In May 2011, the CRTC issued Fact-finding exercise on over-the-top programming services in the Canadian broadcasting system Broadcasting and Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2011-344. In the notice, the Commission stated that since the publication of  Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2009-329 (the Regulatory Policy), it has been monitoring the development of broadcasting in new media, adding that “over-the-top” (OTT) programming accessed over the Internet is increasingly available to consumers at attractive price points.To better understand the trends and their implications and to gain an accurate understanding of the evolving role played by OTT services, the Commission sought submissions from stakeholders, together with any data supporting their findings and/or assertions. Comments were received from individual Canadians, public interest groups, representatives of the cultural sector, broadcasters and distributors, network operators, vertically integrated communications undertakings and Canadian and non-Canadian providers of OTT services. The complete record of this proceeding is available on the Commission’s website.

See Press Release
Source: CRTC

In May 2011, the CRTC issued Fact-finding exercise on over-the-top programming services in the Canadian broadcasting system Broadcasting and Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2011-344. In the notice, the Commission stated that since the publication of  Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2009-329 (the Regulatory Policy), it has been monitoring the development of broadcasting in new media, adding that “over-the-top” (OTT) programming accessed over the Internet is increasingly available to consumers at attractive price points.To better understand the trends and their implications and to gain an accurate understanding of the evolving role played by OTT services, the Commission sought submissions from stakeholders, together with any data supporting their findings and/or assertions. Comments were received from individual Canadians, public interest groups, representatives of the cultural sector, broadcasters and distributors, network operators, vertically integrated communications undertakings and Canadian and non-Canadian providers of OTT services. The complete record of this proceeding is available on the Commission’s website.

See Press Release
Source: CRTC

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today released a consultation paper on proposed new penalties to be specified in infringement notices issued under the Telecommunications Act 1997.

“The Gillard Government is committed to ensuring basic standards are maintained for consumers in the telecommunications industry,” Senator Conroy said.

“The infringement notice regime is an important new tool the Government has recently provided the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to enable it to better enforce compliance by telecommunications companies with regulatory requirements.

See Press Release

Source : DBCDE

Structural reform of the telecommunications industry moved closer today with the making of five key regulatory instruments by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy. The instruments provide the framework for Telstra’s structural separation and Telstra may now choose to proceed with lodging its structural separation undertaking with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Senator Conroy said significant improvements had been made to the instruments as a result of submissions received during the consultation period – which closed on 15 June – and he thanked interested parties for their contributions.

See Press Release

Source: DBCDE

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) issued its annual Communications Monitoring Report providing an overview of the Canadian télécommunications and broadcasting industries. The report reveals that by the end of 2010, the number of Canadian households subscribing to broadband Internet services rose by 9.2% to approximately 9 million, while the number of Canadians subscribing to wireless services grew by 8.5% to 25.8 million. CRTC Communications Monitoring Report http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/PolicyMonitoring/2011/cmr2011.pdf

See Press Release

Source : CRTC

 

 

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

Geneva, 31 March 2011 – The 11th edition of ITU’s flagship ICT regulatory report Trends in Telecommunication Reform takes an in-depth look at one of the most significant social trends of the past ten years: the increasingly pervasive presence of ICTs in virtually every facet of modern life.

The report reveals an increasingly robust yet complex regulatory landscape which has emerged in response to the tremendous influence ICTs now have on the shape and growth of other economic sectors.

At the beginning of 2011, more than 80 per cent of markets worldwide have separate ICT regulatory agencies, making for a total of 158 ICT regulators worldwide – up from 106 just one decade ago.

Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2010-2011 confirms that ICT markets around the world are becoming more competitive in just about every respect, from international gateway services to wireless local loop and 3G. In 2010, more than 93 per cent of countries worldwide allowed competition in the provision of Internet services, and 90 per cent in the provision of mobile cellular services. A further 92 per cent have competitive 3G mobile broadband markets.

See Press Release 
Source: ITU

The CRTC initiates a public proceeding to review its policies for direct-to-home (DTH) satellite distribution. As part of this proceeding, the CRTC will hold a hearing commencing on 16 November 2010. In this document, the Commission invites comments and proposals on its regulatory framework for DTH satellite distribution, particularly with respect to: the conventional television stations that DTH distributors are required to offer to their subscribers; and the manner in which DTH distributors perform simultaneous substitution. The deadline for filing written comments is 8 September 2010.

See Press Release
Source: CRTC

Europeans are becoming increasingly "digital" according to a European Commission Eurobarometer survey which questioned 27,000 households throughout the EU on their use of internet, telephones and TV. More Europeans are subscribing to broadband internet and digital television in fixed-cost bundled 'packages'. Increased broadband take-up means even more Europeans are going online with 35% now using social networking websites. However, they have concerns about cost, quality of service and security, as well as online freedom. One fifth of fixed and mobile internet users reveal that they have experienced problems with blocked content and applications. The Commission's May 2010 Digital Agenda for Europe not only sets ambitious targets to bring broadband internet to all of Europe's citizens but also outlines measures to boost competition, trust and security.

See Press Release
Source: Europa

The federal government’s use of handheld communications devices and its practices for disposing of unneeded paper documents and surplus computers could expose the personal information of Canadians to unauthorized disclosure, Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart has warned.The findings, stemming from two separate privacy audits conducted by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), were highlighted in the organization’s 2009-2010 annual report on the Privacy Act, tabled in Parliament today. The Act applies to federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations.

See press release
Source: OPCC Canada

ARCEP published its ten proposals on Internet and network neutrality - a document that is the fruit of work begun by the Authority back in September 2009. In the autumn of 2009, the Net neutrality debate was still very quiet in Europe, although it had been the subject of much talk in the United States for several years. Market specialists are predicting that, 10 years from now, around 20% of global GDP will be devoted to the digital ecosystem, compared the current 6% to 7%. The Internet will therefore become a strategic shared asset. If it does not work, the economy comes to a halt. So federal governments cannot sit idly by. There need to be rules in place.

See more and documents
Source : Arcep

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

Submissions made as part of Industry Canada’s public consultation on foreign investment restrictions in the telecommunications sector are now online at www.ic.gc.ca /telecominvestment. The consultations were announced by the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, on June 11, and ran until July 30, 2010. The consultation paper is also posted on the site. It outlines the current restrictions, describes how Canada compares with other countries and presents the following three options for consideration: Increase the limit for direct foreign investment in broadcasting and telecommunications common carriers to 49 percent; Lift restrictions on telecommunications common carriers with a 10-percent market share or less, by revenue; or Remove telecommunications restrictions completely.

See press release
See comments
Source: Government of Canada

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

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

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

El Consejo Nacional de Telecomunicaciones – CONATEL – pone en conocimiento de la ciudadanía en general, que de conformidad con lo dispuesto en los artículos 11 numeral 3,313,424,425 y 426 de la Constitución de l República del Ecuador; así como en las Decisiones 608, 616 y 462 de la Comunidad Andina de Naciones, únicamente en lo que fuere aplicable, el Art. 39 de la Ley Especial de Telecomunicaciones Reformada; en los artículos 17, 18, 19 27 y siguientes correspondientes al Título IV del Reglamento General a la Ley Especial de Telecomunicaciones Reformada; y las Resoluciones del CONATEL relativas a la materia, especialmente pero sin limitarlas a las 415-15-CONATEL-2005 y 498-25-CONATEL-2002, ha iniciado el proceso para calificación de Operador Dominante en el servicio móvil de voz (móvil-móvil) en territorio ecuatoriano.

See Press Release
Source: Consejo Nacional de Telecomunicaciones CONATEL

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

A consultation on key questions arising from the issue of net neutrality has been launched by the European Commission. It covers such issues as whether internet providers should be allowed to adopt certain traffic management practices, prioritising one kind of internet traffic over another, whether such traffic management practices may create problems and have unfair effects for users, whether the level of competition between different internet service providers and the transparency requirements of the new telecom framework may be sufficient to avoid potential problems by allowing consumers' choice and whether the EU needs to act further to ensure fairness in the internet market, or whether industry should take the lead. European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, announced in April 2010 her intention to launch this consultation in order to take forward Europe's net neutrality debate. The consultation will feed into a Commission report on net neutrality, which should be presented by the end of this year. All interested parties – service and content providers, consumers, businesses and researchers – are invited to respond to the consultation by 30 September 2010. An open and neutral internet underpins many of the targets set out in the Digital Agenda for Europe.

See Press Release
Source: Europa

"ICT for all - Technology supporting an inclusive world" has been published. This report explores Europe's vision for a society where every individual can make a valuable contribution. Investments in pioneering and commercially focused research will produce information and communication technologies (ICTs) that should help everyone - including the elderly, disabled and marginalised - to fulfil their potential.

Source: Europa

INF 7 0100 IST-R policy report-eInclusion_final studio.pdf (604,32 KB)

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

Ancom launches for public consultation the document that reviews the regulatory measures on the market for the provision of full or shared unbundled access to the local loop. The local loop is the physical circuit between an end-user and the main distribution frame of a fixed public telephone network or the equivalent element of a public electronic communications network. The local loop may be used to provide both telephone services at fixed locations and broadband electronic communications services.

See Press release
Source: ANCOM

Ofcom has published a consultation on increasing the power limits of 3G mobile licences to improve mobile phone coverage, potentially increasing the availability of services in the UK.

See document

Source: OFCOM

A public consultation on what is the best approach to ensure that basic telecoms services are available for all EU citizens has been launched today by the European Commission. Current EU rules on universal service obligations for telecoms date from 2002 and guarantee that Europeans have access to public telephone networks and to services like basic internet access. The consultation launched today aims to see if these rules and definitions on universal service need to be updated for the digital age, and in particular if they should be extended to cover broadband access. Reactions from consumers, industry stakeholders, and policy experts will help the Commission decide if it needs to present new legislative proposals on universal service obligations for telecoms by end of 2010. The consultation will run until 7 May 2010.

See press release

Source: Europa

The Federal Communications Commission launched an initiative on the future of media and the information needs of communities in the digital age. This initiative will examine the changes underway in the media marketplace, analyze the full range of future technologies and services that will provide communities with news and information in the digital age, and, as appropriate, make policy recommendations to the FCC, other government entities, and other parties.

The FCC also launched a preliminary Web site that will serve as an arena for public discussion on the future of media and any public policy recommendations. At launch, the Web site includes a forum for citizens and experts to weigh in on key questions, and an area for consumers to describe the health of, or problems with, media in their communities.

See Press Release

Source: FCC Federal Communications Commission

ARCEP has been engaged in efforts to develop high-speed and ultra high-speed mobile networks in France, in accordance with the spectrum strategy announced by the Prime Minister on 12 January 2009. With the procedure for awarding the fourth 3G licence now come to a close, and the procedure for allocating the remaining spectrum in the 2.1 GHz band to be launched in the very near future, ARCEP is looking ahead to the next stage, which will involve the allocation of spectrum in the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands for the deployment of fourth-generation mobile networks. To this end,  ARCEP published a summary on its website of the public consultation on the future award of spectrum licences in the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz frequency bands, for the deployment of ultra high-speed mobile networks. This consultation, which elicited 35 responses, allowed the Authority to gather stakeholders' analysis and views on the issues and relevant terms for awarding licences for ultra high-speed mobile networks operating in these frequency bands. ARCEP will soon be publishing preliminary scenarios for allocations in these bands, based on the results of the public consultation. It will also consult further with market players to streamline these scenarios. These efforts will help the Authority set the terms of the allocation procedures for these frequencies, which it plans to carry out in the second half of 2010 - once the remaining spectrum in the 2.1 GHz band has been awarded.

