Nigeria is set to showcase its plethora of investment opportunities at ITU Telecom World 2014 in Doha, Qatar on Monday, December 8, 2014 during its Investment Meeting. A delegation led by the honourable Minister of Communications Ms Omobola Johnson is on the ground at the Qatar National Conference Center, QNCC, Doha to host potential investors and to showcase vibrant and …
Like most Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Vanuatu presents very specific logistical challenges for government, regulators and operators alike when it comes to establishing universal connectivity. With a population of 255 000 spread over 83 islands in the South Pacific, simply transporting ICT equipment into remote and rural areas is a major issue. A fibre optic network is impossible in …
Mobile broadband is booming worldwide, underpinned by a global footprint of 3G/HSPA and 4G/LTE networks. LTE is mainstream and fast developing with approaching 350 live networks today, and is expected to cover 70% of the world’s population by 2020. Worldwide the number of mobile subscriptions grew 6% over the last year, while mobile broadband connections leapt 30% to 2.5 billion, …
The telecom world has grappled with the digital divide since the publication of the Maitland Commission Missing Link Report in the early 80s. That report helped countries realize that telecom was a key tool for development, and since then telecom operators and regulators have struggled with how to provide access to telecom to all (universal access). Definitions of universal access …
In many parts of the world, mobile telephony coverage is quite simply a blessing. Largely by serendipity rather than planned strategy, its impact in many parts of Africa and Asia has been transformational. Beyond the commercial aims of operators, beyond the initial connectivity of communities previously too rural, too remote or too poor to be viable for fixed line telecommunications, …
Imagine a relaxing bar or lounge space, rather like the business class lounge in an airport – but staffed entirely by robots. As you enter, you are greeted by name by the robot receptionist, who remembers your preference for sitting by the window in a non-smoking area. You are guided to your table by a robot steward, leaving you to …
The business models on which telcos grew fat and happy over the years are coming to a natural end. Building out network infrastructure as quickly as possible, and then selling access to it at a profit in an engineering and finance-driven model is no longer viable in mature or saturated markets. With estimates of over 300bn US dollars coming out …
I will be chairing the panel on the Internet of Things: a Force for Good or Evil? at ITU Telecom World 2014 in Doha in December this year. What is the Internet of Things? I would like to define it as anything that does not have a human involved. According to the GSM Association website we will have something approaching …
As a society, we’re poised on the edge of radical, deep-rooted technological and scientific advancement unlike anything we have previously experienced. A range of highly innovative developments will transform literally every aspect of our world – and the process has already begun. Consider how the smartphone, now a ubiquitous tool and toy, has changed the very fabric of our daily …
On September 25, the ITU Telecom World Young Innovators Competition launched a challenge in partnership with the IEEE IoT Initiative, looking to work with our community to co-create ideas for new startups using the Internet of Things for social good. Once the internet used to be all about connecting people to other people. Now the advent of the Internet of …
