Rethinking universal access
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Connect villages and establish community access points |
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Connect universities, colleges, secondary schools and primary
schools |
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Connect scientific and research institutions |
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Connect all public libraries, archives, museums, cultural
centres and post offices |
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Connect health centres and hospitals |
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Connect all local and central government departments and
establish websites and e-mail addresses for them |
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Adapt all primary and secondary school curricula to meet the
challenges of the information society, taking into account national
circumstances |
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Ensure that the entire world population has access to
television and radio services |
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Encourage the development of content and put in place
technical conditions in order to facilitate the presence, and use, of all world
languages on the Internet |
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Ensure that more than half the world’s inhabitants have
personal use of ICT. |
New technologies offer new ways to connect
It is a timely moment for regulators to review the mechanisms they rely on to
reach their universal access goals, given the transition to next-generation
networks (NGN). This is a conclusion of ITU’s latest report, Trends in
Telecommunication Reform: The Road to Next-Generation Networks (see also
Global trends in telecommunications). It says that both developed and developing countries must
reconsider their policies and regulations on universal access if they are to
meet the connectivity targets of the World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS) by 2015.
GSMA |
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Alamy |
According to ITU indicators, the global telephone penetration
rate (fixed and mobile combined) was some 60 per cent at the end of 2006.
Internet usage was around 17 per cent. The new report stresses that regulators
"should focus first and foremost on sector reforms that allow market forces to
play a greater role in achieving universal access". It says that NGN should be
seen as a tool for meeting the WSIS goals (see box), because they can
provide a wide range of services essential for development, including
e-government, e-health and e-education. NGN promise "to reduce poverty and
promote socio-economic growth by integrating more communities into the global
economy," provided that appropriate policies are in place, says the report.
What is included?
While there is a common understanding of the underlying aims
of universal access programmes, there is no single definition of what
commitments they should include. Beyond the general goals of promoting
availability, affordability and accessibility to information and communication
technologies (ICT), universal access definitions vary from country to country.
Definitions
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Universal access
This usually means that everyone in a population has access
to publicly available communication network facilities and services. Typically,
it is provided through such means as pay telephones, community telecentres and
community Internet access terminals. |
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Universal service
Policies in this area generally focus on promoting or
maintaining universal connectivity of all households to public network
facilities and services, and at affordable prices.
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Either or both
While universal service and universal access policies may
differ, the concepts are closely related and the two terms are sometimes used
interchangeably. For simplicity, the term universal access is used in this
article to also include universal service. |
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In the European Union (EU), for example, Member States should
provide basic telecommunication services at a defined quality and an affordable
price. These services include connection to the public phone network at a fixed
location, supporting speech and data communications at rates sufficient for
access to online services, directory enquiries, provision of public payphones,
and facilities for people with disabilities.
India’s policy is supported by a "Universal Service
Obligation Fund" and provides for:
- Installation, operation and maintenance of "village
public telephones," and provision of additional phones after reaching the
target of one per village
- In villages with more than 2000 inhabitants, upgrading
public telecentres to include data transmission facilities, and phased
installation of high-speed Internet connections
- Provision of household
telephones in rural areas, in line with government targets.
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The inclusion of data services in definitions of universal
access is relatively new. A decade ago, the definition in most countries covered
only fixed-line infrastructure. Today, there are many means of communication and
various types of infrastructure must be deployed in the most effective way to
reach target populations.
Malaysia provides an example of this process. The Malaysian
Communications and Multimedia Commission specifies the number of residential or
public phone connections that are required — but not which technology should
provide them. Under this technology-neutral framework, companies bid to offer
the service using various solutions, ranging from the provision of mobile
satellite phones to the deployment of CDMA wireless local loop networks.
The role of mobile
Because of its availability, affordability and convenience,
mobile telephony has produced in less than a decade the same impact that
fixed-line phones achieved in a century. It is estimated that mobile coverage
extends to more than 80 per cent of the world’s population (see article
Connecting everyone by mobile phone). The new ITU report underlines that "universal access programmes that are
concerned with voice services should bear in mind these market realities and
avoid investing scarce resources in alternative network deployments where mobile
services can be expected to serve the market without subsidy".
