to launch a tender for a second mobile license in April, with the license to be awarded in the second half of this year.

Sutel said that the companies that have expressed an interested in bidding include America Movil, Telefonica and Digicel Goup.

Costa Rica was obliged to open its telecoms market to competition as a condition of entry into the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

Figures from the Mobile World notes that the incumbent operator ended Q3 '09 with an estimated 3.23 million subscribers. The population penetration level is 76%.

See Press Release

Source: Cellular News

The European Commission has given its green light to the amended definition of the wholesale broadband access market (WBA) notified by the Austrian regulator RTR (Rundfunk und Telekom Regulierungs GmbH). On 5 October 2009, the Commission had expressed serious doubts about the market definition as originally notified by RTR on 3 September 2009. RTR has now provided sufficient evidence that mobile broadband connections are substitutes to fixed line broadband connections for Austrian residential customers. RTR has also modified its wholesale market definition and now excludes all bitstream access for residential customers from regulation. Nevertheless, the Commission invites RTR to closely monitor market developments and to change the market definition if its forecasts on the continued substitutability of fixed and mobile broadband products and next generation access network (NGA) roll-out prove to be incorrect.

See Press Release

Source: Europa

 

The Latvian regulator SPRK (Sabiedrisko Pakalpojumu Regulešanas Komisija) proposes to oblige the provision of call-by-call selection, pre-selection and a price control on the incumbent operator Lattelecom because it has significant market power (SMP) in the retail access markets. SPRK does not, however, want to impose the provision of wholesale line rental (WLR).

See Press Release
Source: Europe's Information Society

The Ministry of Transport and Communications in Helsinki has pushed through a law that will force telecommunications providers to offer high speed internet connections to all of the country's 5.3 million citizens, making broadband internet access a legal right.

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Source Guardian

The Dominican Republic’s telecoms regulator, Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones (Indotel), has said it has plans to roll out fixed line telecoms services to an additional 1,000 rural communities as part of an initiative aimed at providing broadband and home voice services to all towns with more than 300 inhabitants. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, the announcement comes just over a year after fixed line incumbent Codetel inked a deal with Indotel to undertake a rural connectivity project that will see investment of USD100 million.

See Press Release
Source: TeleGeography

The European Commission has called on the Austrian telecoms regulator, Rundfunk und Telekom Regulierungs GmbH (RTR), to suspend the adoption of regulatory measures regarding the definition of the Austrian broadband access market. The Commission has doubts as to the compatibility of the provisions defining the Austrian wholesale broadband access market with EU law.

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Source Europe's Information Society

The European Commission today endorsed the Irish regulator's (ComReg) proposal to lower the prices charged by Eircom, the incumbent telecoms operator, to its competitors for granting access to its network. From now on, Eircom will no longer charge competitors that use its lines for costs on lines they do not use. The proposed measures complement previous important steps towards facilitating investment in infrastructure and enhancing competition on the Irish broadband market.

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Source Europe's Information Society

Several operators in the United States of America have raised concerns on the insufficiency of spectrum to meet future demands, following a recent explosion in mobile data traffic. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comment on whether more spectrum is needed for wireless broadband services as it continues to develop the national broadband plan, and has thus launched a consultation in this regard.

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Source TeleGeography

The demand for spectrum has been rising and if it exceeds availability, licenses for the frequency band 790MHz-862MHz will be assigned through an auction. Swedish telecoms regulator the Post & Telestyrelsen (PTS) has launched a public consultation on the assignment of this frequency band. The 800MHz band is suitable for wide-area coverage in sparsely populated areas and PTS is considering conditions that will require winners to provide coverage in areas where residents currently lack basic infrastructure for broadband access.

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Source TeleGeography

The European Commission (EC) has adopted guidelines on the application of state aid rules on public funding for broadband networks. It provides a framework for stakeholders and contains specific provisions for the deployment of Next Generation Access networks.

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Source Europe's Information Society

A recent study of the Columbia Business School calculates the impact of investment in broadband technology on employment and economic output.  

According to the study, some EUR 36 billion of investment will be fulfilled under the National Broadband Strategy of Germany by 2020. This investment is expected to create close to a million jobs from broadband construction and network effects between 2010-2020. In addition, this investment will result in over EUR170 billion in incremental GDP over the same period.

The full paper and the summary are available online.

Source: Columbia Business School

Los operadores de cable y los operadores alternativos han obtenido el 82,86% de la ganancia neta de líneas de banda ancha entre marzo y mayo de 2009, según la última nota mensual publicada por la Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT). Los operadores de cable se han hecho con el 16,21% de las líneas y el resto de operadores alternativos, con el 66,65%. Telefónica, por su parte, ha captado el 17,14% restante de las líneas.
 
Durante el mes de mayo de 2009 se han dado de alta 46.397 líneas de banda ancha, con lo que el total ya alcanza los 9,34 millones, un 8,7% más que el año anterior. La presión competitiva que están ejerciendo los operadores alternativos en banda ancha se ha dejado notar también en los datos de portabilidad fija, que obtuvieron en mayo su segundo mejor registro en 12 meses, con 126.836 números portados, un 28% más que en mayo de 2008.
 
See Press Release
Source: Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT)

Ofcom has  published a short guide to telecoms regulation for companies looking to invest in new build super-fast broadband networks. The guide provides a summary of existing telecoms policy for ease of reference and is published alongside a glossary of terms on super-fast broadband.
 
See the document 

Source: OFCOM

Seacom and Interoute are going ahead with their deal to create a digital super-highway between East Africa and Europe. The agreement will see the East African undersea cable being connected to Interoute's pan-European fibre-optic network. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.

An Interoute statement says it will also give East Africa access to the European network operator's range of wholesale and enterprise services. Opportunities will be opened up for telcos, and the deal will also support the growing demand for broadband Internet in the region, it adds.

See Press Release
Source: Balancingact-africa

El Ministerio de Comunicaciones, con el fin de recibir comentarios y observaciones del sector de telecomunicaciones, se permite poner a consideración, durante el periodo comprendido entre el día 15 de abril hasta el 05 de mayo de 2009, los proyectos de Resolución: a). "Por la cual se atribuyen y planifican unas bandas de frecuencias radioeléctricas en el rango comprendido entre 450 a 470 MHz para el desarrollo de servicios de telecomunicaciones que utilicen sistemas para Acceso de Banda Ancha Inalámbrica". b). "Por la cual se reglamenta el otorgamiento de permisos para el uso del espectro radioeléctrico en unas bandas del rango de frecuencias comprendido entre los 450 a 470 MHz y se dictan otras disposiciones".  Ver Resolución

See Press Release
Source: Ministerio de Comunicaciones Colombia

The Federal Communications Commission took the first step Wednesday in developing a comprehensive plan to give all Americans high-speed Internet access.

At a meeting in Washington, the commission put out a request for comments from the public and industry. The FCC will assemble its plan and present it to Congress by next February, as ordered in the economic stimulus package passed this year.

During the Bush administration, Democrats and consumer advocates called on the government to take a more hands-on approach to speed adoption of broadband, pointing to the higher uptake and Internet speeds available in some other countries.

See Press Release
Source: cellular-news

Burundi plans to privatise its main state-owned telecoms company Onatel this year to make it more competitive, government officials. Onatel runs a landline network, GSM and Internet services. It launched its mobile phone service in 2004.

"The government's wish is that the entire process of privatising the company ends in December 2009," Transport and Telecommunications Minister Philippe Njoni told reporters.

He said the aim was to make Onatel more competitive against other operators within Burundi and across east Africa. "The best way to achieve this ambitious goal is to give more space to private investors in the company," he said, adding the authorities had yet to decide how much of the firm to offload.

See Press Release
Source: Balancingact-africa

The European Commission has endorsed, in a letter published today, the Danish telecoms regulator's (NITA) proposal to oblige the largest cable operator in Denmark to open wholesale access to its cable broadband network to competitors. The Commission recognised that Denmark is in a unique situation because the Danish incumbent telecoms operator, TDC, controls both the telecoms network and large parts of the cable network. Extending obligations already existing for the telecoms network to TDC's cable network should help to maintain the ability of alternative operators to compete effectively with TDC in the broadband market by enabling them to access high bandwidth wholesale products, even if such products are not available over the telecoms network.

See press release
Source: Europa

The European Commission has informed the Finnish telecoms regulator, Viestintävirasto or FICORA (Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority), of its serious doubts over the compatibility with EU law of its draft regulatory measures on the Finnish wholesale broadband access market. Finland's regulator has not provided enough evidence to justify the deregulation of access to the incumbent operators' broadband networks it proposes, namely that certain geographic markets ready for deregulation show different competitive conditions from the rest of the country. The Commission now has until 5 March 2009 to decide whether the regulator can adopt its proposed measures. The regulator may not adopt the measures until the Commission approves them.

See Press release
Source: Europa

The Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today released a joint report titled Communications Infrastructure and Services Availability in Australia 2008. The report, developed using the expertise of both agencies, discusses the availability of broadband, fixed voice, mobile voice and mobile data in the community.

Key findings identified in the report include:

* The number of broadband subscribers increased by 1.1 million in the 12 months to June 2008. This increase was driven by growth in wireless broadband (47 per cent) and DSL provided on unbundled services (33 per cent). Unbundled services are the unbundled local loop service (ULLS) and the line sharing service (LSS).
* Broadband connection speeds are rising with a 25 per cent increase in subscribers using a 1.5 Mbps service, predominantly as a result of evolution from ADSL1 to ADSL2+ services.
* Mobile services are evolving from second generation (2G) to third generation (3G) mobile with 8.55 million 3G services in operation at June 2008 (an increase of 88 per cent).
* Fixed voice remains a large part of consumers’ spend on communications services and the number of fixed lines remained stable in the year to June 2008 at 11 million fixed line services in operation. Alternatives to the standard telephone service (STS) for making fixed voice calls are emerging.

See Press Release
Source: Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)

As the demand for communication technology continues to grow in Africa, incumbent Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL) is intensifying efforts to speed up laying of underground fibre-optic cables throughout the country with a view to boast free flow of information. Malawi is keen to ensure that it is easy to connect and inter-link with the world as far as information technology is concerned, and more importantly to enable the country to compete with the rest of the continent and the world at large.

It is estimated that a total of US$30 million would be required for the ambitious project in Malawi in order to replace its VSAT links. MTL’s Lester Tandwe, said the latest development sought to keep the country moving with the times in the field of information and technology.

“The first part of the capable will be operational by April 2009 while the second part will be operational by 2010 and will connect to international cables to provide international bandwidth,” said Tandwe. Given growing user demand in technology, Malawi is now laying an average of 50 kilometres of underground capable with a view to provide internet and telecommunication services to both urban and the countryside.

See Press Release
Source: Balancingact-africa

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today announced that it has denied the Canadian Association of Internet Providers’ (CAIP) request that Bell Canada cease the traffic-shaping practices it has adopted for its wholesale Gateway Access Service. However, in the future, Bell Canada will be required to notify its wholesale customers at least 30 days in advance of making changes that impact on the performance of its Gateway Access Service.

See Press Release
Source: CRTC

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has registered a revised version of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice. The code has been amended at clause 5.5.11 to permit promotions for digital television that include references to ‘Freeview’ to be exempt from the time limits placed on non-program matter.

Freeview is a brand of Freeview Australia Pty Limited, which promotes the free-to-air digital television platform in Australia. The members of Freeview Australia Pty Limited are the commercial television broadcasters and the national television broadcasters (the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Special Broadcasting Service Corporation).

See Press Release
Source: ACMA

Nigeria's second national carrier, Globacom, has emphasised its readiness to launch its international submarine cable, Glo 1, touted as the solution to Nigeria and West Africa's bandwidth requirements, in March 2009.

Globacom, in a statement last week, said the 9,500 kilometre state-of-the-art cable would enable it to have a clear distinction in providing quality services through multiple and high quality direct links to several countries across the globe. It added that the cable would enable it to interconnect with several international networks and leading traffic carriers all over the world.

See Press Release
Source: Balancingact-africa

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority ("OFTA") announced that PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited ("PCCW") has launched CDMA2000 mobile service in Hong Kong.

"This is the fifth 3G mobile network in Hong Kong , in addition to the four W-CDMA networks licensed in 2001. At service launch, the new network offers high speed data and voice services conforming to the CDMA2000 standard in the golden bowl areas covering the Kowloon peninsula and the northern part of Hong Kong Island. The service coverage will be further extended to cover places such as the airport, Mass Transit Railway stations, the road tunnels and border control points," the spokesperson of OFTA said.

"CDMA is one of the major mobile communications standards and it has been widely deployed in Canada, the USA, Japan, Korea and the mainland China. With the launch of the CDMA2000 service in Hong Kong, visitors holding CDMA equipment can now enjoy CDMA2000 roaming services. This will strengthen Hong Kong's strategic position as a world city as well as the gateway between the mainland China and the world," the spokesperson supplemented.

See Press Release
Source: OFTA

The second quarterly report on broadband quality has been released by the Commerce Commission. Commissioned from broadband measurement consultancy Epitiro and ICT analysts IDC, the report examines the quality of broadband service provided by New Zealand’s internet service providers (ISPs).

Commerce Commission Chair Paula Rebstock said, “The Commission is pleased to note that the report indicates there was an overall improvement in the June quarter in the performance of the five largest ISPs.” “This is a very promising signal that the regulatory interventions being taken to encourage competitive prices, better quality and incentives to invest are beginning to have an effect,” said Ms Rebstock.

See Press Release, Full Report
Source: Commerce Commission

La Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT) ha aprobado una propuesta de regulación para los servicios mayoristas de banda ancha y las redes físicas de telecomunicaciones, que incluyen la red de cobre y los despliegues de fibra óptica o redes de nueva generación. Esta propuesta será enviada a Bruselas, la Comisión Nacional de Competencia, el Gobierno y al conjunto del sector, que tendrán un mes para presentar comentarios y alegaciones antes de que la CMT tenga lista la regulación definitiva, prevista para diciembre de 2008.

See Press Release
Source: Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT)

New technology applications will need ubiquitous Internet coverage. The Internet of Things means that wireless interaction between machines, vehicles, appliances, sensors and many other devices will take place using the Internet. It already makes electronic travel cards possible, and will allow mobile devices to exchange information to pay for things or get information from billboards. It is predicted that such technology will be in more than one billion phones by 2015.

The Commission Communication adopted today said that the EU should stimulate investment in next generation broadband access, for example strengthening the involvement of local authorities who may facilitate the access to ducts (or digging of new ones) for faster broadband fibre cables during civil works, keep the Internet open to competition, prevent unfair restrictions in consumers' choice, safeguard consumer confidence in using the Internet and fund research in the Internet of the future. The Communication is accompanied by a new Broadband Performance Index that compares competition, coverage, speed and quality of Internet access across Europe. The index shows that Sweden and the Netherlands are clear leaders in the EU, thanks to a competition-friendly environment and skilled citizens and businesses that can use advanced services.

See Commission Communication on Future networks and the Internet 

See public consultation on the Internet of Things

Source: Europa

The basic principle of the Commission's draft Recommendation on regulatory strategy to promote high-speed Next Generation Access networks in Europe sets out that national regulatory authorities should provide access to the networks of dominant operators at the lowest possible level. In particular, they should mandate access to the ducts of the dominant operators allowing competitors to roll out their own fibre. However NRAs should also impose further physical access obligations (access to unlit fibre) beyond access to ducts where ducts are not available or the population density is too low for a sustainable business model. Access to active elements such as "bitstream" shall be maintained provided lower level remedies do not sufficiently address distortions of competition. The draft Recommendation provides also a common approach to ensure non-discriminatory access, as well as a methodology for calculating a proper rate of return, including a risk premium. The Commission believes that for NGA, rates of return should be derived in the light of the risks associated with this kind of investment, bearing in mind that the nominal pre-tax weighted average cost of capital for fixed and mobile operators has been roughly 8 to 12% in recent years. Broadband access is currently regulated by national regulators. The objective of the Commission's Recommendation will be to foster the application of consistent access remedies on dominant NGA operators. It builds on the European Regulators Group ("ERG") opinion on regulatory principles of NGA submitted to the Commission on 1 October 2007.

The Commission's public consultation document can be found here. 
The work of the ERG on NGA is available here  and here. 

Source: Europa

A new Code of Practice to ensure that internet service providers (ISPs) offer greater clarity over customers’ broadband line speeds was published today by Ofcom. Some 37 ISPs, covering over 90 per cent of broadband customers, have already agreed to honour both the letter and the spirit of the Code to give consumers a clearer understanding of the speeds they can get and to ensure that they are on an appropriate broadband package. Ofcom is concerned that consumers could be misled or misinformed when choosing their broadband services by ISPs advertising headline speeds that are higher than users can receive in practice. Ofcom’s own research has shown that consumer satisfaction of ISPs has fallen over the last year. To gain a clearer picture of the issue, Ofcom is also undertaking the UK’s most authoritative and comprehensive broadband speed survey to identify actual broadband performance across the country and its relationship to advertised headline speeds.

See Press release
Source: OFCOM

Total 8.00 million telephone connections (Wireline and Wireless) have been added during April 2008 as compared to 10.40 million connections added in March 2008. The total number of telephone connections reaches 308.51 million at the end of April 2008 as compared to 300.51 million in March 2008. The overall tele-density is 26.89% at the end of April 2008 as against 26.22% in March 2008. The total wireless subscribers (GSM, CDMA & WLL(F)) base stood at 269.30 million at the end of April 2008.

See Press Release
Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

As at the end of the first quarter of 2008 there were around 1,71 million users in Portugal with mobile Internet access and around 1,58 million fixed internet accesses, of which approximately 1,52 million were broadband. For the first time the number of mobile broadband users surpassed the number of fixed broadband customers.

Mobile broadband saw the highest rate of growth during the period being reported. The number of users increased by 259 thousand over the quarter, representing a rise of almost 18% compared to the previous quarter and of 99% compared to the same quarter of 2007.

See Press Release
Source: Communications National Authority (ANACOM)

As part of Budget 2008 the Government has announced a major contestable fund aimed at facilitating high speed broadband connections to businesses in urban centres and key users in the health and education sectors, to extend the reach of broadband into underserved regions, and to improve the resilience of New Zealand's international connections. Government is seeking feedback on the draft process and criteria for urban and rural funding applications.

See Press Release
Source: Ministry of Economic Development

Ofcom announced the removal of regulations for wholesale broadband access in areas of the UK which are served by effective competition. The decision is part of Ofcom’s commitment to review and, where appropriate, remove regulations in markets where there is effective competition, further promoting innovation and investment. The regulatory environment created by Ofcom has resulted in significant competition which has matured at different rates across the UK. The most competitive areas tend to be those where there is high population density, in particular large towns and cities and business districts. Following a public consultation, Ofcom will deregulate almost 70 per cent of the UK wholesale broadband market where there is now strong competition.

See Press Release
Source: OFCOM

Statement by The Minister Energy Water and Communications, Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications:

"I would like to announce the Government’s decision to increase broadband services to the whole country. This is necessary given that Malaysia’s broadband penetration rate, at 18% is very low as compared to other more developed nations in Asia like Singapore (at 78%), Hong Kong (80%) and Korea (93%).

The implementation of nationwide broadband services will significantly contribute to the development of the country’s social-economic development. In the past, water supply and electricity were important factors in attracting foreign investment and today, broadband connectivity has become a basic necessity."

See Press Release
Source: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission

Five major broadband internet service providers (ISPs) have made a significant step in enhancing the transparency of their service performance by making known to the public their first batch of performance statistics against their services pledges for the first quarter of 2008 (3-month period ending 31 March 2008).  

This is one of the major joint initiatives of the industry and the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) in further enhancing the quality of customer service of the internet service industry. The five ISPs who have published the service performance statistics include Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited (HKBN), Hutchison Global Communications Limited (HGC), New World Telecommunications Limited (NWT), PCCW IMS Limited (PCCW-IMS) and Hong Kong Cable Television Limited (HKCTV).

See Press Release
Source: OFTA

The Federal Communications Commission held, on Thursday 17th, its second hearing on network management in recent weeks. The majority of people who spoke at the meeting support mandated network neutrality, which would require ISPs to deliver data equally without regard to the source or subject matter, and to disclose the way they are managing their networks and if they deliver on the speeds they promise.

The FCC Chairman Kevin Martin expressed his opinion on the commission’s task to investigate the management of broadband networks by providers such as Comcast Corp. The FCC is currently looking into some reports sent by different consumer groups, which show that cable operator Comcast Corp has unreasonably blocked or hindered some file-sharing services. Programs such as BitTorrent, used to distribute TV shows and movies were unavailable.

See Statements from the Hearing; Press Release eFluxMedia, Information Week
Source: Federal Communications Commission - FCC

Para impulsar el desarrollo de las telecomunicaciones y la economía del país, así como acercar nuevas tecnologías a la población y permitir la entrada de nuevos inversionistas a este sector, el secretario de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT), Luis Téllez, dio a conocer el Nuevo Programa de Licitaciones de Frecuencias que incorpora una nueva banda para el Tren Suburbano.

Con este programa, los consumidores tendrán más y mejores opciones para acceder a servicios fundamentales como la banda ancha. Las nuevas frecuencias anunciadas hoy, permitirán también que aquellos operadores de radiofrecuencias que han llegado a su límite de capacidad puedan continuar creciendo.

See Press Release
Source: Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) modified the rules governing Broadband Personal Communications Services (PCS) and Advanced Wireless Services (AWS-1) to permit the use of a power spectral density model (PSD) when measuring and calculating emissions and power limits. Today’s action is consistent with the FCC’s April 2007 decision to allow a PSD model in the commercial services portions of the 700 MHz Band.

Today’s rule changes offer greater flexibility to PCS and AWS-1 operators, are more technologically neutral, and will better accommodate broadband technologies. The PSD model also has the potential to reduce network infrastructure costs, thus enabling providers to offer enhanced wireless broadband services, including to consumers living in rural America.

See Press Release
Source: Federal Communications Commission - FCC

Africa’s incumbent telco operators are sidling towards offering their customers triple play. This week Ghana Telecom announced the introduction of IP-TV and Mozambique’s cable operator has approached the Mozambique regulator for a voice licence. Coming from the other side of the convergence divide, Nigerian broadcaster AIT is going through an IPO which it says will see it deliver triple play.

See Press Release
Source: Balancing Act - Africa

Los suscriptores de Internet aumentaron en el país un 21% en el segundo semestre de 2007, llegando a 1.381.473. Los suscriptores dedicados aumentaron un 27,9% alcanzando 1.207.090, mientras que los suscriptores conmutados disminuyeron en un 12% hasta 174.383.

See Press Release
Source: Comisión de Regulación de Telecomunicaciones

The 8^th Global Symposium for Regulators took place from 11 to 13 March 2008 in Pattaya, Thailand. This major ITU event focused on best practices in regulatory measures to foster and encourage sharing of infrastructure resources as a means of stimulating investment and growth in the ICT sector.

