L I R N E . N E T

In this post, Tahani Iqbal and Nirmali Sivapragasam of LIRNEasia compare recent mobile benchmark studies undertaken in Asia and Latin American and the Caribbean.

The findings from LIRNEasia’s recent comparative study of price and affordability in eight South Asian countries - Mobile Benchmarks South Asia, March 2008 - indicate that Bangladesh has the lowest average monthly cost for using mobile telephony at all levels of use (low, medium and high) for prepaid and postpaid tariff plans, followed closely by Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan have considerably higher average monthly mobile costs among the South Asian countries considered.

The study, which is based on an adaptation of the basket methodology used by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (for February 2006), applies usage charges (for voice and SMS), line rental, connection charges (depreciated over a three year period), and applicable taxes for the different use levels.

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[25-27 June] LIRNEasia Executive Director, Rohan Samarajiva, is organising two panels at the 2008 International Telecommunications Society (ITS) 17th Biennial Conference, to be held at the Hilton Montréal Bonaventure, Montréal, Québec, Canada. The two-part panel is entitled, “New regulatory approaches in the face of rapidly changing demand: Research from four continents presented by LIRNE.NET.”

Confirmed participants include: Hernan Galperin, Universidad de San Andrés, Argentina, and member of DIRSI; Anders Henten, Center for Communication, Media and Information Technologies (CMI) at Aalborg University, Alison Gillwald, LINK Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and Director of Research ICT Africa (RIA!); Randy Spence, Economic and Social Development Affiliates (ESDA), Canada; and Helani Galpaya and Payal Malik of LIRNEasia.

This double session will take place in the Hampstead Room on Thursday, June 26th, 2008.
Session 5.5 from 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Session 6.6 from 3:30 - 5:00 pm

Click here to download the session description.

For the Universal Access: Definitions, Delivery and Alternatives 2 session, LIRNEasia researchers will present a paper entitled, ‘Re-examining Universal Service Policies in Telecommunications: Lessons from three South Asian countries‘, co-authored by Payal Malik and Rohan Samarajiva.
Session 8.1 - LaSalle room
Friday, June 27th, 2008, 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Professor W.H. Melody will present recent research and analysis during the panel on private equity and telecommunications.
Session 2.7 - St. Pierre room
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008, 2:00 - 3:30pm

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The first billion internet users were connected because of particular privileges of access to infrastructure, the ability to afford use, education and geography, amongst others. The next billions to be connected to information society networks won’t have the same economic and social privileges and will have different reasons for not already being connected. These reasons need to be identified, targeted and built into information society strategies, business plans and partnerships. In this spirit, the GAID Inaugural Meeting (4-5 February 2008) was an opportunity to discuss and prepare proposals for the II Ministerial Conference on the Information Society, taking place directly after the seminar, and hosted by the El Salvadorian government.

The seminar and network initiative is the joint effort of the UN’s Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Development Research Centre-Institute for Connectivity in the Americas (IDRC-ICA), and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribean (ECLAC).

Go to the IDRC resource page for links to presentations, podcasts, bios and background documents for this event.

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The Regional Dialogue on the Information Society for Latin America and the Caribbean (DIRSI) has released Telecom Regulatory Environment (TRE) studies for Ecuador and Peru. Using interviews and a questionnaire administered to a statistically significant cross-section of industry stakeholders and experts, the TRE assessment traverses six dimensions of regulatory risk (market entry, access to scarce resources, interconnection, tariff regulation, regulation of anti-competitive practice and universal service) for both the fixed and mobile sectors. The TRE methodology focuses on the environment as a whole, rather than only on the regulatory agency.

Click here to download the TRE for Peru by Roxana Barrantes and Patricia Perez (in Spanish).

Click here to download the TRE for Ecuador by Hugo Carrion (in Spanish).

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[29-31 October 2008] The 6th Annual Caribbean Internet Forum will be held in Trinidad at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Port of Spain. The Main theme of the event is Mobile Internet for Development.

Dr. Kim Mallalieu (University of the West Indies and DIRSI member), will chair two sessions, Caribbean Innovations for the Mobile Internet, and Next Generation Policy and Regulation. Dr. Hopeton S. Dunn (Director, TPM Programme, Mona School of Business and DIRSI member), during the latter session will present, Next Generation Policy and Regulation: Key Challenges.

LIRNE.NET founder and advisor, Professor W.H. Melody, will present the conference keynote address.

Click here to go to the CIF 2008 website.

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