ICT Adoption and Prospects in The Arab Region

This report has been prepared as a background document for the ITU Connect Arab Summit, which takes place in Doha, Qatar from 5 to 7 March 2012. The main objective of the report is to provide an overview of the deployment and adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the Arab region, and to carry out a needs assessment that will help policy makers in the Arab States to identify key ICT areas that require future action. The report in particular focuses on the ICT issues identified by the Arab States regional initiatives adopted by the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-10), such as broadband access, digital broadcasting, opensource software, Arabic digital content and cybersecurity

This section presents an overview of the regulatory status, information and communication technology (ICT) deployment and adoption of ICT services in the Arab States region.1 The Arab region is a rapidly developing region in terms of ICTs and characterized particularly by strong growth in the area of mobile telephony over the last five years. The move towards commercially available 3G networks in almost all countries of the region has driven the number of active mobile-broadband subscriptions and helped bring more people online. ITU estimates that by the end of 2011, around 30 per cent of the population in the Arab States were using the Internet. Compared to mobile-cellular services (and in comparison to other regions) both fixed-telephone and fixed (wired)-broadband penetration rates in the region remain relatively low. The penetration for fixed-telephone subscriptions reached ten per cent at its highest and has been declining since 2008. The number of fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions has grown from one million in 2006, to an estimated eight million in 2011, but penetration remains relatively low, at 2.2 per cent

In order to understand ICT developments within the Arab region, it is important to distinguish between ICT adoption and network deployments between the high-income GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries on the one hand, and the non-GCC countries, on the other hand. Due to ample oil reserves, GCC countries have higher income levels, which tends to translate into higher ICT adoption, stronger and wider network coverage and early migration to Next Generation Access Networks (NGANs). Chart 2 presents the 2010 GDP per capita in the Arab countries, with the six GCC countries ranking at the top, and GDP per capita levels above 15’000 USD. Qatar, with a GDP per capita of more than 61’000 USD has the highest income level in the region. Income levels in the non-GCC countries range from below 1’000 USD per capita in Comoros, to just under 10’000 USD in Libya, which also heavily relies on oil reserves. Despite a relatively high income level, Libya’s ICT networks, projects and adoption have remained substandard in rela ion to its peers (in terms of national income), mainly due to a political environment in which the ICT market has been dominated by a state-owned monopoly, except for mobile-cellular (voice) services, where two state-owned operators are competing with each other.

An overview of the regulatory landscape of key telecommunication services in the Arab States, demonstrates that there are important differences among countries in terms of the liberalization of services, as well as in the number of service providers operating each service. The most liberalized ICT services sector in the region is the mobile-cellular market, where Comoros and Djibouti remain the only two countries with only one mobile-cellular operator. In both Libya and Lebanon, two operators are competing, but both operators are government-owned.

ICT Adoption and Prospects in The Arab Region. International Telecommunication Union. 2012

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The World in 2011: ICT Facts and Figures features end 2011 estimates for ITU’s key telecommunication/ICT indicators

The brochure, which was published on the occasion of ITU Telecom, on October 25th, 2011, highlights the latest global ICT facts and trends and includes figures on Internet use, fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions, international Internet bandwidth, home ICT access, and more. 

The World in 2011: ICT Facts and Figures features end 2011 estimates for ITU’s key telecommunication/ICT indicators

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ITU approves new worldwide smart grid standards

Geneva, December 2011 – New ITU standards for smart grid have achieved final approval and are now available for download. Recommendations ITU-T G.9955 and G.9956 define three international next generation narrowband powerline communications (NB-PLC) standards. The approved family of standards will enable cost-effective smart grid applications such as distribution automation, diagnostic and fault location, smart metering, demand response, energy management, smart appliances, grid-to-home communications and advanced recharging systems for electric vehicles.

The next-generation NB-PLC transceivers defined in the ITU standards family are optimized for the various topologies and characteristics of power grids around the world. Standardized transceivers will provide a 'smart' link between electricity and communications networks through their support of the use of power lines as a communications medium. PLC exploits electricity networks' existing wired infrastructure, greatly reducing the cost of deploying a dedicated communications channel.

Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General, ITU: "The approved ITU NB-PLC family of international standards will be a fundamental building block for realizing a robust smart grid anywhere in the world, and will allow utilities to start immediate deployment of NB-PLC on a worldwide basis.”

