Asia-Pacific region leads high-speed Internet connectivity, but wide divide prevailsITU launched its key Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Report for the Asia-Pacific region at ITU TELECOM ASIA 2008, which got under way today in Bangkok, Thailand. The Report focuses on broadband connectivity as a vehicle for content to drive development and build a knowledge-based information society.While some Asia-Pacific economies are world leaders in information and communication technologies (ICT) where broadband access is ultra-high speed, affordable and close to ubiquitous, in most of the region’s poorer countries Internet access remains limited and predominantly low-speed. The Report finds evidence that ICTs and broadband uptake foster growth and development, but the question remains as to the optimal speed that should be targeted in view of limited resources.Asia-Pacific: a region of superlativesAsia-Pacific is a region of superlatives when it comes to ICTs. By early 2008, the total number of telephone subscribers had passed the two billion mark.The region is home to almost half the world’s fixed telephone subscribers. It has 42 per cent of the world’s Internet users, and with 1.4 billion mobile cellular subscribers, it also has the largest mobile phone market share (Figure 1).By mid-2008, China and India alone had over 600 and 280 million mobile cellular subscribers, respectively, representing close to a quarter of the world’s total. Average annual mobile growth over the last five years is close to 30 per cent, and with mobile penetration approaching 40 per cent, almost two out of five inhabitants in the region enjoy the benefits of mobile telephony today. Non-voice applications via mobile phones are increasing rapidly and now account for more than one quarter of the region’s main operators’ mobile revenues. Text messaging — or SMS — is the predominant non-voice, mobile application. Filipinos send a staggering 650 text messages per subscriber per month, the highest in the world. SMS has emerged as a significant alternative to computer-based e-mail in the region’s low and lower-middle income economies. The Report finds that other mobile data applications, such as cash transfers and online purchases are creating new business opportunities in poor countries.Asia-Pacific is a global broadband leaderThe area in which the region really stands out is the uptake of advanced Internet technologies, especially broadband Internet access. The Asia-Pacific region is the world’s largest broadband market with a 39 per cent share of the world’s total at the end of 2007. In terms of broadband access, Asia-Pacific has made remarkable progress in the past few years, with subscriber numbers growing almost five-fold in five years: from 27 million at the beginning of 2003 to 133 million at the start of 2008.In the region’s high-income economies, ubiquitous access is progressing through a competitive race to provide ever faster fixed broadband access. Operators in Hong Kong (China) and Japan have launched one-Gigabits per second (Gbps) broadband and triple-play services aimed at the residential market, featuring applications such as Internet telephony and television. The Republic of Korea leads the world in terms of the percentage of households with fixed broadband access, and no less than five economies in the top ten are from Asia-Pacific (Figure 2). The Republic of Korea, Hong Kong (China), and Japan also lead the world in terms of the proportion of households with fibre optic connections, essential for supporting the next generation of ultra-high speed Internet applications.These high-income economies are also leaders in terms of third generation (3G) mobile cellular deployment. Fixed and mobile broadband technologies complement each other and users enjoy continuous high-speed Internet access. In Singapore, a ubiquitous Internet access plan combining unlimited 8 Megabits per second (Mbps) fixed broadband, 2 Mbps mobile broadband and access at some 800 Wi-Fi hotspots is available for just USD 35 per month.Not everyone lives the ultimate high-speed Internet access experienceAt the other extreme, in most of the region’s low and lower-middle income economies, high-speed Internet access is limited to urban areas at best, typically expensive, and often not available at all. The regional broadband divide is striking, with poor economies having a close-to-zero broadband penetration, compared to that of rich economies where one in four persons is a broadband subscriber (Figure 3).The gap in available broadband speeds between rich and poor countries is as wide as broadband penetration. In Japan, the Republic of Korea and Hong Kong (China), the minimum advertised broadband speed is faster than the maximum broadband speed in Cambodia, Tonga, Laos and Bangladesh.While in low and lower-middle income economies mobile phones have become a substitute for the shortage of fixed lines, they are not yet fulfilling the potential of broadband access. By the end of 2007, only Indonesia, the Maldives, the Philippines and Sri Lanka had commercially deployed WCDMA networks. The region’s two largest mobile markets, China and India, have yet to launch mobile broadband. By the end of 2007, there were over 120 million mobile broadband subscribers in the region (Figure 4), but almost all (97 per cent) were in high income economies.While the region’s high-income economies are pushing the frontier of broadband bandwidth to a point where applications have yet to catch up, many Asia-Pacific developing economies are bandwidth starved, inhibiting the development of their information societies.Note: Mobile broadband refers to CDMA1X EVDO, WCDMA and HSDPA.The ITU Report argues that broadband uptake enables a range of socially desirable and valuable online services in areas such as government, education and health. The use of broadband technologies can help overcome many of the basic development challenges faced by poor countries. The Report provides a number of examples where broadband connectivity has acted as a catalyst for development. These include the provision of education through distance learning in the Solomon Islands, the creation of jobs through business incubators for women in China, and the supply of communication services for disaster management in Myanmar.The level of economic development plays a key role in broadband uptake since substantive investments are necessary to deploy high-speed infrastructure. However, the Report identifies a