See Press Release

Source: ARCEP

Comreg gas published a document for a consultation considering the regulatory approach most appropriate to facilitate the development and deployment of a Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) with a Complementary Ground Component (CGC), following the ratification of European Commission (EC) Decisions1 and the completion of the EC selection process2. The MSS with CGC system is intended to operate in the same frequency bands which were allocated to the MSS in the 2 GHz frequency range. 

 

See the publication

Source: Comreg

The Commerce Commission has released its report on telecommunications markets in New Zealand covering the first six months of 2009. The report also provides some more recent information about mobile prices in New Zealand following the launch of the 2degrees network in August.

Telecommunications Commissioner Dr Ross Patterson said the report shows there has been continued investment in telecommunications infrastructure in the first half of 2009 with the construction of new or extended mobile networks by Telecom, Vodafone and 2degrees.

See Report
Source: New Zealand - Commerce Commission

The European Commission's Digital Competitiveness report published shows that Europe's digital sector has made strong progress since 2005: 56% of Europeans now regularly use the internet, 80% of them via a high-speed connection (compared to only one third in 2004), making Europe the world leader in broadband internet. Europe is the world's first truly mobile continent with more mobile subscribers than citizens (a take up rate of 119%). Europe can advance even further as a generation of "digitally savvy" young Europeans becomes a strong market driver for growth and innovation. Building on the potential of the digital economy is essential for Europe's sustainable recovery from the economic crisis.  The Commission has asked the public what future strategy the EU should adopt to make the digital economy run at full speed.

See Press Release
Source : Europa

Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden have the lowest prices for mobile phone calls among OECD countries, according to the latest OECD Communications Outlook. The highest were found in Canada, Spain and the United States.

Comparing prices on a medium-use basis for a package of 780 voice calls, 600 short texts (SMS), and eight multimedia (MMS) messages, the survey found monthly prices ranged from 11 to 53 US dollars across countries as of August 2008.

See Press Release
Source: OECD

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today issued its second annual Communications Monitoring Report. The report, which is based on 2008 data, provides information on the various sectors of the telecommunications and broadcasting industries, as well as on how Canada compares internationally.

See more
Source: CTRC

An Auction of Radio Spectrum in the 1800MHz Band for Expansion of Public Mobile Telecommunications Services, Successful Bidder Notice was referred to in paragraph 5.4.1 of the Notice dated 24 April 2009 that was issued by the Telecommunications Authority (the “Authority”) in exercise of the powers conferred by section 32I of the Telecommunications Ordinance, the Telecommunications (Level of Spectrum Utilization Fees) (Second Generation Mobile Services) Regulation, the Telecommunications (Determining Spectrum Utilization Fees by Auction) Regulation and all other powers enabling him to specify the terms and conditions of the Auction and the payment of the Spectrum Utilization Fees. Unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires, words and expressions used in this notice have the same meaning as that given to them in the Notice.
 
The Authority is pleased to announce that the Successful Bidders of the Auction and the Frequency Bands assigned to them.  See document.
Source: OFTA

Commencing on 6 July 2009, the Commission will hold a hearing in Gatineau, Quebec, to do a review of the Internet traffic
management practices of Internet service providers. For more information or to listen to the hearing through live audio feed,
please visit the website here.

See eeference documents:     Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2008-19
See also Telecom Public Notices CRTC 2008-19-1; 2008-19-2  and 2008-19-3.

Source: CRTC

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

The study aimed to collate and analyse existing eHealth monitoring and benchmarking sources (in EU27, Iceland, Norway, Canada and the United States), in order to identify good practices in data gathering and to develop an indicator framework for an EU-wide eHealth benchmarking approach. It found 94 sources of eHealth benchmarking data (with more than 4,300 eHealth-related indicators), identified 12 good practice cases and filled 31 country briefs that describe the situation in each of the surveyed countries. The study proposes an indicator framework that covers the most relevant actors, activities and applications in the area of eHealth.

Contact: eHealth@ec.europa.eu
See also: ICT for Health Studies

Source: Europa

On 4 November 2008, PCCW, a public listed company, announced that its two major shareholders, PCRD (which is connected with Mr Richard Li) and Netcom Group (which is connected with a Mainland state-owned enterprise), were proposing to buyout the public shareholding, resulting in Mr. Li’s connected interests holding 66.67% of PCCW and Netcom Group holding the remaining 33.33%.  PCCW is a telecommunications carrier licensee, and on 26 November 2008, it submitted a formal application for the Authority’s prior consent to the Transaction further to section 7P of the Ordinance. Public consultation on the application ended on 15 December 2008. On 22 December 2008 the Authority consented to the Transaction pursuant to section 7P(7) of the Ordinance, on the basis that the Transaction would not have, or would not be likely to have, the effect of substantially lessening competition in a telecommunications market in Hong Kong. Further to the 23 December 2008 announcement this report sets out the full reasons why consent was granted.
See Report
Source: OFTA

rp20090121.pdf (58,66 KB)

In its current Spectrum Management Strategy Statement, the Commission for Communications Regulation (‘ComReg’) sets out its intention to release more spectrum in the 10 GHz band, in order to  facilitate additional Wireless Broadband services.

See Document

Source: ComReg
 

Information technology (IT) and broadband are major drivers of economic change, restructuring businesses, affecting skills and employment, and contributing to growth and consumer benefits. This volume describes recent market dynamics and trends in industries supplying IT goods and services and offers an overview of the globalisation of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector and the rise of ICT-enabled international sourcing.

It analyses the development and impact of the changing global distribution of services activities and the rise of China and India as significant suppliers of ICT-related goods and services. It also looks at the increasing importance of digital content in selected industries and how it is transforming value chains and business models. The potential of technological developments such as ubiquitous networks, location-based services, natural disaster warning systems, the participative web and the convergence of information technology with nanotechnology and biotechnology is also examined. This book includes StatLinks, URL's linking statistical graphs and tables to spreadsheets containing the underlying data.

See press release

Source: OECD

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)

Poland just announced the launch of consultations on the tender of 18 frequency reservations in the range of 2010 – 2025 MHz and 2500 – 2690 MHz, in the area of the entire country, dedicated for the provision of services in broadband wireless access networks in the mobile service.

See Press Release
Source: UKE

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority ("OFTA") issued today ( 31 October 2008 ) a consultation paper to solicit public views on various issues in connection with the voluntary implementation of Fixed Mobile Number Portability ("FMNP").

Under the present arrangement, subscribers to the service provided by one fixed network operator may port their numbers to another fixed network operator. Likewise, subscribers to the service provided by one mobile network operator may port their numbers to another mobile network operator. However, cross platform number portability between fixed and mobile networks, commonly known as FMNP, is not yet available in Hong Kong . The TA invites public views on the proposed voluntary implementation of FMNP, the need for the TA to set out the necessary basic guiding principles in order to ensure an orderly implementation of voluntary FMNP, and other associated issues, including the need to identify the asymmetrical regulatory arrangements which currently apply to fixed and mobile services and which may impede the implementation of FMNP.

A copy of the consultation paper as well as the consumer survey report can be downloaded from the following hyperlinks at OFTA's website.

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

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

Ofcom published today further consultation documents as part of its Pay TV market investigation and its consideration of the proposal from BSkyB/Arqiva for a new Pay TV service called “Picnic” on digital terrestrial TV.
 
The Pay TV consultation document can be found here
The consultation on “Picnic” can be found here
 
Source: OFCOM

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

In search of the best strategies to boost Europe's leadership in ICT (Information and Communications Technology) research and innovation in the next decade, the European Commission today launched a public consultation. Contributions from industry, ICT experts, policy-makers and the wider public will be fed into a new strategy for ICT research and innovation, to be unveiled next year. The aim is to put European ICT industry, especially SMEs, to the fore of the race for global competitiveness. The public consultation is open until 7 November 2008.

Source: Europa

In March 2008 Ofcom published a statement allowing the use of mobile phones on aircraft. Following this, Ofcom has today published a consultation on the draft regulations to make mobile phones licence-exempt when connected to base stations on aircraft. The consultation which closes on 29 August 2008 can be found here. The statement can be found here. 

Source: OFCOM
 

Ofcom has  published an independent review by TRAQS Limited on quality of service information in the telecoms, broadband, pay TV and mobile industries.  The review accompanies Ofcom’s consultation published on 17 July 2008, Review of quality of service information phase 1: information on quality of customer service. This review was compiled for Ofcom by a third party and does not represent the views of Ofcom. The review has been redacted by Ofcom to remove information which may be confidential.

The TRAQS Limited review can be found here

Source: OFCOM
 

Ofcom published  its fifth annual report on trends and developments in the UK’s £51bn communications market. The Communications Market Report 2008 highlights the facts that consumers are spending more time using communications services than ever before, but paying less for them.
 
The report can be found here.
 
An interactive executive summary can be found here.

Source: Ofcom
 

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today issued the inaugural Communications Monitoring Report. Prior to this year, the Commission had published separate annual monitoring reports for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries.

See Press release and report
Source: CRTC

January 2008, the Telecommunications Authority (“TA”) published a consultation paper entitled “Assignment of the Available Radio Spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz Bands” to seek views and comments from the industry and interested parties on the assignment  of the available radio spectrum. After careful consideration of the submissions, the TA draws conclusions. 

 

ta20080704ex.pdf (8,84 KB)

Source: OFTA

Ofcom today published its Annual Report for 2007/8. The full report is available here. 

Source: Ofcom
 

For World Telecommunications Day, Research ICT Africa (RIA) released a South Africa Policy Brief based on the preliminary findings of RIA’s 2008 nationally representative household survey on e-access and usage. The brief details covers issues mitigating access and cost, and summarises findings in a number of figures; and concludes with a set of specific recommendations for moving South Africa towards conditions that are more conducive to investment in the sector.

Source: LIRNE.Net

RIA_PolicyBrief_SouthAfrica.pdf (808,77 KB)

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)  launched a consultation on broadcasting in the new media environment for a public hearing to be held in early 2009. The Commission is asking for public input on the scope of such a proceeding.  Today, the Commission released a compilation of research and views titled Perspectives on Canadian Broadcasting in New Media. This document is the result of research commissioned by the CRTC over the past year and includes views obtained from the Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications industries, academia, and national and international policy-makers. Broadcasting in the new media environment is an expansive and complex subject. Those consulted held different opinions on its very nature. They also expressed various ideas on how to make the most of emerging opportunities for the broadcast of high-quality, professional Canadian content in new media. The Commission therefore wishes to narrow the range of issues that could be considered as part of a proceeding on broadcasting in this environment. In a call for comments also issued today, it is asking for public input on whether the following questions, and what other questions, should fall within the scope of the public hearing to be held early next year: What is broadcasting in new media?  Should the creation and promotion of Canadian broadcasting content for the new media environment be supported? If so, how?  Are there any barriers to accessing Canadian broadcasting content in the new media environment?  What other issues should be considered?  Interested parties may submit their comments by July 11, 2008.

