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August 31, 2005
China to build homegrown 3G test network by year-end
China is planning to build a prototype network of its homegrown 3G mobile technology, TD-SCDMA by year according to government's official news agency Xinhua.
Government officials have stated that the test network will be converted into a trial commercial network after mobile operators receive 3G licenses, which will enable the home-grown standard to become the first 3G technology for commercial use.
Xinhua also quoted Hu Jian, TD-SCDMA product general manager of ZTE Corp (SZA 000063) - the main builder of the network - as saying ZTE is prepared to set up the test network in Shanghai where a few dozen base stations have already been erected.
As of end of last year China had over 400 million mobile phone users making it the largest single market for such devices. Last week Nokia made a statement that 200 million new subscribers are expected to sign up for mobile phone services in the rapidly growing Chinese market in the next three years.
China adopting its own 3G standard will provide significant advantage to local manufacturers. The Chinese government has been waiting for TD-SCDMA to mature before issuing 3G licenses.
Posted by admin at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2005
Hong Kong airport to use RFID to improve security and efficiency
In a bid to beef up its security and improve operational effectiveness, Hong Kong's International Airport at Chek Lap Kok which opened on July 6, 1998 is moving forward with perhaps one of the largest Radio frequency identification (RFID)implementations at an airport.
RFID refers to the technology that uses devices attached to objects that transmit data to an RFID receiver. These devices can be large pieces of hardware the size of a small book like those attached to ocean containers or very small devices inserted into a label on a package. RFID has advantages over bar codes such as the ability to hold more data, the ability to change the stored data as processing occurs, does not require line-of-sight to transfer data and is very effective in harsh environments where bar code labels won't work.
Technologists for years have touted RFID's capabilities in curbing terrorism my allowing monitoring of cargo around the world. The project in Hong Kong is one of the first of its kind. The $50 million project is intended to boost security while improving baggage-handling efficiency at the airport.
The airport handles about 38 million passengers and 17 million bags each year. The old system that used bar coding was being stretched due to high volume of luggage through the airport. Errors were generated when baggages sat on each other making it impossible for barcode machines to record entries without human intervention.
RFID tags and readers, on the other hand, are accurate at least 95 percent of the time. When fewer bags have to be dealt with manually, better security and lower costs result. A system that can improve security is obviously beneficial, but it's a much easier sell if it can help pay for itself through cost savings.
With baggage, the cost justification is simple. Every missing or mishandled bag costs an average of $100 to replace or transport to its owner. About 1 percent to 2 percent of the total bags handled are lost or misplaced each year. At Hong Kong's airport, if 1 percent of the bags went missing, rectifying the problem would cost $17 million a year.
While security was certainly an important consideration, the primary reason was operational efficiency and to be able to address growth. They wanted a good customer experience, according to an airport official.
Passengers should see no difference with the RFID system because the silicon chip and antenna that make up the RFID tag are included in what looks like a bar code strip, which is attached to the bag using an adhesive inlay. The RFID printer encodes the tag with an International Air Transport Association "license plate" that includes the basic airline information along with passenger information and the flight number.
RFID readers track the bag at various nodes — explosives-detection systems, baggage carousels, loading devices and conveyor belts — providing an audit trail and assurance that the bag is heading for its correct destination.
About a dozen other airports in Asia have shown interest in deployments similar to Hong Kong's. It's unclear how soon U.S. airports will show interest. "It's very difficult to get airports in the [United States] to embrace RFID or any new technology.
Posted by admin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2005
Cheap cell phones drive demand in Africa
From 1999 through 2004, the number of mobile subscribers in Africa jumped to 76.8 million, from 7.5 million, an average annual increase of 58 percent.
South Africa, the continent's richest nation, accounted for one-fifth of that growth. Asia, the next fastest-expanding market, grew by an annual average of 34 percent in that period.
Privatization is driving this demand. One in 11 Africans is now a mobile subscriber. On a continent where some remote villages still communicate by beating drums, cell phones are a technological revolution.