Ten discussion papers were developed for this year's GSR:

1. What do we mean by 6 Degrees of Sharing?
2. Extending Open Access to National Fibre Backbones in Developing Countries
3. International Gateway Liberalization: the Singapore experience
4. Breaking Up is Hard to Do: The Emergence of Functional Separation as a Regulatory Remedy
5. Mobile Sharing
6. Spectrum Sharing
7. WRC-07 Results and Impact on Terrestrial Broadband Wireless Access Systems
8. End-User Sharing
9. International Mobile Roaming Regulation – An Incentive for Cooperation
10. IPTV and Mobile TV: New Challenges for Regulators

Comments are welcome by 13 April 2008 at: gsr08@itu.int.   

More information on the event as well as the presentations from the panel sessions can be found at the GSR 2008 website.

See: Press release 

Source: ITU

The OFTA issued a TA Statement on "Misleading or Deceptive Representations concerning the Provision of Residential Broadband Internet Access Services to Consumers in Hong Kong"

See document
Source: OFTA

 

The Commission has approved today the proposal of the UK telecoms regulator Ofcom to de-regulate the wholesale broadband market in some parts of the UK, covering around 65% of all UK homes and businesses This is the first time that a national telecoms regulator in the EU has identified different broadband markets in different geographic areas within a country and proposed lifting regulation in those geographic areas now characterised by effective competition. The Commission supports Ofcom's proposal, which is based on detailed economic evidence, to deregulate local exchanges with four or more actual or potential providers serving areas with more than 10,000 homes and businesses. For the Commission, Ofcom's proposal represents a reasonable move towards better targeted regulation, concentrating on those geographic areas where structural competition problems persist.

See Press Release
Source: Europa

The Commission has approved the proposal of the UK telecoms regulator Ofcom to de-regulate the wholesale broadband market in some parts of the UK, covering around 65% of all UK homes and businesses This is the first time that a national telecoms regulator in the EU has identified different broadband markets in different geographic areas within a country and proposed lifting regulation in those geographic areas now characterised by effective competition. The Commission supports Ofcom's proposal, which is based on detailed economic evidence, to deregulate local exchanges with four or more actual or potential providers serving areas with more than 10,000 homes and businesses. For the Commission, Ofcom's proposal represents a reasonable move towards better targeted regulation, concentrating on those geographic areas where structural competition problems persist.

See Press Release
Source: Europa

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the launch of a new, online resource for those in rural America looking to bring the benefits of broadband services to their communities.

This “Broadband Opportunities for Rural America” web site makes available the expertise and resources of the FCC and USDA in a single, easily-accessible location and user-friendly format.
The site provides information on the different technology platforms that can be used to provide broadband service, how to access spectrum necessary for delivery of wireless broadband services, government funding for broadband services, proceedings and initiatives, and data on broadband deployment.

See Website
See Press Release
Source: Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

The European Commission has called on Belgian regulator BIPT to step up its enforcement of access to incumbent Belgacom's broadband network. The commission is backing BIPT's decision from late November to require Belgacom to offer unbundled local loop and wholesale broadband access to rivals, including on its VDSL network. The commission noted that while Belgium has above-average broadband penetration, the share of LLU in broadband access is still quite low at 3.7 percent, while Belgacom maintains a market share of nearly 50 percent and consumers continue to pay high prices. Belgacom has already said it will challenge the VDSL requirement and called on the regulator to look at the market again and consider similar regulations for dominant cable operators like Telenet. The EC has sent a letter to BIPT under its article 7 procedure, supporting BIPT's decision on the definition of the broadband market and the inclusion of VDSL. It has asked the national regulator to reinforce the provisions allowing local loop unbundling with a view to promoting infrastructure-based competition and also to closely examine the level of competition for broadband services in the end-user market.

belgiantelecoms.pdf (34,8 KB)

Source: Europa

Ofcom announced details of proposals for the release of spectrum, suitable for a range of new services such as mobile broadband and advanced wireless services. Ofcom proposes to release the spectrum in the 2010-2025 MHz and 2500-2690 MHz bands (known as 2.6 GHz) on a technology and service neutral basis. This will allow organisations to decide how best to use the spectrum within certain minimum technical specifications to prevent harmful interference. In total 205 MHz will be available.There are a number of potential uses of the spectrum including mobile broadband wireless services. These can offer high-speed, high-capacity mobile data connections enabling the delivery of advanced mobile services using technologies such as WiMAX or evolutions of 3G technology. In 2000 this spectrum was identified internationally for the future development of these services.
The consultation closes on 1 February 2008.

See Press Release
Source: OFCOM

Sweden's telecoms regulator,  National Post and Telecom agency (PTS),  awarded licences in the 3.6-3.8 GHz spectrum to 44 operators. The auction is part of Sweden's  auctioning of spectrum for wireless broadband services. Next will be the auction of licences in the 2.6-GHz and 1.9-GHz bands.

See Press Release
Source : National Post and Telecom Agency

To offer its customers high-definition television (HDTV), Belgacom has invested several hundred million euro in a new VDSL network. However, based on an interpretation of the regulatory framework, the BIPT wants to oblige Belgacom to open up this new network to its competitors. Belgacom says that as long as the regulatory authorities have not conducted a proper analysis of the broadband markets, particularly in Flanders where Telenet is manifestly the dominating operator, Belgacom rejects this new obligation. This move  will be  watched across Europe. The impasse is set to worsen across Europe as incumbent telcos oppose the European Union's imposition of functional separation as compared to lighter regulation of cable operators. 

See Press Release
Source: Belgacom

Como un paso adelante en la competencia de los servicios de telecomunicaciones que finalmente beneficiará a los usuarios, calificó la ministra de Transportes y Comunicaciones Verónica Zavala Lombardi al nuevo BackBone (red) de Fibra Optica de la Costa Norte inaugurada esta mañana en San Juan de Miraflores por el presidente de la República, Alan García Pérez.

El BackBone es una red de fibra óptica desarrollada por la empresa Internexa S.A., instalación desplegada sobre 1,200 kilómetros de red eléctrica que beneficiará a cinco regiones del país: Ancash, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Piura y Tumbes. A partir de ahora, dijo Zavala Lombardi, en las ciudades de la Costa norte se podrá brindar el servicio de transporte para los operadores de telecomunicaciones, con lo cual éstos podrán desarrollar proyectos de internet de banda ancha, telefonía y otras modalidades de transmisión de datos.

See Press Release

Source: Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones - MTC

At the end of September 2007 there were around 1.68 million customers of the fixed internet access service in Portugal, 2,3% more than in the previous quarter. Of this number, 94% customers were users of fixed broadband internet access . At the same time users of mobile boradband increased to 1.18 million.

The main technology used for broadband internet access is ADSL, as it has been since the end of 2004. representing 62% of the total, Cable modem is used by around 37% of fixed broadband customers.

See Press Release

Source: Portugal - National Authority of Communications (ANACOM)

ARCEP published today the results of two public consultations and directions about very high bandwidth in France. Very high bandwidth is an inescapable technological evolution in the medium term. Major French players have announced fibre deployments. Investments are significant and will need to be spread over several years. The concern is to ensure that this investment is borne by all operators as much as possible. But for the Authority, legislative measures are needed as require operators to share the last part of their fibre network and to be sure that access to France Telecom’s civil engineering must be guaranteed to allow all operators to invest.

Press Release and documents

Source: ARCEP

Verizon Business will begin an aggressive rollout of its next-generation optical transport network in Europe next month. The first phase will include ultra long-haul (ULH) equipment deployed on the core backbone network routes between Verizon Business' main European network hubs in London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris and Brussels, providing the first 3,230 kilometers (2,007 miles) of ULH transport in the Verizon Business European network.

This next-generation technology, which will support speeds up to 40 gigabits per second (Gbps), will give Verizon Business customers in Europe an opportunity to use new high-bandwidth intensive services for years to come. The first phase of ULH deployment is scheduled to be completed during the first quarter of 2008.

Press Release

Source: Verizon

Ofcom today published a consultation on the wholesale broadband market, setting out its proposed approach for future regulation of this sector. The proposals include the removal of regulatory obligations in areas of the country where strong competition is now a reality. Ofcom’s approach protects consumers in those parts of the UK where competition in the provision of wholesale broadband is still weak.

See Press Release

Source: OFCOM

The NEPAD e-Africa Commission and 5-P Holdings, LLC signed, 24 October 2007, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Pretoria, South Africa, to construct the submarine segment of the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network, UHURUNET. The submarine fibre optic network will encircle the entire continent of Africa, with connections to Europe, Brazil, India and the Middle East.

Mr Mool Singhi signed on behalf of 5-P Holdings while Dr Henry Chasia, Executive Deputy Chairperson of NEPAD e-Africa Commission signed on behalf of the Commission.  Others present included Mr Robert Henderson from Phelp Stokes Fund and Mr Bright Amisi from the Commission.

The MOU provides a framework for collaboration between NEPAD and 5-P Holdings in financing, design and speedy implementation of the submarine fiber optic network, and to raise investment for the network so that it will have a shareholding which is majority African owned.

See Press Release

Source : e-Africa Commission

MIC has developed the draft Guideline for Operation of the Opinion Submission System in the Telecommunications Business Field in regard to the measure to strengthen the dispute settlement function, which is one of the measures covered in the New Competition Promotion Program 2010.
MIC now invites public comment on the draft guideline from today to Tuesday, December 11, 2007.MIC now invites public comment on the draft guideline from today to Tuesday, December 11, 2007.

See more

Source: MIC

Tests performed by KPN with new wireless technologies show that broadband access will soon be possible even for users in the remotest corners of the Netherlands.  While the Netherlands has ranked in the top five countries in terms of broadband penetration for years, still some hundred thousands of the country’s inhabitants and ten thousands of businesses, mostly situated in rural areas, currently have no fixed-line broadband access. The problem is that the distance to the telephone exchange cannot be too long without unacceptable loss of signal in the cables. KPN’s competitors have equal difficulty providing broadband in these areas.

For the tests currently ongoing in the province of Drenthe, KPN has equipped four radio masts with the latest wireless broadband equipment for both HSPA and WiMAX. To provide HSPA, KPN is cooperating with Ericsson who also supplies its current mobile network and has contracts with operators worldwide. WiMAX is a new technology for KPN, and to provide it the group is teaming up with Samsung, which has already rolled out WiMAX networks in Asia, Middle East, South and North America.

See more

Source: KPN

Está aberto o prazo para envio de contribuições à proposta da Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) de alteração do Plano Geral de Metas para a Universalização (PGMU) e de Minuta de Termo Aditivo aos Contratos de Concessão das operadoras do Serviço Telefônico Fixo Comutado (STFC). A alteração pode possibilitar a troca de 8.461 Postos de Serviços de Telecomunicações (PSTs), que devem ser instalados pelas concessionárias da telefonia fixa, por troncos (backhauls) com infra-estrutura de rede e de suporte do STFC para conexão banda larga por meio do protocolo IP em alta velocidade, o que beneficiará 3.570 cidades. Full press news

Source: Anatel, Brazil

In order to draw up the Position Paper on the Regulatory Strategy for the Romanian Electronic Communications Sector up to 2010, ANRCTI and its consultant, TASC Strategic Consulting, undertook a diagnosis-analysis of the Romanian electronic communications sector which outlined, among others, the fact that Romania lags behind most of the other EU Member States in terms of the penetration of its electronic communications services. Main gap in penetration falls in the broadband and fixed telephony services, whereas penetration of subscription TV services is higher than the European average.  

 

Mobile telephony and subscription TV services fueled the Romanian market growth. Whereas revenues from subscription TV registered the highest annual average growth rates (40%), mobile telephony became the most important source of revenues within the sector (56.7% of the total gross revenues). Therefore, both segments reached high levels of penetration (62.5% as regards subscription TV and, respectively, 90.5% for mobile telephony). On the contrary, the penetration rate of broadband Internet access services is still unsatisfactory, in spite of the accelerated growth, while fixed telephony seems to continue its ”zero growth” from both revenues and penetration standpoints. Full press release

 

Source: ANRCTI, Poland

O Conselho Diretor da Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) decidiu hoje, em sua 459º Reunião, submeter à consulta pública proposta de alteração do Plano Geral de Metas para a Universalização (PGMU) e Termo Aditivo ao Contrato de Concessão da telefonia fixa. A proposta prevê a substituição de 8.461 Postos de Serviços de Telecomunicações (PSTs) por backhauls com infra-estrutura de banda larga em todos os municípios brasileiros, o que beneficiará 3.570 municípios sem banda larga. A consulta ficará disponível para contribuições entre os dias 8 e 19 de novembro. Full press release

Source: Anatel, Brazil

Starting this month, the OECD will compare broadband use, coverage, prices, and services and speeds in addition to adoption. The move is expected to provide a fuller picture of broadband services in member nations. The organization also launched a broadband statistics portal.

See Press Release concerning Portal

Source: OECD

Despite all of the very interesting speculation over the last few months, Google dis not announce a Gphone but a Open Handset Alliance and Android. This is more significant and ambitious than a single phone. Through the joint efforts of the members of the Open Handset Alliance, Google hope Android will be the foundation for many new phones and will create an entirely new mobile experience for users, with new applications and new capabilities we can’t imagine today.

See Press Release

Source: Google

Swisscom will massively expand its mobile data network, in a series of stages. From mid- November, Swisscom customers will be able to take advantage of much higher speeds - up to 7.2 Mbps for receiving and up to 1.4 Mbps for sending data - thanks to HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) technology. In a second stage, the HSPA network will be expanded to provide coverage to 70 per cent of Switzerland's population by the end of the year. Stage three will see HSPA becoming available on the entire UMTS network from mid-2008, extending coverage to 90 per cent of the population. By mid-2008, Swisscom will have invested tens of millions of francs in its mobile broadband network.

Press Release

Source: Swisscom

At the Connect Africa summit, the GSM Association announced that the mobile industry plans to invest more than $50 billion* in sub-Saharan Africa over the next five years to provide more than 90% of the population with mobile coverage. The investment will be used to extend the reach of GSM mobile networks, enhanced with GPRS, EDGE and HSPA technologies, to provide a rich suite of mobile multimedia services, including Internet access.

Since sub-Saharan governments began liberalising their telecommunication sectors at the turn of the millennium, the GSMA estimates that the mobile industry has invested $35 billion, providing more than 500 million people (67% of the population) in sub-Saharan Africa with mobile coverage. “This surge in investment by the mobile industry has changed the lives of millions of Africans, catalysing economic development and strengthening social ties,” said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSMA.

See full press release

Source: GMS Association

According to Telegeography, the government of Vietnam has given the Ministry of Information and Communications the green light to grant 3G licences and mobile WiMAX trial permissions. The decision follows more than a year spent to prepare 3G licencing criteria.

See more

Source : Telegeography

With the digitization and the development of broadband, digital convergence are advancing rapidly. To cope with the convergence trend, Korean government is trying to reform telecommunication and broadcasting related organization and introduce new convergence service like IPTV. Attached is a material which introduce policy direction of the Korean government. Full report 

Source: Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC), Korea

Biel-Bienne, 30.10.2007 - On instructions from the Federal Communications Commission (ComCom), the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) is launching a procedure for the award of licences for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA). Unlike the licences already awarded which may cover the entire national territory, the new licences will be limited to regions determined by the applicants.

The available frequency band has been split into two blocks of frequencies for regional use, each with a bandwidth of 2 x 7 MHz in total, in the 3.41 - 3.6 GHz range. These frequencies will enable licensees to provide fixed or nomadic (point-to-multipoint) services exclusively in the region(s) defined in applicants' submissions. "Nomadic use" means the use of a terminal at any location, as long as it is not moved while in use. In the medium term, mobile services are also envisaged. The licences, granted for two years, may be extended to 2016 at most. No radiocommunication technology is imposed. Full press release

Source: OFCOM, Switzerland

Ireland launches a consultation on the 71-76GHz and 81-86Ghz Spectrum Bands.

See the details

Source: ComReg

Peru is expected to end 2009 with over 1mn broadband subscribers, local newspaper Gestión quoted Mario Norero, area manager at French equipment supplier Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), as saying.

The government has previously said it expects to reach this figure at end-2010.According to Norero, the goal will be reached earlier because the broadband segment is enjoying a particularly rapid growth rate and new technologies such as WiMax are expected to be launch in the country next year. Full press release

Source: Business News Americas

French-US Alcatel-Lucent has signed contracts with Vietnam Post and Telecoms (VNPT) and its cellular subsidiary MobiFone. MobiFone has engaged the vendor to provide GSM/GPRS/EDGE base stations to improve  coverage and capacity of network. The pair have also agreed to cooperate in a  IP Excellence Centre to support the deployment of broadband networks .

See more

Source: Telegeography

Durante el evento "Libérate con WiMAX", Eduardo Díaz Corona, Gerente General de Telmex, acompañado del Subsecretario de Telecomunicaciones, Pablo Bello; del Presidente de la Comisión de Transporte y Telecomunicaciones del Senado, Carlos Cantero; de la Alcaldesa de Huechuraba, Carolina Plaza, de clientes y empresarios, presentó la evolución de la Banda Ancha móvil, basado en WiMAX revisión "e", presentando innovadoras aplicaciones móviles de Datos y Video a los asistentes, quienes experimentaron directamente las bondades de estos servicios. Full press release

Source: SUBTEL, Chile

Rogers today announced the next phase of its 3G high speed wireless network and Vision services in 22 Canadian markets. Earlier this year, Rogers introduced its Vision suite of services in Ontario's Golden Horseshoe. Rogers is the first and only wireless carrier in North America to offer wireless video calling. The Rogers Vision suite of services operates on Rogers' new High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) network, the fastest wireless network in Canada. HSPA is the latest evolution of GSM, the world-wide standard for mobile wireless communications. This 3G protocol significantly increases download speeds on wireless devices, providing a user experience similar to broadband high-speed services.
For information about Rogers Vision services and Rogers High Speed Wireless network for business, visit www.rogers.com/Vision.

See Press Release

Source: Rogers Communications

Although some European countries lead the world in broadband access, there is a growing gap between the best and worst performers, according to a report presented by the European Commission today. Lack of competition and regulatory weaknesses are cited as the main obstacles to broadband growth. The Commission will address these shortcomings in its proposals to reform the EU's Telecom Rules on 13 November. The availability of broadband is a key indicator of ICT development. The Commission regularly reports on the development of broadband markets in the EU with the data validated by Member States via the Communications Committee.

See the Report

See Press Release

Source : Europa

Chile's telecoms regulator Subtel plans to auction spectrum for wireless broadband in the 700MHz band, watchdog head Pablo Bello told reporters.

Bello said licenses for the WiMax-type service would be offered in the upper part of the UHF band, which has traditionally been used for television broadcasting.

"In the US, spectrum has been awarded in the 700MHz band, which has a lot of advantages, as it can be used to penetrate closed areas and cover long distances, which facilitates the development of new connectivity services, Bello said. Full press release

Source: Business News Americas

With the installation of more than 5,000 Wi-Fi hotspots at around 3000 locations in the territory, Hong Kong is at the forefront of the world in the provision of public Wi-Fi service, according to the latest statistics published by the Office of the Telecommunications Authority ("OFTA") today (12 October 2007).

"We are pleased to see such a rapid and massive rollout of public Wi-Fi service. Unlike other cities, where the public Wi-Fi service involves either public funding or coordination by governments, such service in Hong Kong is entirely funded by the commercial sector. This testifies once again the success of our market-driven policy. We look forward to this as one of the many initiatives to be taken forward by the commercial operators to further drive the development of Hong Kong as a wireless city," the spokesperson of OFTA said. Full press release

Source: OFCOM, Hong Kong

According to Telegeogrpahy, Vietnamese ISP FPT Telecom, a subsidiary of the Corporation for Financing and Promoting Technology (FPT), has  a USD20 million deal with EVN Telecom, part of state-owned utility Electricity of Vietnam to lease a 2.5Gbps international ADSL line. FPT is planning to enter the wireline market and is said to have bought a new switchboard from US vendor Cisco Systems that will allow internet, telephone and television services to be provided via a single cable – so-called ‘triple-play’ services.

See more

Source Telegeography

1 de octubre, 2007) Según estudios de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TIC) aportan entre 10% y 24% a la tasa de crecimiento del PIB de América Latina. Pero aunque representan herramientas importantes para el desarrollo económico y social de la región, el debate en torno al impulso a estas tecnologías está apenas iniciado.

Para avanzar en la adopción de las TIC y establecer nuevas metas concretas para el acceso e inclusión digital, creación de capacidades y conocimientos, entre otras materias, la CEPAL y el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto de la República Argentina han organizado la Reunión de Consulta Regional preparatoria de la II Conferencia Ministerial sobre Sociedad de la Información de América Latina y el Caribe, este 4-5 octubre de 2007 en el Palacio San Martín, sede de la Cancillería Argentina, en Buenos Aires, Argentina. Full press release

Source: CEPAL

Wi-Fi free connexion is being provided by Paris.

See  more

Source: Mairie de Paris

Ofcom  published a consultation paper analysing the outlook for future broadband “Next Generation Access” (NGA) networks with proposals for future regulation of this new communications infrastructure.

Regulation has contributed to an effective broadband market in the UK. Broadband access regulation is based currently on creating and supporting a competitive market capable of delivering a range of services from a variety of providers, spanning many price points and available throughout the UK. Broadband has become a mass-market service, with providers other than BT offering services over 3 million unbundled broadband lines and Virgin Media offering a service to 50% of the country over cable. Consumers have enjoyed falling prices, rising speeds and increasingly innovative product bundles.

The development and consumption of high speed services means that current generation networks will at some point be unable to deliver the very high speed broadband service that may be demanded by customers.

As the market evolves, a clear regulatory regime supporting its growth will be key. Its aim will be to ensure that consumers continue to enjoy all the benefits of a competitive and dynamic market and that potential investors have clarity on how their investment will be regulated.

The consultation closes on 5 December 2007.

The full consultation is available online at http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/nga/

See press release

Source: OFCOM

TRAI  has issued draft proposals to boost broadband investment. Chief among these is that the USO (universal service obligation) fund, to which Indian operators contribute 5 percent of their annual revenue, be used to subsidize satellite backhaul charges by up to 40 percent when providing broadband links to rural areas.

See article

Source: Telecommunications Online

Carrier will bring fibre optic cables right to customer's door in trial of costly technology

Source : Globe & Mail

On 4 September 2007 ITU has released a major publication, Trends in Telecommunication Reform: the Road to NGN. This is the 8^th of a series of reports focusing on the ongoing transformation in the telecom/ICT sector to inform regulators and policy makers around the world.

During the past week, the report got news coverage by numerous leading national and international media, witnessing the interest of the ten chapters of research and analysis dedicated to issues related to the transition towards Next Generation Networks (NGN). You can find links to some of the news reports in the attached document.

More information about the 2007 report is available at the “On the Road to NGN” website.

The publication is available for sale at the ITU bookshop.