News Release
Source: CRTC

In 2007 Ofcom commissioned Spectrum to undertake a review of the arrangements between PhonepayPlus and Ofcom for the regulation of Premium Rate Services (PRS). The review of the arrangements between PhonepayPlus and Ofcom was published on 5 December 2007. The details are included in the Framework Agreement between PhonepayPlus and Ofcom.  The Spectrum’s report to inform stakeholders about the options identified. The report contains a description of each of the options and an assessment of each option against the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the existing regime.

See Press Release and documents
Source: OFCOM

During 2007, two years after the launch of i2010, the Commission reflected on whether its general approach remained valid and best suited to today's policy priorities for growth and jobs. The results were presented in April 2008.

See Press Release and Documents
Source: Europa

UKE outlined its strategy for 2008–2010, encompassing a range of areas. The main goals of the strategy are the reduction of tariffs, an increase in competition and the improvement of penetration across all sectors. The strategic objectives of the President of the Office of Electronic Communications for the years 2008-2010 have been formulated on the basis of analyses of the Polish market, other European and world markets, obligations set out in the Telecommunications Law and EU guidelines. The principal and overriding objective of the President of UKE will be to increase the accessibility of telecommunications services for the citizens and increase their usage. Having adopted this as the principal objective, the President of UKE looks at it in the following dimensions: economic, commercial (real/factual), infrastructural.

See documents
Source : UKE

In order to reduce input cost of Telecom access Service Providers, thereby facilitating reduction in tariff further, and to enhance the teledensity including rural areas, the Department of Telecom has formulated the some guidelines on infrastructure sharing among the Service Providers and Infrastructure Providers.

See Guidelines
Source: Ministry of Communications & Information Technology - Department of Telecommunications

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 Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis (OSP) today released three working papers on two important spectrum management issues:

- Working Paper #41, “Enhancing Spectrum’s Value Via Market-informed Congestion Etiquettes” and Working Paper #42, “Modeling the Efficiency of Spectrum Designated to License Use and Unlicensed Operations,” examine ways in which spectrum designated to licensed and unlicensed use can be more efficiently used.

- Working Paper #43, “A Market-based Approach to Establishing Licensing Rules: Licensed Versus Unlicensed Use of Spectrum,” examines the feasibility of employing a market mechanism to determine whether spectrum should be designated to either licensed or unlicensed use.

See Full text of each working paper
See Press Release
Source: Federal Communications Commission - FCC

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

 

ARCEP has combined in a new tool all the information on the use of the frequencies which it is responsible for managing. This database meets the needs of industry and the general public, and implements the regulatory provisions which aim to increase the frequency information made available to the public:

• at the Community level: the base helps to provide information on the use of frequencies for the wireless systems managed by ARCEP and the transfer of usage rights, in accordance with European Commission Decision 2007/334/EC regarding the harmonised provision of spectrum information in the Union.
• at the national level: it satisfies regulatory requirements which determine which information ARCEP must provide in the frequency bands open to the secondary market.

This "frequency register", listing the different usage categories with their specific conditions, is available via a search engine operating by frequency band, type of application and geographic area. The base also allows users to display authorisation transfer conditions for the various frequency bands open to the secondary market and to do searches on authorisations which are required to be published under the decree on the secondary market. In this way, it aims to increase the transparency on spectrum use and to stimulate the frequency authorisation secondary market.

See press release

Source: ARCEP

On 24 August 2007, OFTA issued an industry consultation paper about the use of PCCW’s public payphone kiosks on public streets and unleased
Government lands for the provision of public Wi-Fi service (the “Consultation Paper”) and invited views and comments, including a set of draft Guidelines
(the “draft Guidelines”) to facilitate operators’ negotiation. In response to the Consultation Paper, the TA received 9 submissions. After considering the submitted views and comments,  a Statement now sets out below the TA’s views and decisions on the issues raised in the Consultation Paper.

See the document

tas20080215.pdf (104,93 KB)

Source: OFTA

OFTA has just published a document called "A Decade of External Telecommunications Market Liberalisation: Review and Prospect".

Source:  OFTA

20080125.pdf (15,89 KB)

OFCOm published a paper setting out the project guidelines for Ofcom’s Mobile Sector Assessment (MSA)- an assessment of Ofcom’s overall approach to regulation of the sector in the medium term, with two main objectives. First, to consider possible approaches to the future regulation of the mobile communications sector, including scope for the promotion of competition and reduction of regulation. Second, to define the principles informing Ofcom’s work for the next phase of the market’s development. The Assessment is intended to contribute to, and facilitate, a wider public debate about the future of mobile and wireless services. It will be forward-looking in its perspective. It will consider a broad range of issues, including the implications of continuing convergence, the aims of regulation, identifying the scope for deregulation, innovation and competition in the mobile market and the implications of the continued growth in mobile and wireless services for competition more generally.

See web page
Source: OFCOM

EU policy makers are of the opinion that the EU standards-setting policy, in its present structure and  organisation, cannot adequately satisfy the requirements of a market that is subject to rapid technology developments and a multitude of standards-setting initiatives driven by industrial specification providers.,  (consortia and fora). These doubts find their basis in legal, policy and market-related concerns as expressed in a number of recent policy documents stemming from the EU institutions. This Study comes as a follow-up to the issues outlined above. Its first aim is to identify what works well and what does not in EU ICT standards setting. Beyond that, it identifies some concrete measures for improving the current standardisation procedures in order to make them respond to the challenges of globalisation.

2007-ict-std-full-rep.pdf (928,96 KB)

Also note that the European Commission is organising an open meeting in Brussels on 12 February 2008 on:  European ICT standardisation policy at a crossroads: A new direction for global success.

Source: EUROPA

The ERG  published its first comprehensive data collection of international roaming since the implementation of the roaming Regulation. Data collected by the ERG shows a general trend of reduced roaming prices for consumers using their mobile abroad.  The report on the data collection can be found with the document title "ERG (07) 85 International Roaming Report".

The ERG also published  its final set of guidelines to providers which are complementary to the provisions set out in the Regulation.  This follows previous versions published in July and August 2007. The guidelines can be found with the document title "ERG (07) 86 International Roaming Regulation Guidelines".

See Press Release (January 17th)

Source: ERG

Hong Kong's Telecommunications Authority (“TA”) published a consultation paper to solicit views from the industry and interested parties on the demand for the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands and how the demand may be met.

See document

20080118.pdf (139,52 KB)

Source: OFTA

The following publication(s) was added to the ComReg website:
National Numbering Conventions Revision - Update to Version 6
National Numbering Conventions v6.0
Numbering Applications Procedures and Application Forms v2.0
Irish Telephony Numbering & Dialling Plan Status Report - January 2008

Source : ComReg

The National Communications Authority (NCAH) has published its market surveillance plan for 2008, with focus areas such as the protection of the assertion of consumer rights and the monitoring of compliance with the provisions of communications laws and the obligations prescribed by the Board of the NCAH. According to its market surveillance plan, the NCAH will place great emphasis on the protection of consumer interests in the communications sector in 2008, an issue specifically addressed at several points in the plan. A key role will be assigned to the assessment of the lawfulness of residential subscriber contracts, as surveys conducted both this year and last year showed that the subscriber contracts of service providers were often in breach of the law, including but not limited to deficiencies such as the frequent absence of service providers’ obligations.

See Press release
Source: NCAH

OPTA, the Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority of the Netherlands, published its Vision 2008: 'OPTA focuses regulation on prevention and decisions supported by market parties'. In addition to the developments in the electronic communications and postal markets which the regulatory authority outlines in this document, it also sets out its vision for regulation and its role as a regulator. To OPTA market developments are leading for its regulatory activities. Convergence, which refers to the merging of markets, is still the overriding force in the electronic communications markets. The dynamics of these markets demand effective regulation by OPTA. The regulatory authority is capitalising on this by increasingly moving towards prevention and seeking decisions that are supported by market parties.

OPTA’s  most important operations in the year ahead are summed up below:
• In the case of consumers the resolution of problems relating to switching from provider and ensuring internet safety are key issues for OPTA. Added to this is the need to tackle the misuse of paid numbers;
• KPN’s All-IP plans enjoy our undiminished attention for the purposes of regulating the market, as do new analyses of the markets for fixed and mobile telephony, broadband and broadcast. Information is sought from various market parties for this purpose with the aid of a structural market monitor. Aggregated data sourced from this is published on the OPTA website;
• OPTA is closely monitoring political developments concerning the deregulation of the postal market. If asked to do so, OPTA will provide advice to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

See press release
See document
Source: OPTA

Ofcom today published a consultation document investigating the pay TV market. The purpose of this consultation is to seek stakeholders’ views on Ofcom’s initial assessment of the operation of competition in the market and the outcome for consumers. Ofcom welcomes views and comments on our initial assessment of the operation of competition in the market and the effect on consumers. The responses will help us to examine whether there are competition problems that require further action. Ofcom expects to publish a further consultation in Spring 2008.

See Press Release

Source: OFCOM

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority of Hong Kong (OFTA) has published important telecommunications statistics on the telecommunications and internet services and also on number porting among local fixed and telecommunications network services operators.

See Key Telecommunications Statistics
See Statistics on Number Portings

Source: Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA)

The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) published its Strategy Statement for the electronic communications sector for the period 2008-2010. 

See Press Release and document
Source: ComReg

El Consejo de la Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT) ha aprobado un informe sobra la situación de los precios minoristas de acceso a Internet de banda ancha en España, solicitado por el Defensor del Pueblo y la Secretaría de Estado de Telecomunicaciones y para la Sociedad de la Información.

El análisis tiene por objeto comparar los precios de la banda ancha en España con los de los países de la UE-27. La CMT ha centrado su estudio en las ofertas dirigidas al segmento residencial de los 27 países de la UE y emplea datos de junio de 2007. Se han descartado aquellas ofertas que limitan el uso de Internet a un determinado número de horas, así como las ofertas empaquetadas que incluyen televisión.

Si se tienen en cuenta las ofertas empaquetadas de todos los operadores, en el rango de velocidad más representativo en España –de 2 Mb hasta 9,99 Mb (velocidad media) – la oferta (PPP) más barata a junio de 2007 es de 40,2 €, un 9,6% inferior a los 44,5 € de la media de las mejores ofertas de la UE. Para la velocidad alta (a partir de 10 Mb) la oferta más económica en España es de 46,6 € PPP, el 7,4% más barata que la media de las mejores ofertas en la UE (50,3 €), mientras que el precio de la mejor oferta española en velocidades bajas es un 4% más cara: 36 € PPP frente a los 34,6 € de la media comunitaria.


See Press Release

Source: Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT)

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (“OFTA”) has completed an investigation into the competitiveness of local leased circuit (“LLC”) provision in Hong Kong. The purpose of the investigation was to obtain an updated picture of the state of competition in relation to LLC services, especially from the perspective of users.

