Meanwhile, here are your key ICT trends and insights this week:
local content is key to connectivity in emerging markets; Smart
Cities may face data-talent shortage; and is the end near for
some of Google’s ‘moonshots’?
Spotlight
Happy Birthday, ITU Radio
Regulations! More than 540
registered participants from 106 countries
came to Geneva to
pay tribute to the
essential international treaty for governing
the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and
satellite orbits for ubiquitous wireless
communications. Learn more about the global
importance of the Radio Regulations in the
latest edition of
ITU News Magazine. And follow the
celebrations on
#RR110.
ICT Trends
Content: A key element for connectivity The
proposed USD 85.4 billion AT&T-Time Warner mega-merger
highlights the value of content for telco growth, and it could
have regulatory and business implications for connectivity in emerging
markets. Meanwhile, Hooq's
2017 expansion into Malaysia and Vietnam highlights the
power of locally relevant content as Netflix continues to face tough
competition in the region. Maybe Netflix's new
content strategy will help? And
Canada is leading a local content charge of its own.
China: the next AI powerhouse? The rapidly
growing Chinese Internet giant Tencent’s
entrance into the global AI race comes as China’s top search
engine, Baidu recently
reaffirmed that AI will be key to its future growth.
Meanwhile, a new
study finds China to be a close second to the U.S. in terms
of the number of AI studies presented at top academic
conferences in 2015.
EXTENDED DEADLINE! Don’t forget to submit
your views on the “Developmental Aspects of the Internet” to
the ITU Council Working Group on Internet-related public policy
issues (CWG-Internet). The online
open consultation is open until 11 January 2017!
Smart Cities:
New study shows that 75% of global cities won’t take full
advantage of smart city data. Meanwhile, New York’s new ‘CTO’
hopes to replicate his
San Francisco smart city success. And
Bluetooth 5.0 adoption ensures it will play a vital role in
IoT connectivity.
Connectivity: ICT education for development
Kenya has launched a KES 800 million (USD 780 m) project to link
all secondary schools nationwide to high speed internet.
Though fewer than 20% of households have Internet access, the
country has 67% high school enrolment – increased connectivity
will support Kenya’s
Vision 2030 goals. [Learn more about your country’s ICT
Development profile with ITU’s IDI mapping tool.]
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
Pricing:
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has
withdrawn support for mobile data price rises. Operators
say current pricing is unsustainable and services would suffer
as a result.
Cybersecurity:
As ransomware attacks show
three-fold increase in 2016, Trend Micro have released their
2017 security predictions.
Expect more sophisticated and
targeted cyberattacks, and higher company admin costs due to
data protection regulation compliance.
Autonomous vehicles:
Fully automated trucking
is coming soon, but are we
ready for it? Safety, security and the technology itself
remain key barriers.
Alphabet: The startup is growing up
Alphabet’s
new CFO is bringing financial discipline,
limiting investment in the famous “moonshot” projects. How
will Project Loon, Google’s effort to connect the unconnected with
balloon-power Internet, be impacted?
VR/AR: VR
headset shipments will
exceed 2 million units worldwide in 2016, predicts Canalys,
which also forecasts the shipments to grow to 20 million units
by 2020. Meanwhile, a new report indicates much-hyped AR firm
Magic Leap
may have oversold what it can do.
Mobile:
Singapore will stop selling 2G-only
devices from 1 January 2017. Meanwhile, two Thai operators
must now provide low-cost
4G SIMs for disabled and low-income citizens.
Connectivity:
Bharti Airtel will invest in a
new fiber cable between India and
Myanmar, but has Myanmar's 'hyper growth' era
already ended?
Insights
Pushing boundaries The race to connect the next
four billion highlights the continuing ascendancy of online
giants who are better placed to capitalize on the on the
opportunity than telcos, argues
Nick Wood.