The introduction of 3G CDMA450 technology offers a new way to
use mobile technology to provide universal access. By transmitting at a lower
frequency, the technology allows for large cell sizes. In turn, this means
reductions in installation costs as fewer base stations are required. It also
supports the high-speed transmission of data.
A number of countries have already deployed CDMA450 as part
of their universal access programmes. One of them is Peru, where rural operator
Valtron became the first commercial CDMA450 network operator in Latin America in
June 2006. Operating under the name Televías de Huarochirí, Valtron will
provide fixed, mobile, public telephone, Internet access and cable television
services to 127 low-income towns in the province of Huarochirí in the Andes. The
10-year project has a goal of reaching 38 000 direct, and 59 000 indirect,
subscribers.
Wi-Fi around the world
Technological innovations associated with the transition to
NGN are already transforming the way universal access is being extended to rural
and remote areas in both developed and developing countries. To a large extent,
this transformation is being fuelled by new broadband wireless access
technologies, such as WiMAX and Wi-Fi.
Mesh networking in the Amazon basin
Wi-Fi networks can be deployed even in the most isolated
areas, using mesh network architecture. For example, Yachana in the Amazonian
region of Ecuador is 2.5 hours by motorized canoe from the nearest town. The
Foundation for Integrated Education and Development (Funedesin), a
non-governmental organization dedicated to community development, has deployed a
wireless mesh network to connect a school to an ecotourism centre and a
bioscience centre. The Wi-Fi mesh is connected to the Internet via a very small
aperture terminal (VSAT) link, and meshboxes and laptops employ solar power.
Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) is used within the network and to link users
to the PSTN. Supported by the revenue it gains from tourists, Funedesin is
setting up a college nearby to train others in mesh networking.
Citywide networks
Citywide Wi-Fi networks are becoming more common. But while
Wi-Fi access equipment is affordable for end users, it is costly to deploy,
operate and maintain large Wi-Fi networks. Philadelphia in the United States,
for example, estimates that it will spend USD 10 million on its citywide Wi-Fi
network over the next several years. In 2006 alone, local governments around the
world were estimated to have spent USD 235 million to build and operate these
networks. By 2010, it is estimated that more than USD 3 billion will be spent.
Although still expensive, these systems can quickly expand Internet access in
urban areas.
Surfing for free in Singapore
Since the start of 2007, Singaporeans have been enjoying free
wireless connectivity at speeds of up to 512 kbit/s almost everywhere in the
country, under a programme known as "Wireless@SG". The programme was initiated
by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and is run by three
private local operators. It aims to increase the number of public Wi-Fi
"hotspots" in the country from 900 to about 5000 by September 2007. Users do not
have to be subscribers of these operators to enjoy the free access. The three
operators are investing around USD 65 million to extend the network, with IDA
defraying around USD 19 million of that amount.
Should broadband be universal?
Global broadband penetration rates seem to indicate that
broadband Internet access is not yet so widespread that people without it could
be considered "excluded". At the end of 2006, only 4.3 per cent of the world’s
population had broadband. Even in countries that lead the field, such as the
Republic of Korea, penetration rates only just exceed a quarter of the
population.
However, the question of whether broadband connections should
be included in universal access obligations assumes greater importance with the
advent of NGN. Services such as high-quality VoIP and streaming video can only
be delivered through broadband networks. Several developed countries are
considering making it compulsory to provide broadband access to all households
as part of universal access, to avoid excluding people from its social and
economic benefits.
Already, in Switzerland, the Federal Communications
Commission (ComCom) has designated Swisscom as the universal service licensee
from 1 January 2008. The new licence obliges Swisscom to provide a broadband
Internet connection, in addition to analogue and digital telephone connections,
as part of universal service obligations (see box). All sections of the
population must be covered and all regions of the country.