The main conclusion to be drawn is that there are effective competitive constraints on traditional LLCs. Alternative technologies and service platforms are increasingly viable, and the various competing service providers are closely chasing each other on service quality and network coverage. The competitive pressure from new entrants and new service platforms is maintaining the overall trend of lower prices for local data connection services in Hong Kong.

See Press Release

Source: Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA)

Ofcom’s three-year policy framework was set out in last year’s Annual Plan and seeks to help deliver the benefits of convergence for UK citizens and consumers. Ofcom today proposes a wide-ranging programme of work for 2008/9 as part of this framework:

Driving forward a market-based approach to spectrum
Promoting competition and innovation in converging markets
Delivering public interest objectives as platforms and services converge
Empowering citizens and consumers and improving regulatory compliance where necessary
Supporting the evolution of the legal and economic frameworks for regulation


The consultation closes on 19 February 2008.

See more

Source: OFCOM

MIC has convened the Study Group on a Comprehensive Legal System for Communications and Broadcasting (Chair: Professor Emeritus HORIBE Masao, Hitotsubashi University) since August 2006, and now releases the final report compiled by the Study Group.

See More

Source: MIC (Japan)

ECTA just released the Regulatory Scorecards 2007.  Regulatory Scorecards are studies on the effectiveness of regulation and the link between effective regulation and investment.

The question of how best to drive growth and innovation in the telecoms sector is high on the agenda with the 2006 review of the Electronic Communications Framework. Europe has to choose between two paths for the future of the telecoms sector: competitiveness, choice and investment or re-monopolisation and stagnation. By measuring the powers and performance of NRAs and the regulatory regimes overall, the Scorecard Report seeks to determine how effectively each of 16 countries promotes investment and competition as at 31st August 2005.

See More

Source: ECTA

On 19 January 2007, ComReg issued a national consultation on its review of the fixed interconnection markets for wholesale call origination, transit and termination services. The consultation was issued in two parts, one paper dealing with the market review for wholesale call origination and transit services and the second paper dealing with the call termination market.1 A document comes as a response to ComReg Document 07/02.2

See document

Source: ComReg

The French regulatory network, FRATEL, held a meeting on QoS and consumers' protection, on November 7-9, 2007.  Documents and presentations are downloadable on FRATEL's website.

See more

Source : FRATEL

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

This week sees the publication of the first report in Balancing Act's new series African Telecoms and Internet Markets. Part 1 covers 16 countries in West Africa and shows that the sub-region has experienced strong growth in both the mobile and Internet sectors since 2003.
The sixteen countries covered by the report are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo.

Press release and to order copy of the report

Source : BalancingAct

ComReg has published three publications, two being related to consultations on interconnection and call termination, and one on Services of social value.

Response to Consultation & Consultation on Draft Decision - Interconnection Market Review - Fixed Wholesale Call Termination Services

Response to Consultation - Interconnection Market Review Wholesale Call Origination & Transit Services

Information Notice-Harmonised Services of Social Value

Source: ComReg

Ireland opens consultation on 2008-2010 strategy.

See the Press Release and the Stratgey Statement

Source : ComReg

 

This year, the Romanian regulator is facing multiple challenges, ranging from the expansion of its powers to cover spectrum issues to carrying out the first round of market analyses within Romania’s membership in the EU. This conference will be a unique opportunity for ANRCTI to present the results of a one-year exercise of investigation, analysis and reflection, which are now rounding up in a regulatory policy and strategy for the Romanian electronic communications sector up to 2010.

Full press release

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

 

According to this Report, regulatory activities afford optimism about the future growth of competition on Poland's telecommunications market and should soon not only provide end-users with a greater choice of their service providers, but also bring about considerably lower retail prices.

Here find the complete Report

Source: UKE

La Comisión de Regulación de Telecomunicaciones publica para conocimiento y comentarios del sector, el documento “Modelo Inicial de Medición del Nivel de Satisfacción del usuario para los servicios de Larga Distancia, Móvil, e Internet”, que describe las principales características de la metodología propuesta para realizar la Medición del NSU de los mencionadas servicios, así como los formatos de las encuestas a utilizar para la prueba de campo. Full report

Source: CRT,Colombia

The consumer guide Phones and Broadband - a Guide for People with Disabilities and Older People, has been launched by ComReg and the National Disability Authority (NDA). The Large Print, Braille, Easy to Read and Audio formats of the guide can be acquired directly from both ComReg and the NDA. The available electronic formats can be accessed below by clicking on the following link to ComReg's consumer website.

Source: ComReg

Ofcom today published the UK’s first comprehensive review of the children’s television market. The review assesses the current state of children’s programming and the prospects for the future delivery of a wide range of high-quality and original content for children.

Ofcom’s study reveals significant changes in the children’s media market, including:

• Children have an increasing range of media available to them - nearly two thirds of 12-15 year olds have access to the internet and mobile phone while ‘media stacking’ is becoming increasingly common – over 80% of this age group regularly watch TV while engaging with other media devices...Full press release

Source: OFCOM, United Kingdom

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today made public an independent report prepared by Michael Osborne on its policies for wholesale telecommunications services.

Mr. Osborne, a lawyer who practises competition law and commercial litigation, was commissioned to prepare his report as input for the review of the CRTC's policies for wholesale services. This report contains Mr. Osborne's analysis and opinion on many of the issues raised in the CRTC's proceeding to review its regulatory framework for wholesale services, which includes a public hearing starting on October 9, 2007, in Gatineau, Que. Parties appearing at the hearing may refer to, or comment on, the report.

See Press Release and link to the report

Source: CRTC

The final report from the World Dialogue on Regulation (WDR) 3rd research cycle has been released and can now be downloaded at <www.regulateonline.org>. Edited by Amy Mahan and William H. Melody, this most recent collection of the network’s research and case studies elaborates on inclusive and propoor strategies for extending network development.

Section 3, Regulatory and Information Practices, begins with two chapters dedicated to the information provision and communication practices of regulators - which are important for cultivating informed participation in regulatory processes. Next regional regulation in support of national regulators and to ensure competitive markets is examined using the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States as a case study. Further perspective on this is provided by a chapter on multinational operators in African mobile markets. The section concludes with a case study on the regulatory environment in Guyana.

See more

Source : WDR

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

Fair Use exceptions to U.S. copyright laws are responsible for more than $4.5 trillion in annual revenue for the United States, according to the findings of an unprecedented economic study released today. According to the study commissioned by the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and conducted in accordance with a World Intellectual Property Organization methodology, companies benefiting from limitations on copyright-holders’ exclusive rights, such as “fair use” – generate substantial revenue, employ millions of workers, and, in 2006, represented one-sixth of total U.S. GDP.

The exhaustive report, released today at a briefing on Capitol Hill, quantifies for the first time ever the critical contributions of fair use to the U.S. economy.  The timing proves particularly important as the debates over copyright law in the digital age move increasingly to center stage on Capitol Hill.

See more

Source: CCIA

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.

eLAC 2007 reveals a Plan of Action for the Informations Society in Latin America.

See  presentation of the document

Source: CEPAL

If Costa Ricans vote in favor of liberalization of the telephony market in an October referendum, the country's mobile business is likely to grow 18% a year until 2012 to total annual revenues of US$1.2bn, according to a report from consultancy Signals Telecoms Consulting.

Currently the mobile market in Costa Rica is monopolized by state company ICE, which has around 1.4mn subscribers and saw revenue of around US$425mn from mobile services in 2006, the report said. Full Press release

Source: Business News Americas

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.

On 19 January 2007, ComReg issued a national consultation on its review of the
fixed interconnection markets for wholesale call origination, transit and
termination services. The consultation was issued in two parts, one paper
dealing with the market review for wholesale call origination and transit services
and the second paper dealing with the call termination market.

ComReg published a document as a response to consultation ComReg Document 07/02.

See this document

Source: Commission for Communications Regulation

Tunisia's efforts to spread the benefits of the internet and communications throughout society have received recognition by the International Telecommunications' Union (ITU), which said considerable progress has been made in expanding coverage and liberalising regulations.

See article

Source : OBG

A report from the European Commission declared Germany to be the fastest growing broadband market in the EU. The number of high speed connections rising by 4.34 million in 2006 to 14.9 million.

See article 

Source: Telegeography

Some 12 companies have expressed interest in bidding for two mobile concessions licenses in Panama, the country's public services regulator Asep was reported as saying by local press.

The auction process is slated to start October 27 and be awarded in May.

The interested parties are Mexico's América Móvil (NYSE: AMX), France's Orange, Luxembourg's Millicom International Celular (Nasdaq: MICC), Jamaica-based Digicel, and Panama's Vtel, Global Star, Clarocom, Cable Onda, Advanced Communication, Innovation Wireless, Torres Troncales and Pan American Wireless. Full Press release

Source: Business News Americas

Ofcom has today published the Terms of Reference for its Market Impact Assessment (MIA) of the proposed Gaelic Digital Service and is seeking input from stakeholders on the likely impact to any relevant commercial products and services.

The BBC is proposing to launch the channel, broadcasting for up to seven hours per day, seven days a week and including 1.5 hours of original programming. Full Press release

Source: OFCOM, United Kingdom

El presidente de la Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones (COFETEL), Héctor Osuna Jaime, presentó el Informe de Actividades 2006-2007 de la dependencia ante las Comisiones Unidas de Comunicaciones y Radio y Televisión del Senado de la República, documento que refleja el trabajo elaborado para promover el crecimiento del sector y detonar las inversiones que requiere el país.

Acompañado por los comisionados que integran el Pleno de la COFETEL y por los jefes de unidad de la dependencia, Osuna Jaime expuso ante los legisladores las acciones realizadas por el órgano regulador en materia de Prospectiva y Regulación, Servicios a la Industria y Radio y Televisión. Full Press release

Source: COFETEL, Mexico

ICP-ANACOM - Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações has approved the 2007 version of the National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP), as well as the report on the public consultation that was launched to sound out the market on this subject.

The version of the NFAP now approved, contains alterations compared to the previous version (NFAP 2005/2006). It makes provision for refarming in the 900 MHz bands, strikes the provision which reserves the GSM spectrum in the 900 and 1800 MHz bands for current mobile operators in the event of proven need, and further considers the placing of the 450 MHz band of the spectrum in the market. Full Press Release

Source: ANACOM, Portugal

3G Americas  published a  white paper entitled Defining 4G: Understanding the ITU Process for the Next Generation of Wireless Technology.

See all stories on this topic

Source: 3G Americas

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today released, for an eighth consecutive year, its Broadcasting Policy Monitoring Report. The report reveals that this industry is continuing to expand and that new media are becoming an increasingly important part of Canadians’ lives.

Source: CRTC

Full Report available at:

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/NEWS/RELEASES/2007/r070731.htm

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today released the seventh annual CRTC Telecom Monitoring Report. The report shows that the residential market is experiencing vigorous competition due to the efforts undertaken by cable companies and, to a lesser extent, other providers of local telephone service.

“As we rely more and more on market forces, and only regulate where necessary, the CRTC Telecommunications Monitoring Report is one of the important tools that allows us to assess whether the Canadian Telecommunications Policy objectives are being met,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “This year’s report tells us that competitors are making inroads in local telephone markets. In fact, competition has increased to the extent that it has accelerated the deregulation of certain markets, which will benefit consumers.”