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August 28, 2005
End ot Telegram & Telex in Malaysia
Malaysian government is considering the nearly 130 year old telegram service in the country amid falling demand and revenue.
The country's telecommunications regulatory body, in a "discussion paper" released this week, seeks the views of Malaysians on whether the telegram service - as well as telex service - is still needed alongside alternatives like e-mail and fax.
Malaysia is not legally obliged to provide the telegram service and such services had been discontinued in other places such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
Malaysia, which has a population of 26 million people, currently handles about 758,000 telegrams a year.
It said demand for the telex service was declining at an even more alarming rate. There are now only 456 customers in the country, subscribing to a total of 156 telex circuits.
Posted by admin at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)
Italy to allow solar energy production and trading by massess
Italy, which is blessed with some of Europe's most brilliant sun, has some of the highest electiricity rates in Europe.
A new government measure could mean that Italian homeowners, condominium buildings and private businesses can profit by selling solar power to energy companies at a handsome, government-guaranteed price.
Under the incentive system, approved last month, surplus energy produced by solar panels can be sold at triple the average rate set by fossil fuel and gas-based electricity producers and local energy distributors with the help of goverment subsidies.
Industry Minister Claudio Scajola predicted that the average family could save as much as $1,100 (U.S.) annually in electricity bills. If there is energy to spare, the family can sell the excess.
The Italian government hopes such initiatives would increase investments in renewable energy in the country while financially helping citizens and businesses who are paying extreme energy prices.
Posted by admin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
August 27, 2005
Microsoft launches quality certification program in India
Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd, along with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) of India, announced the launch of a certification to assess the quality of the software development process undertaken by independent software vendors (ISVs) in India.
The Indian software exports sector is on track to reach the $50 billion mark by 2008, projected by Nasscom-Mckinsey, said Kiran Karnik, president, Nasscom.
He said that the sector is looking at achieving a 30-32 per cent growth for the current fiscal on top of $17.2 billion registered during FY05.
Speaking at the Nasscom Quality Summit in Bangalore on Thursday, Karnik said: "We are pretty much on track for that target. To achieve that, the sector has to grow by around 35 per cent year-on-year for the next three years, which should not be much of a problem. The first quarter results of FY06 have been encouraging and this trend of robust growth should continue."
"The increasing investment of global product development companies in research and development centers across India is an indication of the tremendous potential of the Indian software development community, particularly in creating globally accepted products," Sheila Gulati, director of developer and platform evangelism at Microsoft India, said in a statement. "Our endeavor is to build a rich, local software ecosystem and to help the Indian ISV (independent software vendor) community develop great products and deliver world class IP (intellectual property)."
This week Nasscom also announced a national entry-level test in India for workers joining call centers and other outsourcing jobs, in a move designed to boost quality of output.
Posted by admin at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)
Italy to allow solar energy production and trading by massess
Italy, which is blessed with some of Europe's most brilliant sun, has some of the highest electiricity rates in Europe.
A new government measure could mean that Italian homeowners, condominium buildings and private businesses can profit by selling solar power to energy companies at a handsome, government-guaranteed price.
Under the incentive system, approved last month, surplus energy produced by solar panels can be sold at triple the average rate set by fossil fuel and gas-based electricity producers and local energy distributors with the help of goverment subsidies.
Industry Minister Claudio Scajola predicted that the average family could save as much as $1,100 (U.S.) annually in electricity bills. If there is energy to spare, the family can sell the excess.
The Italian government hopes such initiatives would increase investments in renewable energy in the country while financially helping citizens and businesses who are paying extreme energy prices.
Posted by admin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2005
China and Japan to work together in developing 4G
(AFP) An agreement to that effect will be signed on August 26 in Tokyo between state representatives, a spokesman for the Japanese ministry for interior affairs and communication told AFP.
"During the meeting, we expect to sign an agreement regarding co-operation in research and development, with a view to creating a standard to be used worldwide," he said.