number of obstacles that policy-makers must address to overcome the broadband gap. Governments must recognize its importance and formulate concrete broadband policies and targets, while providing incentives for achieving them. Broadband prices could be reduced by encouraging new operators to enter the markets. Stimulating competition, liberalizing the building blocks necessary to develop a broadband business, and opening up the way for new technologies — including 3G and WiMAX — are important success factors to ensure higher broadband penetration.Asia-Pacific Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008The Asia-Pacific Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008 Report is an invaluable information tool to inform and guide policy-makers, investors, analysts and other observers of the region’s telecommunications landscape. It contains an extensive overview of key sector developments, and includes a number of recommendations to sustain growth and deepen access to ICTs in the region.Besides the analytical section, the Report includes 20 regional tables covering key telecommunication/ICT indicators (2006/2007 data), 43 individual country pages with a five year profile from 2003-2007, and a directory of telecommunication ministries, regulators and operators in the region.The ITU Asia-Pacific Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Report — “Broadband in Asia-Pacific: Too much, too little?” will be available from 01 September 2008 after its launch in Bangkok. Advance press copies are available at
www.itu.int/ASIA2008/media_relations/accmedia/apti/2008.pdf.This news release, including diagrams, was sourced from www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2008/25.html.Asia-Pacific world’s largest broadband market, but wide gap in access, says UN [news release]While some countries in Asia and the Pacific – the world’s largest broadband market – have high speed and affordable Internet access, the same cannot be said for most of the region’s poorer nations, the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) said today.In its Telecommunication/Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Indicators Report for Asia and the Pacific, the ITU states that Internet access in the region’s poor countries remains limited and predominantly low speed.The report, released at the ITU Telecom Asia 2008 conference which kicked off today in Bangkok, also points out that the region is the world’s largest broadband market with a 39 per cent share of the world’s total at the end of 2007.In terms of access, it notes that the region has made remarkable progress in the past few years, with subscriber numbers growing almost five-fold in five years, from 27 million at the beginning of 2003 to 133 million at the start of 2008.The Republic of Korea leads the world in terms of the percentage of households with fixed broadband access. Along with Hong Kong and Japan, it also leads the world in terms of the proportion of households with fiber optic connections, which are essential for supporting the next generation of ultra high speed Internet applications.Meanwhile, in most of the region’s low- and lower middle-income economies, high speed Internet access “is limited to urban areas at best, typically expensive, and often not available at all,” says the ITU.”The regional broadband divide is striking, with poor economies having a close-to-zero broadband penetration, compared to that of rich economies where one in four persons is a broadband subscriber,” it adds.The gap in available broadband speeds between rich and poor countries is as wide as broadband penetration. In Japan, the Republic of Korea and Hong Kong, the minimum advertised broadband speed is faster than the maximum broadband speed in Cambodia, Tonga, Laos and Bangladesh.The report also notes that Asia and the Pacific is home to almost half the world’s fixed telephone subscribers; has 42 per cent of the world’s Internet users; and has the largest mobile phone market share, with 1.4 billion mobile cellular subscribers. By mid-2008, China and India alone had over 600 and 280 million mobile cellular subscribers, respectively, representing close to a quarter of the world’s total.In addition, text messaging is the predominant non-voice, mobile application in the region. Filipinos send a “staggering” 650 text messages per subscriber per month, the highest in the world.Among other things, the report recommends that governments develop policies and incentives to narrow the broadband gap.The theme of Telecom Asia 2008 is “New Generation, New Values” which pays tribute to the region’s reputation as a global leader for innovation and a burgeoning population of ICT users.The opening sessions of the conference looked at the “Broadband Generation” of “New Users, New Needs and New Solutions,” “New Business Models” and “New User Interfaces.” The gathering will also address green solutions and approaches to the environment as well as promote the strengthening of emergency communications to save lives in the event of natural disasters.Speaking at the opening ceremony, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré noted that Telecom Asia showcases the trends and technologies that define future global markets. “Asia is at the cutting edge, both in terms of pioneering technologies and the way the region interacts with these technologies to define new digital lifestyles,” Mr. Touré said.”Yet, while some nations lead the world in defining, developing and deploying ICTs, others still strive to make basic products and services affordable and accessible to their populations. Despite the region’s wealth of technological skill and evident enthusiasm for the many benefits ICTs can offer, the digital divide remains a significant blight on Asia’s economic landscape,” he added.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27891Asia-Pacific Leads in Broadband
While the Asia Pacific region is making accelerated progress in the telephony sector, the area in which the region really stands out is the uptake of advanced Internet technologies, especially broadband Internet access.This is according to a report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The ITU launched its key Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Report for the Asia-Pacific region, at the ITU Telecom Asia 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sept. 1.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/150711/asiapacific_leads_in_broadband.html