The telecommunications industry continues to demonstrate growth, which is being driven by the adoption of new technologies by Canadians. For instance, Internet and cellular telephone services accounted for 50% of all telecommunications revenues in 2006, a jump from 45% over the previous year.

Source: CRTC

Link to the press release and report

Although the EU's Telecom Rules have led to significant benefits for citizens and enterprises alike, important challenges remain for national and European regulators, says a report published by the Commission today. The report presents the results of 600 draft regulatory decisions sent to the Commission by National Regulatory Authorities. The Commission's review mechanism of national regulatory decisions, an important part of the EU Telecom Rules, has led to more coherent market analyses, greater transparency and has ensured that regulation only exists in markets which need it to be competitive. However, the Commission's report also found that, in a number of cases, the solutions which national regulators impose in order to remedy a lack of competition vary considerably, leading to the danger of a fragmentation of the internal telecoms market to the detriment of consumers and operators with pan-European business activities. Full Press Release

source: European Commission

Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission responsible for Information Society and Media, Speech at ISFE Expert Conference "Self regulation applied to interactive games : success and challenges"

Full Press Release: HTML,  PDF,  DOC

Source: European Comission

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

2620 companies have been authorised to provide electronic communications networks or services. At present, 1834 have the right to provide Internet access services, 935 - data transmissions services, and 264 - professional mobile radio-communications services. Concerning the fixed-line telephony services, 95 companies may provide local calls, 101 - national (long-distance) calls, and 117 - international calls. Regarding the user connection method, among the companies providing Internet access services, 698 will use radio connection, 242 will use dial-up connection and 327 - cable connection.

See: http://www.anrcti.ro/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=924

Source: ARNC

72 per cent of board directors believe BRICS businesses are less advanced in terms of technology

 

A major new international study by BT has revealed that Western business is not fully prepared for the imminent impact of emerging markets.  While more than six out of ten (64 per cent) directors of large American, British, French and German corporations accept that emerging economies will “reshape” the global business landscape, many seem to have only a rudimentary knowledge of their business environments.

Even though a clear majority (61 per cent) of respondents admit it is “crucial” their business is able to work with the economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – the so-called ‘BRICS’ nations – to succeed in the long term, many of them demonstrate worrying ignorance of the realities of those countries: almost nine out of ten directors (88 per cent) could not name the currency of Brazil and 14 per cent believe that vodka is the main product of Russia, for example.µ

BT commissioned Datamonitor to undertake the study of 800 senior executives in the US, UK, France and Germany for its study, “Building Business With BRICS.”  The study discovered that more than seven out of ten (72 per cent) Western directors believe that organisations in the ‘developed’ world are better equipped technologically to work internationally than those in BRICS. 

Francois Barrault, CEO, BT Global Services, said: “This is a troubling finding.  The message hasn’t filtered through yet that these nations are already equipped to make an impact on the global stage.  They have shown remarkable agility and speed at adopting new collaborative tools and technologies – quicker, in many cases, than in the US or Europe.  Western organisations need to increase collaboration in and with BRICS businesses or risk being left behind. Western executives have the systems in place to work with BRICS. In terms of the technology that enables collaboration between organisations and countries, there is an effective global network in place. But Western businesses need to do more to fully engage with BRICS countries. Successful collaboration between organisations in the West and those in BRICS will be a sign that globalisation has come of age. ”

According to the study, four in five (80 per cent) of directors realise that the necessary information and communication technology is readily available to allow their businesses to work effectively with those in BRICS.  Despite this, the study found that directors perceive data security to be the main barrier to effective collaboration with international businesses, followed by different legislation and/or regulations and political interference. 

The full report, “Building Business With BRICS”, can be downloaded from www.bt.com/global/collaboration/BRICS/.  Other findings include:

• 35 per cent of directors do not know the currency of Russia, 55 per cent do not know the currency of India and 65 per cent do not know the currency of South Africa

• India is perceived as the most comfortable BRICS economy in which to do business, significantly more than China, which was rated second (30 per cent to 23 per cent)

• Russia is perceived as the least comfortable BRICS economy in which to do business (24 per cent)

• Businesses in the manufacturing industry are the most active in the BRICS economies; 82 per cent of respondents said that their company was already working with other businesses within BRICS

• 51 per cent of companies within the financial and professional services sectors are active in the regions. The BRICS economies are an opportunity for these companies to apply their specialised knowledge to a rapidly developing economic model

• Few government & non-profit and education & healthcare companies are active; such companies are generally prohibited in their expansion overseas

• Companies with revenues in excess of $1 billion are currently the most active within the BRICS economies. The increasing trend towards globalisation has a wider effect on such firms who must look to developing economies to enhance sales, diversify their geographical portfolios and minimize costs through low-cost labour and energy

 

Notes to editors

About the research
BT commissioned Datamonitor to undertake the study of 800 senior executives in companies from a range of sectors, with turnovers from $10 million to over $1 billion, in the US, UK, France and Germany for its study.  The full report, “Building Business With BRICS,” can be downloaded from www.bt.com/global/collaboration/BRICS/

More than 80% of UK homes now have digital television on the main set according to research published today by Ofcom. Ofcom’s Digital Television Progress Report for the first quarter of 2007 (January-March) shows that household take-up of digital television now stands at 80.5% (20.4m homes), up from 77.2% the previous quarter. The report also shows that Freeview is now on the main set in 8.4 million homes (up from 7.7m in the previous quarter), and has now overtaken the number of Sky UK subscribers (8.0m in the first quarter of 2007). During the quarter a further 869,000 UK homes acquired digital television for the first time, following over a million additions the previous quarter. Key trends for the first quarter of 2007 include: DIGITAL TERRESTRIAL TELEVISION – Freeview services In total, 1.96 million Freeview devices (set-top-boxes plus integrated digital televisions) were sold during the quarter, up from 1.2 million in the first quarter of 2006 (61% rise year-on-year). This was the highest first quarter for Freeview sales ever. Digital terrestrial television accounted for 81% (670,000) of the growth in the digital television market during the quarter. Some 11.7 million homes (46%) are now viewing television on at least one Freeview device, 1.1 million more than at the end of the previous quarter. DIGITAL SATELLITE TELEVISION – Sky subscribers and free-to-view satellite services Sky grew its customer base by 32,020 during the quarter, taking its total number of UK subscribers to just over 8 million. Free-to-view satellite added 70,000 homes during the quarter, taking the total number of homes on this platform to 885,000. Some 2.17 million Sky customers (27% of all customers) now subscribe to Sky’s personal video recorder service, up from 1.96 million in Q4 2006. CABLE TELEVISION – Virgin Media services plus others With 3.4 million subscribers at the end of the quarter, cable rose to its highest level of take-up in almost five years (13.4% of UK homes). Cable gained an additional 36,100 new homes during the quarter, outperforming growth in subscription satellite (32,020 new homes) for the first time since the third quarter of 2001. Virgin Media added 71,000 subscribers to its personal video recorder service during the quarter, up 90% from 79,000 in Q4 2006 to 150,000. TELEVISION OVER BROADBAND (Tiscali TV) An additional 19,000 homes took a broadband television service during the quarter, an increase of 44.2% on the previous quarter. The total number of homes now receiving television over broadband stands at 62,000. Chief Executive Ed Richards said: "More than four in five UK households are now enjoying the benefits of digital television. It’s great news that we are continuing to see the market grow strongly as we approach the start of digital switchover." The full report is available at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/tv/reports/dtv/dtu_2007_q1/ Source: OFCOM

A major new study has found that current regulation of electronic communications services in Europe is failing to meet the needs of busines

As EU ministers meet this week for the Telecoms Council, the  report highlights that the quality, range and accessibility of telecoms inputs for electronic communications for businesses across the EU is completely fragmented.

The consequences are serious according to Professor Martin Cave of Warwick Business School. “The difficulties of piecing together a seamless offering for corporate clients has led to the pan-European market for corporate services being underdeveloped.”

The study calls on the European Commission to lay the foundations for an innovative pan European market in telecommunications services and applications. “The current review of the EU regulatory framework is a golden opportunity to ensure that the needs of business are met” said Luis Alvarez, President for EMEA of BT Global Services. “This study shows that we have the chance to improve European business competitiveness with a few simple measures”.

Drawing on the experiences of major companies operating in Europe, via a series of interviews conducted by the International Telecommunications User Group (INTUG) and the Enterprise Virtual Network User Association (EVUA), the study is intended to make an important contribution to the current Commission review of the regulatory framework.

“If we can’t get the communications infrastructure right then the outlook for European business competitiveness is bleak” said Nick White of INTUG. “Member States want businesses to adopt advanced ICT to improve EU productivity and growth. At the same time they have created a system of 27 different telecoms regulatory regimes, some of which are at best half-serious about requiring incumbents to provide access services”.      

The Commission’s proposals on new legislation will likely give them the ability to review national regulation. Yet some national regulators claim that cross-border services in telecoms do not exist and that therefore there is no role for the Commission.

According to the study, however, businesses operating at Pan-European level require cross border services “We want only one or two suppliers across the whole of Europe” said Massimiliano Leccà, Fiat’s ICT Corporate Governance Services Outsourcing Manager. “A high degree of diversification of transport networks has proved to be inefficient in terms of governance, service continuity, performance management and maintenance cost” he added.

The study, “The Economic Benefits from Providing Businesses with Competitive Electronic Communications Services”, is written by a group of leading academics and communications consultants and backed by INTUG, EVUA and BT plc.

The full study is available on the following websites:

http://www.btplc.com/Thegroup/Regulatoryinformation/Consultativeresponses/BTdiscussionpapers/Electronic/index.htm

http://www.evua.org

http://www.intug.org/download/algemeen/Barrett%20Final.pdf

 

The study aims to give an overview of the development of telecommunications and the information society in eight countries : Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Moldova. These countries have engaged in varying policies with regard to electronic communications and the information society, producing markets that, while similar, have fundamental differences. These differences include the level of competition in the telecommunications market, the degree of privatisation, and the extent to which online retail and service provision are supported by a comprehensive legislative framework.

The study covers a geographically and politically diverse set of countries that share a common history as former members of the Soviet Union. The roll-out of information society services is made difficult by low income levels, which puts both equipment and services beyond the reach of many citizens. These difficulties are further exacerbated by weak fixed line infrastructure and low levels of access (particularly in rural areas) to fixed line networks.

The study looks at the electronic communications and information society sector in the eight countries from three key angles :

1. The electronic communications sector (looking in particular at the regulatory framework supporting competition in the sector, as well as market development), and the legislative framework surrounding electronic service provision.
2. The services available, both commercial and governmental, which give an indication both of the development of the market and the extent to which citizens have compelling reasons to become “connected” to the information society.
3. The level of use of available services.