The spectrum of R&D in this case could be almost anything, given that the technical specifics of 4G have yet to be firmed up, a spokesman for Samsung--one of the key members of the 4G Forum, a vendor coalition conducting 4G R&D--said recently. "Currently, the debate is around the uses for 4G... We will then base the technical specifications around those uses," he said.
Unlike 3G, 4G service is entirely packet-based. Recently Japan's NTT DoCoMo announced it achieved 1Gbps real-time packet transmission in the downlink at the moving speed of about 20km/h in a field experiment on fourth-generation (4G) radio access. Among other features 4G provideds:
* Support interactive multimedia services: teleconferencing, wireless Internet, etc.
* Wider bandwidths, higher bit rates.
* Global mobility and service portability.
* Low cost.
* Scalability of mobile networks.
Japan was the first country to launch third generation mobile services. China, on the other hand, represents the largest mobile market in the world, with close to 335 million users at the end of 2004.
Posted by admin at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2005
Intel demonstrates rugged PC for developing countries
(ChanellTimes)Intel Corporation showcased a rugged PC in India that is designed for developing countries that can better handle harsh climates, intermittent electricity, dust and bugs while accessing the Internet without wires.
On stage and via video from India at the Intel Developer Forum, San Francisco, the Intel-based PC, or "community computer," is meant to provide Internet access to entire communities and villages in rural and remote areas.
Through use of a car battery, the computer has a back-up energy supply in case electricity supply is sporadic and contains special screens and filters to reduce the amount of dust and insects that might enter the box and cause reliability issues. The computer has also been designed to handle extreme heat that exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit (more than 38 degrees Celsius).
The demonstration PC also linked to the Internet via a WiMAX wireless network. WiMAX, short for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a standards-based wireless broadband technology that can provide high-speed Internet connections to homes, communities, businesses and mobile wireless networks across many miles.
Posted by admin at 06:26 AM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2005
South Africa Turns to Open Source
South Africa will join Brazil, China, and several other governments in developing countries in Asia that are mandating the use of open-source software.
Government representatives attending the final day of the Go Open Source conference in Johannesburg will hear from a number of open-source champions, including Internet billionaire Mark Shuttleworth.
According Shuttleworth, open source will allow South Africa to develop its own technology skills - instead of relying on expensive imports.
"Companies and countries that embrace open source can improve their efficiency and competitiveness," Shuttleworth told Business Day. "It drives skills creation, which is a fundamental challenge facing every country."
In developed countries, the private sector drives the use of Open Source Software to replace more expensive and less flexible branded software, Shuttleworth said. But in less developed countries the government must lead by using open source to educate young people and deliver services more efficiently.
The government gradually began using open source in 2003 when Microsoft presented it with a $74-million bill for 100,000 three-year licenses for operating systems, desktop suites, and several Internet technologies.
Located on the southern tip of the continent, South Africa, with its 44 million people, is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources. The country has well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors. And its stock exchange ranks among the 10 largest in the world.
Posted by admin at 06:48 AM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2005
Phillipines to lead in alternative energy
(Renewable Energy Access): Philippines hopes to double its renewable energy capacity to 60 percent by year 2013, according to the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Arroyo administration.
Using its abundance of resources from the sun, wind, ocean, biomass, geothermal energy, the country thinks it could become a solar manufacturing export hub of the Association of Southeast.
Completion is expected of a solar utility power plant in Puerto Princesa City, located in Mangingisda Village. 25,000 solar panels covering 20-hectares will be installed to support the city's energy supply. It will generate 5 MW of electricity over a 20-year period, with a capacity equivalent to 550,000 barrels of oil.
With the installation of the country's first wind power in Bagui Bay Remote, non-electrified villages will soon have electricity for the first time. The country's goal is to install wind-based power projects with a capacity of at least 417 MW over the next 10 years.