The US Department of Justice has aligned itself with the country’s telecoms operators. The final decision on new regulations for how broadband internet providers transmit and deliver internet traffic lies in the hands of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but the DoJ’s statement is a bitter blow to the likes of Google, Microsoft, Amazon and eBay  championing net neutrality. Proponents of the plan say the move would curb the ability of big telecoms carriers such as AT&T and Verizon, and cablecos like Comcast which would like to be able to charge certain users extra fees for carrying web content such as video-streaming.

Source: Telegeography

Geneva, 4 September 2007 — ITU has released a major publication, Trends in Telecommunication Reform: the Road to NGN. In its 8th edition, Trends reports on the evolution of circuit-switched telecommunication into "next-generation" networks, as operators around the world fight to remain competitive. The Report aims at enabling regulators and policy-makers in developing countries to better understand the changes transforming the ICT sector so they can evolve their policy and regulatory frameworks to leverage today’s technological and market developments.

What does NGN mean for regulators? They have many choices to make. Some view NGN as the intersection of the telecom and Internet worlds. If so, which regulatory regime should apply? The current heavily-regulated telecom regulatory model? The lightly-regulated Internet model? Or some new hybrid model? The migration to NGN affords an opportunity for regulators to analyze current practices and revise them in light of what makes sense going forward. This Trends report offers a detailed discussion of the kinds of measures that are needed to ensure that regulation keeps pace with technological and market developments so that the best of NGN is available to all of the world’s people.

The ITU press release is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

More information about the content of the 2007 report is available at the “On the Road to NGN” website.

The publication is available for sale at the ITU bookshop.

July 30th 2007, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dr. Tarek Kamel reviewed fully today the new guidelines and regulations for restructuring the "Broadband Internet Initiative" during a meeting with heads of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and top officials from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and Telecom Egypt (TE).

See Press release

Source: MCIT

According to reports from the African Press Agency, from 2008 all Mauritian homes will be able to connect to the internet via a fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network being proposed by United Communications Limited (UCL). The company has reportedly presented a USD318 million two-phase project, dubbed Mauritius FiberNet, to the country’s ICT minister, Etienne Sinatambou, which it claims will make Mauritius a ‘pioneer of such infrastructure among island states’.

See article

Source: Telegeography

Washington, D.C. – In a Second Report & Order (Order) adopted today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revised the 700 MHz band plan and service rules to promote the creation of a nationwide interoperable broadband network for public safety and to facilitate the availability of new and innovative wireless broadband services for consumers.

The 700 MHz Band spectrum, which runs from 698-806 MHz, currently is occupied by television broadcasters and will be made available for other wireless services, including public safety and commercial services, as a result of the digital television (DTV) transition. The Digital Television and Public Safety Act of 2005 (DTV Act) set a firm deadline of February 17, 2009, for the completion of the DTV transition. The DTV Act also requires the FCC to commence an auction of the previously unauctioned commercial spectrum in the 700 MHz Band no later than January 28, 2008. Full Press release

Source: FCC, Unites States

By a 367-57 vote, legislators approved the America Competes Act (short for the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act).

Link to the Act.

http://science.house.gov/legislation/leg_highlights_detail.aspx?NewsID=1938

Source: US Committee on Science and Technology.

Congress has approved legislation dedicated to improving America's ability to compete in a global economy. The America Competes Act would potentially dedicate more than $40 billion to federal research, development funding and math and science education.

See article

Source: Internetnews

ANACOM - Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações has decided to recommend to PT Comunicações that it presents, by 31 October, an alteration to the ''PT ADSL Network'' offer to include NDSL (Naked DSL). This is a wholesale offer model that allows ADSL to be offered to consumers without the need to contract or maintain a fixed telephone service. The objective of the regulator is for PTC to set out a timeframe for the implementation of the offer so that NDSL can be operational as of 01 February 2008.

Despite setting a fixed period for the market to work, insofar as PTC might implement the NDSL offer in cooperation with the interested parties, the regulator has not ruled out the option of regulatory intervention in the event that the timeframe or the characteristics of the offer are deemed to be unsuitable of incompatible with current regulatory principles. Therefore PTC should keep the regulator informed of relevant developments. Full Press release

Source: ANACOM, Portugal

Washington, D.C. – In a Second Report & Order (Order) adopted today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revised the 700 MHz band plan and service rules to promote the creation of a nationwide interoperable broadband network for public safety and to facilitate the availability of new and innovative wireless broadband services for consumers.

The 700 MHz Band spectrum, which runs from 698-806 MHz, currently is occupied by television broadcasters and will be made available for other wireless services, including public safety and commercial services, as a result of the digital television (DTV) transition. The Digital Television and Public Safety Act of 2005 (DTV Act) set a firm deadline of February 17, 2009, for the completion of the DTV transition. The DTV Act also requires the FCC to commence an auction of the previously unauctioned commercial spectrum in the 700 MHz Band no later than January 28, 2008. Full Press Release

Source: Federal Communications Commission (FCC), United States

ARCEP is launching two public consultations on high-speed broadband. The first deals with the competitive situation concerning access to ducts and the possible regulation of this access with a view to rolling out high-speed broadband local loops. The second consultation deals with the shared use by operators of the terminating segments of optical fibre networks in order to limit the amount of work carried out in buildings

Source: ARCEP

Link to the press release

Las empresas Rural Telecom S.A. C. y Consorcio Trébol Informática S.L. e Itaca Perú S.A. se adjudicaron hoy el programa “Banda Ancha Rural a Nivel Nacional”, al ofrecer el menor financiamiento requerido por cada proyecto, así como las mejores condiciones en términos de calidad, cobertura y tarifas.

Rural Telecom se adjudicó las zonas centro, centro norte y nororiente del país, mientras que el Consorcio Trébol e Ítaca Perú se adjudicó las zonas centro sur, norte y sur. Como se recuerda el proyecto está dividido en seis regiones (centro, centro norte, centro sur, nororiente, norte y sur) y los operadores podrán adjudicarse hasta un máximo de tres regiones. Full Press Release

Source: Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones (MTC), Peru

The Commission today proposes measures to make it easier and more lucrative for mobile operators in Europe to offer and develop innovative wireless technologies. By opening radio spectrum for advanced mobile data and multimedia services (such as 3G services that allow video streaming and fast downloads on a mobile handset), the Commission proposals, if they become law, will increase the number and choice of wireless services available, and will expand their geographic coverage to the benefit of all European citizens. The new EU measures will also reduce network deployment costs for Europe's wireless communications industry. Full Press Release

Source: European Commission

Note: For visitors of your site, this entry is only displayed for users with the preselected language English (United States)/English (United States) (en-US)

ANACOM has set out the timings and indicative model for making frequencies available for BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) applications. The 3400-3600 MHz, 3600-3800 MHz and 5725-5785 MHz bands are seen as the most likely candidates for the exploitation of this kind of application.

Following the publication of the report on the public consultation into BWA, ANACOM is due to launch a public consultation on the limitation of rights and selection procedures in the third quarter so that a decision can be taken, leading to approval of the regulation of selection procedures in the last quarter of the year. It is expected that the allocation of frequencies in the 3400-3600 MHz and 3600-3800 MHz bands will take place in the first quarter of 2008.

The consultation, to which contributions were received from 19 respondents, addressed technology neutrality and it is therefore neither limited to nor does it exclude the use of WiMax type systems.  From the analysis carried out it was possible to identify the principle processes underlying the allocation of spectrum for BWA, given the number of manifestations of interest in its use and also taking into account the objectives, as set out in law, of ensuring effective and efficient use of frequencies and of ensuring conditions necessary for effective competition in the relevant markets.

In view of the international framework and according to the responses received, ANACOM intends to make the 3400-3600 MHz, 3600-3800 MHz bands available for fixed, nomadic and mobile applications, limiting the 5725-5875 MHz band to fixed and nomadic.

Regarding the 3400-3600MHz and 3600-3800 MHz bands, ANACOM is considering the possibility of associating each right of spectrum use with a quantity of 2x28 MHz of spectrum, favouring a model of usage right allocation by zone over a national model of allocation.

It is ANACOM’s position that the allocation of frequency usage rights should be limited, particularly in the 3400-3600 MHz and 3600-3800 MHz bands, given the strong interest shown in the public consultation and the quantity of spectrum available.  The law sets out that the selection process may be by public tender or by auction, and ANACOM considers that the latter method is the more appropriate way forward for selecting the undertakings which will be allocated frequency usage rights.

The auction option for frequency allocation is seen as being more transparent for interested parties, causing less of an interference to the operators’ business plans and creativity, stimulating the efficient and effective use of the spectrum and diminishing the motivation for unproductive allocation of this resource.

BWA’s immaturity, the technology neutral allocation approach and the possibility of reaching a correct assessment of the allocated spectrum’s market value were further grounds for the option taken.

It is ANACOM’s position that the introduction of BWA constitutes an opportunity to promote competition among the provision of networks and services, opening up the way for new operators to enter the market, especially with regard to the exploitation of the technology in its mobile form.  It is therefore considered that the auction should have two phases.  In its first phase, restrictions of access to the frequencies concerned should be placed on those undertakings which already have spectrum allocated to them in the 3400-3800 MHz band, which have been designated as undertakings having significant power in the broadband market or which hold rights to use frequencies for the provision of public terrestrial mobile services.  The second phase will cover those frequencies left unallocated after the first phase and will have no restrictions of access.

The 5725-5875 MHz must be used in full accessibility regime.

Finally it should be noted that FWA operators in the 3400-3800 MHz will be able to start providing their services in a technology neutral perspective, even though this does not cover the mobile mode.  The provision of services based on the mobile mode will become possible once frequencies in the 3400-3800 MHz band have been allocated.   

The detail of the model described will, at an opportune moment, be submitted to public consultation by the regulator

Source: Anacom, Portugal

CWA Speed Test illustrates need for sound data, national high-speed Internet policy

Results released today of the first-ever state-by-state report on Internet connection speed reveal that the United States is falling far behind other industrialized nations. The report, based on aggregated data from nearly 80,000 users, shows that the median real-time download speed in the U.S. is a mere 1.9 megabits per second (mbps). The best available estimates show average download speeds in Japan of 61 mbps, in South Korea of 45 mbps, in France of 17 mbps and in Canada of 7 mbps. The national report is based on data collected through the Speed Test at SpeedMatters.org (www.speedmatters.org), a project of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

While the Speed Test was made available to all users, more than 95 percent connected to the Internet with DSL or cable broadband. Data, therefore, is largely representative of "high speed" access in America. SpeedMatters.org was launched in September 2006 to help bridge the digital divide and keep America competitive by encouraging Congress to pass a telecommunications policy fit for the 21st century. "The United States is the only industrialized nation without a national policy to promote universal, high-speed Internet access," said Larry Cohen, president, Communications Workers of America. "The grim results of the CWA Speed Test illustrate that, without a national policy, we risk losing our competitive edge in today's global economy—and the jobs that go with it." CWA supports many of the provisions in Senate bill S1492, the Broadband Data Improvement Act recently introduced by Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and currently under review in the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. The legislation would require collection and evaluation of data on broadband deployment, an upgraded definition of "high speed" that fits with ever-evolving technology, and grant programs for states and local communities to conduct their own broadband mapping. "The first step to informed policy is good data," added Cohen. "Sound data will help policymakers establish the affordability of Internet services, identify which communities are being left behind and determine where to target policy solutions."

The report also ranks individual states based on median Internet connection speeds. The speediest states? Rhode Island (5.011 mbps), Kansas (4.167 mbps), New Jersey (3.68 mbps), New York (3.436 mbps) and Massachusetts (3.004 mbps). Iowa (1.262 mbps), Wyoming (1.246 mbps), West Virginia (1.117 mbps), South Dakota (0.825 mbps) and Alaska (0.545) make up the bottom five. The same 10 megabyte (MB) file that takes 15 seconds to download in Rhode Island would take nearly two and a half minutes to download in Alaska. A full list of state rankings is available at www.speedmatters.org. "The benefits of true broadband access for communities across the country are innumerable. From e-government and distance learning to telemedicine and public safety, high-speed Internet access for all Americans—from the rural plains to the inner cities—is essential to improving the quality our economic, civic and personal lives," said Cohen.

The Speed Test, available at www.speedmatters.org, is an online tool that measures the last-mile speed of a user's Internet connection. To report the real-time connection speed, the test sends an HTTP request to the nearest server and measures the time that it takes to receive a response. The test does not measure the actual transfer speed of a file over the Internet; uncontrolled variables, such as the content provider's server load and bandwidth, would interfere with accurate data collection.

Information included in the report is based on data gathered from September 2006 to May 2007. About Speed Matters Launched in September 2006, Speed Matters is a project of the Communications Workers of America. CWA launched Speed Matters to bring attention to the issue of Internet connectivity and to encourage elected officials to implement policies that will guarantee every American access to all of the promises of the information age. About the Communications Workers of America The Communications Workers of America represents more than 700,000 workers employed in telecommunications, the media, public sector, manufacturing, health care and airlines.

Source: CWA

Ofcom today published proposals to amend the Wireless Telegraphy Act licence held by UK Broadband Limited. If granted, it would allow the company to offer mobile WiMax services across the UK. UK Broadband’s current licence permits the company to operate broadband fixed wireless access in the 3.5 GHz band. The company has asked Ofcom to vary its licence to make it technology and service neutral, giving it greater flexibility over how it can use the radio spectrum. It has also sought an increase in its permitted power levels. In the consultation document published today, Ofcom believes that removing such usage restraints placed on the licensee would benefit consumers, encourage competition and optimise use of the spectrum. Ofcom also believes that the likelihood of interference to other users is low. Ofcom considers that the variation should be made as soon as practicable, subject to the outcome of the consultation. The consultation closes on 27 August 2007. The consultation document can be found here: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/bb_application/ Source: OFCOM

LEADING WIRELESS INDUSTRY ENTREPRENUERS SEEK OPEN ACCESS
FOR PART OF 700 MHZ SPECTRUM TO BE AUCTIONED
‘Just Do It’ Versus ‘Just Ask the Big 4’
NEW YORK CITY, June 7, 2007 – The Wireless Founders Coalition for Innovation, a new group of wireless entrepreneurs who are behind numerous industry “firsts” in the U.S. market, is calling on the FCC to apply wireless Open Access rules to a single swathe of spectrum in the upcoming 700 MHz auction. This core group of innovators told FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, in a letter filed today, that the 700 MHz auction provides an historic opportunity, allowing the Openness of the wireline Internet to be applied for the first time to the wireless world and unlocking a new wave of wireless entrepreneurial activity.

To this end, these entrepreneurs – who have developed groundbreaking mobile content, services, applications and platforms that have transformed the U.S. mobile industry – are urging the Commission to adopt Frontline Wireless’s proposed requirements for Open Access for a single block of 700 MHz spectrum. “One does not have to ask Comcast or Time Warner Cable or even Verizon’s
DSL division for permission to launch a new product, service or device,” the letter said. “To borrow the Nike slogan, you can ‘just do it. In wireless, on the other hand, you can ‘just ask the Big 4.’”

‘Real World’ Perspective
The Coalition is a new group of veteran wireless entrepreneurs. They have come together to bring an on-the-ground perspective as developers and innovators to the question of why wireless Open Access rules are needed for the proposed E Block of 700 MHz spectrum. Open Access is critical for this limited slice of spectrum to move beyond the current walled gardens of wireless operators, which stymie U.S. competitiveness, innovation and economic growth. The group consists of members who have developed innovations that have shaped today’s wireless market, including: (1) John Tantum and Amol Sarva, who co-founded Virgin Mobile USA, the first mobile virtual private network
operator in the U.S.; (2) Fabrice Grinda, founder of Zingy, which built the market for ringtones and mobile entertainment in the U.S.; (3) Jason Devitt, founder of Vindigo, which publishes more than twenty different applications for mobile
phones including its famous city guide; (4) Pat McVeigh, former CEO of Omnisky and former CEO of PalmSource; (5) Sam Leinhardt, founder of Penthera, which created one of the first software platforms for mobile TV broadcasting; (6) Martin Frid-Nielsen, founder of Soonr, which gives consumers access to PC data from any mobile device or network; (7) Alex Asseily, who founded Aliph, which created audio technology for wireless phones and the Jawbone headset.

Real-World Problems
In the letter to the FCC, the Coalition describes the time-consuming and costly roadblocks that would continue to stymie wireless innovation without E block Open Access requirements, including a need for developers to obtain approval
from carriers before deploying new devices or services on a network. This could take months of waiting for “compliance testing,” even when a device is a small variant to a previously tested device. In other cases, carrier Terms of Service
may prevent deployment of innovative applications that require passing data traffic “over the top” of carrier networks.
The “mother may I approach” to innovation embraced by the Big 4 carriers can slow time to market and increase risks and costs for the entrepreneur. In addition, applying Open Access to the E Block represents just a small portion of
the 700 MHz spectrum and only about 2.7 percent of the spectrum that will be allocated for commercial use following this auction.

Need for Openness

The Coalition is calling for three forms of Open Access in the E Block:

Open Services: The only limits on new services ideas should be the imaginations of developers, not terms of service of wireless operators,
who block basic Internet-style applications such as VoIP and webcams.

Open Devices: There is no need to subject entrepreneurs, or customers, to needless bottlenecks. An Open Device rule would ensure users may
connect any device they choose to a wireless network as long as it met certain specified technical standards. This would create a “a wave of
opportunity in the device space, including the evolution of cell phones toward ‘broadband communicators.’”

Open Auction: Frontline and Google got it right when they said recently that part of the E Block wholesale capacity should be made available to all comers via an open auction. This would lead to important new innovations, including the possibility of someone offering a less expensive
wireless service alternative subsidized by location-based advertising. “Over time, the provision of Open Access services by at least one carrier in the market could apply competitive pressure to the others to open up as well,” the Coalition said. “A slight regulatory nudge could result in a major push by market forces.”

Source: Wireless Founders Coalition for Innovation 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), with the cosponsorship of Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), introduced today the Broadband Data Improvement Act, S. 1492, which seeks to improve the quality of federal broadband data collection and encourages state initiatives that promote broadband deployment.   “The first step in an improved broadband policy is ensuring that we have better data on which to build our efforts,” said Chairman Inouye. “In a digital age, the world will not wait for us.  It is imperative that we get our broadband house in order and our communications policy right.  But we cannot manage what we do not measure.”      The Broadband Data Improvement Act specifically would:   Direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reevaluate its current 200 kilobit broadband standard. It also would require the FCC to create a new metric known as “second generation broadband” to be used to reflect network connections capable of reliably transmitting high-definition video content.   Direct broadband providers to report broadband availability and second generation broadband connections within 9-digit zip code areas.    Direct the FCC to conduct inquiries into the deployment of advanced telecommunications services on an annual, rather than periodic, basis.    Direct the Census Bureau to include a question in its American Community Survey that assesses levels of residential computer use and dial-up versus broadband Internet subscribership.   Direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to develop broadband metrics that may be used to provide consumers with broadband connection cost and capability information and improve the process of comparing the deployment and penetration of broadband in the United States with other countries.    Direct the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy to conduct a study evaluating the impact of broadband speed and price on small businesses.   ·        Authorize a 5-year, $40 million per year program that would provide matching grants to State non-profit, public-private partnerships in support of efforts to more accurately identify barriers to broadband adoption throughout the State.    Chairman Inouye’s full statement follows. The bill is attached.               “Broadband communications are quickly becoming the great economic engine of our time.  Broadband deployment drives opportunities for business, education, and healthcare.  It provides widespread access to information that can change the way we communicate with one another and improve the quality of our lives.  From our smallest rural hamlets to our largest urban centers, communities across this country should have access to the opportunities ubiquitous broadband can bring.  The state of our broadband union should be broadband for all.                  But the news on this front is not all good.  Last month, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported that the United States has fallen to fifteenth in the world in broadband penetration.  In some Asian and European countries, households have high-speed connections that are twenty times faster than ours—for half the cost.  While some will debate what, in fact, these rankings measure, one thing that cannot be debated is the fact that we continue to fall precipitously down the list.  In 2000 the United States ranked fourth; last year we dropped to twelfth; and just last month we dropped to fifteenth.  The broadband bottom line is that too many of our international counterparts are passing us by.  For this we are paying a price.  Some experts estimate that universal broadband adoption would add $500 billion to the U. S. economy and create more than a million new jobs.                In a digital age, the world will not wait for us.  It is imperative that we get our broadband house in order and our communications policy right.  But we cannot manage what we do not measure.  So the first step in an improved broadband policy is ensuring that we have better data on which to build our efforts.                That is why I am here today to introduce the Broadband Data Improvement Act.  This legislation will improve the quality of federal and state data regarding the availability of broadband service.  This, in turn, can be used to craft policies that will increase the availability of affordable broadband service in all parts of the nation.  This legislation will improve broadband data collection at the Federal Communications Commission and Bureau of the Census.  It will direct the Comptroller General and the Small Business Administration to study our broadband challenge.  It will encourage state initiatives to improve broadband adoption by establishing a state broadband data and development grant program that will authorize $40 million for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.                With too many of our industrial counterparts ahead of us, we sorely need the kind of granular data that will inform our policies and propel us to the front of the broadband ranks.  I believe that the Broadband Data Improvement Act will give us the tools to make this happen.               I ask unanimous consent that the full text of this bill be printed in the Record.”   ###

Source: US Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee

Brazil's government has added laptops to the federal digital inclusion program "PCs for all," President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said at the inauguration of new Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) manufacturing facilities in Hortolândia, Sao Paulo state, on Monday (May 14).

The PCs for all program aims to provide low-cost computers to Brazil's low-income population. The program grants incentives to manufacturers as well as low-interest financing for people acquiring desktops that meet the program's criteria.

The program will now include laptops that cost no more than 1,800 reais (approximately US$900).

The government is also promoting a campaign to bring broadband to all public schools in Brazil.

During his speech, Lula said 70% of PCs sold in Brazil were illegal a few years ago, but his administration's measures have reduced black market sales.

"This measure, along with the PCs for all program and the law that reduces taxes for companies investing in the country, have made Brazil attractive enough for Dell to install this new facility," he said.

According to the president, there were 8mn PCs sold in Brazil in 2006 as part of the PCs for all program, up 43% compared to 2005. On the other hand, sales of laptops increased 116% in 2006 compared to the previous year, with 600,000 units sold.

The country's goal now is to produce 10mn PCs locally during 2007, he said.

"We still have a long way to go [to reduce the digital divide], but digital inclusion is becoming more of a reality in our country all the time. Increasing digital inclusion will also help to reduce social exclusion," Lula said.

Source: Business News Americas

(…) Today ComeReg has published new guidelines which will allow existing wireless broadband providers to increase their service area to 20km in each fixed wireless area frequency band. (…)

 

Source: ComReg.

