L I R N E . N E T

LIRNEasia is organising the pre-conference event, Mobile 2.0: Beyond voice? [20-21 May 2009], for the 2009 Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) [21-25 May 2009]. A call for papers is being issued for the pre-conference event.

Mobile phones are becoming increasingly important in bringing people into the Information Society. It is widely accepted that the inhabitants of the future household will carry mobile devices that will be capable of voice and data communication, information retrieval and forms of entertainment consumption. Mobiles are now (and will increasingly become) payment devices that can also send, process and receive voice, text as well as images; in the next few years they will also be capable of information-retrieval and publishing functions normally associated with the Internet. Through such services and applications, industry experts predict that many in emerging markets will experience the Internet, or ‘elements’ of the Internet for the first time through a mobile phone, rather than a PC; mobile payments, mobile social networking, SMS voting are just a few examples of some of these services and applications.
Click on ‘read the rest of this entry‘ for further details on the Call for papers…

Deadline for abstracts: 31 October 2008.

(more…)

The Center for Communication, Media and Information Technologies (CMI), of the Copenhagen Institute of Technology (CIT), Aalborg University, Denmark, will host its First International Conference on Converging Mobile Media on 28 November 2008. The conference is organized in cooperation with the Advanced technology network on Mobile Systems, CTiF Copenhagen, and CMI’s CAMMP Project.

William Melody, founder of LIRNE.NET, will deliver the closing comments for the conference (see the full programme in the rest of this entry).

Click here for the conference website.

Click here for conference registration

(more…)

William Melody and Amy Mahan will guest edit a special issue of info - the journal of policy, regulation and strategy for telecommunications, information and media on Network Development: Wireless Applications for the Next Billion New Users. This special issue focused on wireless applications for the next billion users will examine priority issues relating to the extension of ICT infrastructure to the world’s unconnected poor, with particular reference to the design of innovative strategies for network development. The guest editors welcome the submission of draft material or work in progress based on current or recently completed research for possible publication in this special issue.

Deadline for submission: Monday, 4 August 2008.

(more…)

LIRNE.NET researchers from around the world will be participating in the the International Telecommunications Society 17th Biennial Conference, Montreal, Canada (24-27 June). If you are planning to attend ITS, we invite you to come to meet researchers from LIRNEasia, Research ICT Africa (RIA!), the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Dialogue on the Information Society (DIRSI), from the European LIRNE centres, LIRNE.NET and Comunica. See next page for ITS sessions.

(more…)

The Communication Policy Research South (CPRsouth) conference on “Transformation Strategies for Telecom Operators”, will take place from December 5-7, 2008 in Beijing, China. CPRsouth3 will offer researchers an opportunity to discuss their research on ICT regulation and policy in the South with a policy-oriented, international audience and obtain useful feedback. Fifteen Young Scholars from the Asia-Pacific region and 15 from China will be selected to participate in the tutorials scheduled to be held after CPRsouth3 (December 8 and 9, 2008).

Young Scholars applications: May 31, 2008

(more…)

An Expert Forum on ICT Sector Indicators and Benchmark Regulation for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Regulatory Authorities is being organized by LIRNEasia, CONNECTasia FORUM and the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC), 14-15 June 2008, Changi Village Hotel, Singapore. The focus of the Expert Forum is on using specific indicators to benchmark performance of the sector as well as the regulatory authority, and using indicator data to improve the performance of both. The latest results from LIRNEasia’s Asian Regulatory Web-site Survey, the Mobile and Broadband Price Benchmarks research and the Broadband Quality of Service Measurement research will be presented at the forum, and will set the background for broader discussion on benchmark regulation. The Asian ICT Indicators Database, developed by LIRNEasia funded by IDRC, will be introduced and hands-on training on using the database will be provided.

For further information, contact: asia[at]lirne.net

(more…)

Research ICT Africa! (RIA!) will host a roundtable discussion with African policy makers and regulators on the results of a series of research projects known as Towards an African e-Index. This project seeks to provide the data and analysis necessary to move the continent towards evidence based policy formulation in this sector.

For more information, contact RIA! Network Coordinator,
Beki Nkala: Beki.Nkala [at] wits.ac.za

Click here to go to the RIA! website.

(more…)