Biomass energy can be generated from Philippines' agricultural residue like wood, straw, animal manure, rice husks, and sugar cane. Burning these agricultural wastes can generate heat, steam, and energy able to operate a 30 MW biomass plant. One biomass plant is that of the UK-based Bronzeoak, which will soon see a US$100 million expansion. Another experimental project in Isabela will use rice hulls to produce biomass power.
Philippines is currently the second largest geothermal energy producer in the world, behind the US. Its power plants rely on geothermal and hydropower energy as a major source of electricity in many areas.
Posted by admin at 03:19 PM | Comments (2)
Telecom Malaysia expands into Singapore
Telecom Malaysia, the state-controlled telecom operator has agreed jointly with Khazanah Nasional to buy 12.06% stake in MobileOne Ltd., one of Singapore's largest mobile-phone companies, raising their stake in the company to 17.7%.
The move appears to be a shift in strategy, given that in the past Telekom Malaysia invested in hot markets such as Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh (ATKTEL) and Sri Lanka, and wants to expand to India and Pakistan.
Analyst believe MobileOne will provide TM with critical technology knowhow.
Posted by admin at 02:54 PM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2005
Australia's Telstra To Launch 3G Service Sept. 5
Sydney (Dow Jones): Telstra Corp. said it will launch so-called third-generation high-speed mobile services early next month.
Of Telstra's main rivals, Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.'s local unit already offers extremely competitive 3G prices, while Vodafone Group PLC is planning an October launch, and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. is set for its own 3G service by the end of 2005. Telecom New Zealand Ltd.'s AAPT unit offers services through Hutchison.
With more than 90% of Australians owning a mobile phone, Telstra said it also will offer aggressive pricing plans to lure 3G customers, but possibly at the expense of margins in the next 18 months or so.
Telstra, which is 51.8%-owned by the Australian government, has spent A$1.2 billion on high-speed mobile services, including A$450 million to buy half of the 3G network it shares with Hutchison.
Posted by admin at 04:45 PM | Comments (1)
August 19, 2005
Mobile handset makers goes ultracheap for developing countries
Some of the world's biggest cell phone makers are backing a new industry initiative to sell ultracheap cellphones to people in developing nations.
According to Ben Soppitt director of GSM trade group: "We tend to forget that four billion people have never made a phone call." Mobile phone industry is sees huge potential in handing over phones to this potentially large market.
Cheap phones marketed by Motorola, have already gone on sale in countries including India, which are selling for about $46 today. Such low-cost phone initiative is expected to ramp up sales substantially in populous countries such as India, Bangladesh and the Philippines.
Sales of inexpensive phones boost revenue at the cost of profit margins. However, lowering the price of a phone by just $20 in many poorer countries could increase its affordability by 43%, according to investment bank Lehman Brothers.
Posted by admin at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2005
Resurgence of Bluetooth
Once considered yet another great technology that just didn't take off, Bluetooth is seeing signficant success today. The demand for Bluetooth wireless technology has climbed to five million units per week, demonstrating the wide acceptance in a variety of products.
Starting from cellphones that support Bluetooth headsets to automobiles such as the Acura RL the technology is becoming ubiquitous. Recently rumors have emerged that Apple may introduce iPods that support Bluetooth in the near future. With iPod sales running at almost 2 million a month, such acceptance of Bluetooth would take the technology to a different level of popularity.
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, the association that drives development of Bluetooth wireless technology, a low-cost short-range wireless specification for connecting mobile devices and bringing them to market, has been working hard with the developers of a wireless technology commonly known as Ultra-wideband (UWB) to further enforce Bluetooth’s leading position far into the future.
Texas Instruments (TI) this month announced that the company's fifth generation Bluetooth solution has passed the qualification for Bluetooth specification v2.0 and enhanced data rate (EDR) by the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group).
TI's solution delivers the fastest version of enhanced data rate (EDR) to support speeds up to 3Mbps in a Bluetooth network for bandwidth intensive applications on 2.5G and 3G mobile phones, including faster downloads of MP3 files and digital photos.