“Broadband Internet access services are currently a top-priority for the European Union, especially in what concerns the penetration rate in the rural localities. Although these services registered a significant growth in Romania, during the last year - namely 136% - and the broadband connections number exceeded 1,750,000 by December 31, 2006, representing 54% of the total number of Internet access connections, the outstanding stringent issue refers to the access of inhabitants from rural localities, meaning 40% of the population, to broadband services”, the President of ANRCTI, Dan Georgescu, declared today during the Conference “Bridging the Broadband Gap”, in Brussels.

 

In the near future, the European Union will concentrate its efforts on diminishing the difference between rural and urban localities as regards the broadband Internet access services. To this end, it is worth noticing that the works of this conference are chaired by four European Commissioners: Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for Regional Policies and Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for Competition.

 

At a European level, the highest broadband penetration rate is registered by Denmark – 30.3%, while Turkey is at the other end of the scale, with a penetration rate of 3%, while the EU average reaches 15.6%. Romania registers a 8.2% penetration rate, according to the statistical data report for second semester of 2006, published today by ANRCTI, on its website. The report is available here for consultation.

 

The Conference aims at conveying a strong political message regarding the strategic importance that IT&C should have in the use of structural and rural funds, as well as in the fulfilment of a synergy in view of coordinating the regional development policies. More than 600 delegates attend the Conference and discuss the ways the use of new information and communications technologies can support the regional and local development, how can certain geographic obstacles be overcome, and in what way can the infrastructure be extended in order to turn these areas into points of interest both for investors and for simple citizens.

 

One of the issues of major interest approached during the conference was the way Member States can practically intervene for the purpose of financing the projects of developing the broadband networks in disfavoured environments, without hindering competition or breaching the European rules regarding State’s help. The presence of decision makers at the level of the European Commission facilitated the elucidation of numerous questions and interpellations on this issues. 

Source: ANRC, Romania

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) today ( 11 May 2007 ) issued a consultation paper to invite public views on the proposed allocation of spectrum for the provision of broadband wireless access ("BWA") services.

BWA is a technology that supports high-speed wireless access to mobile user devices for voice, video, Internet access and other applications. BWA is also an alternative to the wireline technologies for access to buildings and individual customers at fixed locations. Some local fixed network operators have expressed interest to deploy BWA technologies in their customer access networks.

"User devices employing BWA technologies meeting open standards are expected to be commonly available in the market in the next couple of years. These technologies have the potential of supporting innovative services and offering more choices to users in the market. In order to maintain Hong Kong 's position as a telecommunications hub in the Asia Pacific region, OFTA sees it necessary to make available sufficient spectrum in a timely manner to address prospective market needs and to facilitate the introduction of new technologies and innovative services," a spokesperson of OFTA said.

"In this consultation, we have put forward specific proposals for the allocation of 2.3 GHz band for the deployment of BWA. We also seek feedback from interested parties to assess the potential demand for spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band so that consideration could be given to including such spectrum in the future assignment of spectrum. To be in line with the guiding principles under the Spectrum Policy Framework recently promulgated by the Government, we propose to assign the BWA spectrum using a market-based approach which is based on auction. The auction is planned to be conducted in 2008," the spokesperson said.

The industry and any interested parties are invited to submit views or comments on this consultation paper on or before 11 July 2007. Parties who are interested to invest in services operating in the spectrum concerned are also invited to express their intention to OFTA by the same deadline.

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority ("OFTA") commissioned the Social Science Research Centre of the University of Hong Kong to conduct a survey of residential broadband use in Hong Kong. The results of the survey published today (2 May 2007) show that broadband service users are generally satisfied with the services they are using but the information provided by Internet service providers is still inadequate to enable consumers to make informed choices of broadband services.

The survey was conducted in the second half of 2006. It is the first of its kind commissioned by OFTA to study the level of consumer awareness of broadband Internet access services and to identify any deficit in the availability of information to consumers in making informed choices in the market. The key findings of the survey are at the Annex.

"In order that consumers are able to make informed choices of broadband services, adequate relevant information about the services should be made available to them in a meaningful manner," a spokesperson of OFTA said.

The survey shows that some 87% of the respondents are satisfied with the broadband services they are using. Moreover, service reliability is the most significant factor that consumers would take into account while making their purchasing decisions. This factor is followed by download speed, quality of customer service, price and customer service hotline, in their descending order of importance.

"According to the survey results, while around 62% of the respondents consider that there is sufficient information available for the choice of broadband service providers, there are still 38% of the respondents who think that the information is inadequate. Consumers want unambiguous information about the price, transmission speed and quality of service of individual service providers," continued the spokesperson.

"The survey results also indicated that many problems encountered by residential broadband users were not connected with the service quality delivered by Internet service providers. The enjoyment of consumers in broadband services could be enhanced by more education on the use of computers and internet at home," the spokesperson added.

Based on the findings of the survey, OFTA will work with the industry and the Consumer Council on the initiatives to address the information need of consumers. OFTA has also initiated a dialogue with the Internet service providers on how they should make available the necessary information to consumers. OFTA is also developing a number of Best Practice Indicators concerning advertising and provision of pricing information to potential customers.

"The Best Practice Indicators, which will be established through consultation with the industry and the Consumer Council, aim to identify the potential problem areas where misleading or deceptive conduct may occur and to prevent consumers from being misled in choosing Internet service providers," the spokesperson explained.

Furthermore, OFTA will seek cooperation from the industry, the Consumer Council and other relevant government agencies on the feasibility of launching an education programme for the wider Hong Kong community about being smart information technology users in home.

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

Nearly 20% of European households buy bundled telecom packages, according to an EU-wide survey of 27,000 representative households published today. Almost 30% are now connected to the internet via high-speed 'broadband' links and households increasingly use mobile phones as fixed lines become less popular. 17% of Europeans having a home Internet connection use it for Internet telephony. "Europe's digital economy is growing strongly as more and more households embrace convergence between fixed, mobile and Internet services," said Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding. "The challenge of this year's reform of the EU's telecom rules will be to respond to this rapidly changing technological environment while enhancing at the same time effective competition." The key findings of the EU-wide survey published by the Commission today are the following: • Nearly 20% of Europeans buy two or more telecom products from a single service provider, the combination of fixed telephony and Internet access being the most common. • Increasingly, users are switching from fixed to mobile telephony: although the percentage of households with at least one mobile phone remains fairly stable at 81%, the share of ‘mobile-only’ households is rising in the EU (22%, up 4%) while the proportion of households with at least one fixed line decreases (72%, down 5%). • Broadband is rapidly becoming more popular in the EU (28%, up 6%) while narrowband is less so (12%, down 3%). Most households access the Internet via an ADSL line (53%, up 4%) and 34% of broadband connections are wireless. • 17% of Europeans who have a home Internet connection say that it is used for making phone calls. This proportion is twice as large in new Member States. • As more households connect to the Internet (42%, up 4%), the reason for not connecting is increasingly non-financial with 45% saying that it is simply because they are not interested. • 28% of Europeans have suffered significantly from problems with spam, viruses and spyware, underlining the need for the EU and Member States to be more proactive in fighting illegal activities (see IP/06/1629). Overall, most have installed antivirus software (81%) and antispam software (60%). • 40% (up 5%) know that the single European emergency number 112 enables them to reach emergency services everywhere in the EU, but many Member States need to improve the practical implementation of 112 (see IP/07/392). • 63% of Europeans are free-to-air TV, and not pay-TV subscribers. Fewer households subscribe to pay-TV in countries where they receive television through an aerial or a satellite, than in predominately cable TV countries. Today's survey findings will feed into the ongoing public debate on the reform of the EU Telecom Rules, planned for summer this year (see IP/06/874). The full text of the EU-wide household survey can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/info_centre/documentation/studies_ext_consult/index_en.htm#2007

On February 15 2007 the National Post and Telecom Agency, PTS, presented a proposal for the Broadband Strategy for Sweden. The full report is now available in English.

PTS considers that clear strategies are needed for the continued rollout of broadband infrastructure in order to increase accessibility to broadband products and to achieve competition in retail markets for broadband services that is sustainable over the long term. The report (pdf)

Source: PTS, Sweden

In the U.S. parties on all sides of the net neutrality debate continue to engage in heated and emotional arguments over the importance - or not - of legislating to enshrine the principle of net neutrality in law.

Over the last 18 months a number of attempts have been made to introduce legislation mandating net neutrality. Most recently, in January 2007, legislators supporting the principle reintroduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, which had originally died in the Senate last year. The draft bill would require all content, applications and services to be freely accessible through broadband providers.

This is all very interesting from a European perspective, not least because there is no widely-agreed meaning of the nebulous concept of "net neutrality", not even in the United States.


Most parties agree that the issue centres on whether or not the telecommunications companies and ISPs that route packets of data across the Internet should have any regard either to the data stored in those packets or to who the recipient or sender is. The only agreement beyond that, however, is that the battle lines clearly delineate between the content providers such as Google, eBay and Microsoft, the network providers such as AT&T, and the ISPs.

So what impact if any will net neutrality have in the UK?

Following the lead of our American cousins, a number of commentators have suggested that the net neutrality argument will soon ignite on this side of the Atlantic.

In the U.K., the first significant net neutrality debate took place on 20 March 2007 in Westminster and was chaired by former trade minister Alun Michael and the Conservative shadow trade minister Charles Hendry. The conference attracted senior representatives from the Government, the DTI, Ofcom and U.K. industry players, as well as those with experience of the U.S. debate, such as AT&T.

The consensus was clear. Nearly every speaker expressed the opinion that the markets in the US and Europe are inherently different. The basic message was that net neutrality in the U.K. is a commercial issue, and any differences should be resolved by the market players themselves. A major reason for this, a number of speakers pointed out, is that there is more access competition in Europe, enabling NRAs such as Ofcom to use competition powers to resolve any issues that arise.

Of course, the regulator is important in ensuring a level playing field for the market players, and a level playing field requires that end-users must be able to change providers quickly and simply, to minimise the risk of ISPs/operators favouring their own products over those of their competitors. [...]

Source: Total Telecom Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge, TMCnet.

Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel has approved regulations to allow Brazil's 5,561 municipalities to offer low-cost Wi-Fi internet access, Anatel said in a statement. The regulations permit municipal governments that want to set up Wi-Fi networks to do so indirectly through Anatel-approved companies. Another option is to offer the services directly by applying for a license to offer a private network service known as a SRP. "Large municipalities such as São Paulo or Belo Horizonte already have Wi-Fi networks and the aim is to help small municipalities establish their networks," an Anatel spokesperson told BNamericas. The Anatel spokesperson said the watchdog has estimated that the likely cost of setting up a Wi-Fi a network to reach 10,000 inhabitants is around 20,000 reais (US$9,666). Anatel hopes the initiative will encourage digital inclusion projects in small towns, where large private companies do not see economic benefit of investing in.

Source: Cellular-news.

The Iranian government has begun a study into the future of 3G and 4G mobile services in the country. The state’s Islamic Majlis Research Centre is undertaking research into consumer demand and technical feasibility following a request from the head of parliament’s Telecom Commission, Ramezan-Ali Sadeqzadeh. Taliya News quotes the research centre’s initial report, which states: ‘Some countries that have been the initiators of this technology have very valuable information in the field and it must be surveyed why they made huge investments based on vast scale surveys that led to adopting of the decision.’ Cellular use is growing quickly in Iran, but mobile data services are still in their infancy, with the country only just seeing the launch of the first GPRS-enabled networks.

Source: TeleGeography.

The National Telecommunications Communications says it expects to issue licences for the fourth generation of wireless broadband service, known as WiMax, by the end of this year.

NTC director Prasit Prapingmongkolkarn made the comment after a recent forum to hear opinions from Internet service providers about WiMax and the spectrum standard for wireless connectivity.

He said the NTC now had 2.5-Gigahertz and 3.5 GHz spectrums available for WiMax service, while authorities were studying whether the 5 GHz spectrum would affect Shin Satellite's iPSTAR broadband satellite, which was allocated the spectrum for use. (...)

Source: IPCommunications.

BNamericas reports that the pilot phase of Rosario’s municipal Wi-Fi project is to get underway in the next few weeks. Local IT companies Openware and Transdatos won an auction to deploy the first equipment in the downtown area, whilst broadband service will be supplied by the local unit of Mexican group Telmex. The city of Rosario, Argentina’s third largest, announced its ‘Cuidad Digital 2010’ project last October, and intends to launch a tender next month for a larger scale WiMAX project with Wi-Fi hotspots across the city, including its airport, university, bus stations and public offices.

Source: Telegeography

A trade body representing CDMA mobile operators on Monday cautioned against further delay in announcement of spectrum policy for Third Generation mobile services, saying such a delay would put India behind other countries and deprive its citizens of better services. A delay would create more uncertainty in the timing of the launch of 3G services, deprive Indian consumers and businesses of the benefits of these services, and keep India behind other countries, CDMA Development Group (CDG) said in a statement on Monday. 3G services allow mobile companies to offer real-time interactive services like high speed Internet, video streaming and financial trading. To release 3G spectrum for mobile players, the Defence Ministry is supposed to release 45 Mhz of spectrum by the end of this year in the IMT 2000 band and 1800-1900 MHz band. CDG said the announcement of the 3G Spectrum Policy should not in any way be linked to the delay in the release of the spectrum in the 1800 MHz band, which was part of the 45 MHz of spectrum that was to have been freed.

The TRAI Recommendations finalised last year were the second set of recommendations in as many years, and the CDG hopes that the policy announcement will be made by March 2007, as publicly stated by the Government, said Perry La Forge, CDG's Executive Director. CDG recommended that to create a level playing field amongst operators and restore parity from the economies of scale that the 2100 MHz band will offer GSM operators, CDMA operators in India should be allowed to offer CDMA2000 1xEV-DO services (3G services) in their existing 800 MHz band. The Department of Telecom should seriously consider TRAI's recommendations regarding the feasibility to deploy and release 1900 MHz to the CDMA operators concurrent with the release of 2100 MHz Spectrum. The bone of contention between CDMA and GSM players have been the allocation of 1900 Mhz band. As per the TRAI recommendations, the 2.1 GHz (2100 Mhz) spectrum is for both GSM and CDMA operators. While CDMA operators have been allotted spectrum on 800 MHz, the 900 and 1800 Mhz bands are for GSM. TRAI has proposed to introduce 2.1 GHz for both CDMA and GSM and 450 MHz for CDMA. As per a relocation plan given to the Defence Ministry by DoT, the Ministry will release 45 Mhz of spectrum by the end of this year for providing 3G services in the IMT 2000 band and 1800-1900 MHz band. Finally, the CDG encourages DoT to make the entire spectrum allocation and management Technology Neutral so that all future allocations of spectrum are made in equal measure to both of the deployed technologies.

Source: The Hindu.

In this Report and Order (“Order”), we adopt rules and provide guidance to implement Section 621(a)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Communications Act”), which prohibits franchising authorities from unreasonably refusing to award competitive franchises for the provision of cable services. We find that the current operation of the local franchising process in many jurisdictions constitutes an unreasonable barrier to entry that impedes the achievement of the interrelated federal goals of enhanced cable competition and accelerated broadband deployment. We further find that Commission action to address this problem is both authorized and necessary. Accordingly, we adopt measures to address a variety of means by which local franchising authorities, i.e., county- or municipallevel franchising authorities (“LFAs”), are unreasonably refusing to award competitive franchises. We anticipate that the rules and guidance we adopt today will facilitate and expedite entry of new cable competitors into the market for the delivery of video programming, and accelerate broadband deployment consistent with our statutory responsibilities.[...]

Source: FCC, R&O & NPRM.

 

WiMAX is one of the most recent developments in communications and, in this domain, Romania has proved its openness for new, state-of-the-art technologies. Considering the current 1,2 million broadband connections in Romania, at a 5.5% penetration at the population level, WiMAX may trigger a major change in the broadband offer in our country. Thus, for 2007, we estimate a 10% broadband penetration rate that would bring us closer to the European average of 14.1%”, Dan Georgescu, President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology, declared today during the opening session of the conference “WiMAX in the telecom competition”, organised by Finmedia.

Dan Georgescu presented our country’s status as regards the number of Internet broadband connections compared to the other European countries, the opportunities that WiMAX brings as a support to the increase of broadband penetration in Romania, as well as the necessity for implementing the broadband strategy. WiMAX represents a possible solution for ensuring broadband Internet access and telephony to the remote rural areas, where access to communications services is low.

The participants to the event debated issues related to the spectrum allocation and to adapting the regulations in order to support this technology, but also aspects regarding wireless access to broadband communications, main technical challenges of WiMAX and granting licenses for the use of scarce natural resources.

The main themes of the conference, supported through presentations, interactive discussions and practical demonstrations, were Examining and understanding the market, Regulations for the global dynamics of wireless broadband, Technology, Business Models.

The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry for Communications and Information Technology, the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology and the Inspectorate General for Communications and Information Technology.

The industry was well represented by providers of publicly available telephone services, manufacturers and providers of telecommunications equipment, as well as by beneficiaries of communications services.

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

The French regulator, the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes (Arcep), says it adopted a proposal advocating the award of a licence to offer 3G services in the 900MHz band in mainland France, and has sent its recommendation to the Minister Delegate for Industry. The regulator’s decision follows a public consultation carried out between October and November 2006 in which the industry expressed interest in the allocation of a fourth UMTS licence. Arcep says it plans to auction off a fourth UMTS mobile telecom licence in 2007 in a bid to introduce greater levels of competition in the local market. The watchdog said 21 companies participated in the consultation, of which ‘several’ indicated ‘expressions of interest’ in the concession. One of these is understood to be the domestic ISP Iliad (Free) which in November 2006 confirmed it would be interested in buying the fourth and final licence.

Source: Telegeography

The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry, today announced the launch of a public consultation on a framework to auction spectrum in the 2-GHz range, including spectrum for advanced wireless services. This consultation is the first step in a process leading to an auction of spectrum licences, anticipated to occur in early 2008. A total of 105 MHz of spectrum will be made available.

"Advanced wireless services are vital communication resources for building a strong networked economy in Canada," said Minister Bernier. "This consultation solicits input that will assist my department in developing a framework to foster a fair, efficient and competitive marketplace and ensure that the Canadian wireless industry remains in step with international developments."

The notice announcing the publication of this paper entitled, Consultation on a Framework to Auction Spectrum in the 2 GHz range including Advanced Wireless Services, will be published on February 24, 2007, in the Canada Gazette. The paper is also available on Industry Canada's Strategis website.

This consultation paper addresses competition issues in the provision of high-mobility services such as whether to adopt measures to enable market entry by new players and whether existing operators should be mandated to offer roaming on their existing networks, and technical issues for the use of the spectrum, proposed conditions of licences, the size of spectrum blocks and geographic areas, licence terms, and conditions for licence renewal. Stakeholders are invited to address these issues and make proposals for any measures they consider appropriate. The consultation process will also include a "reply comment" phase, which will give an opportunity to challenge the positions and assertions of other parties.

"Our role is to help foster a healthy and competitive telecommunications market that encourages and rewards innovation, and from which consumers will benefit the most. I invite all interested parties to make their views known," said Minister Bernier.

Source: Industry Canada.

The national telecom regulator has issued an assurance that it is working at full speed to complete licensing regulations for third-generation (3G) wireless broadband technology.

In a statement yesterday, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said it fully supported the use of 3G cellular technology.

Telecom operators are eager to obtain 3G licences so they can use the blazing speed of the new technology to provide wireless services like video calling and interactive wireless games, thereby earning more revenue.

The NTC statement appeared to be a reaction to comments by the Information and Communi-cations Technology Ministry that it should speed up its drafting the 3G licensing regulations.

"We're speeding up the process and will soon organise public hearings on the draft again," said NTC secretary-general Suranan Wongvithaya-kakjorn. The NTC has taken many factors into account while drafting, including limited 3G spectrum resources, relevant laws, and benefits to consumers, he said.

The commission remains uncertain about its ability to allocate the 3G licences, because frequency-allocation laws provide that the job of managing and prescribing the use of telecom and broadcasting spectrums must be shared by the NTC and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Suranan said.

However, the selection of 14 candidates for the NBC was nullified in court in 2005 on the grounds it was unconstitutional. The NBC does not yet exist.

Suranan said operators who own 3G spectrums could go ahead and develop services, but they must first inform the NTC.

On a separate matter, the NTC board yesterday approved a commission plan to draft licensing regulations for the 5GHz spectrum for operating the wireless broadband technology WiMax.

Source: The Nation.

Biel-Bienne, 12.02.2007 - OFCOM has received one application for the two broadband wireless access (BWA) licences. It is expected that the Federal Communications Commission (ComCom) will decide on granting the licence in March.

In this Decision, the Commission forbears, with some conditions, from regulating high capacity/digital data services interexchange private line services on those additional routes on which the competitors of several incumbent local exchange carriers now offer or provide such services at DS-3 or greater bandwidth.

Source: CRTC, Canada.

The Ministry of the Communications in Brazil has launched another public consultation for the auction of WiMAX radio spectrum.

The auction for 3.5 GHz spectrum was set to launch several times in 2006 however numerous irregularities and scandals prevented the auction.

Following responses to the public consultation, the regulator Anatel will prepare the final auction rules, including what minimum and maximum prices are expected and what companies are eligible to participate.

Source: WiMax Day.

Mexican IT training and knowledge management company CompuEducación will offer its services to the Mexican government via El Mercado Virtual, a government website designed to offer companies courses, workshops and seminars for strengthening human capital, CompuEducación said in a statement.

El Mercado Virtual was created by Mexico's economy ministry to provide knowledge and information under a B2B model among local companies. CompuEducación mainly focuses on IT services and training to assist....

Source: BNamericas.com

The three-day meeting (5-7 February) will bring together Heads of national regulatory authorities from both developed and developing countries to achieve consensus on the best ways to address the challenges brought about by the migration to NGN networks. 60 heads of regulatory authorities, together with 50 of their commissioners and board members are slated to attend. By 2008, at least 50% of all international telecommunication traffic is expected to be carried on IP networks. IP provides a common language in which different networks (for instance fixed and mobile; local and wide-area) can communicate together. Thus, IP is the touchstone for convergence and a common platform for NGN, while network capacity increases every month. In order to remain strategically competitive in an increasingly converged world of services and content where voice is no longer the sole source of revenue, operators and carriers are migrating from circuit-switched to Internet-Protocol (IP) networks and from there to Next-Generation Networks or NGN, which allow for decoupling the network’s transport and service layers. NGN networks promise to offer full and true convergence of fixed and mobile, voice and data, data and video and IT, telecoms and broadcast sectors. This means that the choice of technology used for infrastructure will no longer have an impact on the kinds and variety of services delivered over that infrastructure. The deployment of NGN networks will also offer ubiquitous access for users of these networks as well as for competing service providers. This shift, while taking place gradually, is already happening in several parts of the world. NGN presents many opportunities but also many complexities and challenges and requires new regulatory thinking to promote investment and ensure that carriers can remain competitive in this new environment while ensuring open access. For more information see: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/treg/Events/Seminars/GSR/GSR07/

Peru's state investment promotion agency ProInversión has released bidding rules for a US$17mn rural telecoms project, according to the agency's website.