Political Intelligence reports

Today the European Commission presents a new publication on Europe’s position in research and innovation. The “Key figures 2007 on Science, Technology and Innovation” shows that R&D intensity (R&D expenditure as % of GDP) in Europe has stagnated since the mid-nineties, while major competitors such as Japan, China or South Korea have been able to increase substantially their R&D effort, shaping a world where knowledge is more evenly distributed than ever before. Moreover, the R&D investment deficit against the US has remained constant over recent years. In particular, the low level of business R&D in the EU remains worrying. Key Figures 2007 shows that differences in the industrial structure of the EU compared to countries such as the US are the main cause for this low level of business R&D, with the EU having a smaller high-tech industrial sector, which usually has much higher levels of R&D spending. The new actions taken in Europe since 2005 in the context of the revised Lisbon Strategy need to be implemented if Europe is to successfully face this challenge.

"Knowledge is a key component of competitiveness" said European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potočnik. “If our businesses are to be at the leading edge in the future, they need to invest in knowledge now. And governments need to put in place the appropriate measures to help them do so. "

Since the last Key Figures in 2005, policy-makers have launched new initiatives at both EU and Member State level in order to boost the "Europe of Knowledge": The ambitious Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) has been adopted and is now underway with a substantially higher budget than its predecessor, FP6. Member States have made new and far-reaching commitments within the framework of the renewed Lisbon strategy by setting future R&D intensity targets. The recently published ERA Green Paper has launched a wide-ranging debate on the future orientations of the European Research Area (ERA)^[1].

Key Figures 2007 presents data and statistics on science, technology and innovation up to 2005, thus predating these recent initiatives and renewed commitments. It shows however that these recent policy developments are now more than ever needed, for at least five reasons:

1. The EU is part of a globalised world where knowledge is more evenly distributed than ever before. High competition on this level requires the EU to adapt and make the ERA more attractive to the rest of the world. The Key Figures 2007 show that countries like China already act as strong competitors in the globalised knowledge-based economy.
2. The report shows that EU R&D intensity has stagnated since the mid-nineties. In 2005, only 1.84% of GDP was spent on R&D in EU-27 and it still remains at a lower level than in the US, Japan or South Korea. Also new emerging economies such as China are rapidly catching-up. If current trends last, China will have caught up with the EU by 2009 in terms of R&D intensity. However, high R&D-intensive EU Member States such as Austria, Germany, Finland and Denmark show that it is possible to maintain and increase R&D intensity above 2% and even 3% of GDP.
3. Over 85% of the R&D intensity gap between the EU and its main competitors is caused by differences in business sector R&D financing. The low level of private R&D expenditure in Europe in comparison with the US is mostly due to differences in industrial structure and to the smaller size of the high-tech industry in the EU.
4. Regarding research excellence, although the EU is the world's largest producer of scientific knowledge, the impact of European science is lower than that of the US. Europe lags behind the US in all scientific disciplines in terms of citation impact scores and highly-cited publications. Also, EU universities are very much underrepresented at the top of a ranking based on bibliometric indicators of the world's largest universities. In addition, the linkage between technology (patented inventions) and the science base is much weaker in the EU than in the US. Europe has a difficulty in breaking through in new high-tech industries.
5. Even though private sector funds are a notable part of R&D, the public sector still has a major role to play. Public R&D funding in the EU must be sustained in order for private R&D activities to develop further and grow on a solid science base. The Key Figures 2007 reveal that high R&D intensity can be achieved when high contributions from the private sector go hand in hand with high levels of public funding. For those economies that are catching up, government funding of R&D is critical for creating and developing S&T capabilities.

Link to the report:
http://ec.europa.eu/invest-in-research/monitoring/statistical01_en.htm

Source: Europa

Morrocco publishes 2006 ICTs  indicators
http://www.anrt.net.ma/fr/admin/download/upload/file_fr1142.pdf

Source: ANRT

The digital divide between the UK nations is diminishing according to Ofcom research published today.

In its Communications Market Report for the Nations and Regions of the UK Ofcom examines availability, take-up and usage of internet, telecommunications and broadcasting services. It compares findings across Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the nine English Regions.

This is the second time Ofcom has undertaken research across the Nations and Regions of the UK. Last year’s report showed significant differences, particularly in take-up levels of broadband and digital television, both between the nations and also between those living in urban and rural areas. This year’s report shows those gaps are closing. In 2005 there was a twelve percentage point gap between the number of adults with broadband at home in Northern Ireland (lowest at 24%), Wales (25%), Scotland (31%) and England (highest at 36%). This year’s report shows that by 2006 this gap had reduced to three percentage points. Take-up in England stood at 45% and in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales had reached 42%.

In 2005 the gap between the nations in terms of digital television take-up was even larger at 19 percentage points ( Wales at 72%, England at 66%, Scotland at 60% and NI at 53%). By 2006 this gap had reduced to 13 percentage points ( Wales at 82%, England at 75%, Scotland at 76% and NI at 69%).

Key findings across the UK

Broadcasting

• People in Northern Ireland watch less television than the rest of the UK (3.3 hours per day). People in Scotland watch the most of all the nations at 4.1 hours per day. Viewing of television has fallen further in Northern Ireland (by 12%) over the four years to 2006 than in any other nation ( UK average 2.3%).
• The report shows that ITV’s digital-only channels (ITV2, 3 and 4) have gained more viewing share (2.8 percentage points) than those of the BBC (1.3 percentage points), C4 (1.4 percentage points) and C5 (0.2 percentage points) between 2002 and 2006.
• Local commercial radio attracts a larger share of listening hours in Scotland (43%) than in any other nation ( UK average 32%). BBC local radio attracts at least twice the share of listening hours in Northern Ireland (27%) than in the other nations ( UK average 11%). BBC UK-wide radio attracts more listeners in England and Wales (45% and 46%) than in Scotland (36%) and Northern Ireland (27%).

Internet and telecommunications

• The proportion of UK households able to receive competitive broadband and phone services through local loop unbundling (LLU) increased by 27 percentage points over the year from 40% at the end of 2005 to 67% at the end of the 2006. LLU enables providers other than BT to fully control the equipment in the exchange and to offer a range of competitive phone and broadband services. The number of people able to receive LLU services increased from 0% in 2005 to 10% in 2006 in Northern Ireland.
• Almost three out of ten UK households (29%) took multiple services from a single telecoms provider in 2006 (fixed line phone and broadband for example). Bundling is highest in Northern Ireland (32%) and lowest in Wales at 22%. Growth in bundling has been fuelled by growing broadband take-up and increasing LLU availability.
• Average reported monthly household spend on mobile phone services ( £42 .18 based on an average two mobile phones per household) is greater than reported spend on fixed-line and internet combined across the UK ( £31 .18).

Digital communications in rural and urban Britain

Ofcom also carried out research into take-up and availability of communications services in rural and urban areas in the UK. A similar proportion of people who live in rural areas (80%) own a mobile phone compared to 81% in urban areas. The research also showed that DAB digital radio ownership in rural households (17%) is almost equal to that in urban households (18%). More people in rural areas (94%) have a fixed line phone than in urban areas (89%) whereas 41% of adults in rural areas have broadband internet at home compared to 45% of adults in urban areas.

Key findings in Northern Ireland

• Ofcom conducted research into the problem of inadvertent mobile roaming in Northern Ireland. This is where mobile phone users in the border regions pick up a signal from mobile networks in the Republic at added expense to consumers. The research shows that an estimated 74% of users in the border regions (approximately 105,000 people) experience this problem. Based on an estimated 10 million calls per year made whilst inadvertently roaming the cost to consumers could be up to £10.9m per year (based on an average call length of 2 minutes) or around £100 per year for each person living in the affected areas.
• In 2005 local loop unbundling was absent from Northern Ireland. By 2006, 10% of premises were connected to an unbundled exchange.

Key findings in Wales

• There were more Wi-Fi hotspots per million people in Wales (193) than in the other UK Nations (171 in England, 125 in Scotland and 84 in NI). Wales also ranks higher than Germany, the USA and Japan.
• Viewers in Wales were more likely to be concerned about violence (63% vs. 55% UK average), swearing (59% vs. 53% UK average) and intrusion into the lives of others on television (66% vs. 56% UK average) than viewers in any other nation.

Key findings in Scotland

• Scotland leads the UK in making phone calls over the internet – so called VoIP services. A higher proportion of internet users in Scotland (19%) use VoIP services than in England (18%), Wales (16%) and Northern Ireland (15%).
• Consumers in Scotland believe that having a landline phone available to every household almost as important as having an electricity supply.

Key findings in England

• Some 74% of people in England can now receive more competitive broadband and phone services through the growth in local loop unbundling (LLU), a 25 percentage point increase during 2006. Availability of LLU in England was lowest in the South West at 34%, highest in Greater London at 100% and second highest in the North West at 90%.
• Ownership of DAB digital radio was highest in England (at 19% of homes), followed by Scotland and Wales, both at 14%. In Northern Ireland it averaged 11% in 2006.
• Ofcom Chief Executive Ed Richards said: “The geographic gap between the digital haves and have-nots in the UK has been gradually narrowing, but” he added “we need to do more to ensure that everyone is able to benefit from the economic and social benefits modern communications offer”.

Ofcom is today also publishing supplementary reports for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the English Regions. See Related Items for the full text of all reports.

Source: OFCOM

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

Brazil's telecom regulator Anatel has warned that América Móvil (NYSE: AMX) could face local regulatory obstacles if its pursues its plans to buy an indirect stake in Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI), the owner of Brazil's second largest mobile operator TIM (NYSE: TSU), newspaper Valor Econômico reported.

Anatel board member Jose Leite Pereira was quoted as saying the same would go for Spain's Telefónica (NYSE: TEF) if it were to decide to seek a stake in Telecom Italia.

Almost two weeks ago América Móvil made a bid together with US telco AT&T (NYSE: T) for 33% each of Italian holding company Olimpia, which has an 18% controlling share of Telecom Italia.

AT&T announced on Monday it had withdrawn its bid, fuelling speculation that the Spanish giant might enter the race. International media reported that América Móvil was reconsidering its alternatives.

"There are regulatory and anti-competition obstacles if a deal is closed between Pirelli and either of these two interested parties," Pereira said.

"The main problem is the overlap of mobile telephone [concession] licenses."

Telefónica has a joint venture with Portugal Telecom (NYSE: PT) in Vivo (NYSE: VIV), Brazil's leading mobile phone company that ended February with a 28.6% market share, according to Anatel. América Móvil controls Claro, Brazil's third largest mobile operator, which had a 24% market share at end-February.

According to Brazilian telecom regulations, the same operator cannot control two competing mobile phone companies in the same concession area.

Brazil's antitrust agency Cade would also need to assess the repercussions of the deal on the local market, which could leave Claro and TIM with almost a 50% share or Vivo and TIM with more than 50%.

Telecoms analyst Thomas Abreu of US consultancy Pyramid Research agrees that América Móvil's bid is by no means guaranteed to succeed.

Notwithstanding the regulatory concerns, an acquisition of TIM by América Móvil's Claro or Telefónica's Vivo would lead to a very strong market share in Brazil's most important market São Paulo, where there are three main players, Abreu said.

In some ways, this would be similar to América Móvil's position in Mexico, where it holds around 70% of the market, he said. "This [situation in São Paulo] would be cause for concern," he said.