Asia countries are benefiting greatly from Bluetooth's recent popularity. More than 100 manufacturers in Taiwan are expected to produce in excess of 46 million Bluetooth-enabled devices in 2005 — up 79 per cent from 2004, while Hong Kong makers are forecast to manufacture 5.1 million, up 135 per cent on last year, according to a report published by the Greater China-focused Global Sources media company.
Posted by admin at 01:28 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2005
3G subscribers 300 million by 2010 driven by demand in Asia
As 3G begins to take off, power has shifted to a more discerning user community that is spoilt for choice, argues a report from market analysts Juniper Research, and yet one that appears fazed by the complexity of mobile phones and the plethora of services on offer.
The researchers estimate that the total mobile subscriber market will reach €3.95 by 2010 and that shipments of handsets will break the €1.5bn mark by 2009 on the back of emerging Asia Pacific markets and increasing replacement rates in mature markets.
Furthermore, 3G subscribers are predicted to grow from 30m in 2004 to over 300m by 2010. However, whilst representing a step-jump in technology for delivering current services with better quality, 3G’s benefits derive more from its ability to accommodate greater numbers of users and network traffic, especially voice, than its support of advanced services delivery.
Posted by admin at 03:25 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2005
Japan's 3G leader turning itself into a financial services company
Within two years Japan's 3G leader NTT DoCoMo plans to introduce phones with an embedded company's own DoCoMo credit card. For years NTT DoCoMo has lead the Japanese market in providing data-services to mobile users. With growth slowing NTT DoCoMo is embarking on a new direction by turning itself into a financial services company.
NTT first introduced a phone that can perform e-commerce in July 2004 using credit cards from 3rd party banks. It could store up to about $450 in cash or credit-card numbers for some credit cards widely used in Japan such as JCB, so people can charge purchases using only their phone. About 22,000 retailers in Japan have installed devices at their cash registers that can receive the DoCoMo's e-commerce phone signals. Starting this January, commuters will be able to board Tokyo trains by waving their cellphone over a sensor in the turnstiles.
DoCoMo's new direction could lead the way for cellphone companies globally. The Tokyo company has 49 million customers in Japan, more than half the market, and a market capitalization of more than $80 billion. It led the industry in offering commercially viable Internet and email service over cellphones utlizing its popular i-mode phones, and also pioneered downloadable ringtones.
Posted by admin at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2005
UAE's Etihad Airways to offer in-flight Internet access
In a bid to keep up with growing competition, Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has forged a deal with Boeing - a business unit of The Boeing Company. The airline has selected Connexion as its provider of high-speed in-flight Internet and live global TV service. The agreement calls for both in-line and retrofit installation of the Connexion on the airline's fleet of 25 aircraft, including Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and Airbus A330, A340 and A380 aircraft. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Etihad Airways is expected initially to offer the Connexion service on routes between the Gulf region and Europe and North America. Once installations are complete, passengers will have access to the Web, e-mail, corporate intranets - including virtual private network capability and live TV. In mid 2006, Etihad Airways will become the first airline in the world to offer live television and Internet access at every seat.
Posted by admin at 06:41 AM | Comments (1)
August 14, 2005
Yahoo adding VoIP to its instant messaging service
Yahoo Inc. has begun allowing users to make telephone calls and search the Internet via its instant messaging system instead of relying only on Web browsers or e-mail.
Yahoo is responding to competition from Internet phone calling service Skype, which has caught fire among young users across Europe and now boasts some 48 million registered users of its free call software around the world.
The new Yahoo service, renamed "Yahoo Messenger with Voice," boasts high-quality voice calling capabilities allowing consumers to make phone calls between personal computers to friends and family anywhere in the world.
In addition to the United Sates Yahoo! Messenger with Voice is available in 18 localised versions for Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Spain, South Asia, Taiwan, United Kingdom and across Latin America, with Yahoo! en Espanol.