The project aims to provide telecoms service to 3,010 localities with 2 million potential users. The tender calls for broadband internet service for 2,850 of the communities, public telephony for 1,535 and residential service in 95 localities.

Co-financing is available though no amount has been specified. The bidding rules and participation rights cost US$1,000.

Peru's telecoms regulator Osiptel and the country's transport and communications ministry (MTC) will supervise the project. The selected company must handle the installation, maintenance and community training so that residents can use the new services.

ProInversión is accepting comments and questions on the project until February 26 and the deadline for purchasing bidding rules is March 12. The agency will announce further deadlines for the projects after the public comments period.

Source: Business News Americas

The Federal Network Agency last Friday submitted a draft regulatory ATM bitstream access order to the European Commission and the national regulatory authorities of the other Member States.

Under the draft, Deutsche Telekom AG (DTAG) is required to provide ATM bitstream access. The conditions are non-discriminatory access, accounting separation and publication of a reference offer. The rates are to be subject to ex post controls.

ATM bitstream access is a wholesale service designed to enable competitors to offer high quality DSL connections on the downstream markets, chiefly to business customers. This is where ATM differs from IP bitstream access, which DTAG was put under obligation to provide last September already and which is handled on the Internet Protocol basis and targeted primarily at the DSL mass market. Thus the draft that has been submitted to Brussels, once in force, will complete the regulatory measures in the wholesale bitstream access market.

The European Commission and the national regulatory authorities now have a month in which to respond to the draft. The Ruling Chamber responsible will then make a final decision, taking the representations into the utmost account.

Source: Bundesnetzagentur, Germany

 

The Italian government is expected to offer WiMAX wireless broadband licences by mid-2007, with interest already coming from ISPs such as FastWeb and Tiscali. Reuters reports that the sale could generate proceeds of up to EUR200 million. Broadband internet providers Tiscali and FastWeb have both conducted trials of WiMAX technology, which they would deploy alongside their existing fixed networks, while Telecom Italia is also likely to be among the bidders for WiMAX concessions.

Source: Telegeography

The telecom regulator has approved in principle the application of Shin Satellite to test WiMax wireless broadband Internet-access service to see if it will jam its Thaicom 5 satellite. ShinSat plans to share some of the satellite's 3.5GHz spectrum with a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access service.

The National Telecommuni-cations Commission will now examine whether ShinSat's concession allows the company to use its existing frequency to test WiMax. Recently the NTC decided that telecoms operating between 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz could apply to conduct WiMax tests ahead of offering the service commercially.

ShinSat, True Corp and TOT are the first in line to develop WiMax as they are already using the frequencies for their existing businesses. ShinSat occupies the 3.5GHz spectrum, True's pay-TV operator UBC True has 2.5GHz and TOT is at 2.4GHz. The frequencies were assigned to them by the now defunct frequency-allocation committee.

The NTC has put off allocating bandwidth for WiMax and other new services, such as 3G cellular, pending the establishment of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). The telecom law stipulates that the NTC and NBC jointly create a frequency table, manage frequency use and prescribe frequency-utilisation regulations.

The Central Administrative Court ruled last November to void the appointments of the seven NBC members, citing the unconstitutionality of the selection process. Major telecoms are waiting for the NTC to license 3G and WiMax so they can offer bandwidth-hungry services such as live video broadcasting in a bid to increase revenue per customer.

Thai Mobile, the cellular operator of TOT and CAT Telecom, was awarded 1900MHz, which can be deployed to offer 3G, by the frequency-allocation committee.

TOT, which is in the process of buying out CAT from their Thai Mobile joint venture, is rolling out its 3G network countrywide to lease to other cellular operators.

Source: The Nation, Thailand

Three Russian operators are expected to get licenses to provide third generation (3G) mobile services at a tender, IT and Telecommunications Minister Leonid Reiman told reporters Monday. Conditions for the tender are expected to be announced before the year-end and the tender is expected to take place before April 2007, Reiman said. The minister said a fourth license might eventually be given as more frequencies for 3G networks become available. Russia's three major mobile operators - MTS, VimpelCom and MegaFon ? all said earlier they planned to participate in the tender.

Soucre: Cellular-news.com

THE Tanzania Telecommunications Limited (TTCL) will next year install a new generation network in Zanzibar, to improve its telecommunication system in the isles. This was said when the TTCL Board of Directors met President Amani Abeid Karume in Zanzibar yesterday.

The president expressed his satisfaction on the job already done by TTCL in the isles, pointing out that the notable achievements in the sector would be of great assistance to the people. He said that the achievements attained so far were results of good policies put in place by both the union and Zanzibar governments, to ensure that people get sufficient telecommunication services, in support of their efforts to improve the country's economy.

The president further expressed hopes that the connection of "Fibre Optic cable" that would connect key areas in the country would hasten economic developments. According to him, the new thrust of the company should now focus on expansion of the new modern network in order to fulfil current and future needs of customers together with national technology, information and communications.

The Chairman of the TTCL's Board of Directors, Prof. Mapunda, assured the president that the company would continue to improve telecommunications services in the isles. He pointed out that improvement of the Kijangwani station has already been completed.

Improvement of the Chakechake station, according to him, would follow and that there was another project being undertaken at Mkoani side with a view to satisfy the customers' requirements in the country.

Source: DailyNews, Tanzania

Ofcom today announced new rules intended to ensure that customers are able to switch to a different broadband provider quickly and easily. This follows a public consultation published in August.

Ofcom’s research reveals that while 83% of UK internet users who have switched provider found it easy to do so, a significant minority have encountered problems.

Source: Ofcom.

Rho Jun-hyong, Minister of Information and Communication attended the Korea-Australia Summit Meeting accompanying President Roh Moo-hyun on his visit to Australia. The following day, Minister Rho also attended the Korea-Austria-New Zealand Broadband Summit(KANZ) and promoted Korea's IT while holding the IT Ministers Meeting with Australia.

Along with Minister Rho of Korea, Helen Coonan Minister of Communications, Information and Culture of Australia and David Cunliffe Minister of Economic Development of New Zealand, about 150 IT entrepreneurs and researchers from the three countries related to digital contents, DMB, WiBro, Home Networking and Telematics took part in the event.

In his keynote speech, Minister Rho said that through the two KANZ Summits, Korea, Australia and New Zealand have set up a basic framework for IT cooperation within a short period of time, and suggested that the three countries form a Director-General level meeting to maintain close cooperative relationships.

Also, Minister Rho proposed that Korea, Australia and New Zealand, which are the leading countries in IT infrastructure and technology as well as digital contents, should mutually complement each other and promote joint cooperation projects in the digital contents sector. Minister Rho proposed that the main agenda of the fourth meeting shall be the SW sector, in order to create a synergy effect in the SW sector of which all three countries have great cooperation potential.

In the meanwhile, Minister Rho held a bilateral meeting with Minister Coonan and discussed cooperation between the two countries in the field of digital video and also asked for the support and interest of the Australian government with regard to Korea's terrestrial DMB, currently being commercially serviced for the first time in the world.

It is expected that the event will enhance IT cooperation between the three countries and expand opportunities for Korean companies to advance to Oceania. The fourth KANZ Broadband Summit will take place in New Zealand.

Source: MIC, Republic of Korea

The President of the Federal Network Agency, Matthias Kurth, launched the auction of frequencies for broadband wireless access (BWA) in the 3.5 GHz band in Mainz today. Six companies had applied for participation in the auction. "I hope that with these frequencies the companies will be able to place new and interesting telecommunications products on the German market as well", said Mr Kurth. The regulator also hopes that competition will increase on the broadband market and that broadband accesses such as wireless Internet access will be offered in hitherto insufficiently served regions. "The regulatory goal of improving broadband coverage is to be achieved by a coverage obligation linked to the frequency award. By 2009 in 15 per cent and by 2011 in 25 per cent of all communes in an auction area at least basic coverage must be assured", according to Mr Kurth. It was not a frequency auction’s goal to increase state revenues but to determine, in an open, transparent and non-discriminatory auction which applicants were best suited to efficiently use the scarce frequencies, explained Mr Kurth. "By means of the auction frequencies will be awarded to capable and suitable companies which are prepared to invest the necessary funds to establish the requisite infrastructure. Even if not all six companies will be active in all regions, this still does not render the auction proceedings superfluous since the frequency packets in the regions are not equivalent as far as their availability is concerned. With this in mind I deem it in line with market conditions that adaptation and consolidation processes already took place prior to the auction. The market is obviously capable of reacting quickly and flexibly to events and changing conditions", said Mr Kurth. The auction is structured as an open, simultaneous, multiple round action. For each action round 120 minutes are initially envisaged. At the end of each round each bidder and the public are told which bidder has made the highest bid for which frequency packet in which region. 28 auction regions have been created which cover the whole of the Federal Republic of Germany. In each region four frequency packets are due to be auctioned. However, each bidder may only buy one frequency packet per region on the condition that he has been issued a bidding authorisation for this region. Certain incremental principles apply to the bids, called minimum increments. The minimum increment is initially 15 per cent und may be decreased in the course of the auction. The auction is being conducted electronically. To this end "auction PCs" have been installed in six separate offices which are connected to the auctioneer PC installed in yet another office. The bidders are not allowed to communicate with each other and any such communications has been prevented by suitable precautions. The bidders may contact decisiontakers in their company and the auctioneer by telephone. The bidders have all taken part in a one-day software training course at the Federal Network Agency’s system in Mainz and are familiar with the technology and the rules of the game. Auctioneer is the Federal Network Agency’s Presidential Chamber. The auction software is controlled by an experienced, inter-disciplinary team consisting of legal experts, economists, technicians and auction theorists, ensuring the smooth execution of the auction. The auction proceeding is officially monitored by a notary public. Source: Federal Network Agency, see http://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/media/archive/8216.pdf 

The two day Executive Level Training organized by the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) and infoDev, in cooperation with the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA), Hong Kong, China, ended on 3 December 2006. More than 50 Senior Executives from 27 countries gathered in Hong Kong, China to participate in this event.

The training focused on New Technologies, New thinking, ICT Regulation in a Changing World and highlighted how the joint ITU-infoDev ICT regulation toolkit could help regulators and policy makers. The ICT Regulation Toolkit and the training programme were designed to enable regulators and policy makers to identify solutions to their real world challenges. Nearly ninety percent of the participants expressed a high level of satisfaction and the wish to continue such training. The joint ITU infoDev ICT Regulation Toolkit was very well received and generated a lot of positive feedback. To learn more about this event, click here. To access the ICT regulation toolkit, click here.

Ofcom today announced proposals for the UK’s largest single release of radio spectrum, which could be used for a range of new services such as mobile broadband and advanced wireless services.

The consultation document seeks views on proposals to auction licences to use three spectrum bands: 2500-2690 MHz, 2010-2025 MHz and 2290-2300 MHz. In total 215 MHz will be available. The award of these bands would form an important part of Ofcom’s approach in securing the optimal use of this finite and valuable natural resource.

Ofcom proposes to release the spectrum on a technology and service neutral basis. This will allow organisations to decide how best to use the spectrum within certain minimum technical specifications to prevent harmful interference.

The proposals are part of a wider Ofcom programme to release around 400 MHz of prime spectrum to the market over the next few years, creating major opportunities for extra innovation and competition in wireless services. The programme includes a dozen different bands including the spectrum freed up by digital television switchover, or Digital Dividend, in which Ofcom will publish proposals shortly.

Source: Ofcom.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has confirmed it will introduce licensing regulations for the third-generation (3G) broadband cellular business next year, despite the absence of a National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

NTC chairman Choochart Promphrasid yesterday said the telecom sector could not wait too long to adopt the new technology. "I think it's time for the commissioners to make a decision on the matter," he said. Choochart said the NTC would act on a ruling from the Council of State that the NTC "might be able" to refer to the frequency table of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as a guideline for managing the telecom industry.

The ITU is an international organisation under the United Nations in which governments and private companies work together to coordinate the operations of telecom networks and services and advance the development of communications technology. The Council of State's ruling came after the NTC asked whether it could issue the new frequency licences in the absence of the National Broadcasting Commission.

Telecom operators are eager to obtain the 3G licences so they can use the blazing speed of the new technology to provide wireless services like video calling and interactive wireless games, thereby earning more revenues. Choochart said operators whose existing frequencies could be developed to offer 3G services could immediately submit applications for  consideration by the NTC.

The NTC was expected to formulate 3G licensing regulations some time last year, before the Central Administrative Court nullified the selection process for 14 candidates for seven seats on the NBC in November 2005. Telecom law requires both the NTC and the NBC jointly to create the national frequency table, manage the broadcasting and telecom spectra and prescribe rules for their use.

Coincidentally, the five-day Telecom World 2006 forum held by the ITU in Hong Kong and which ends today discussed expansion of the forum's theme to include both broadcasting and telecommunications, because of the convergence of the two technologies. Currently, only state-run Thai Mobile owns a 1900MHz spectrum band that can be used to develop 3G services. The now-defunct Frequency Allocation Committee gave the bandwidth to Thai Mobile in the pre-NTC era.

Source: The Nation, Thailand

A new report says building a single high-speed broadband network across Australia is not the best way to improve Internet speeds. The report has been released by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). Report author Professor Joshua Gans says it should not be up to a single provider like Telstra to build a national broadband network. He says there needs to be a series of solutions at a local level delivered by a range of providers. "The investments that are critically needed to upgrade broadband to the next level are primarily a lot of little local investments," he said. "Moreover those investments vary in their efficacy and also the mode and the technology you might use from locality to locality, so imposing one big national solution on it is way too high a hurdle."

Source: ABC.

On behalf of the Federal Communications Commission (ComCom), the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) is launching the invitation to tender for 2 country-wide licences for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA). If there are sufficient candidates, the licences will be awarded by auction.

By determination of 23 November 2006, ANACOM approved the launch of a public consultation on the introduction of broadband wireless (BWA) in Portugal, taking into consideration the positions which have been discussed at the level of international bodies, namely the European Commission (EC) and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), as well as the results of a timely public consultation promoted by this Authority on FWA (fixed wireless access), in order to restructure the corresponding rights to use radio spectrum in Portugal.
 
In this scope, the European Commission, acknowledging the importance of broadband communications within the i2010 initiative, gave a mandate to CEPT to identify the technical conditions, with a view to operating frequency bands deemed more appropriate and harmonized for BWA purposes. The work accomplished so far has led to the conclusion that the priority bands for BWA applications are the 3,6 GHz and 5,8 GHz bands, and that the applicable technical and regulatory framework for the use of BWA systems within these bands shall be governed by the following instruments:

• Decision CEPT/ECC (Electronic Communications Committee) on BWA applications in the 3,6 GHz (3400-3800 GHz) frequency band, which shall be adopted for CEPT public consultation until the end of the year;
  
  
• Recommendation CEPT/ECC (06)04, on BFWA systems (Broadband Fixed Wireless Access), in the 5,8 GHz (5725-5875 GHz) frequency band, which is also about to be approved.

The action plan outlined in Administrative Rule no. 1962/2004, of 25 August, following the public consultation on fixed wireless access (FWA) systems, must also be taken into consideration: in the initial stage (Stage I), ANACOM, having heard companies holding FWA licenses, resized their rights to use radio spectrum, comprising only the spectrum formerly allocated, and disregarded requests for additional spectrum or for changes of use; in the second stage (Stage II), given the available spectrum and interested entities, ANACOM will define the allocation process.
 
The public consultation now launched by ANACOM aims to gather the opinion of the different market participants (manufacturers, operators, users, and others), which shall contribute towards the decision on the future framework defining the way in which BWA applications should be introduced in frequency bands under consideration.
 
For this purpose, a 20-working-day time limit was established. The deadline for reception of comments, which must be sent preferably by email to consultaBWA@anacom.pt, thus expires on 2 January 2007. Once the consultation procedure has been completed, received replies shall be disclosed in this website. For this reason, interested parties are requested to state clearly the elements deemed confidential.

Source: ANACOM, Portugal

Significant developments have taken place in the wholesale broadband access markets since Ofcom concluded its previous review in May 2004. Between May 2004 and October 2006, the total number of broadband subscribers has increased from c.4 million to c.12 million. At the same time, LLU has developed from a low volume niche product to one that allows Communications Providers to bypass the incumbent’s wholesale offerings and to instead provide their own. Increased competitive pressure, particularly from LLU, has resulted in BT geographically de-averaging its wholesale broadband prices and in providers offering retail prices and products that vary by geography.

Ofcom has attempted to capture these developments in its approach to reviewing the wholesale broadband access market and to propose regulatory remedies that are appropriate to the prevailing market conditions. This consultation document sets this approach out in detail and Ofcom is keen to hear the views of all interested parties. Ofcom has followed the procedure under the regulatory framework of defining markets, assessing competitive conditions and considering remedies in reaching the conclusions set out in this document. (...)

Source: Ofcom.

The city of Grand Rapids, Michigan says it has reached a tentative deal with Clearwire to develop and deploy a WiMax-based wireless network within the next year. According to terms of the contract, Clearwire will have access to water towers and other areas where antennas can be placed in exchange for granting free access to emergency responders as well as various city departments. At this point, a pricing plan has to be developed, but there will be a provision for qualified low-income residents to get access for about $9.95 a month. (...)

Source: The Wireless Report.

The city of Grand Rapids, Michigan says it has reached a tentative deal with Clearwire to develop and deploy a WiMax-based wireless network within the next year. According to terms of the contract, Clearwire will have access to water towers and other areas where antennas can be placed in exchange for granting free access to emergency responders as well as various city departments. At this point, a pricing plan has to be developed, but there will be a provision for qualified low-income residents to get access for about $9.95 a month.

Source: The Wireless Report.

The Brazilian government has announced plans to provide broadband internet access in all municipalities nationwide by the end of next year, writes BNamericas which cites local newspapers quoting the country’s communications minister Hélio Costa. At present, the federal government has 3,258 broadband access points across 2,057 municipalities, but it intends to increase this to 8,000 access points over all of Brazil’s 5,658 municipalities, Costa told a public meeting. The Minister says the state plans to utilise the universal internet access programme, Gesac, to provide broadband internet services via terrestrial and satellite platforms as well as via digital inclusion contracts with telecoms operators. However, critics of the scheme have responded by saying it is over ambitious. José Barbosa Melo, president of the IT and communications committee (CTIC) of the Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham), told BNamericas that the government’s plan was ‘not realistic’, saying that a much larger investment was needed to realise its goal. Melo went on to say that in a country where even mobile phone technology, which has been used for much longer than fixed broadband technologies, had not yet achieved coverage of every municipality, it was unlikely that the government could gain broadband nationwide penetration within the next twelve months. Others have gone further to suggest that the minister’s statement is more a publicity stunt than a realistic goal.

Source: Telegeography

Today, ARCEP presents the responses to its two public consultations launched on October 5^th regarding:

- the reuse for 3G of the 900 and 1800 MHz frequencies, currently used by 2G, and the authorisation available in the 2.1 GHZ band for a third-generation mobile network ("fourth 3G license")

- the renewal of Bouygues Telecom’s 2G authorisation.

Source: Arcep.

Kenya has entered into partnership with global telecommunications service provider Etisalat to lay the proposed $110 million (Sh7.9 billion) undersea fibre optic cable, popularly known as The East African Marine Systems (Teams). The cable will connect east and horn of Africa countries to the rest of the world is expected to drastically reduce the cost of telecommunications. It will also offer high quality broadband connections that will enable the region’s industries and business to be competitive in the global economy.

Telkom Kenya has signed a memorandum of understanding with Etisalat of United Arab Emirates to lay, operate and maintain the cable, which will connect Mombasa and Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman. Managing director, Mr Sammy Kirui signed the agreement on behalf of Kenya. Information and Communications minister, Mr Mutahi Kagwe, Permanent Secretary Dr Bitange Ndemo, the Director General of Communications Commission of Kenya Mr John Waweru witnessed the signing in Dubai last Wednesday.

"The two parties are committed to run an aggressive race to enable the cable will be ready for service by November next year. The construction and supply contract will be awarded early next year," a statement from the Information and Communications ministry released yesterday said.

Kenya was among the 16 countries that declined to sign the East African Submarine Cable System, also known as Eassy special vehicle protocol mid this year. Kenya was not happy with the fact that Nepad was taking over ownership of the project. Meanwhile, Kagwe said yesterday the government was only aware of two shareholders in Safaricom.He did not however rule out the fact that other parties, through an internal arrangement, could be holding five per cent of the Vodafone shares. According to a local weekly, Mobitelea Ventures Ltd, said to be associated with prominent figures in the regime of former President Moi, could still hold as much as five per cent of Safaricom.

Source: The East African Standard, Kenya 

The NTC has allocated the prefix of 06 mainly for providing the VoIP service from phone to phone, including other new telecom-technology services, under its interim numbering plan. The phone-to-phone VoIP service will use the 06 prefix, followed by an eight-digit number. The regulator is expected to introduce the official numbering plan next month.

The operators of the phone-to-phone VoIP service will also be subject to the NTC interconnection charge regime, which requires all telecom operators to share voice and data revenues between the networks involved in the calls on a fair basis. VoIP technology allows free or cheap calls to anywhere in the world via an IP channel rather than a telephone network.

Among the existing providers of VoIP services from personal computer to personal computer and personal computer to phone include CAT Telecom, True Internet and TT&T.

Meanwhile, the NTC has yet to grant a licence to ACeS Regional Service (ARS) to operate a satellite-based cellular service.

Sudharma said the company had operated a satellite-based cellular service under a CAT concession and now wanted to comply with NTC regulations.

Sudharma said the NTC needed to examine first whether it could award the licence to ARS, which used an Indonesian satellite to offer the service. The NTC has also yet to grant a licence to Shin Satellite to offer an international Internet gateway (IIG) service, pending further study of the application details.

IIGs serve as a channel for local Internet service providers to connect or exchange traffic with global Internet networks.

Source: NTC, Thailand

The Canadian government will announce today its intent to rewrite the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC's) ruling on Internet-based telephone services, in a highly unusual move that could mark a big step toward a more open and consumer-friendly sector. According to local daily The Globe & Mail, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier is expected to say in a speech today that the Conservative government will once again block the CRTC's repeated efforts to regulate VoIP services. Mr Bernier and the CRTC are both trying to foster competition in the VoIP market, but have different ideas about how best to do so. The minister, a staunch advocate for free markets, wants to let consumers determine the winners and losers, while the regulator wants to approve prices for internet-based telephony in the same way it does for conventional phone services.

More than a year ago, the CRTC announced it would regulate the rates the incumbent telcos charge for VoIP, in the same way as it does them in the local phone market. The CRTC argued that the move would protect smaller providers. But the telcos appealed the decision in the courts, arguing that their competitors didn't have to operate under the same restrictions. Instead of backing the regulator, Mr Bernier surprised industry observers in May by telling the CRTC to take another look at its decision. The commission, however, responded last month by holding firm to its earlier ruling, although it added that it would reassess the ground rules for how long the broader retail phone market should continue to be regulated. The CRTC had earlier ruled that major phone companies can escape CRTC pricing regulations only when they can show that they have lost 25% market share to alternative providers.