But everything still depends on whether a potential buyer can acquire the stake in Telecom Italia, the analyst noted. The Italian government has been desperately lobbying for an Italian suitor to buy Olimpia's stake in Telecom Italia.

Source: Business News Americas

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

Today, March 2, 2007, following a request submitted by S.C. Cosmote Romanian Mobile Telecommunications S.A. during the legal action filed to ANRCTI, the Authority adopted certain measures with a temporary character, until the dispute will be settled, therefore obliging S.C. Telemobil S.A. to provide interconnection with the network of Cosmote. By its decision, ANRCTI obliged Telemobil to take all necessary measures – within 3 hours since the decision is communicated (12:00 hours) - and re-establish the communication between the users of Telemobil and the users of Cosmote. Moreover, ANRCTI initiated the procedure for the definitive settlement of the dispute regarding Cosmote’s request related to obliging Telemobil to conclude a new interconnection agreement.

“ANRCTI considers that the prejudice by suffered by the users of the two providers  resulted from the interruption of the interconnection link is exceptionally severe, taking into account the large number of users of the two networks – over 400,000 users in case of Telemobil and, respectively, over 1,200,000 in case of Cosmote. The prejudice caused to the end-users is significant irrespective of the number of hours or days during which interconnection between the two operators is interrupted and may not be limited unless interconnection between the two networks is ensured. It is ANRCTI’s fundamental mission to support the interests of the end-users”, Dan Georgescu, President of ANRCTI, declared.

 

The measures taken by ANRCTI were justified by the necessity to ensure connectivity among the end-users of the two networks. Connectivity is one of the fundamental rights of the end-users, while the task of ensuring this essential objective of the electronic communications framework is taken over by ANRCTI.

 

The regulatory authority is competent with regard to ensuring access and interconnection under adequate conditions and interoperability of services, to the benefit of the end-users, including by imposing specific obligations on the providers who control the access to end-users.

 

During the legal action filed to ANRCTI, Cosmote showed that, since March 1, 2007, Telemobil has interrupted the interconnection link between the two networks and, at present, the end-users of the two companies are no more able to communicate. Under these circumstances, as a measure with a temporary character, Cosmote requested that Telemobil should ensure the interconnection services under the same technical and commercial conditions used until the moment of interrupting the interconnection link, and showed it suffers serious prejudice form both material and image viewpoints. Moreover, the users of its services as well as the users of the services provided by Telemobil are suffering a prejudice since they are no longer able to communicate with one another and, therefore, Comsote considers possible that their prejudice may not be compensated.

 

On the other hand, Telemobil stated that Cosmote’s request is not a justified one, since there exist no exceptional circumstances and no serious prejudice, and declared that the interruption of traffic between the two networks is due to the termination of the interconnection agreement between the two parties as of March 1, 2007. Also, Telemobil stated that the parties have had long discussions regarding the conclusion of a new interconnection agreement and Cosmote has been timely informed with respect to the intention to interrupt the interconnection link as of March 1, 2007, should the proposals of Telemobil not be accepted.

 

Source: ANRCTI, Romania

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) issued the following statement today (13 February 2007) in response to press enquiries with regard to the judgment handed down by the Court of First Instance in connection with the application for judicial review by PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited (PCCW) against OFTA's second public consultation on Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC):

"We welcome the judgment handed down by the court today, which dismissed PCCW's application for judicial review against OFTA's decision to continue the current public consultation process on FMC.  As such, OFTA will press on with the public consultation exercise until its conclusion.  We will study thoroughly all relevant submissions.  The Telecommunications Authority will make a decision on the matters as soon as possible after due consideration of these submissions." 

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

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

Ukraine's National Commission on Communications Regulation (NCCR) has refused to issue licenses for 3G services to four mobile operators – Kyivstar, Ukrainian Mobile Communications (UMC), Astelit and Ukrainian Radio Systems (URS). The reason given for the refusal was that the cellcos failed to reach an agreement with military bodies on joint usage of UMTS frequencies. Ukraine’s only 3G licensee is state-owned fixed line operator Ukrtelecom, which received its concession without auction in late 2005. Ukrtelecom is currently constructing its 3G network in partnership with Finland's Nokia. Yesterday it announced that it expects to launch the network in March 2007, and aims to grab 10% of the mobile market by focusing mainly on the corporate segment.

Source: Telegeography

OECD launches its report "Pricing and Policy Trends for Multiple Play" covering 87 broadband Internet firms in the 30 OECD countries, this report compares developments in multiple play offers of video, voice and data services. Source: OECD. Document

Paper by Rekha Jain, Indian Institute of Management. This paper attempts to bridge the gap by highlighting the nature of interaction between the regulator, incumbent, judiciary and the political environment, the role of formal models in setting interconnection charges and the implications of rapid technological changes in a developing country context through a case study of India. Full abstract

Trends in Telecommunications Reform - Chapter 7:

"The anti-spam laws enacted around the world so far have been largely unsuccessful in stopping spam. In almost every instance, anti-spam statutes have been directed at sanctioning spammers for their bad acts. An increasing number of countries and other jurisdictions have created such laws or applied to spam their existing, generally applicable laws concerning data protection, consumer protection, and protection against fraud. Yet, in many cases, these laws have missed their target entirely, with no perceptible impact on actual spammers. Even worse, the laws have often had negative side effects, in the form of transaction costs, ad min is trative costs, and a chilling effect on legitimate senders of e-mail." [see full Chapter]

There are more mobile phones and computers in the world's poorest countries than ever, but it's far too early to declare that the technological divide between industrialized and developing nations is shrinking.

Granted, organizations such as the International Telecommunications Union are quick to point out that in absolute terms, the digital divide is indeed shrinking, if one is simply to calculate the number of fixed-line and mobile phones as well as Internet connection that are used in the wealthier nations compared to those in poorer countries. That index number was four in 2004, compared to nine at the end of 2000, according to the ITU.

More here...

ITU/BDT is pleased to present the seventh edition of Trends in Telecommunication Reform, an integral part of our dialogue with the world’s information and communications technology (ICT) policymakers and regulators. This 7th edition has been released at a time of remarkable transformation of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, fueled by a combination of technological, market, policy and regulatory developments. These changes include unparalleled numbers of voice telephone subscribers, the rise of IPenabled networks and Voice over IP (VoIP) services, initial—yet promising—deployment of fixed line broadband and broadband wireless access (BWA) services and intelligent radio devices. At the same time that developed countries are busy planning for the deployment of next generation networks and visualize a world of ubiquitous networks, most developing countries have expanded their continuing quest to provide universal access to basic voice services to include universal access to broadband internet services. Are developing countries making any progress in this quest? How can regulators harness the potential of new technologies and innovative business models to foster ICT sector development?... Summary

The divide between developed and developing countries in the telecommunication sector is fast shrinking, according to reports presented by ITU officials Doreen Bogdan and Vanessa Gray on the eve of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC). While the ratio of the fixed telephone lines in developing and developed countries were 1:6 in 2000, the figure has come down to 1:4, the report said.

Likewise, the mobile penetration too has seen a major rise in developing countries. The ratio of mobile phones in developing and developed countries were 1:9 in 2000 and has shot up to 1:4, it said.

Similarly, for every one Internet user in developing countries, there were 15 users in developed countries in 2000 and now the gap is down to 1:8, the report pointed out. Another remarkable climb in terms of number was in the mobile phones in developing countries. Now, more than 58% of the mobile users are in the developing world and of the 3bn phones in use, 1.80bn accounts for mobiles alone.

It brings the total share of mobile telephones in the telecom market to 60%, the studies pointed out. The total number of mobile phones overtook those of landlines in the first half of 2002, he said. However, disparities continue to exist as far as use of Internet is concerned. While the Americas and Europe have approximately 28% of its population hooked on to the information superhighway, Asia Pacific, Arab states and Africa are perched at 8.4%, 5.6% and 1.2% respectively.

However in the broadband segment, the Asia-Pacific region recorded major gains and in 2004, 41.4% of the region are already availing of these services. North America and Europe have about 28% of their population using the services. Latin American countries (2.4%), Arab states (0.2) and Africa (0.1%) have very meagre share, studies revealed. The report also calls for new thinking and an end to the domination of some regions when it comes to using the broadband services. It also highlights the necessity of harnessing the potential of low-cost technologies, innovative business approaches and simplified regulations for making the services accessible to more people.

The ITU analysts have called for building synergies with other infrastructure sectors, universities and private-leased lines to deploy fibre backbones. Community stakeholders should be encouraged to foster local broadband networks, the report says.

Bogdan and Gray have also pointed out in the report that ICTs have increased productivity, saved time and money and contributed to social development. The average time saved in each e-government transaction in European Union are (time in brackets): Income taxes (76 min), car registration (61), birth/marriage certificates (65) and registration of a company (75). The studies also revealed that the ICT-enabled British Telecom allowed the corporation to save over £60mn per year.

Efforts by governments to counter internet spam by tracking down and prosecuting spammers have had limited impact and require far more resources than most countries can muster, the United Nations telecoms agency warned on Tuesday.

It says in a report that while all countries need anti-spam legislation so that spammers have nowhere to hide, a more effective approach would be to require the establishment of enforceable codes of conduct by internet service providers (ISPs).

“So far, existing anti-spam laws have had little effect as most laws target spammers, not the ISPs that carry spam,” says Doreen Bogdan, head of the ITU’s regulatory reform unit. Spam still accounts for about 70 per cent of all email traffic, according to estimates cited by the report.

The codes would require ISPs to prohibit their customers from spamming – sending unsolicited electronic messages in bulk – and not to enter into peering arrangements with ISPs that do not accept similar codes of conduct.

Only 32 countries, mostly in Europe, have anti-spam legislation and two-thirds of all countries have no official body responsible for combating spam, according to the report, which was launched on the opening day of the ITU’s World Telecommunication Development Conference in Doha, Qatar.

Heading off the inevitable complaints by ISPs that they should not be required to police their customers, the ITU says what it calls managed self-regulation would place all ISPs on a level playing field. At present, it argues, responsible ISPs bear the brunt of the costs of spam. They would benefit from a regulatory system that held irresponsible ISPs accountable.

Another ITU report released yesterday says that there has been a marked shrinking of the "digital divide" between rich and poor countries since 2000, mainly due to the explosive growth of mobile telephony in the developing world.

However, there remain wide disparities in internet use, with nearly a third of the population in Europe online at the end of 2004, compared with less than 2 per cent in Africa. The gap in high-speed internet access is even greater, with the vast majority of broadband users in industrialised nations.

"Many developing countries risk falling behind, particularly in terms of internet access and newer technologies such as 3G and broadband", the report says. The ITU expects broadband access in the developing world to be achieved mainly through wireless communications, building on the mobile boom.

The World Telecommunication Development Conference 2006 opens in Doha, Qatar, with a call to connect all communities by 2015.

This follows a key decision of the World Summit on the Information Society, which concluded last November in Tunis, to ensure that all villages, schools, libraries and local governments will be connected to information and communication technologies (ICT) by 2015.

The Doha meeting is the first major world development conference of the year, and the first gathering of experts to focus on the implementation of the road map laid out by world leaders at the World Summit on the Information Society, which concluded last November in Tunis.

