Global Policy and Government Affairs (GPGA)

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FCC SETS AIRWAVES SALE FOR NET ON PLANES— U.S. regulators plan to sell airwaves starting May 10 to provide communications services like high-speed Internet to U.S. air travelers. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said it plans to auction airwaves now used by phones embedded in airplane seats. Those phones, operated by a Verizon Communications unit, are not used regularly because of the high cost http://news.com.com/FCC+sets+airwaves+sale+for+Net+on+planes/2100-1034_3-6026813.html

U.S. TO OPEN WIMAX SPECTRUM— Looking to stay ahead of Asian and European rivals in broadband deployment, the U.S. is making an aggressive bid to open up spectrum for emerging WiMAX technology, according to a Bush administration official. The U.S. is moving to open up WiMAX spectrum on several fronts, including the 700-MHz frequency band, said Michael Gallagher, assistant secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. Gallagher also serves as administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). http://www.networkingpipeline.com/news/177101681

THAILAND TAKES US TO TASK OVER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS STAND— Intellectual property rights protection has become the latest stumbling block in the current round of negotiations for a Thai-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with Thailand complaining publicly about the Americans' stand. The United States negotiating team has been demanding that Thailand extends protection to a range of industrial property rights, including patents and copyright, beyond that demanded by the World Trade Organization in order to conclude the FTA pact. http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=5851

EUROPE TOPS NORTH AMERICA AS LARGEST PC MARKET— Although everyone obsessed about China, Europe turned out to be a pretty good market for PC makers last year. PC shipments to the Europe, Middle East and African region came to 72.6 million in 2005, or 33.2 percent of the total shipped during the year, according to research firm Gartner. North America accounted for 67.1 million, or 30.7 percent, of shipments http://news.com.com/Europe+tops+North+America+as+largest+PC+market/2100-1003_3-6028486.html

IRISH BROADBAND SECURES €25M IN FUNDING— Irish Broadband, a wireless broadband service provider in Ireland, announced that it has secured €25m in funding to further accelerate its nationwide expansion. The funding came from Irish Broadband shareholders, private investor NTR and Kilsaran http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=12736

CONCRETE PRODUCTS. AOL TO INVEST IN UK TELECOMS INFRASTRUCTURE— America Online (AOL) has announced its decision to invest up to €175m in a new telecoms infrastructure in the UK to open up the local telephone network to increased competition and innovation. The investment will be made in 'Local Loop Unbundling' (LLU), a process which allows telecoms and internet companies to replace BT as the provider of telecoms services. This will enable AOL to deliver internet, telephony and other broadband related services, such as IPTV and video-on-demand, directly to consumers in the UK. http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=12812

BT TURNS TO BOB THE BUILDER TO FIX ITS BROADBAND TV — BT has signed up the children's TV favourite Bob the Builder for its new television service, which is launching this autumn. It will announce tomorrow that three more content partners will offer their programmes for the video-on-demand service. These partners are HIT Entertainment, which owns rights not only to Bob the Builder but to the children's characters Pingu and Thomas the Tank Engine; the children's entertainment company Nelvana, which has the rights to the cartoon Max and Ruby; and the factual National Geographic Channel. All have signed deals with BT http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article338584.ece

FRANCE TELECOM TO LAUNCH FTTH PILOT— France Telecom announced today that by the summer of 2006, it will test fibre to the home (FTTH) technology in six districts in Paris and six cities in the Hauts-de-Seine region. The experiment will deliver optical fibre service into thousands of trial households. The telco has chosen to migrate to FTTH technology to meet future needs. http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=12694

FRANCE MULLS OVERHAUL OF DIGITAL COPYRIGHT BILL — The French government is planning to rework a digital copyright protection bill to lighten restrictions on CD and DVD copying and mete out smaller penalties to casual peer-to-peer users, an AFP report said. The AFP report said the government's culture ministry issued a statement saying the bill was being amended on the orders of Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to notably enshrine the right of consumers to make private copies of music and film disks. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=283320

GULF CABLE READY END 2007— A submarine fibre-optic cable connecting the UAE, Saudi, and Iraq is expected to be operational by the end of 2007, following the signing of an agreement between Etisalat, Iraqi Telecommunications and Post and Saudi Telecom. The construction contract for the 1500 km-long cable is currently up for tender. http://www.ameinfo.com/75702.html

POLAND ESTABLISHES NEW TELECOMS REGULATOR— The government of Poland has established the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) to replace the Office of Telecommunications and Post Regulation (URTiP). The new regulatory body will assume the powers of URTiP as well as certain powers of the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT). http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=12659

