Korea tops ICT ranking as PH moves to 92nd

A global study of ICT competitiveness has ranked Asian economic powerhouse South Korea as the world’s most advanced ICT economy, with the Philippines way behind at 92nd place although it inched up by three notches from 95th spot in 2008. The new figures released on Friday by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an agency under the United Nations, showed that ICT uptake continues to accelerate worldwide, spurred by a steady fall in the price of telephone and broadband Internet services. The new data, released in ITU’s flagship annual ICT report “Measuring the Information Society 2011”, also put Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, and Finland closely behind South Korea in ICT readiness. A key feature of the report is the ICT Development Index (IDI), which ranked 152 countries according to their level of ICT access, use, and skills, and compares 2008 and 2010 scores. Most countries at the top of the ranking are from Europe and Asia Pacific. Among Southeast Asian nations, Vietnam was ranked as the most dynamic country between 2008 and 2010, leaping from its previous 91st rank to 81st place. All countries included in the IDI improved their scores this year, underlining the increasing pervasiveness of ICTs in today’s global information society. “While the IDI leaders are all from the developed world, it is extremely encouraging to see that the most dynamic performers are developing countries,” said Hamadoun Touré, ITU secretary-general. “The ‘mobile miracle’ is putting ICT services within reach of even the most disadvantaged people and communities. Our challenge now is to replicate that success in broadband.” The report showed that while ICT and income levels are closely related, getting the right public policy mix can drive faster take-up and a number of countries, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea have higher IDI levels than their income level would predict. Mobile now ubiquitous The spread of mobile networks in developing countries remains buoyant, with 20 percent growth in mobile subscriptions over the past year and no signs of a slowdown. In developed countries, on the other hand, mobile cellular penetration has reached saturation, with average penetration now over 100 percent at end 2010, compared with 70 percent in developing countries. With more than five billion subscriptions and global population coverage of over 90 percent, mobile cellular is now de facto ubiquitous. Mobile broadband (‘3G’) services are also spreading quickly; by end-2010, 154 economies worldwide had launched 3G networks. Wireless broadband Internet access remains the strongest growth sector in developing countries, with mobile broadband growing by 160 percent between 2009 and 2010. Countries registering the highest gains in the IDI “ICT use” sub-index are mostly those which have achieved a sizeable increase in mobile broadband subscriptions. Conversely, the number of dial-up Internet subscriptions has been decreasing rapidly since 2007 and, based on current trends, the “death of dial-up” is expected to become a reality over the next few years. Developing world still paying too much Globally, telecommunication and Internet services are becoming more affordable. According to the 2010 ICT Price Basket (IPB), which spans 165 economies and combines the average cost of fixed telephone, mobile cellular and fixed broadband Internet services, the price of ICT services dropped by 18 percent globally between 2008 and 2010, with the biggest decrease in fixed broadband Internet services, where average prices have come down by 52 percent. All economies in the IPB top ten have high GNI per capita, and, with the exception of the United Arab Emirates, all are from Europe and Asia Pacific. In developed countries, average prices for ICT services correspond to no more than 1.5 percent of monthly per capita income, compared with 17 percent in developing countries. But while broadband prices declined sharply worldwide, a high-speed Internet connection remains unaffordable in many low-income countries. For example, in Africa at end 2010, fixed broadband services cost on average the equivalent of 290 percent of monthly income, down from 650 percent in 2008. Big disparities in speed and service quality Comparing fixed- and mobile broadband technologies and services, the report also found huge differences in network capacity, speed and quality. In many developing countries, while the minimum speed for broadband (256 kbit/s) may be sufficient for email and other very basic services, it is inadequate for graphics-rich data-intensive applications and services. In addition, the report notes that the actual speed experienced by both fixed- and mobile broadband customers is often much lower than the advertised speed, and calls on ICT regulators to take steps to encourage operators to provide consumers with clearer information on coverage, speed and prices. “A new digital divide is unfolding between those with high-speed/capacity/quality access – as is the case in many high-income countries – and those with lower speed/capacity/quality access, as is the case in many low-income countries,” said Brahima Sanou, director of ITU’s telecommunication development bureau. “Policy-makers should act swiftly to facilitate the spread of broadband and ensure that broadband services are faster, more reliable and affordable.” The report also pointed to important qualitative differences between fixed- and mobile broadband services. The average speed of a mobile broadband subscription does not usually match that of a high-speed fixed subscription and usually includes data caps, unlike the ‘unlimited data’ fixed broadband offers that are now widely available. This represented a challenge for countries where mobile is the only broadband access technology available to end users – which is the case in many developing countries. Targeting youth could be transformational ITU research indicated that targeting students may be the most effective way to increase Internet use in developing countries. The Internet is only used by an around 21 percent of the population in the developing world, compared with almost 70 percent in developed countries. The Measuring the Information Society 2011 report suggested that the main barriers to Internet use are not always related to infrastructure and price. Usage patterns show major differences related to education, gender, income, age and geographical location of users (urban/rural). For example, there is remarkably little difference in patterns of Internet use among highly educated, high-income individuals across the developing and developed worlds. People with higher educational degrees use the Internet more than those with a lower level of education, and in most countries more men than women are online. Young people (below the age of 25) are online more than older people, and there is a higher level of Internet use among those currently in school compared with those no longer studying. Assuming that people will continue using the Internet once they have become accustomed to being online, those currently enrolled at school or university are more likely to be future Internet users, too. For young people all over the world, social networking and user-created content like blogs have become key drivers of Internet uptake. Given that 46 percent of the population in developing countries is below the age of 25 (representing more than 2.5 billion people), the report suggested that one of the most effective ways to increase Internet use in these countries is by targeting the younger generation – for example through connecting schools and other educational institutions, and improving enrolment rates.