Source: Telegeography

Malaysia will issue two licenses to telecommunication operators next year to provide fourth generation wireless high speed Internet services, a senior minister has told AFP. Lim Keng Yaik, energy, water and communications minister said the government hoped the winning bidders will roll out the WiMAX network nationwide in 2007.

The government in July cancelled the original tender for the WiMAX 2.3 gigahertz spectrum, saying that the specifications were not in line with the ministry's policy. Lim has said the government hopes to issue up to four licences.

The original tender had attracted bids from 17 companies, including Malaysia's top communications firm Maxis Communications and DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd.

Source: Yahoo News Asia.

Armenia’s national PTO ArmenTel has signed a contract with ZTE of China for the supply of the country’s first DSL broadband network, writes Telecompaper. In August this year ArmenTel selected ZTE to build it a CDMA450 wireless in the local loop (WiLL) network to complement its existing fixed line infrastructure, providing coverage in areas not presently served by the telco’s PSTN.

According to TeleGeography's GlobalComms database, ArmenTel was established in March 1995 as a joint venture between the Ministry of Communications and US-owned Trans World Telecom. In 1997 the MTC launched the privatisation of the telco, and at the end of that year Greece's Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) won an international tender, paying USD143 million for a 90% stake in ArmenTel in March 1998. OTE has been looking to offload its holding however, and in October 2006 UAE-based operator Etisalat was reported to have won the tender for the stake, although it has since denied this.
Source: Telegeography

Russia’s State Radio Frequency Commission has awarded WiMAX wireless broadband frequencies to number two mobile operator Vimpelcom. The firm has won spectrum in the 3.4GHz-3.45GHz band and the 3.5GHz-3.55GHz band. Prime Tass, citing local newspaper Kommersant, reports that Vimpelcom has also applied for spectrum in the 2.3GHz-2.5GHz range covering 92 cities and so far it has been granted use of the spectrum in 34 markets. Meanwhile, third-placed cellco MegaFon has also applied for frequencies which would allow it deploy a WiMAX network although it has not elaborated on its plans. Russia already has a number of commercial WiMAX networks operated by the likes of Enforta and Synterra. TeleGeography’s WiMAX Market Tracking service offers full coverage of global WiMAX trials and deployments.

Source: Telegeography

Taiwan’s telecoms regulator has published details of its plans for WiMAX wireless broadband licensing. The National Communications Commission (NCC) says it will offer nine six-year WiMAX concessions in the second quarter of next year. DigiTimes reports that three 90MHz bands will be available in each of three regions: northern, central and southern Taiwan. Companies can apply for several licences but will be awarded a maximum of one, although mergers and co-operation with other licence winners will be allowed to enable operators to create a national footprint. Networks must be built out within one year of licensing.

Source: Telegeography

Alternative wireless broadband service provider Irish Broadband has launched a commercial voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) product over its high speed network, writes Electricnews.net. The operator is offering a residential service with prices starting from EUR9.99 per month for 500 minutes of inclusive calls to landlines in the UK and Ireland, or EUR14.99 monthly to include calls to a further 28 international destinations. A business package is also available offering 2,000 minutes of calls to landlines in Ireland, the UK and ten other destinations for EUR34.99 per month (excl. VAT). All other calls will be charged on a pro rata basis, although calls to other Irish Broadband customers are free. In addition, the operator’s service requires no line rental charge, although users will need a touchtone phone and an ATA terminal adapter, which Irish Broadband sells for EUR99.

Source: Telegeography

Vietnamese ISP Financial Promoting Technology (FPT) Telecom has revealed that it submitted an application for fixed line telephony licence to the Ministry of Post and Telematics (MPT) in August 2006. FPT is one of four companies presently licensed to pilot fixed WiMAX across the country before the MPT’s intended commercialisation of the technology in 2007, when it is thought full mobile operating licences will be awarded. If licensed, FPT would provide its fixed line service over the cable infrastructure of its broadband service.
Meanwhile another of the companies testing WiMAX, state owned incumbent telco VNPT, has reported decreased income in its fixed and VoIP revenues since the start of the year. Its charges for VoIP, fixed by the MPT, and are the highest in the country, while competitors are free to set their own. The telco’s monthly ARPU for fixed line and IP telephony services is reported to be VND100,000 (USD6.25).

Source. Telegeography

Telecoms operators in Thailand can now apply for licences to provide wireless broadband internet access including WiMAX services, following an announcement by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), reports local newspaper The Nation. The regulator has invited applications for the use of the 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz spectrum bands, although the 5GHz band has not yet been made available. Wireless broadband spectrum was allocated to True Corp, TOT Corp and Shin Satellite (ShinSat) by an earlier regulatory regime. ShinSat holds 3.5GHz spectrum, TOT owns frequencies in the 2.4GHz band, and True's pay-TV operator, UBC True, has a concession for the 2.5GHz range. The NTC’s WiMAX licensing plans had previously been held up by a debate on frequency access for the telecoms and broadcasting industries, but it said this week that a general offer of WiMAX concessions is in line with the Council of State's ruling that it could pursue spectrum management activities in the absence of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), as long as the activities did not relate to broadcasting spectrums

Source: Telegeography

The Ministry of Communications in Colombia has extended the deadline for the award of WiMAX licences in each of the country’s 32 departments until 23 November, according to a statement issued by the regulatory body. According to BNamericas, the announcement follows on from the previous deadline of 23 October, and is the third postponement from the original date of 31 August. Three licences in the 3.5GHz range are expected to be awarded for each department. The delays have arisen following allegations by some bidders that cellco Comcel submitted its proposal five minutes after the bid deadline on 14 August. The ministry has stated that Comcel’s proposal was submitted on time.

Source: Telegeography

Italy’s Ministry of Communications is playing down the cost of freeing up 3.5GHz spectrum which can be used for WiMAX applications. The spectrum is currently used for military radar systems and the Minister of Defence has said it would cost EUR400 million to transfer the systems to a new band. However, WiMAX Day quotes the Minister of Communications, Paolo Gentiloni, who says that the true cost of freeing up the frequencies would be closer to EUR20 million. Gentiloni says it would be possible to construct a WiMAX network covering the whole of Italy for around half of the sum proposed by the Ministry of Defence.

Source: Telegography

The South African government is proposing to create its own national broadband infrastructure company which it hopes will drive down the price of high speed internet use. Johannesburg newspaper Business Day quotes Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin who says authorities are looking at a plan to link the fibre-optic backbone networks owned by state firms Eskom and Transnet under a new umbrella company, Broadband InfraCo. The new nationwide system would then be used by ISPs and would help push down the cost of long-distance connectivity, which is one of the biggest costs for local internet providers. South African broadband prices are among the highest in the world. Broadband InfraCo could be up and running by early next year says Erwin.

Source: Telegeography

The South African wireless ISP iBurst says it is still considering its options for using its WiMAX spectrum. The firm currently uses proprietary technology to provide wireless broadband services but is also trialling a WiMAX network. Local news website MyADSL reports that iBurst is particularly interested in using WiMAX for backhaul connectivity rather than end-user links. iBurst is one of four 3.5GHz licensees in South Africa along with Telekom, Neotel and Sentech.

Source: Telegeography

According to reports in Irish newspaper The Sunday Business Post, former fixed line monopoly eircom is considering a plan to ask the government to provide it with EUR200 million (USD252 million) in funding to help it redress deficiencies in its network which it says are hampering its rural broadband rollout programme. Although the state has committed to help fund the upgrade of local exchanges where broadband is deemed economically unviable, the incumbent is asking it to go further and help fix the problem of shared lines in some Irish homes which, it says, dates back to a government directive in the 1980s. In its former guise of Telecom Eireann, the telco was ordered to speed up the deployment of fixed lines by installing a line in each and every house that requested one. However, short cuts were taken which, in some cases, resulted in two households sharing a single line. Although not a problem to traditional voice calls, shared lines cannot be used by both parties for the receipt of broadband services. eircom is to hold talks with the Department of Communications over how to fund its rural broadband programme, but is looking for a government concession on fixing the problem of shared lines, or ‘carriers’ as they are also known. The exact number of lines affected is unknown, but the cost of rectifying the problem is estimated at EUR200 million.
Source: Telegeography

AT&T Inc is to deploy its first municipal Wi-Fi network in the Californian city of Riverside. The telco will deploy more than 1,000 access points across an 80 square mile area, with the total cost estimated at USD8.8 million according to a report from Yahoo!. A basic service will be offered free of charge, with income generated by selling advertising space. Premium packages which offer higher data transmission speeds will also be made available for a daily or monthly fee. Construction of the network is expected to begin shortly. This is the first move by a major telco into the muni Wi-Fi space, which has previously been dominated by ISPs such as EarthLink and Google.

Source: Telegeography

UK watchdog Ofcom has warned incumbent fixed line operator BT Group that it must make more effort to encourage competition in the broadband and telephony markets. The regulator is particularly concerned that BT’s wholesale arm, Openreach, is not treating the retail businesses of its rivals as equally as promised. While concluding that BT was committed to its undertakings, it highlighted how the company's own data suggests that its rivals ‘often get a different service level to BT itself, [although] the service is not systematically better or worse’. It added that Openreach’s service performance over the past year ‘has at times been poor, and promised improvements have not always been fully delivered, or maintained’. Ofcom made the recommendations in its first annual review of BT since it gave the telco new competition guidelines a year ago. BT agreed to the undertakings to avoid an investigation by competition authorities that could have led to its break up.

Source: Telegeography

The city of Boston has announced that it is launching a pilot municipal Wi-Fi network. The trial network will provide broadband wireless internet access to 5,000 homes in the south of the city. Local officials are hoping that community groups, ISPs and equipment vendors will help fund the deployment of the pilot system, with vendors and ISPs keen to win a slice of the overall city-wide contract when it is awarded.

Source: Telegeography

California-based wireless equipment supplier Proxim has won a contract to supply a fixed WiMAX network to Asia Pacific Telecom Group (APTG) of Taiwan. The network will be deployed in the city of Taichung, which is the country’s third largest city with a population of around one million. The APTG group consists of three firms: Asia Pacific Broadband Telecom (APBT), Asia Pacific Broadband Wireless (APBW) and Asia Pacific Online (APOL), with APBT responsible for the new WiMAX system. The WiMAX network will complement APBW’s existing CDMA-based cellular network, which is already carrying 3G services.

Source. Telegeography

Plans to deploy a Wi-Fi network in Argentine capital Buenos Aires have been defended by the government, BNamericas reports. Legislator Diego Santilli said that the free wireless broadband network in the capital would not interfere with ISP services, the idea being that Wi-Fi services were offered in public spaces and would generate new business opportunities. He added that he also expects the service to reach areas where ISPs do not operate.
Source: Telegeography

This notice announces Industry Canada's spectrum licence fee proposal for the frequency band 4940-4990 MHz, and requests further comment on the proposed fee and related service standards.

Source: Industry Canada.

From today, interested companies can apply to the Federal Network Agency to register for its auction of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) frequencies. The frequency auction is due to begin in December 2006 at the Federal Network Agency office in Mainz. The President’s Chamber of the Federal Network Agency has decided on the procedure for the award of frequencies in the 3400-3600 MHz range in consultation with the Agency’s Advisory Council. In future, this frequency range will be available for BWA applications. The use of these frequencies is primarily intended to facilitate the provision of radiobased broadband connections to the population. “We now have an opportunity to expand the broadband market with additional services and make it possible for regional and small and medium-sized firms to start operating in areas where the availability of fixed-line broadband connections – DSL in particular – is insufficient. The terms for the assignment of the frequencies have been drafted as flexibly as possible in order to accommodate future technological developments as well. At the moment, no one can predict with any degree of certainty how the balance between fixed-line connections and radio-based broadband connections will develop over the next few years. This is why we want to mobilise the creativity of the private sector in Germany and improve the range of options open to customers. The assignment of the frequencies will promote both innovation and effective competition, enabling consumers to have the widest possible choice of reasonably priced services. Against this background, alternative radio-based access technologies of the kind that are used in BWA, as well as in other fields, could significantly help to improve broadband penetration in Germany,” said Matthias Kurth, the President of the Federal Network Agency.[...]

Source: Federal Network Agency.

Commonwealth of Independent States alternative operator Golden Telecom is to launch a trial WiMAX network in Moscow, in partnership with Nortel, according to press reports. The 4G technology will enable connection speeds of between 1 Mbps and 25 Mbps. Population density in Moscow is around 9,000 per square kilometre, and as such a single base station could potentially grant internet access to hundreds of users.

Source: Global Insight.

Telekom Slovenije and fellow Slovenian telco Tok Telekomunikacije have been awarded ten-year nationwide WiMAX wireless broadband licences by the Post and Electronic Communications Agency (APEK). The regulator reported that incumbent fixed line operator Telekom had offered SIT100 million (USD525,000) for a concession while Tok offered SIT40 million. Prior to the awards, Telekom held the country’s sole WiMAX concession, which was granted in 2002 and covered the capital Ljubljana only. Telekom said it will invest SIT3 billion over the next three years in WiMAX network development. ‘We plan to cover significantly more than 60% of Slovenia with WiMAX…within three years,’ company spokesman Boris Ziherl said.

Source: Telegeography

Singaporean telecoms operator StarHub has introduced a cable broadband service that allows users to access a selected list of websites and services, such as Hotmail and the online game Maple Story, for free. The move comes in the face of increased competition in the high speed internet access segment in Singapore. The limited broadband service, a revamp of StarHub's existing FlexiSurf offering, gives users a download speed of 4Mbps and allows them to check their e-mail on Yahoo and Hotmail, chat using Windows Live Messenger, and download songs from StarHub's Play Music website. They can also access local educational and e-government websites, once they have paid StarHub SGD78.75 for a cable modem.
Source: Telegeography

According to afrol News, Senegalese incumbent fixed line operator Sonatel has doubled traffic bandwidth on internet services in less than two years. Today, Sonatel claims to have the second most extensive range of internet access services in sub-Saharan Africa. In a press release Sonatel said that by 7 September 2006, ‘bandwidth of traffic on the submarine cables of Sonatel…passed the mark of 1.24Gbps'.

Sonatel has been increasing internet bandwidth since 2002 when it rose from 42Mbps to 53Mbps in June that year. By November 2004 it had already increased tenfold, to 512Mbps, and today has again doubled again to 1.24Gbps. The growth in internet traffic reflects the boom in the number of internet users in Senegal in recent years. As prices for broadband installation and services decrease, a bigger segment of the population is starting to use the internet at work and at home. Standard broadband subscriptions cost around EUR80 for the installation and EUR40 a month for the service itself, although even cheaper deals can be found. However, the key to the growth has been the upsurge in popularity of cybercafés, which offer a high speed internet line for as little as EUR0.45 per hour.

Source: Telegeography

The increased competition in the broadband market of late has produced another first for Singapore -- free surfing to popular websites like Hotmail and access to online games like Maple Story.

StarHub yesterday launched a broadband service that allows users to access a selected list of Internet websites and services without paying any subscription fees.

Source: Asia Media.

Georgia’s National Communications Commission has announced that it will hold an auction for a WiMAX licence on 1 December 2006, reports Prime-Tass. The licence will cover radio frequencies from 3,410-3,413 MHz and 3,510-3,531 MHz. The starting price for bids will be 1.66 million lari (US$941,000), and the closing date for applications will be 9 November 2006.

Source: Global Insight.

New broadband players are making an entry with innovative business models that challenge established providers to start rethinking their strategies, according to Arthur D. Little’s report - ‘Next Generation Networks in Europe – Broadband in 2011 and beyond’. Arthur D. Little’s proprietary broadband market model estimates that the global broadband market will be worth USD 75 bn in total revenues in 2006. Total Broadband revenues are expected to exceed USD 145 bn by 2010, attracting a deluge of new players from different industries, vying for a piece of the pie. Currently, broadband providers compete on speed and price. But as bandwidth becomes a commodity, the rules of the game change and service bundling will become the main driver of revenue growth. Operators will fight to provide customer flexibility, to let them create their own bundle, anytime and anywhere. This requires fixed and mobile broadband access and seamlessly integrated services. Incumbent telcos are likely to face intense competition from alternative players such as Yahoo, MSN, Google and Apple who would act as content aggregators and service providers. This competition will lead to further infrastructure investments into Next Generation Networks (NGN) such as BT’s 21CN and it will also increase pressure on prices and margins. Incumbent telcos such as France Telecom, BT, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica will be forced to create new partnerships. These operators must focus on providing seamless integrated access, while being alert to the strategies and tactics of innovative entrants outside the industry.

According to Michael Natusch of Arthur D. Little: “We believe that the market will converge and consolidate. The growth in broadband subscribers has been impressive and is expected to show double-digit growth in important global markets. A key issue for the operators therefore is whether to develop mutually beneficial ways of collaborating with the new players or to fight them directly on their own battleground, which has enormous implications for the culture and capabilities they will have to build internally.” The report highlights that growth is expected in innovative broadband services, high-end video content services (HD, DVR and VOD) and fixed-to-mobile convergence. Apart from traditional infrastructure and service providers, new, over-the-top market entrants such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, Apple/iPod and Microsoft are expected to benefit from this growth. They will not only pressurise DSL incumbents to accelerate the development of broadband services but will also become relevant partners in shaping the future of the broadband landscape.

Arthur D. Little has developed three basic industry scenarios, namely operator dominance, shift of value towards internet companies, or sponsored environments. In the first scenario, large converged operators would take the lion’s share of consumer spend by providing fully integrated quadruple play services. In a second scenario, the possibility of value shift towards cash-rich alternative companies (such as Yahoo, MSN, Google, Apple/iPod), which would act as content aggregators and service providers, was evaluated. Finally, a critical look at the Fibre-to-the-Home developments as sponsored network initiatives. It is not certain which scenario will prevail but the fight for the consumer “share of wallet” will be intense between operators and new service providers. This study is therefore of interest to all key market players, as they struggle to make sense of broadband developments in the short and mid-term, anticipate the role of regulatory authorities, and decide on their next moves.

Source: Arthur D. Little, Total Telecom.

The Jordanian telecoms regulator, the TRC, has announced that it is preparing to award spectrum for broadband fixed-wireless access (BFWA) services. There are a total of 16 lots of spectrum available, which will be licensed in three phases. The first phase, due to kick off during October, will see the licensing of lots in the 3.5 GHz band, the second in the 3.6GHz band, and the third in the 5.4 GHz band. The minimum bid for a lot in the 2.5 GHz and 3.6 GHz bands has been set at 5 million Jordanian dinars (US$7.1 million), and for lots in the 5.4 Ghz band at 3 million dinars, according to the Jordan Times newspaper.

Source: Global Insight.

The Bulgarian telecoms market regulator, the CRC, has opened a tender for a nationwide 15-year point-to-multipoint wireless broadband licences in the frequency bands 24.5-25.25 GHz and 25.5-26.258 GHz. Each bidder can place an offer for between two and six of 25 duplex channels. Prices for each channel starts at 89,600 lev (US$58,200). The deadline for placing bids is 27 October 2006.

Source: Global Insight.

Argentine corporate communications company Impsat is launching VoIP services in the country, and plans to target companies in remote or rural areas, according to BNamericas. Impsat operates 15 networks in Latin America, mainly in large cities.

 

Source: Telegeography

Digital trunking provider Nextel Argentina has signed a preliminary deal to buy local broadband operator VeloCom, BNamericas reports. The deal has yet to be approved the regulator CNC. VeloCom, which launched commercial operations earlier this year in Cordoba, specialises in WiMAX technology. Nextel’s intentions are believed to be similar to those of Mexican giant Telmex, which last week signed a deal to buy another Argentine WiMAX specialist, Ertach.

Source: Telegeography

Egypt's government has announced plans to deploy a trial 3G network to provide broadband fixed wireless access (BFWA) to the country’s schools, writes Cellular News. Lucent Technologies will deliver a combined CDMA2000 1xEV-DO and Wi-Fi network to enable students and teachers will be able to access the internet at high speed via desktop or laptop computers. Further details have not yet been made available. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

 

Source: Telegeography

South Korea’s much vaunted Wireless Broadband (WiBro — 802.16e) technology has failed to make a significant impact on the market in the two months since launch, according to the Hankyoreh Media Company. KT Corp and SK Telecom (SKT) launched the world’s first WiBro services at the end of June, but take-up has been slow due to limited network coverage and stiff competition from high speed cellular services such as 1xEV-DO, W-CDMA and HSDPA. KT has launched the service in high-demand areas in Seoul and its outskirts, including Sinchon, Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu, Songpa-gu, Bundang and along the Bundang subway line. It aims to cover all of Seoul and its surrounding cities by early next year. SKT is offering WiBro in six areas in Seoul, including the campuses of Yonsei University, Korea University and Hanyang University. Hankyoreh says that KT had signed up only 479 WiBro customers by the end of August, while SKT had lured a mere 15.

WiBro operates in the 2.3GHz band and its developers are looking to market the home grown technology as a more mobile version of WiMAX (802.16), offering similar capabilities but with added mobility and theoretical maximum data rates of up to 50Mbps at a range of up to 5km. The initial rollout of services offers internet speeds of between 1Mbps and 3Mbps at up to 120km per hour within a 1km radius.

 

Source: Telegeography

China is set to become the world's biggest broadband market in less than a year, according to telecoms research and consultancy firm Ovum. But despite the escalation in subscriber numbers – with a 79% compound annual growth rate in the last three years - China still has a lot more room for growth as its broadband penetration rate lags behind other Asia-Pacific countries at 3.4%. Growth is expected to come from a booming economy, rising incomes, expanding PC penetration as well as new technologies such as VoIP and IPTV and events such as the Olympic Games. Ovum predicts that broadband subscribers will reach 139 million by 2010 with a CAGR of 75%, rising from an anticipated 79 million subscribers in 2007. Currently, DSL services dominate with a market share of 71% and 32 million subscribers as of June 2006. Ethernet-based LAN services, which are popular in high-density areas, account for 26% of the market. Cable modem and wireless technologies contribute a lot less. "Operators are progressively upgrading the network using higher speed technology such as ADSL2+ and VDSL to meet increasing bandwidth demands," said Kevin Lee, senior analyst at Ovum in Hong Kong. The emergence of VoIP in the market will boost wireless broadband, enabling operators to see returns on their wireless local area networks. But growth could be stymied by the need for restructuring in the Chinese market. Up until now, cable operators have had little effect on the broadband market due to regulatory barriers. At present, there are 128 million cable TV service subscribers. However, issues such as a fragmented ownership structure and lack of expertise has prevented operators competing against DSL providers. "China needs to restructure the telecoms industry and it needs to reform the regulatory policy for broadband and IPTV," said Lee. "The possible entry of foreign players in line with WTO commitments could complicate the development of the competitive situation," he added. The deployment of IPTV services is also expected to boost broadband penetration. China Telecom and China Netcom are working with Shanghai Media Group (SMG), the only IPTV licence holder. SMG launched IPTV services in the city of Harbin in May 2005 and in Shanghai later in the year. The company plans to add four more cities in the Heilongjiang province this year. China Telecom and China Netcom are the dominant providers of broadband access in China. They currently have an 87% market share. Other operators include China Tietong, China Unicom and other miscellaneous operators.