DSL INTERNET REMAINS LEADING BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY IN MALTA— DSL technology remains the preferred mode of broadband connectivity for Maltese Internet users. This was highlighted in the latest Electronic Communications Market review just issued by the Malta Communications Authority, covering the period up to the third quarter of 2005. The number of DSL broadband users was over 25,000 at the end of September 2005, which means that the lead in market share enjoyed by DSL against Cable Internet has continued to widen. http://217.145.4.56/ind/news.asp?newsitemid=26763

NORTHERN IRELAND BOASTS BLANKET BROADBAND COVERAGE— Every home and business in Northern Ireland can now access a broadband service after millions of pounds were invested improving internet access. Speaking today, Enterprise Minister, Angela Smith, said: "This is a significant achievement for Northern Ireland to lead Europe in broadband availability. Every household, business, school and library in Northern Ireland will be able to access broadband regardless of their location. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/16/broadband_ni/

ROMANIAN REGULATOR ANNOUNCES GOALS FOR 2006— NRC, the Romanian telecoms regulator, has released its 2006 Action Plan for consultation with the telecoms industry and the public. The regulator has released its plan to foster a 'transparent and predictable regulatory framework'. ANRC has set out the general goal of promoting competition to the benefit of end-users in Romania http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=12735

UAE MALL SPINS WIFI WEB— Dubai-based BurJuman has introduced the"world’s first" WiFi network for shoppers. The mall has installed a WiFi network, which allows shoppers to receive what BurJuman bosses claim is up-to-the minute information on stores and services directly to their mobile phones, PDAs or laptops http://www.itp.net/news/details.php?id=19311&category=

KENYA - ICT Authority to Be Set Up, Says Minister— The Government is setting up an authority to spur and broaden outsourcing business in the Kenya."The ICT (information and communication technology) Promotion Authority will work with embassies to promote Kenya," said Information and Communication minister Mutahi Kagwe. The Government, he said, was also looking for ways to reduce the cost of telecommunication and information technology equipment. Mr Kagwe said courses offered at the Kenya Communication and Technology will updated to make them relevant to the market. The college management will be transferred from Telkom Kenya to Communication Commission of Kenya. http://allafrica.com/stories/200601190317.html

UGANDA- GOVT TO SET UP FULL ICT MINISTRY— Government will create a separate ministry to manage and coordinate the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector.This follows a recommendation by the ICT working group of the Presidential Investors Round Table (PIRT), a two-year task force mandated to consult and advise the government on critical areas to accelerate growth and development. http://allafrica.com/stories/200601180620.html

ETHIOPIA TO BE FIRST BENEFICIARY OF PAN-AFRICAN E-NETWORK PROJECT— Ethiopia will be the first beneficiary of the Pan-African e-Network project as it is the headquarters of African Union with the necessary infrastructure, and is keen for its early implementation, the Embassy of India said. At the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between India and Ethiopia, to implement a pilot project for tele-medicine and tele-education in Ethiopia, it had been agreed to set up the project at a cost of USD 2.1 million to be fully met by the Indian government http://allafrica.com/stories/200601160541.html

COSTA RICA-AMÉRICA MÓVIL EYES MARKET DEBUT— Mexican mobile giant América Móvil (NYSE: AMX) is interested in entering the Costa Rican and Panamanian telecoms markets in the light of the Central American free trade agreement (Cafta), Spanish news service EFE reported. Costa Rica and Panama are the last two Central American markets where the company does not yet have a presence http://www.bnamericas.com/story.jsp?idioma=I§or=2¬icia=341494

ASIA IS WORLD'S FASTEST GROWING BROADBAND MARKET: REPORT — Asia is the world's fastest growing regional broadband market, with carriers in five countries aggressively deploying fiber to the home and neighborhood (FTTX) infrastructures, according to new research from In-Stat. In China, Japan and South Korea, in particular, carriers are finding that fiber to the home and neighborhood is an efficient and cost-effective way to introduce consumer broadband to support advanced services. These include voice over IP and Internet television (IPTV), with online gaming and video-on-demand seen as potent drivers in Korea http://206.190.35.122/s/cmp/20060114/tc_cmp/177100087

CHINESE INTERNET USERS REACH 111M — The number of Chinese Internet users rose to 111 million at the end of 2005, an increase of 17 million from a year ago, according to statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). This means 8.5% of Chinese people use the Internet for at least one hour each week. The ratio, however, remains behind the global level of 15.2%. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=284403