Broadband Antenna Tracking Systems (BATS) Brings Better Emergency Communications to NYC

To improve communications during emergencies, New York City recently created its own wireless data network called the New York City Wireless Network (NYC-Win). Innovative solutions from Broadband Antenna Tracking Systems (BATS) are a key part of the new infrastructure. In the aftermath of tragedies like Hurricane Katrina and the September 11th terrorist attacks, consumers have overloaded private data networks like Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint by calling loved ones and posting videos to the Internet. As a result, people in urgent need of emergency assistance have trouble getting through to help. The BATS BTS-3300 (with GPS) plays a critical role in New York City's new wireless emergency response network. The system is able to automatically locate, lock in, and track wireless broadband connections among mobile command centers and remote locations throughout the entire NYC coverage area within eight minutes. The BATS BTS-3300 mobile communication unit seamlessly integrates with the New York City Wireless Network and provides 110 megabit throughput to New York City's emergency services wireless network. The BATS unit provides additional benefits in the form of significant cost savings, as it is less expensive than satellite and cellular alternatives. A recent article on NY1 News investigates the effect that the new emergency response network will have. "Sharing a network amongst eight million people and vital and critical city operations that's just an unworkable situation," Carole Post of the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, told NY1. "We needed to improve our own infrastructure, our own communication methods amongst and between ourselves and we needed this hardened, secure, dedicated network to be able to do that." Access points on the NYC-Win are equipped with 24 hours of backup power, vital for communications to continue to run even during blackouts. New York's new wireless network is already inspiring other cities and states to consider how their communications systems withstand emergency situations.

Cavium Picks Tensilica for Next-Generation Wireless Broadband Application

Tensilica(R), Inc. today announced that Cavium has licensed Tensilica's IP for its next-generation wireless broadband products. The Tensilica products selected include Tensilica's popular Baseband IP specialized for channel decode applications and signal processing to achieve best-in-class speed, power and performance. Cavium is a leading provider of semiconductor products that enable intelligent processing for networking, wireless, storage and video. "Tensilica's IP will help us achieve best-in-class speed/power/performance, faster time-to-market and great flexibility through efficient programmability," stated Raj Singh, general manager, Wireless Broadband Group, Cavium. "We were particularly delighted with Tensilica's understanding of the computational processing required for wireless broadband and their great technical support." "We are very pleased and impressed by the competence and thoroughness of the Cavium's engineering and business teams in developing their next-generation wireless broadband products," stated Eric Dewannain, Tensilica's vice president and general manager, baseband business unit. "Cavium's products have been designed into numerous products from the world's leading networking, wireless, storage and security vendors."