Source: Lorraine Turner, Total Telecom.

The Xinhua News Agency reports that ministers from seven countries of eastern and southern Africa (Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda) have signed the protocol for the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network.

Source: Global Insight.

Internet Ghana has revealed that it is to deploy the country’s first pre-mobile WiMAX network using equipment from Navini Networks. Leslie Tamakloe, CEO of Internet Ghana, said that capital city Accra will be covered as part of the first phase of the rollout, followed by the ten largest commercial cities including Tamale, Kumasi and Tema. ‘With high consumer demand, poor DSL access and [a] long [wait for] customer connections, Ghana is absolutely ready for mass market, rapid install, broadband wireless services’ he added.

Source: Telegeography

Finland's telecoms regulator, FICORA, has granted wireless broadband licences to 29 companies in Finland over 2006. FICORA said the licences, which would enable the companies to roll out WiMAX networks, were strongly competed for, although the regulator paid particular attention to promoting the efficiency of the communications markets. Meanwhile, TeliaSonera has launched Finland's fastest residential broadband service. The 100 Mbps broadband service uses TeliaSonera's fibre-optic network and is designed to serve multiple-dwelling apartments.

 

Source: Global Insight.

Rival broadband infrastructure providers in Germany have criticised the European Commission's decision earlier this week to force incumbent Deutsche Telekom to open its new ultra high-speed VDSL network to competitors. They allege that the move has put them in a disadvantaged position.

 

Source: Global Insight.

The U.K. Office of Communications (Ofcom) Thursday proposed changes intended to make it easier for customers to transfer between broadband service providers.

In April 2006 Ofcom announced that it would examine the effectiveness of existing processes which enable consumers to sign up to, and switch between, broadband providers. It found that in the majority of cases these processes are effective and ensure that customers do not experience problems. However, where problems do arise they tend to be serious and disruptive to customers. Ofcom has received complaints from consumers who have found it difficult to obtain a Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) from their current supplier. A MAC is required to switch broadband providers; without a MAC, consumers find it more difficult to change provider and may find themselves without a broadband service while the transfer goes through. The MAC process is part of a voluntary industry initiative. This means that providers who make it difficult for their customers to obtain a MAC are unlikely to be in breach of any formal obligations, limiting Ofcom's ability to take action to protect consumers.

Ofcom therefore proposes to introduce new regulations that will apply to all providers of telecommunications services, which will make it mandatory for broadband service providers to supply customers with MACs on request and to comply with a specific process for doing so. Ofcom will also work with industry to develop a process for customers to obtain a MAC from another source if their own broadband provider is unable or unwilling to comply. Ofcom has also received complaints from consumers who have tried to order a new broadband service - for example, when moving home - only to be told that they are unable to do so because there is already a broadband connection on that line. Ofcom will work with broadband suppliers to resolve the technical and organisational issues which currently prevent some users from switching providers or signing up to broadband services.

Source: Total Telecom.

The U.K. Office of Communications (Ofcom) Thursday proposed changes intended to make it easier for customers to transfer between broadband service providers.

In April 2006 Ofcom announced that it would examine the effectiveness of existing processes which enable consumers to sign up to, and switch between, broadband providers. It found that in the majority of cases these processes are effective and ensure that customers do not experience problems. However, where problems do arise they tend to be serious and disruptive to customers. (…)

Source: Total Telecom.

In freeing the Bells from sharing their fiber-based broadband facilities with competitors, the FCC embraced a "permissible" application of the Telecom Act, the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., said Tues., denying an EarthLink challenge (WID May 10 p5). "We conclude the FCC's decision (1) survives Chevron analysis, (2) is neither arbitrary nor inconsistent with FCC precedent, and (3) is supported by the record," wrote Judge Janice Brown. The 1984 Chevron case set a precedent for courts deferring to expert agency decisions as long as they're reasonable. Also on the panel were Judges David Sentelle and Harry Edwards. (…)

 

Source: Warren's Washington Internet Daily.

New York Gov. George Pataki (R.) has signed legislation that will create a task force to explore further deployment of broadband in underserved areas of the state.

Under SB 2747, the Department of Economic Development, in partnership with the state department, the Department of Public Service, and the Office of Technology will recommend alternative financial incentives and programs to "hasten the most beneficial and economic expansion of deployment of broadband services." In making such recommendations, the Department of Economic Development will consider utilizing and expanding federal, state, and local programs and capacities and private sector deployments to the extent practicable.

The task force must submit recommendations by Jan. 1, 2007. The measure was first introduced in early 2005, but failed to advance last session.

Source: Telecommunications Reports.

FCC Commissioner Robert M. McDowell believes in a "wait-and-see" approach that allows for market resolutions when it comes to the net neutrality debate or proposed a la carte mandates for video service providers, he told reporters during an Aug. 8 briefing at his Washington office. The wait-and-see approach is one he also favors for issues where Congress might shortly weigh in, such as video franchising reform or universal service support for broadband deployment. Commissioner McDowell said his overall regulatory approach could be distilled down to one word: freedom. "As far as the role of government goes, first of all clear out any unnecessary regulatory underbrush. Let's let free markets and free people team up together as best they can. "But should there be market failure, the government should act in a narrow fashion, [providing a] narrowly tailored cure to any perceived illness in that free market that's preferably if possible sunsetted or at least [put on] a glide path to a sunset provision [so] that once that market failure is cured then we can revert back to having a more deregulatory framework in place," he added. He predicted another major theme during his FCC tenure - his term expires June 30, 2009 - would be the "incredibly powerful consumer demand that has developed just in the past few years of consumers' wanting to pull the content of their choice through the pipe of their choice at the time and place of their choosing and manipulate that content or perhaps create their own and post it and have others pull it. I want to make sure the FCC helps facilitate that demand and ... remove any barriers to entry and any unnecessary regulatory underbrush." His own residential video and broadband communications service options are limited. His five-acre farm in the rapidly congesting Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., is too far from the local telco's central office for digital subscriber line service, and there are too many trees in the southern sky for direct broadcast satellite service, Mr. McDowell said, so he subscribes to analog, expanded basic cable service with cable modem Internet service from Cox Communications, Inc. Regarding the debate over net neutrality, Mr. McDowell said, "Net neutrality is a Rorschach term - it depends on where you sit what it means to you, so it's really not yet defined. At this point it's difficult for government to prophylactically try to address an illness that has not yet occurred. ... Let's wait and see. Let's continue to be vigilant." He added, "Where do you draw the line between legitimate network management issues and what may be determined as discriminatory anticompetitive conduct against your competitors? We'll watch and wait and be vigilant." Asked about concerns expressed by third-party content providers that broadband Internet service providers might "cut them out," the Commissioner said, "They're worried it's going to happen? Let's see if it happens and then we could go from there. Would we have the authority? Yeah, we would. But if it hasn't happened yet, let's see if it happens and go from there." He said that consumer demand "is a terrifically powerful check and balance. If a network owner is going to start restricting folks from either plugging in on the content side or a consumer from plugging in on the consumer side, [it will] eventually go out of business." In that same vein, in response to a reporter's questions about concerns that broadband Internet service subscribers might block or provide inferior service to content and application providers that don't pay extra, he said, "Don't you think if you couldn't get to Google - you and millions of others in this country - [that] there would be pitchforks and torches in the streets and government policy would change overnight - and/or private sector policy?" Asked whether the lack of FCC response to consumer concerns about wireless early termination fees (ETFs) was because consumers had failed to take to the streets with pitchforks, Mr. McDowell said, "That's certainly not the standard. ... We certainly wouldn't want any issues to rise to that level. ... We've had a few meetings on ETFs. It's a very interesting issue to me. I'm still looking into it," he added, citing his wireline focus before joining the Commission and his short time in office thus far.

Regarding video franchising - an area in which the FCC has a pending proceeding to consider whether to intervene to speed the local franchising process - Mr. McDowell said, "Let's see first what Congress does. ... It's Aug. 8 and I don't necessarily want to count out [the possibility that Congress may yet enact communications legislation this year]. ... I don't want to underestimate Sen. [Ted] Stevens [(R., Alaska), the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee]," who is working to gather enough supporters to force a vote on legislation in the Senate. He added, however, that "should Congress not be able to address that issue this year, I think the Commission does have the authority, under section 621 [of the 1934 Communications Act, as amended] in particular and other parts, and I think there is something the Commission can do to help clear out unnecessary regulatory underbrush. I also want to be sure we don't go too far. If there's a cable coax line down in your backyard and you live in Wyoming, should you be calling Washington or writing Washington to get that fixed?" He said he was still "thinking through" whether there should be a "shot clock" imposed on local franchise negotiations. As for the possibility of using universal service mechanisms to support broadband deployment, the Commissioner said that section 254(b)(3) of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which calls for advanced information and telecommunications services in rural areas "reasonably comparable" to those available in urban areas, addresses that possibility. However, he said the FCC "will wait for Congress to act." One provision of the Senate's version of HR 5252, known as the Advanced Telecommunications and Opportunities Reform Act, calls for a separate rural broadband support fund. He said there were four principles he would like to see implemented with respect to universal service: "(1) Slow the growth of expenditures in the fund - and that does not mean a cap per se; (2) in that there is waste, fraud, and abuse, let's take a look and ferret that out; (3) expand the contribution base - right now we're under this system where we take a lot from a few, the pool of the few, the shrinking, evaporating before our eyes actually; (4) everybody pays less." With respect to proposals for requiring or encouraging cable TV operators to offer video service programming on an a la carte basis, Mr. McDowell said, "It may be that consumer demand forces a private sector resolution to that question, so let's wait and see how that resolves."

ICC, Wireless Issues Discussed

As for the pending intercarrier compensation "Missoula proposal" developed under the auspices of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Mr. McDowell said, "I certainly welcome that proposal if for nothing else than to kick off a discussion. There's certainly some meritorious arguments made in that proposal. Certainly I think intercarrier compensation is something that needs to be addressed. You know it's again very complex, some argue arcane, and I will look forward to a refreshed record and rolling up my sleeves and looking at it as we go forward." Regarding the ongoing advanced wireless service spectrum auction and the upcoming 700 megahertz auction, the Commissioner said he expected them to lead to "the construction of new delivery platforms that will help spur new technologies, [and] hopefully offer more affordable services with more powerful technologies, so I'm very, very excited." In general, he said, "The wireless industry has been a terrific model of competition for the most part creating a self-regulating atmosphere. ... We want to continue to regulate with the lightest touch possible. Competition in the wireless industry has been a good example of how we can have competition with other technologies." Asked when the FCC would act on wireless carriers' requests for waivers of enhanced "911" rules with respects to handset compliance, which have been pending since last year, Mr. McDowell said, "Certainly I'd like to see some closure on that. ... It's always fair to give industry some certainty, and we'll be following up on that."

Recusal in Mergers Undecided

Asked whether he would be recusing himself from consideration of applications for approval of license and authorization transfers associated with the proposed merger of AT&T, Inc., and BellSouth Corp. the Commissioner said that under law recusal decisions are made by the FCC's general counsel. "In an adjudicatory proceeding such as a merger review or a petition for forbearance or petition for declaratory ruling where there are specific parties involved, should CompTel, my former employer, file in any of those kinds of proceedings for one year from June 1 of this year to June 1 of next year I would be automatically recused. So for that particular merger it remains to be seen," he said. "The recusal period ... actually lasts for a lifetime on rulemakings, if I was substantially involved in a rulemaking - not if CompTel filed, but if I was substantially involved in CompTel filings, which I haven't been for years," because his professional activity has been focused on Congress and the White House, he said. "The way I'm approaching it is if I'm recused, I'm not even looking at the filings," he said, adding that so far he hasn't been reading the filings and parties have not been coming in to make ex parte presentations about the proposed merger to him. He said that he didn't think parties were making such presentations to other Commissioners either right now, suggesting that the focus is still on the antitrust review at the Justice Department.

Source: Lynn Stanton, Telecommunications Reports.

The German Federal Network Agency has submitted a draft order to the European Commission and the national regulatory authorities of other states regarding Internet protocol "bitstream access," which enables competitive providers of broadband service to deliver their service over incumbents' local loops. The draft order would require Deutsche Telekom AG to provide IP-based bitstream access on nondiscriminatory terms, to keep separate accounts, and to publish a reference offer. The commission and the other regulatory authorities have a month to comment on the draft, and the Federal Network Agency will make a final decision after considering those comments.

Source: Telecommunications Reports.

A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday upheld a 2004 decision by telecommunications regulators allowing regional phone companies to deploy new fiber-optic lines without having to share them with competitors. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected a legal challenge by Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. aimed at overturning a decision by the Federal Communications Commission. The court said it was "permissible" for the FCC to absolve the dominant local telephone carriers, known as the Baby Bells, of sharing requirements when it comes to new fiber optic networks. To promote competition, previous rules have required the Bells to lease access to their copper networks since they own the lines into most American homes. But the FCC so far has been reluctant to apply those regulations to new fiber lines. (…)

Source: Baseline.

Nordic telecommunications operator TeliaSonera AB Tuesday said the Swedish Supreme Administrative Court on Monday granted leave to appeal in the bitstream case and has decided that the ruling made by the County Administrative Court and decision of the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency may not be carried out until further notice. TeliaSonera said this implies that no orders can be received for the time being by Skanova Bitstroem, which was launched in Sweden as a consequence of the original requirements laid down by the PTS. The company said that two weeks ago the Administrative Court of Appeal in Sweden decided not to review the ruling made by the County Administrative Court and the decision of the PTS regarding bitstream access. TeliaSonera launched a wholesale offering in compliance with the original requirements laid down by the PTS. TeliaSonera also chose to appeal the decision of the Administrative Court of Appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court.

The Supreme Administrative Court has now also decided to grant inhibition in which the ruling made by the County Administrative Court, and the decision of the PTS, may not be carried out until the Supreme Administrative Court decides on the case or makes another decision. TeliaSonera said it therefore won't take orders for Skanova Bitstroem for the time being. TeliaSonera said it is satisfied that the Swedish legal system functions and allows a comprehensive review of decisions of principal importance since there is uncertainty as to how legislation shall be applied to the bitstream access case. In Sweden, households and companies can obtain broadband in several different ways. The technology that is used the most to offer broadband service is the copper cable network, which is already open, and in which other operators have purchased more than 400,000 unbundled copper pairs for broadband by means of LLUB, or Local Loop Unbundling. In addition, broadband is offered through cable television networks, newly built fiber optic networks and radio networks in Sweden. A large number of operators are competing for Swedish customers with a number of different offerings based on many different technical solutions. Thus, in TeliaSonera's opinion, it is unreasonable for a company to be forced to invest in yet another regulated product in the copper network.

Bitstream is a refinement of LLUB, which is already offered on the market Tuesday. TeliaSonera has raised objections to the PTS's decision and has been supported by independent expertise in competition law on several points. TeliaSonera said the County Administrative Court didn't consider its objections and only stated that it generally agrees with the assessment made by the PTS. Against this background, TeliaSonera felt there was reason to appeal the bitstream ruling of the County Administrative Court to the Administrative Court of Appeal, which announced in a split decision that it would not grant TeliaSonera review of dispensation. According to the bitstream decision, investments that TeliaSonera has made for its customers in a competitive market could be used by competitors who aren't willing to make corresponding investments, it said. The legal position of the obligation that the PTS imposes on TeliaSonera is of principal importance. In TeliaSonera's opinion, this obligation is a greater intervention against the company than what the law permits, it said.

Source: Total Telecom.

Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik wants Malaysia to have its own miracle broadband growth story, like that of South Korea. He wants to see the creation of a Malaysian version of South Korea's Hanaro Telecom Inc, a small player that has managed to challenge the incumbent in providing high-speed Internet access.

Here's why: High-speed Internet access has reached South Korean homes faster than anywhere else in the world, with 83% of households subscribing to broadband. From under 1% Internet penetration in 1995, it became the world's fifth largest Internet market with 26 million users by the end of 2002, according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). This was despite the country not being demographically suited to have the highest broadband penetration in Asia as South Korea is a relatively big country with a large population, says the ITU report. Its per capita income was also a step below what one would call a rich country at that time.

The remarkable progress is, in part, due to the intense competition between Hanaro and incumbent telco KT Corp. Hanaro, now South Korea's number two broadband service provider, was set up in 1997 as part of then President Kim Dae-Jung's plan to revive the economy. Despite the onslaught of the Asian financial crisis at that time, the regulators decided to press ahead with the broadband initiative and ordered major office and apartment buildings to be connected with fibre-optic. Hanaro's success in rolling out broadband forced KT to be more aggressive.

The country's broadband focus helped raise contributions from the ICT industry to the country's GDP to 13% in 2000, up from 8.6% in 1997. Contributions from ICT accounted for half the country's GDP in 2000. The market for network equipment market quadrupled between 1995 and 2003.

Today, many homes enjoy broadband speeds sufficient to support high definition television. South Korea is now trying to build an ecosystem to further foster content development.

Hanarotelecom is also the first domestic fixed-line carrier to offer triple-play service, bundling broadband Internet, telephony and TV-portal service. It launched its "HanaTV" portal service on July 24 and expects to attract 1.5 million users by 2008. It also aims to provide full-fledged IPTV services by 2008.

Some 30% of high-speed Internet users are Hanarotelecom subscribers, despite KT Corp controlling some 93% of the fixed-line market.

 

Source: The Edge Financial Daily

President explains how service providers can bridge the digital divide today.

With the sparse subscriber populations and disproportionately high costs of service delivery operators face when deploying broadband DSL in rural areas, plus the uncertainty surrounding powerline and wireless broadband alternatives such as WiMax and Broadband Wireless Local Loop (B-WLL), operators across Europe are welcoming the advantages of satellite broadband as they strive to bridge the new digital divide between rural and urban areas. Near-ubiquity, quick availability, value-based pricing and standardised technology like ETSI-approved IP over Satellite (IPoS) are key arguments for operators to turn to satellite broadband as the most effective way of providing broadband services to geographically isolated areas where terrestrial DSL will never reach. (…)

Source : Total Telecom.

Belgium’s biggest cable operator Telenet has launched its long-awaited Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service. The launch of Telenet Mobile sees the company morphing into a fully fledged quad-play operator, able to offer bundled broadband, fixed and mobile telephony, and digital TV via a single bill. Telenet Mobile will initially only be available to existing broadband and/or fixed telephony customers, so that the company can ‘thoroughly test all operational, sales and marketing processes,’ before expanding the offer. There is no monthly fee for the service and subscriptions can be cancelled without notice. Calls to all fixed lines cost EUR0.15 (USD0.19) per minute (including VAT, billed per second), calls to all mobiles are EUR0.20 per minute and SMS cost EUR0.15 each; voicemail is free.

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Telenet, a subsidiary of US cable giant Liberty Global, signed a preliminary agreement with mobile operator BASE in mid-2004 to use the cellco’s network to launch its own branded wireless services. Telenet originally planned to launch GSM services before the end of 2005, but the company's perilous financial position and the resulting changes at boardroom level delayed its rollout.

Source: TeleGeography.

Two US fixed line telcos have launched separate offensives in the triple-play market in an effort to compete with cable operators which have expanded their TV offerings to incorporate telephony and internet. AT&T has introduced its Homezone set-top box, which combines broadband internet with satellite TV. Homezone also offers digital video recording, movies-on-demand, photo and music sharing and remote access via the internet. Initially available in Ohio and Texas, the service is due to be rolled out in other areas over the coming months. AT&T already offers triple-play services over its fibre-optic networks and Homezone is aimed at customers not covered by its fibre footprint. Reuters reports that Homezone bundles will cost between USD80 and USD140 per month, depending on the features included.

Meanwhile, BellSouth, which is being taken over by AT&T, has launched its own bundled offering for customers in Atlanta, Georgia. The BellSouth Answers Triple Choice package costs USD99 a month for voice services and DSL internet access, plus either DIRECTV digital satellite TV services or a cellular subscription from Cingular Wireless. BellSouth says the new triple-play offering is a permanent addition to its portfolio.

Source: TeleGeography.

The Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel has published the tender rules for its proposed auction for licences in the 3.5GHz and 10.5GHz bands. The spectrum can be used to offer WiMAX-based wireless broadband services and will be valid for 15 years, with the option of an extension. Interested bidders must submit their proposals by 4 September. The new licences will be allocated across three Brazilian regions, although incumbent fixed line operators Telefônica Brazil, Telemar and Brasil Telecom will not be allowed to purchase blocks of spectrum for areas where they already have fixed line operating licences. Anatel hopes to stimulate competition and broadband penetration by keeping prices low. Local analysts predict that broadband growth will reach around 40% per annum for the next four years.

Source: TeleGeography.

The US wireless broadband provider Futura Technologies says it has reached the final stages in its deployment of a WiMAX network in the city of Miami, Oklahoma. The service, dubbed FuturaWave, will cost USD29.99 for a 1.5Mbps internet connection plus a voice-over-IP package offering unlimited calls within the US and Canada. The firm says maximum transmission speeds will soon be raised to 6Mbps, with the network covering the entire city of Miami, as well as some surrounding areas. Futura’s president and CEO, Josh Garrett, comments: ‘FuturaWave wireless broadband will completely revolutionize the way that people stay connected to the internet. With speeds equal to or greater than cable or DSL, combined with a service that is portable, many consumers and business will benefit greatly from FuturaWave.’

Source: TeleGeography.

Argentine broadband provider Ertach has extended its WiMAX networks in the provinces of Buenos Aires and Tucumán, according to BNamericas. The company claims to have invested nearly USD200,000 to migrate two nodes in the cities of Bahía Blanca and San Miguel de Tucumán to WiMAX. The wireless broadband technology will allow connections of 4Mbps in a radius of 20km from the centre of each city. BNamericas recently reported that Ertach's goals this year include expanding its national backbone with an investment of USD10mn, implementing a communications network for Buenos Aires province and increasing WiMAX penetration.

Source: TeleGeography.

The Spanish government is planning to invest EUR231 million (USD295 million) in extending the reach of broadband services in rural areas by 2008, according to business daily Expansión. Fixed line incumbent Telefónica de España is heading the project and says it has already introduced high speed access to more than 1,700 rural communities; the state expects 3,700 such communities, representing a population of 2.55 million, to have broadband access by the end of this year, rising to 6.5 million by 2008.

Source: TeleGeography.