Better management of spectrum
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The Swiss Federal Council adapted its universal service order
in September 2006 to mandate the provision of broadband access to the country’s
entire population from 1 January 2008. The connections already available as part
of universal service are to be supplemented by new ones, permitting Internet
access at a minimum transmission speed of 600 kbit/s downstream and 100 kbit/s
upstream. An upper price limit of USD 55 per month was set for this service,
which includes not only the broadband connection but also a voice channel, a
telephone number and an entry in the public telephone directory. The upper price
limit will be re-examined in 2010.
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The ITU report on Trends in Telecommunication Reform
says that while universal access programmes are useful in providing ICT services
to the underserved, they are not a substitute for continuing reform.
"Liberalization and competition have brought far greater benefits over the past
few years than decades of universal access efforts channeled through monopolies.
As such, regulators and policy-makers have to look at other areas of regulation
that play a vital role in supporting the expansion of ICT access", the report
says.
Allowing licence-free spectrum use
The growing popularity of mobile services and the
introduction of new wireless technologies have dramatically increased the demand
for spectrum. As a result, countries are looking at new ways to manage spectrum
use more efficiently. Growing amounts of spectrum are being allocated to licence-free
use worldwide, in order to exploit the potential of technologies such as Wi-Fi
and WiMAX to propel the rapid expansion of affordable high-speed access in rural
and urban areas.
But not all countries have embraced the idea of allocating
spectrum for licence-free uses, due to fears of revenue losses or congestion.
"These fears, however, do not appear significant when compared to the potential
of Wi-Fi and WiMAX to provide cheaper access," says the report. Any losses from
foregoing licence fees would be offset by substantial savings in subsidies for
universal access programmes. In addition, options such as attaching a small fee
to the cost of buying equipment used in unlicensed spectrum (such as Wi-Fi
routers) could obviate the need for a licence to operate in a particular
frequency band while still providing revenue to the government.
Issuing rural spectrum licences
As a general principle, regulations should reflect the
differences between urban and rural markets. With spectrum congestion being less
of a concern in rural areas, spectrum licences should be awarded more cheaply,
or even licence-free in certain bands. This would substantially reduce the cost
of building wireless networks in rural areas.
Universal Access Module of ICT Regulation Toolkit
ITU and infoDev are to release at the end of 2007 a module on
universal access as part of the online ICT Regulation Toolkit. The module will
cover the gamut from traditional telephony and mobile phones, to shared
facilities such as payphones, telecentres and Internet access points, and to
broadband and next-generation networks. It will also encompass the provision of
access to underserved groups, as well as coverage in urban and rural
environments.
The module will provide regulators with an array of tools
they can use in formulating policy in such areas as universal access funds,
infrastructure sharing, and authorization and interconnection for local
operators. More information is available at:
www.ictregulationtoolkit.org
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In many countries, spectrum management leaves many rural
providers with mediocre spectrum while frequencies with much better propagation
characteristics remain idle because they are allocated to urban areas. This
shows the shortcomings of a uniform approach and the need for spectrum managers
to recognize the differing conditions for city and countryside.
Burdensome licensing
The report also notes that high licence fees are a
significant barrier to investment, particularly for small operators and those
serving rural areas. A simplification of the licensing process and a reduction
in fees would alleviate the situation. For example, regulators could designate
specific areas where operators would face minimal regulation, apart from
obtaining authorization and ensuring against interference with other users.
Market mechanism
The ITU report concludes that greater reliance should be
placed on market forces in the provision of universal access. It recommends that
"a systematic review of a country’s universal access policies should first and
foremost include a revision of its sector policies and regulations concerning
licensing, spectrum management, interconnection, VoIP and price regulation, with
a view towards lowering barriers to market entry in rural and remote areas". It
adds that "intervention by regulators and policy-makers in the form of universal
access funding should only be attempted where there has been a clear failure of
market forces in meeting universal access goals".
Source: Adapted from Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2007:
The Road to Next-Generation Networks (NGN), Chapter 7, «Universal Access».
Produced by ITU/BDT Regulatory and Market Environment Division (www.itu.int/pub/D-REG-TTR.9-2007).
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