CHINA'S BROADBAND MARKET TO DOUBLE— China’s broadband market is projected to more than double over the next few years, according to Chinese networking equipment provider ZTE Corp. Total broadband subscribers are projected to grow from 50 million users in China today to 113.22 million in the next three years, said James Jiang, general manager of broadband access for ZTE, during a presentation at the WCA’s 12th Annual International Symposium and Expo http://www.networkingpipeline.com/news/177101533

INDIA REVIEWING TELECOM INVESTMENT RULES— The Indian government is reviewing the present guidelines for foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the telecom sector following the industry's demand that it be allowed to hire expatriates to fill top positions. "We are looking at it...," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said, and added that the question of appointing expatriates was being examined in the context of whether it applied retrospectively or prospectively. The appointment of expatriates came to the fore when some of the Indian telecom companies with no FDI at all appointed foreign citizens as CEOs. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=284626

MALAYSIA SEES ROSY FUTURE FOR VOIP— Malaysia's VoIP business is expected to generate 1.5 billion ringgit ($398.9 million) in revenues by the end of 2010, almost doubling the figure expected this year, a senior Malaysian official said. VoIP has been recognized as one of the eight services identified in Malaysia's master scheme to drive the delivery of advanced information, communications and multimedia services for the next five years, which might reap 800 million ringgit ($212.7 million) in revenues this year, said Energy, Water and Communications Minister Lim Keng Yaik. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=284627

PAKISTAN- TELKOM HOPES TO DOUBLE FIXED WIRELESS SUBSCRIBERS IN '06— State-owned telecommunications company PT Telkom said it aims to increase the number of subscribers to its fixed wireless telephone service by three million to 7.1 million by the end of this year. PT Telkom CEO Nyoman GW said currently the service, called "Flexi," has 4.1 million subscribers and with the addition of three million subscribers, the CDMA-based Flexi will become the main player in the country's telecommunication industry. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=283322

IN REVERSAL, SILICON VALLEY ADDED JOBS IN '05— A report released on Sunday said the Silicon Valley region added new jobs in 2005 for the first time in four years, providing evidence that an economic resurgence is under way in the region. While the number of new jobs--2,000--was modest, the data suggested that the "jobless" economic recovery of the last two years in Silicon Valley may be evolving into one that creates jobs as well as revenue. http://news.com.com/In+reversal%2C+Silicon+Valley+added+jobs+in+05/2100-1022_3-6027409.html

MISSOURI FORMS HEALTHCARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TASK FORCE— Gov. Matt Blunt announced that he has created through executive order the Missouri Healthcare Information Technology task force, which he has charged with recommending better ways state government and private organizations can better share healthcare information. http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/97925

FIRST WIMAX PRODUCTS OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED— The first fixed WiMAX products have received official certification from the WiMAX Forum, the trade organization said. The approvals are something of an anti-climax since more than 150 deployments and trials of WiMAX have already been launched, the trade group said. Still, the certifications mark the official launch of the wireless broadband technology. http://www.networkingpipeline.com/news/177101863;jsessionid=XVQ1G2EV3XYESQSNDBGCKH0CJUMEKJVN

NETWORK ACCESS SECURITY DEVICE SALES TO SOAR OVER 1000%: REPORT— Worldwide revenues from sales of network access control (NAC) enforcement products will soar 1,101% over the next three years, according to a new report from Infonetics research. The firm expects NAC enforcement revenues to rise from $323 million last year to $3.9 billion in 2008 as companies invest in NAC enforcement devices, appliances, and secure sockets layer virtual private networks (SSL VPN) for NAC enforcement. http://www.networkingpipeline.com/news/177101346

WIMAX EQUIPMENT SEEN TOPPING $3B IN 2010— WiMAX equipment sale could reach more than $3 billion in 2010, fuelled by demand from fixed, portable, and mobile broadband access, a report from In-Stat said. WiMAX's advantages in cost, flexibility and portability will also allow its providers to take market share from operators using proprietary wireless or wireline technologies, the market research firm said. http://www.telecomasia.net/telecomasia/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=284402

EXPLOSIVE GROWTH PROJECTED IN NEXT FIVE YEARS FOR RFID TAGS— Over 1.3 billion Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags were produced in 2005, and by 2010, that figure will soar to 33 billion, reports In-Stat. Production will vary widely by industry segment for several years, however, the high-tech market research firm says. For example, RFID has been used in automotive keys since 1991, with 150 million units now in use. This quantity greatly exceeded other segments until recently. http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/97913

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