Posted by admin at 07:44 AM | Comments (1)
August 13, 2005
Software piracy on the rise in India
According to a Business Software Alliance and IDC study, software piracy in India in 2004 stood at 73 percent. Compare this with the figure in the 2003 financial year, 64 percent, as against 70 percent during 2002.
Software piracy in India is prevalent both at businesses and consumer levels. Popular software programs such as Macromedia Dreamweaver is almost 85% pirated.
The most common form of piracy where the end-user does not even realise that he is engaging in piracy is when the dealer pre-loads illegal software onto a PC before sale.
Posted by admin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
Africa's largest cell operator launches wireless broadband
Movicel, Africa's largest mobile operator has selected Nortel to upgrade it's CDMA cell network to CDMA2000* 1xEV-DO providing high speed wireless broadband access in Angola.
The new service would address growing nationwide demand for advanced wireless data services like telemedicine and Internet access.
Evolution Data Only or Evolution Data Optimized, often abbreviated as EVDO, EV-DO, EvDO, 1xEV-DO or 1xEvDO is a wireless radio broadband data protocol being adopted by many CDMA mobile phone providers in Brazil, Japan, Korea, Israel, the United States, and Canada as part of the cdma2000 standard. EV-DO provides data rates upto 2.4 MBPS.
Posted by admin at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2005
TI targetting cheap cellphones for emerging markets
Texas Instruments has introduced its single-chip technology for cell phone makers in emerging markets.
The product combines functionalities such as memory, logic, power management, radio and network processes on a single chip. Such integration of crucial electronics on a single chip will reduce the power requirements, the needed board area and silicon area of phones. All of that should help drive down costs of entry-level GSM phones with GPRS capability.
The chip was made available to Nokia at the beginning of the year and is now available to manufacturers in India and other emerging markets. India and China being some of the fastest growing markets may see $20 cell phones soon according to TI officials.
China Mobile is the largest cellphone operator in the world with 224 million users. India which has 58 million cellphone users is expected to add 100 million new subscribers within two years.
Interestingly the bulk of the designing, development and testing for the new chipset took place at Texas Instruments' Bangalore development center, which has 1,200 engineers.
Posted by admin at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)
China mobile solidifies position as worlds largest cell phone company
China Mobile Ltd., China's largest wireless carrier, gained nearly 19.5 million new subscribers in the first half of this year, giving it a total of nearly 224 million customers and solidifying its position as the world's biggest wireless carrier in terms of subscribers.
China's second largest operator China Unicom has about 120 million subscribers. Both companies are state-controlled but have publicly traded shares.
Speculators believe Chinese government will issue official licenses, perhaps next year, for companies to offer advanced, "third-generation" (3G) mobile-phone services in China.
Posted by admin at 05:13 AM | Comments (1)
August 11, 2005
India to export $2.7 billion worth auto parts by 2010
Low production cost is major advantage of India. Automobile parts made in India can cost as much as 30% less than equivalent ones made in the U.S. and Europe and are about 15% cheaper than those from South Korea and Mexico, according to General Motors.
Toyota Motor Co. (TM ) which makes Land Cruiser, Prado, Innova and Camry in India has just started exporting 150,000 transmissions to other Toyota plants in Southeast Asia.
US auto giant General Motors said last week it expects to source $1 billion worth of autoparts a year from India by 2008, compared with $120 million this year.
Domestic car sales have soared by 25% in the past year, to more than 1 million vehicles. Tata and Mahindra are exporting, while Hyundai Motor Co. is using India as a manufacturing and export base for its compacts to Europe.
Indian forging and castings companies such as Bharat Forge Ltd. are exporting 40% of production to clients like DaimlerChrysler and Cummins Engine Co.
Some Indian parts makers are seeing sales growth of as much as 30% a year, and India's Automotive Component Manufacturers Association expects exports to reach $2.7 billion by 2010 from $1 billion today.