Doha Action Plan to meet the goals of development: At a Press conference on the eve of the opening, Roberto Blois, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) stated, "In order to reach the WSIS goal of connecting all communities, we have to tailor the potential of technology to the needs of humanity, especially remote communities and vulnerable sections of the population." He added that it would be necessary to develop low-cost rural telecommunication systems and make broadband and wireless telephony more accessible and affordable. Mr Blois said, "In keeping with these overall objectives, the WTDC-06 Doha Action Plan will consider two new global initiatives intended to benefit persons with disabilities, and promote telecommunications for use during emergencies and for disaster prevention and mitigation."

Blois said that following the success of the landmark World Summit on the Information Society people around the world are looking at ITU for leadership in implementing the objectives of an inclusive Information Society. "ITU has grown in stature," he said.

Vision of Qatar: Welcoming the Press to WTDC-06, Dr Hessa Al Jaber, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Information and Communication Technology (ictQatar), said that WTDC will provide a unique opportunity for developing countries to share their experiences and consolidate the success of WSIS. Dr Hessa continued, "His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, has set forth the vision for a progressive State of Qatar where thought and creativity can prosper, where political reforms and the people's participation in decision-making are no longer an option but a necessity, where women are granted a wide scope in effective participation in the development process, where the private sector has greater opportunities to participate in the development process, and where the resulting modern economic base provides citizens with equal opportunities and open horizons so that they can achieve higher standards of living."

Dr Hessa emphasized that the key objective is to be part of promoting international cooperation, regional initiatives and partnerships that can sustain and strengthen telecommunication infrastructure in developing countries, so the digital divide will decrease. She said, "WTDC-06 will provide an excellent opportunity for developed and developing countries to share their unique aspirations and insights. It represents a landmark in the march of the international community to achieve the WSIS Principles."

Promoting Global Cybersecurity: Director of the ITU Development Bureau (BDT) Hamadoun Touré said that some of the major technological challenges include building broadband and wireless networks, the evolution of next generation networks and the convergence of computing power and radio-spectrum management.

Looking at future trends, Hamadoun Touré said, "New technological developments bring new challenges, such as enabling universal access to ICT, as well as growing difficulties created by spam and the increasing threats to the security of ICT-based infrastructure and systems." He added, "WTDC will develop a blueprint for these new challenges".

The World Summit on the Information Society endorsed ITU's role in ensuring security in the use of ICT. "Cybersecurity is critical in the use and development of ICT," said ITU Deputy Secretary-General Roberto Blois. "With the exponential growth in the use of cyberspace for mission-critical services, the fight against cybercrime has become a necessity."

In today's interconnected and increasingly networked world, societies are vulnerable to a wide variety of threats, including deliberate attacks on critical information infrastructures with debilitating effects on our economies and on our societies. In order to safeguard ICT systems and infrastructure and in order to instil confidence in online trade, commerce, banking, telemedicine, e-government and a host of other applications, it has become vital to develop a global culture of cybersecurity.

"Unless these security and trust issues are addressed, the benefits of the Information Society to governments, businesses and citizens cannot be fully realized", said Blois.

Two Essential Reports Launched in Doha:

1st - Telecommunication/ICT Development Report: Measuring ICT for Social and Economic Development

One of the two key reports on ICT launched today in Doha on the occasion of the World Telecommunication Development Conference - World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report 2006 on Measuring ICT for Social and Economic Development - examines current trends and developments in the telecommunication/ICT sector and highlights the importance of ICT for development.

In a presentation to the Press, Vanessa Gray, Telecommunication Analyst at ITU said that the telecommunication industry has experienced continuous growth as well as rapid progress in policy and technological development, resulting in an increasingly competitive and networked world.

"There are now more ICT users worldwide and more people communicating than at any other time in history," said Gray. "By the end of 2004, the world counted a total of 3 billion telephone subscribers, 1.8 billion mobile subscribers and 1.2 billion fixed lines. Both the number of mobile subscribers and the number of internet users more than doubled in just four years. The world had over 840 million internet users, which means that on average 13 per cent of the world's population was online."

Overall, the digital divide has been reduced.. "Our statistics show that within four year, from 2000 to 2004, the gap separating the developing and the developed countries has been shrinking in terms of mobile subscribers, fixed telephone lines and Internet users", said Gray. The gap (or digital divide) is measured by dividing the ICT penetration rate in the developed world by the ICT penetration rate in the developing world. "Phenomenal growth rates in the mobile sector, particularly, have been able to reduce the gap from 9 in the year 2000, to 4 by the end of 2004. This gap has also been reduced in terms of fixed lines, from 6 to 4 in four years, and from 15 to 8 in terms of Internet users", Gray explains.

Yet, major differences persist in penetration levels. In 2004, almost one third of the population in Europe and the Americas was online, compared to 8 per cent in Asia and the Pacific. Europe has almost 15 times the internet penetration of Africa, where less than 2 per cent use the internet. In the Arab states, too, less than 6 out of 100 people are online.

As for broadband access, Africa and the Arab states are lagging behind Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America which account for 97 per cent of all subscribers.

"The good news," according to Gray is that "high growth rates, technological innovation and progress in the mobile sector are extremely promising and providing exciting opportunities in the area of wireless broadband." The report states that mobile is clearly the prevailing (and often only) technology for telecommunication access in developing and rural regions, and broadband deployment will most likely be through wireless access (BWA) technologies like 3G but also WiMAX and WiFi.

2nd - 2006 Trends in Telecommunication: Regulating in a Broadband World

The second report launched today - Trends in Telecommunication - identifies a regulatory framework designed to enable developing countries to meet their broadband objectives. Doreen Bogdan, Head of Regulatory Reform Unit at ITU said, "Today, advances in broadband wireless access technologies encourage us to believe that the mobile miracle can be repeated with other ICTs, such as the internet and broadband, given the right regulatory conditions."

The optimism rests on the fact that the developing world has made great advances with mobile voice networks. Bogdan added, "Empowered by the WSIS commitments, we are very optimistic that the digital divide can be bridged and the Information Society achieved in both rural as well as urban areas."

Today's broadband challenge requires a dynamic response and an end to "business as usual". According to Bogdan, "Regulators have an unprecedented opportunity to speed the uptake of broadband. Old regulatory practices designed to protect legacy operators can be re-tooled as broadband-promoting frameworks."

New broadband technologies can connect even remote communities by

-Building synergies with other infrastructure sectors, universities and private leased lines to deploy fibre backbones

-Fostering local broadband networks by community stakeholders

-Using incremental nature of new technologies to promote broadband deployment as demand grows

The world of broadband is open to a whole new range of players, as long as the regulatory framework does not prohibit small broadband providers to enter the market. The new vision for broadband regulation entails reducing regulatory burdens, providing innovative incentives, and coordinating efforts by all links in the broadband value chain to unleash commercial and non-commercial deployment opportunities.

Turning to the applications of broadband, Doreen Bogdan said, "As Voice over IP (VoIP) is turning the old telecom business model on its head, it also offers a cheaper communication alternative to millions of users across the world." The rise of VoIP has prompted an array of regulatory responses, from outright bans to full legalization.

"Spam is another challenge raised by broadband," said Bogdan. "So far, existing ant-spam laws have had little effect as most laws target spammers, not the ISPs that carry spam." She is of the opinion that time may be ripe for anti-spam authorities to work with ISPs who can be instrumental in fighting spam. "One possibility," Bogdan said, "is the establishment of enforceable codes of conduct that would require ISPs to prohibit their customers from using ISPs as a source of spam."

The pace of broadband development hinges on the regulatory framework. It is essential to adapt to the changing technologies, as there is increasing evidence that some of the applications that are having the greatest impact on the economy and society are closely linked to broadband uptake.

Vanessa Gray explained that there is clear evidence that ICTs have a direct impact on social and economic development. But the greatest impact of ICTs is indirect, by transforming the way individuals, businesses and people work, shop, learn, interact, and communicate. "ICTs have truly transformed the world," said Gray. "And while it is actually not that easy to measure the concrete and quantifiable impact of ICTs, there are growing efforts to assess the changes that ICTs have made."

As ITU Deputy Secretary-General Roberto Blois said, "It is important to seize the digital opportunities and transform them for the common good of people everywhere." The Doha Action Plan will provide just this opportunity.

ITU

In this issue:

• 5th Annual Global Symposium for Regulators, Geneva, 8-10 December 2004
• Second Annual Meeting of Regional Regulatory Associations, Geneva, 7 December 2004
• Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2004/05
• G-REX Facelift ITU
• Forum on Telecommunication Regulation in Africa "Licensing in the Era of Convergence" Kampala (Uganda), 3-5 November, 2004
• African IXP Report
• RRU Licensing Case Studies

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/treg/Newsletters/RRUNews2005/RRUNews05Q1.html

In this issue:

• RRU Hosts Online Virtual Conference for Regional and Sub-Regional Regulators' Associations
• The Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority Hosts ITU European Regional Meeting on Fair Competition and Interconnection, Oslo, Norway, 1-3 June 2004
• Case study - Lithuania

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/treg/Newsletters/RRUNews2004/RRUNews04Q3.html

In this issue:

• RRU Hosts a Virtual Conference on Regulatory Cooperation on Spam-Regulators Agree International Cooperation Is Needed
• The Arab ICT Regulators Network Meeting
• ITU/ANATEL Seminar on Enforcing Telecommunications Law, Policy and Regulations, Current Issues
• 10th anniversary of the ITU/BDT Telecommunication Regulatory Survey!
• Trends Theme for 2004
• The News Corner! New feature on TREG website Upcoming

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/treg/Newsletters/RRUNews2004/RRUNews04Q2.html

The Missing Link report published in 1984, set the early part of the 21st century as a target by when all human beings should have easy access to a telephone. Published by the Commission for Worldwide Telecommunications Development, the report recognized the importance of telecommunications infrastructure for the economic and social development of all countries. But how close are we to achieving the goal of universal access and bridging the digital divide?

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), there are 1.2 billion main telephone lines and 1.3 billion mobile cellular subscribers in the world. But with a world population of over 6 billion, even when allowing for multiple persons per phoneline, we have not yet reached universal access. Especially considering that over 50% of the main phone lines are located within the 29 richest countries. Full article.

In this issue:

• World's Regulators Agree to Best Practice Guidelines
• Test Yourself On Interconnection Regulation!
• G-REX Interconnection Emergency Room Open for Business!
• Call For Comments on Dispute Resolution Paper
• Other regulatory events

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/treg/Newsletters/RRUNews2004/RRUNews04Q1.html

The number of telecommunications regulatory agencies worldwide continues to increase, with many of these agencies focusing more attention on consumer protection issues, the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said in its latest Trends in Telecommunication Reform report.

The report, released to coincide with the ITU’s Telecom World 2003 industry convention in Geneva October 12-18, 2003, noted that the number of regulatory agencies stood at 123 in mid-2003, up from 114 in 2001 and 93 in 1999. Among the countries that have created new regulators since the start of 2002 are Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Mauritius, Oman, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, and Trinidad and Tobago.

In addition, a further 28 countries have indicated their intention to establish a separate regulatory agency for their telecom sectors in the coming years, the ITU said. Full article