The Alcatel Broadband For All survey had interviewed 2,850 people in cybercafés and early broadband users by phone across Brazil, Russia, Egypt, Kenya, India, China and in major towns in Malaysia. A total of 300 people in cybercafés were surveyed face-to-face plus 100 online surveys of new broadband users in the city.
Of those questioned in cybercafés, 35% said they were very interested in broadband, another 35% were quite interested, 13% were not very interested and 14% were not interested.
Driving broadband adoption requires proper public initiatives, adequate and relevant content, user awareness and expertise, service affordability and accessibility. Telecommunication policy makers, content providers, the public education system and network service providers all have roles. For instance, the Jordanian government sponsored Jordan Telecom to connect all schools.
Service providers in broadband high-growth economies can leapfrog to the latest IP-based technologies like WiMAX and even go further by moving beyond the mobile/fixed divide to fixed-mobile convergence.
Innovative public services, like community-centered services for schools, hospitals, town halls, cooperatives and internet access shops could help increase broadband access, while the other is shared costs of mobile broadband development.
Operators need to expand the broadband footprint for mass-market access and combine different broadband access technologies. Technologies like ADSL2+ and VDSL 2 can be used in urban areas. ADSL2+ is an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard which doubles data rates of traditional ADSL to 24Mbps download, 1Mbps upload.
VDSL2 (Very-high-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line 2, a.k.a. ITU-T G.993.2) is the newest and most advanced DSL broadband standard designed to support wide deployment of triple play services like voice, video, data, high definition television (HDTV) and interactive gaming, at speeds up to 200Mbps, though speeds drop rapidly to 100Mbps at 500 meters and 50Mbps at 1km and from 1.6km onwards, its speed is comparable to ADSL 2+.
Because of these relatively short ranges, FTTN (Fiber to the Node) can be used with these technologies to serve sub-urban areas by running fiber up to a node in the locality and continuing over copper pairs into homes.
3G without HSDPA, can be used to serve urban and sub-urban areas at low data rates, 2G for urban and remote areas with low data rates and WiMAX can serve sub-urban and remote areas with high data rates.
For service providers, this means lots of transformation but in emerging countries with little or no legacy networks, they can jump straight to these technologies.
For instance, China Netcom has the biggest next-generation network in the world, while Telecom Slovakia threw out its legacy electro-mechanical crossbar switches and replaced them with an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) – ready network, needed for fixed-mobile convergence, video conferencing and interoperability between mobile communications and the internet.
Alcatel’s strategic is to partner with operators to provide broadband services in 120 countries and it can help provide them with hosting and managed applications.
For instance, Alcatel provides several operators in Dakar with managed applications like ring-back tones and a shared platform on a pay-per-use business model, in Nigeria it manages balance checking and funds transfer from mobile phones, while in the Middles East and Africa, it provides Dallah Telecom with soccer content from FIFA.
By: Michael Russell
Archive for March, 2010
Driving For Better Broadband
March 30th, 2010RV Internet – How to Take Your Home Internet With You
March 30th, 2010
Internet service is much more simple than most RVers think. Why? Most people think you need to have a service at your house, and then you need to figure out how to connect on the road. Do I need a $4,000 Satellite system? Do I have to look for Campground Wi-Fi? How can I rig-up my cell phone to get internet on my laptop?
How about ONE simple way to access the internet everywhere? At Home & on the Road?
All you need is a Mobile Broadband Card from Sprint or Verizon, and a Mobile Router. These routers are similar to the router many have at home, except they are specially made to work with a Sprint or Verizon air card inserted into them. This can be the only internet most RVers will ever need.
Step one is to verify your coverage in your home location. As long as you get Broadband Coverage in your home area, you can cancel your DSL or Cable service at home, and get similar speeds from the Mobile Router with an Unlimited $59.99 monthly plan.
The set up is easy. After purchasing a Mobile Broadband card and a Mobile Router, simply take the activated card and insert it into the Mobile Router. It should send out a Wi-Fi signal that any wireless enabled computer can use. Any passwords for security can be set up as well at this time. In addition to wireless, you can also connect the router with an Ethernet Cable to any computer. And now you have a high-speed home wireless network.
The best part is that this system is totally portable. Simply unplug the Mobile Router from your home, and plug it into the RV. Now, you have a complete wireless internet system that works almost anywhere in the USA, even at 70 MPH. Instead of looking for a Wi-Fi hot spot, you will be the hot spot!
What if you don’t have Broadband Coverage at your home? If you need to keep your regular Cable or DSL service for some reason you can still benefit from this set up, with minimal cost. Sprint allows you to pay only $5.95 a month to turn off your service without breaking the 2 year contract for up to 6 months in a row. This is a perfect way for the part time RVer to have mobile access while on the road at an affordable price.
Many RVers who are discovering just how easy being connected can be, with one simple connection anywhere in the USA.
By: Steve Sasman
Asset Protection for Internet Marketing – Why Go Offshore?
March 28th, 2010
Thanks to the World Wide Web and globalization of financial markets, there are plenty of companies that can help just about anyone “go offshore”. The next step is just a brief introduction to some of the most common tools of an asset protection and how they can be used by online business people and web marketers like yourself to protect and grow your business.
First thing always mentioned when speaking about offshore asset protection is an offshore trust, or so-called Asset Trust. An Asset Trust is simply a contract between the Grantor, the one who intends to protect his assets and the person who will manage the assets, so-called ‘the trustee’, for the benefit of all Beneficiaries which may include the grantor, his spouse, children and grandchildren. So, simply speaking, a trust is a legally binding agreement between two parties – the grantor and the trustee. Basically, the Trust requires the transfer of assets from the original owner to a legal entity for the purpose for which the Trust was created.
There are many benefits, taken from the variety of offshore incorporation services, for the internet marketer who chooses to incorporate offshore. Properly planned and implemented, the formation of an offshore corporation doesn’t have to be any more expensive or time consuming than forming a corporation within your own borders.
Of particular interest to those who get their income online is the option of creating a merchant account for handling all of your credit card transactions. An offshore merchant account will definitely be more suitable for those offering items or information online that are more difficult to procure a domestic merchant account for.
It’s commonly known, that tax eats away at assets. Therefore, offshore taxation deferral and tax reduction are among number one advantages people seek to gain by going offshore.
These are just some main reasons people search for to explore the world of offshore opportunities for asset protection purposes. The variety of other potential advantages to going offshore depend on an individual’s personal situation and requirements.
By: Mike Zhmudikov