Posted by admin at 05:46 AM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2005
US tests RFID passports
About 300 United Airlines employees stationed on international flights received new passports in mid-June as part of a three-month, three-country test of IDs equipped with RFID chips.
The RFID chip doesn't actively broadcast, but, with the right equipment, it can be read from a distance. That potential for remote identification draws sharp concern from privacy activists, travel groups, and many others.
The test at United Airlines is intended to see how easily Australia, New Zealand and the United States can read other's e-passports and how durable the chips are under constant use.
The 64-KB chips store a copy of the information from a passport's data page, including name, date of birth and a digitized version of the passport photo. To prevent counterfeiting or alterations, the chips are digitally signed.
The United States is requiring all 27 countries whose citizens do not need visas (note that this excludes countries whose citizens require visas such as India and Bangladesh) to visit to begin issuing e-passports by October 2006.
Posted by admin at 08:22 AM | Comments (0)
ICTA-Intel joint program to promote IT-literacy in Srilanka
Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Srilanka in collaboration with Intel has recently launched the 'e-Srilanka PC Program' in order to improve the dismal state computer literacy among masses. This programme fosters the UN Millennium Development Goals and World Summit on Information Society charter to ‘bridge the digital divide”. Under this program, Intel will be providing low cost PCs to the common people, loaded with open source software. The progarm will aim to increase the general public awareness toward benefits of owning and using PC and help in creating a knowledge society.
Posted by admin at 05:35 AM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2005
Fuel cell motorcycle wins Taiwanese backing
A fuel cell motorcycle is to be demonstrated in Taiwan after proposals won financial backing from the government.
First used by NASA in the 1960's for power generation in space capsules. Cells are now being used to generate power in a range of products. Fuel cells rely on the chemical interaction of natural gas and certain other metals, such as platinum, gold, and other electrolytes to produce electricity. The only by-product of a fuel cell's operation is water, which is pure enough to drink.
Hailed as an important milestone on the road towards fuel cell commercialisation, the funding has been granted to Asia Pacific Fuel Cell Technologies (APFCT) to demonstrate the vehicle.
The demonstration programme will aim to display a hybrid system in a scooter motorcycle comprised of hybrid fuel cell technology as well as lithium ion battery power.
Commenting on the funding, Dr Jefferson Yang, chairman of APFCT, said that fleet demonstration was a "necessary step" in making fuel cell technology available to the consumer.
"Taiwan is a world leader in gasoline ICE scooter manufacture and we hope this demonstration program will significantly contribute towards maintaining Taiwan�s global technology leadership in scooters and fuel cells in general," he added.
A 40-vehicle fleet will be used to demonstrate the technology, with funding for the programme expected to cost $4.6 million.
Posted by admin at 03:37 PM | Comments (0)
Quest for Chinese web real-estate
Just days after Baidu.com's successful IPO in the US, Yahoo according to Wall Street Journal story is planning purchase of Alibaba, an Internet-based eCommerce company.
Alibaba operates business-to-business eCommerce sites connecting small and mid size wholesalers, manufacturers and other sellers in China.
With almost 20% of the world population,(1.3 billion, July 2005 est), a fast growing middle class the China is destined to be the largest market of cell phones by 2008 according to Nokia CEO.
Western investors bid up Chinese search site Baidu's shares four-folds on the first day of the IPO from its $27-a-share offer price to $122.54 on NASDAQ.
Posted by admin at 07:17 AM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2005
Near-sourcing challenges off-shore outsourcing
Educated workforce, cheap labor costs, fluency in English and Spannish, and timezone overlap between US, and Central and South American countries are contributing huge outsourcing opportonuties in the region.
Brazil, Nicaraua, Panama and especially Costa Rica are seeing significant influx of call center jobs moving to their countries providing an alternative to off-shore outsourcing to distant countries like India and China.
Dell for example has moved some of its support operations to Panama due to its excellant broadband infrastructure and political/economic stability.