French telecommunications regulator ARCEP has awarded regional licences for WiMAX as part of its plan to ensure nationwide coverage by June 2008. Fifteen companies and six regional councils shared the licences, earning the state 125 million euro (US$159.2 million) in revenue. Maxtel, a group including motorway operator APRR and Iliad, won 13 licences. Bollore Telecom, owned by the Bollore Group and Aeroports de Paris (ADP), won 12 licences, while HDRR, a consortium that includes Bouygues, won 11 licences. SHD, backed by SFR and Neuf Cegetel, won two licences, but France Telecom only got licences in French Guyana and Mayotte.

Source: Global Insight.

The European Commission's telecommunications chief, Viviane Reding, tells Die Welt she would open a procedure charging Germany with a treaty violation, should its government pass a law granting Deutsche Telekom AG (DT) a high-speed network monopoly for several years. The newspaper says the commissioner wants to take a hard line to dissuade other E.U. states from similar intentions. Reding wants to prevent creation of a new monopoly for Deutsche Telekom.

Source: Dow Jones International News. Newspaper Web site: http://www.welt.de

Colombian long-distance operator Orbitel has announced that it has launched a WiMAX network in the country’s third largest city, Cali. The new network provides wireless internet access using Siemens’ WayMAX@vantage solution comprising base stations, modems and a monitoring and control system. Over the coming months, the company expects to deploy similar networks in a further 14 cities. According to a company statement, the WiMAX service will offer users data rates of up to 2Mbps and will support data-intensive services such as high-quality video streaming.

Source: TeleGeography.

Turkish ISP Turbonet has launched field trials of WiMAX wireless broadband technology in Istanbul. The operator, which is using 3.5GHz WiMAX equipment supplied by Aperto Networks, has received a trial licence allowing it to conduct the tests.

Source: TeleGeography.

South Korea and Japan lead the world in terms of access to digital communications technology and its use, according to a new index released by the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The two Asian countries came top of the league table of "digital opportunity" based on eleven technical, economic and social criteria measuring access to computers, the Internet and telephone services according to the ITU's "World Information Society report 2006". They were followed by Denmark, Iceland, Hong Kong, Sweden, Britain, Norway, the Netherlands and Taiwan respectively in the table of 180 countries.

South Korea and Japan were reaping the benefit of their "pioneering take-up" of high-speed broadband and 3G (third-generation) mobile telephone services, the report said.

"Nearly all Internet subscribers in South Korea are broadband subscribers, whilst Japan is the only market in the world where subscribers are more likely to access the Internet through mobile connections, the ITU added.

Tiny Estonia in 20th place in the table was just ahead of the world's most powerful economy, United States.

Developing nations were making significant progress, helped on by major emerging economies in Asia and Latin America, the report said.

China (74th), India (75th), Brazil (71st) and Russia (60th) have recorded the fastest growth in digital opportunity, although there were major differences in the way they had developed their telecommunications.

China and Russia have concentrated on expanding their infrastructure, while India has made a major effort with the affordability of services.

Brazil had succeeded in strengthening all three key pillars for digital growth -- opportunity, infrastructure and use -- "implying rounded and balanced development of the information society", the ITU said.

Despite progress in poorer nations, especially with cellphone or mobile connections, the digital divide is highlighted by the difference in Internet use.

In Europe and North America, about 31 percent of inhabitants use the Internet compared to just 2.6 percent in Africa, and a world average of 13.7 percent, the report said.

However, the ITU found that broadband services are now commercially available in 166 countries, and their price has fallen by up to 20 percent a year over the past two years.

Source: Agence France Presse.

Reform of policies and better training of service providers are needed to cut Africa's reliance on the European backbone network and lower costs for regional and local traffic, officials said here. ITU's Study Group 3 (SG3) continues work on international Internet connectivity in preparation for the Internet Governance Forum.

Some regions' higher prices for Internet traffic exchange mainly reflect lack of competition due to telecom regulatory reform, said Sam Paltridge of the Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development's Directorate of Science Technology & Industry: "The most important thing is to get the telecommunication policy right. Because once you've done that, you'll allow players to look for the most economical way to route Internet traffic, including bypassing the big guys where that makes sense."

Internet working skills are key to building capacity, he said: "If you haven't got skills to create Internet exchange points for domestic traffic exchange, or you haven't got the skills to say, 'I want to send part of my traffic in this direction with this provider and another part of my traffic in this direction with this provider,' it makes it much harder for you to get the best competitive outcome because without the skills, often small ISPs will simply connect to one upstream provider rather than exchanging traffic locally. They need the skills to do that... That's a big problem in developing countries."

More education and training are key to addressing the cost of connectivity in developing countries, Paltridge said: "There are two main things: (1) Telecommunications reform. Even somewhere like the west coast of Africa, where you've got a state of the art undersea cable connecting many African counties to European backbone networks, as far as anyone can tell, it's vastly underutilized. You've got to ask the question: Why? Part of it is needed reform to making access to that cable more competitive. (2) Capacity building to have the necessary skills to take advantage of commercial solutions. These people don't need to send their traffic to Europe and back to Africa."

ITU-T SG3 took up international Internet connectivity as a result of the World Summit on the Information Society. The body will use an Oct. 30-Nov. 2 Athens meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to describe its work on connectivity. ITU's task group for international Internet connectivity is expected to become more active.

Source: Warren's Washington Internet Daily, Volume 7; Issue 128

South Korea’s KT Corp and SK Telecom (SKT) have launched the world’s first Wireless Broadband (WiBro — 802.16e) services, the home grown technology offered as a more mobile version of WiMAX (802.16). WiBro operates in the 2.3GHz band and its developers are looking to market it as an extension of WiMAX, offering similar capabilities but with added mobility and theoretical maximum data rates of up to 50Mbps at a range of up to 5km. The initial rollout of services offers internet speeds of between 1Mbps and 3Mbps at up to 120km per hour within a 1km radius. KT has launched the service in high-demand areas in Seoul and its outskirts, including Sinchon, Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu, Songpa-gu, Bundang and along the Bundang subway line. It will expand to cover all of Seoul and its surrounding cities by early next year. SKT is offering WiBro in six areas in Seoul, including the campuses of Yonsei University, Korea University and Hanyang University.

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, the Korean government set aside 100MHz of spectrum in the 2.3GHz band for WiBro services in December 2002. Thirteen months later WiBro in its first phase incarnation was standardised by the Telecommunications Technology Association of Korea (TTA). In February 2005 the MIC handed 2.3GHz wireless spectrum licences to KT, Hanaro and SKT. Hanaro has since handed back its spectrum and teamed up with SKT to develop services. Four months later the TTA approved the WiBro Phase 2 standard and the government set a deadline of June 2006 for the launch of the country's first commercial services.

As broadband market leader, KT is keen to reinforce its dominance in the wireless internet arena and is forging ahead in WiBro development. On 2 March 2006 it launched the world's first commercial WiBro trial via 150 optimised base stations in Seoul, initially offering services to 200 employees, before expanding to 3,000 customers, many of them university students studying in the capital. They tested the technology using PDAs and notebook PCs to pilot a range of multimedia applications including internet browsing, e-mail, video-on-demand (VoD), gaming, messaging and personal broadcasting. SKT has taken a more cautious approach and did not begin commercial trials until May 2006, ahead of a planned nationwide rollout in 84 major cities by 2009.

Source: TeleGeography

VIVIANE REDING, the European Union's little-known telecommunications regulator from Luxembourg, is fast emerging as the bete noire of Europe's big phone companies. Ms. Reding, already unpopular, has the industry fuming over new rules, to be made public tomorrow, under which she plans to force providers to share their cutting-edge broadband infrastructure with rivals. [...] The rules would also extend regulation to new areas such as text messaging. But if she is making waves, it is a role the former journalist seems to relish. "We don't like monopolists," Ms. Reding said in an interview, complaining that the incumbents such as Deutsche Telekom AG and France Telecom control 80% of European broadband connections. She compared that with the U.S., where, she said, telephone companies account for only 38% of subscribers, with cable operators offering strong competition.

According to a draft of the new rules, also outlined by Ms. Reding, EU telecom regulation is heading in the opposite direction from the U.S., which has removed obligations on telephone operators that had forced them to share their networks with rivals. The new rules come on top of Ms. Reding's previously announced plans to force cellphone operators to slash the prices they charge consumers for making and receiving "roaming" calls abroad. The U.S. argues that cable-television operators provide sufficient competition in broadband to traditional telecom providers. That is something Ms. Reding would like to see happen in Europe, too. When the U.S. deregulated telecoms in the 1980s, she noted that regulators there "took a strong line, breaking up the AT&T monopoly." She suggested a similarly tough line might be needed in Europe, by forcing the separation of a telecom company's network from its services. [...]

Source: The Wall Street Journal Europe.

The WiMAX industry will benefit from having the Intel camp and the Qualcomm camp "fight it out" in the standards organizations, a panelist said in a session called "WiMAX on the Way" at the C3 Expo Tues. in N.Y. When you look, Intel doesn't really own many of the patents, said Rupert Baines, PicoChip marketing vp. Qualcomm on its own and Flarion, which it acquired, have many patents affecting WiMAX, as do Samsung and Nortel and Nokia, which TI is backing, he said. The future of wireless communications is based on OFDM technology and its various flavors, panelist Edgar Masri, COO, Redline Communications and Baines agreed. Baines, calling himself a strong backer of WiMAX standards, said while fixed WiMAX is economically viable now in areas without copper or where copper costs too much to deploy, it more importantly is a step toward 4G mobile technologies. The technology will provide high speed flexibility with an IP infrastructure, he said. Some "70% of the world's population doesn't have easy access to copper" Masri added, noting the rapid development of the market for fixed WiMAX. WiMAX won't compete head on with ADSL in speed, he said. Rather, most companies in this market are trying to sell the technology by stressing WiMAX's unique features, such as its ability to get around line of sight restrictions, he said. Many installations are using WiMAX as a backhaul technology for Wi-Fi, both panelists said, especially where copper is too costly. They cited downtown Tokyo, where officials plan to cover the entire city with Wi-Fi access and use WiMAX as the backhaul, they said. Neither panelist sees the U.S. as a developing market for WiMAX except when smaller carriers want to provide basic Internet connectivity, perhaps in rural areas. Yet outside the U.S., many so called "Tier One" carriers are interested in the technology. Asia is a prime market, Baines said, but "deployments in Asia take longer" because localities tend to do much more analysis and planning. Deployment in Africa, on the other hand, is much more opportunistic and moves faster than in Asia, he said. The U.S. WiMAX market could take off with the auction of spectrum in the 2.5-2.6 GHz band. "Sprint owns a big chunk of this," Baines said: "They are very cleverly dining with everyone and flirting with everyone." Sprint has invested in TD-CDMA, and has been seen in discussions with Qualcomm. Nextel did a huge trial of Flarion's OFDM technology, which Qualcomm acquired last year. Source: Warren's Washington Internet Daily, Volume 7; Issue 124.

Telecom operators and technology companies, which rarely share opinion, will work together to secure fast Internet access of the population. Bulgarian leading cellphone operator MobilTel launched the initiative called ITC Broadband Platform, and more than ten companies have already declared participation – dominant fixed-line operator BTC, cable TV operator Eurocom Cable, Siemens, Microsoft, Ericsson, HP Bulgaria and others. The State Agency for Information Technology and Communications (DAITS), the Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies (BAIT), Bulgarian ICT cluster and Communication Regulation Commission (CRC) have pledged support to the project.

The main aim of the project is to increase the Internet access to 50 pct of the Bulgarian population from 6.0 pct at present.

MobilTel CEO, Josef Vinatzer, expects that Bulgarian GDP, generated by IT and telecommunications, will increase by 1.0 pct or by 200 mln euro.

When speaking about broadband Internet, we usually mean data transfer speed of over 256 kilobits per sec. Under the international organisation ITU, however, broadband Internet starts at 2.0 megabits per sec. MobilTel initiative ITC Broadband Platform is about this really high-speed broadband Internet. Under MobilTel data some three million Bulgarians will have access to the Web in 2006 but only 4.6 pct of them will have such a high-speed connection.

The number of dial-up Internet users in Bulgaria is gradually diminishing. Users have to choose among three options for high-speed Internet – LAN networks, cable TV or BTC DSL. Several forthcoming events are expected to stir the market. The first one is the long-awaited appearance of BTC competitors for the DSL service. Though BTC has signed contracts with several telecom operators which are to sell DSL packages using BTC infrastructure, neither of the telecom operators has actually launched the service due to uncompetitive prices and terms.

At the same time cable TV market is undergoing a consolidation. CableTEL recently bought ESTnet (former Evrotur SAT) and Eurocom Bulgaria showed interest in buying Eurcom Plovdiv. Big cable operators plan to significantly boost their presence in the Bulgarian market.

The price is a key criterion in picking the type of Internet access. BTC, whose DSL tariffs were close to the cable TV operators’ tariffs, gradually reduced the prices.

The competition on the high-speed Internet will strengthen after several new players enter the market. Four operators won at end-2005 licences for point-to-multipoint (P2MP) wireless data transfer which allows for offering high-speed mobile Internet. The licence terms oblige the operators to launch the service by end-2006. They will use the WiMAX technology for setting up their networks, which is relatively new and expensive. The two major gas companies in Bulgaria also have telecom plans. Overgas announced it would offer its household subscribers a 10 megabit Internet connection. Competition on the broadband Internet market will be strong in 2007 if gas companies, WiMAX operators and alternative DSL providers are quick to enter this market segment.

Source: Capital Weekly by Katerina Ognyanova , AII Data Processing Ltd.

Operator to trial end-to-end Ethernet technology EDA VDSL2.

Ericsson said Tuesday it has won a deal from Singapore incumbent operator SingTel to supply the technology for the trial of ultra high-speed broadband services.

The Swedish vendor said in a statement it will provide its EDA VDSL2 (Ethernet DSL Access Very-High-Bit Rate Digital Subscriber Line 2) broadband technology for the trial, which will enable SingTel to deliver ultra-high speed broadband services over existing copper lines.

SingTel will become the first operator in South East Asia to deploy VDSL2 broadband technology in its network, providing access speed of up to 100 Mbps on copper.

Ericsson commented that the deployment of VDSL2, the most advanced standard of xDSL broadband wireline communications, will benefit operators with large-scale deployment of triple-play services (voice, video and data) as it has inherent features enabling optimal user experiences for broadband services.

VDSL2 is a new standard defined by ITU-T as G993.2 that combines the capabilities of VDSL1 and ADSL2plus and uses Ethernet rather than ATM as multiplexing technology in the first mile.

Source: Total Telecom.

The purpose of this notice is to announce the release of the above-mentioned document which proposes to establish the spectrum policy, technical and licensing provisions to accommodate new Wireless Broadband Services (WBS) in the band 3650-3700 MHz.

Source: Industry Canada.

The Ministry of Communications has issued Resolution 1449 of June 23, containing the conditions for awarding up to two permits for spectrum usage for the provision of wireless broadband services in the 3.5 GHz band. The indicators that will be considered for awarding the licenses are forecasted investment, coverage and capacity.

Source: Ministerio de Comunicaciones.

Resolution (in Spanish)

New Zealand’s competition regulator says the country’s dominant phone operator Telecom NZ must grant two competitors improved access to its broadband networks. The Commerce Commission has ruled that rival firms ihug and CallPlus should be offered wholesale access to products with the highest available downstream data speeds at a price of NZD28.04 per month. The head of the Commission, Douglas Webb, said: “ihug and CallPlus will be able to expand their retail service offerings by providing higher speed broadband.” Meanwhile, some shareholders are calling for Telecom’s CEO Theresa Gattung to step down as the firm’s share price hit a 13-year low. Telecom’s shares have dropped by 25% since the government ruled last month that it must open up its local telephone networks to competitors. Source: TeleGeography.

Triple T Broadband, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thai telco TT&T, yesterday signed a USD35 million contract with three equipment suppliers – Alcatel, Huawei and Jasmine Telecom System – to install broadband network infrastructure. Prasitchai Kritsanayunyong, senior vice-president for corporate finance with TT&T and a director of Triple T Broadband, said that the first phase of a nationwide network rollout was scheduled for completion in September, with selected services to be launched immediately, whilst triple-play equipment would be installed to provide digital broadcasting services in early 2007. He added that talks were taking place with content providers, including CNN and some local firms, regarding broadband TV programming. TT&T currently has 130,000 broadband users, a total expected to reach 200,000 by the end of this year. The network expansion is projected to take its broadband customer total to 300,000 next year and full capacity of 430,000 in 2008. ‘We expect to realise THB100 million (USD2.6 million) in revenue from Triple T Broadband this year,’ said Mr Prasitchai, projecting that the figure will surge to THB1 billion in 2007. Source: TeleGeography.

Russian telco Prestige Internet says it has completed the first phase of its WiMAX broadband wireless rollout, with networks now deployed in 15 cities. Subscribers in Barnaul, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Nizhny Tagil, Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orendurg, Perm, Ryazan, Tyumen, Ufa, Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg can gain high speed wireless internet access for USD49 per month. Dutch-owned Prestige Internet, which operates under the Enforta brand, plans a further 14 city networks by the end of next year. Source: TeleGeography.

The Estonian National Communications Board (ENCB) has launched a public tender for the construction of a broadband wireless service in the 450MHz band. The regulator says that the winner will construct a nationwide wireless broadband network offering end users data transfer rates of no less than 144kbps. The tender is technology neutral, but the ENCB has stressed that time is of the essence, saying it will prioritise bidders with a rapid rollout timetable. The winner will be announced by 1 December at the latest.

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Estonia is enjoying a boom in internet and broadband usage, due to low prices and the country's dynamic economy. By 31 December 2005 the number of broadband connections had reached an estimated 213,000, a penetration rate of 15%, up from just 50,841 in December 2003 and 31,000 the year before that. The state's forward thinking IT policy has also seen the creation of 700 Public Internet Access Points and 400 free wireless internet zones, as well as the link-up of all schools to the web through the state-run 'Tiger leap' programme. As a result of these initiatives, Estonia nestles among the leading countries in Europe in terms of the number of permanent high speed internet connections, ranked 7th in the European Union in terms of broadband internet penetration.

Source: TeleGeography.

Bids are being tendered to Ukraine's National Commission for Communications Regulation for WiMAX frequencies, reports Prime-Tass. The development comes following the government's recent approval of a plan for the allocation of radio frequencies, which allows the introduction of WiMAX technology from 1 July 2006. The frequencies will be 40 MHz, within the range of 5.47 MHz and 5.67 MHz. Bids will be accepted until 15 July.

Source : Global Insight.

Estonia's National Communications Board (ENCB) has launched a tender for the construction and provision of a broadband network in the 450 MHz frequency band. The successful bidder will be able to construct a network providing services with data transfer rates of no less than 144 kbits/s, according to a press release from the ENCB. The results of the tender will be announced by December 2006.

Source : Global Insight.

According to BNamericas, Colombia’s communications ministry has cut the rates operators pay for the use of broadband spectrum in the 3.5GHz band. The ministry hopes to facilitate the adoption of wireless internet in the country. Source: TeleGeography.

Vietnam Data Communications (VDC), the wholly owned subsidiary of VNPT, has signed an agreement with Intel to begin a WiMAX trial in the mountainous province of Lao Cai. The trial will begin in early July 2006 and is scheduled to finish in December. VDC received its WiMAX licence in February 2006 and is one of four companies permitted to roll out the technology, although the licences cover fixed WiMAX services only. It is expected that the Ministry of Post and Telematics will issue mobile WiMAX concessions in 2007. Source: TeleGeography.

Vodafone Ireland says it plans to launch a flat-rate 3G mobile internet access service costing EUR49 (USD61.6) a month and confirmed that the rate would apply to its High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) service, due for launch later this year. Vodafone Ireland has around 250,000 customers signed up to its 3G service and is investing over EUR1 billion in improving the network. It is the country’s leading mobile operator with a market share of around 47%, ahead of nearest rival O2 Ireland. Source: TeleGeography.

Hong Kong-based telco PCCW is deploying the Homeplug Turbo Powerline networking standard for its broadband and IPTV platforms. The powerline technology will be used to reach broadband customers who are unable or unwilling to install new cables at home. PCCW will give powerline networking adapters to users prepared to self-install in order to distribute broadband access as well as MPEG2-based IPTV around their homes. The adapters are based on Intellon’s turbo chipset which generates transmission speeds of up to 85Mbps. Source: TeleGeography.

Technology publication Computerworld has reported that the government of Porto Alegre – capital city of Brazil’s most southernly state Rio Grande do Sul – will invest USD1.5 million in building a WiMAX network. Coverage will extend to most public buildings such as state offices, schools and health centres. The city’s own government IT and communications company, Procempa, will be in overall charge of the rollout, which will see 28 connection points established by the end of June 2006, and 350 points when the network is eventually fully deployed. Source: TeleGeography.

Australia’s Communications Minister Helen Coonan has approved the latest plan by fixed line incumbent Telstra for delivering services to rural and regional areas. Under the terms of its licence the telco must submit a business plan for service provision in outlying regions every three years; Senator Coonan rejected an initial plan submitted in March for not being detailed enough. She says the new Local Presence Plan is a significant improvement. ‘It contains 27 commitments regarding Telstra's local presence in regional, rural and remote Australia - an increase of ten commitments from the previous draft,’ Senator Coonan told ABC Online. ‘It contains more information about Telstra's planned activities… and more detail about obtaining service level information.’ The plan will be implemented from July.

Under the plan, Telstra must now consult with local communities before decommissioning public telephony services in unprofitable areas. Coonan specifically requested the safeguard be put in place following public outcry in February 2006, when it was reported that Telstra was mulling the disconnection of 5,000 of its 32,000 public payphones. Officially, Telstra is to remove 950 of its payphones over the coming twelve months, but some sections of the press believe the telco is looking to decommission as many as five-times that number in a bid to cut costs.

Meanwhile, Telstra has signed an AUD100 million deal to allow alternative operator People Telecom to continue to resell its broadband and fixed line telephony services until the end of 2007. A current agreement between the two companies expires in July. People will resell only Telstra’s basic ADSL services after it inked a deal to utilise the broadband network of NEC Australia’s NEXTEP division to offer ADSL2+ services in January.

Source: TeleGeography.

Belgacom Mobile, Belgium’s largest wireless operator by subscribers, has upgraded its W-CDMA network with HSDPA technology in seven cities, and will become the first operator in the country to offer so-called ‘3.5G’ services from next week. Belgacom, which offers mobile services under the Proximus banner, says that HSDPA will be available in Antwerp, Brussels, Charleroi, Ghent, Leuven, Liège and Namur from 15 June. It says the entire Proximus W-CDMA network will be equipped with HSDPA technology by the end of the year; by that date the cellco says it expects to have 3.5G coverage of 80% of the population. The service will initially only be accessible to users of the 3G Broadband Vodafone Mobile Connect datacard, enabling download speeds of up to 1.8 Mbps. HSDPA-enabled mobile handsets and downlink speeds of up to 3.6Mbps will be available by year end.

Source: TeleGeography.