Costa Rica, where call-center workstations are anticipated to hit 730,000 in 2008 from 336,000 in 2004, is benefitting from stable government, educated workforce and social security system that helps perform background checks on potential employees before recruitment.
Posted by admin at 03:45 PM | Comments (0)
August 05, 2005
China develops TV shows for cell phones
Beijing's Le-TV Media Group Corp., announced recently that ``Appointment'' is China's first TV show made just for mobile phones.
Its makers hope the 25-minute series will capture attention in China's crowded mobile phone market, where entrepreneurs are competing furiously to come up with the latest gimmick.
The competition is intense, but with 400 million customers in the world's biggest mobile phone market, China offers a potential jackpot to the company that invents a new craze.
Last year, one company debuted a mobile phone-based novel written to be transmitted in 70-word chapters.
Le-TV Media hopes to pay for this production entirely through company sponsorships. But if the technology proves popular, viewers would pay to watch future programs.
Posted by admin at 01:59 PM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2005
Singapore Telecom Ltd benefits from emerging Asian markets
Asia's fifth-largest phone company, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., is set for a 12 percent rise in quarterly net profit, as strong Asian mobile expansion offsets slower growth at its Australian unit.
Solid performance at SingTel's investments in the fast-growing markets of India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and to a lesser extent, Thailand and the Philippines, would underpin its growth in the future, analysts said.
Facing a mature home market in Singapore (90% mobile phone penetration), SingTel has spent S$17 billion ($10 billion) in recent years buying operators in high-growth Asian nations with fewer cellphone users.
SingTel owns major stakes in five operators -- 21.5 percent of Thailand's Advanced Info Service Plc., 30.8 percent in India's Bharti Group, 44.6 percent of Globe Telecom Inc. in the Philippines, 35 percent in Indonesia's PT Telkomsel, and 45 percent of Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Ltd., purchased as recently as June.
Posted by admin at 06:38 AM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2005
China's oldest bank embraces modern imaging system
Established in 1912 China's oldest bank, The Bank of China has partnered with Unisys to build a new imaging system that the bank says will improve operational efficiencies and reduce costs.
The new system will replace current microfilm machines at the bank's scanning centre in Shenzhen which are used for scanning vouchers, credit card and other documents.
Based on Unisys' InfoImage technology, the new system will be capable of scanning, indexing and archiving approximately 400,000 documents every day, according to a media statement released by Unisys.
Posted by admin at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2005
VoIP meets WiMAX
VoIP market leader US-based Vonage announced on Monday an alliance with a broadband wireless company, TowerStream, allowing the carrier to bypass equipment owned by its cable and telecommunications competitors using WiMAX technology.
The recent move is a remarkable endorsement to WiMAX technology which provides long-distance broadband access ranging upto 30-mile radius. Top microprocessor manufacturer Intel has been pushing WiMAX to turn it into de-facto standard for wireless access on personal computers.
A number of high-profile US carriers have begun testing the technology. AT&T and BellSouth have both announced tests of WiMAX technology, which provides wireless connections to the Internet at speeds comparable to high-speed wired connections.
Global VoIP market leaders Vonage and Europe-based Skype have beefed up their expansion plans in Asia in recent months. Addition of WiMAX based VoIP will further accelerate these plans especially in developing countries where wireline infrastructure is limited.
Posted by admin at 03:16 PM | Comments (0)
Wipro plans foray into Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
Singapore, Aug. 1. (PTI): Wipro is planning to expand into Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to tap the growing market there with significant potential, particularly in the telecom and banking space.
Wipro Infotech, New York Stock Exchange Limited Wipro Limited's IT division focused on India, the Middle East and Asia Pacific geographies, has also proposed to enter Pakistan when trade restrictions ease, a senior executive of the Bangalore-based firm said.
Viswanathan K S, Vice-President, Strategic Sales, India, Wipro Infotech, said foraying into these two SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries is of immediate priority for Wipro Infotech as it believes there are huge opportunities that can be addressed.
Posted by admin at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)