ITU-T Recommendations G.9955 and G.9956 contain the physical layer (PHY) and the data link layer (DLL) specifications, respectively, for NB-PLC transceivers based on OFDM (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing). The specifications define technologies that support indoor and outdoor communications over direct current and alternating current power lines (including low and medium voltage lines), through transformer communications, for both urban and long distance rural communications and at frequencies below 500 kHz. The approved ITU NB-PLC family of standards includes three separate and self-contained specifications:

G.hnem: a new NB-PLC technology developed by ITU-T in cooperation with members of the G3-PLC and PRIME Alliances;

G3-PLC: an established and field-proven NB-PLC technology contributed by members of the G3-PLC Alliance;

PRIME: an established and field-proven NB-PLC technology contributed by members of the PRIME Alliance

The standards are an ideal platform for smart grid applications because of their use of power lines as a communications medium which is under the direct and complete control of power utilities. In addition, because the family supports popular protocols like Ethernet, IPv4 and IPv6, smart grid networks can easily be integrated with IP-based networks. The standards incorporate electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and mitigation techniques defined in collaboration with ITU’s Radiocommunication sector (ITU-R) that ensure a high degree of protection of radio services from PLC emissions.

Richard Schomberg, IEC Smart Grid Strategic Group Chairman: “This world-first standard publication on Narrowband OFDM PLC technology can bridge the large gap of sub-dollar chips to unlock a gigantic smart grid market of advanced machine-to-machine communication with enhanced speed but ultra-high resiliency. It is a complementary and essential piece of the large puzzle of standards that IEC is assembling with ITU and ISO.”

For more information, please contact:Toby Johnson, Senior Communications Officer, toby.johnson@itu.int

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Working towards a Balanced and Inclusive Green Economy

ITU. december, 17. Against a backdrop of the multiple crises of the past four years -- financial, economic, food and energy -- the United Nations launched this week a report that offers UN agencies and its member states guidance for coordinating the transition to a Green Economy at the international and country levels. In the first-ever inter-agency report on the Green Economy, the Environment Management Group (EMG), representing the work of UN agencies, the Bretton Woods Institutions and other intergovernmental bodies outlines steps and policies for pursuing a green economic transformation that generates new sources of sustainable and equitable economic growth that will assist in a global economic recovery.  

Such action will require investing in natural capital, clean-technologies, such as information and communication technologies (ICTs), as well as in in human and social capital, including education, health care, cultural development and social protection. The report, Working towards a Balanced and Inclusive Green Economy, reflects a growing recognition of the shortcomings of business-as-usual practiced by both the public and private sector institutions over the last two decades and assesses how the UN system can coherently support countries in transitioning to a Green Economy. The report highlights the need for more integrated approaches between different international agencies and government departments, as well as more targeted investments across the environmental, economic and social domains. 

Urging both agencies and governments to use the forthcoming 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (or Rio+20 Summit) to turn their commitments into reality, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said:  

“United Nations entities are keenly aware of the resource challenges that countries face in meeting the needs of a growing and urbanizing world population. The human and economic toll of natural disasters and the volatility of commodity prices reflect worrying trends in global climate change, the growing scarcity of some natural resources and the decline of many ecosystems.   

“This report highlights how these challenges can and must be addressed as part of integrated development models that focus on poverty and human well-being.” 

The report promotes a UN system-wide understanding of the Green Economy approach to achieve sustainable development and offers a range of instruments that governments can use to impact investment choices and consumer behavior.  These include mobilizing financial resources, full cost pricing, regulatory instruments, sustainable trade and green markets, innovation and technology, and indicators for measuring progress towards transition. 

The report calls specifically for public spending to target green infrastructure and research and development that can spur green technologies and innovation, as well as better health care and education. In addition, governments need to align their laws, regulations, green standards, taxes, labeling and reporting requirements to reinforce the incentives for the private sector to direct their finance and investments towards green, responsible business and a Green Economy. 

The report notes numerous UN-backed initiatives, including ITU’s activities to promote green ICT standards, the use of radio-communications for earth observation, or specific initiatives to develop innovative applications that promote the transition to a green economy, such as the ITU Green ICT Application Challenge. These contributions will be instrumental in the preparation of the Rio+20 conference.

Working towards a Balanced and Inclusive Green Economy

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Carrier network standards approved at Geneva meeting

ITU. 17 de diciembre de 2011. Key standards (ITU-T Recommendations) on a technology (MPLS-TP) required by telecoms operators to increase network efficiency while also reducing capex and opex costs have been approved (or attained first level approval) at a recent ITU meeting. MPLS-TP refers to extensions to the IETF's MPLS protocol developed in cooperation with the IETF. MPLS can carry packets of different types, allowing telecom operators to offer private connections as well as IP services. Many network operators expect MPLS-TP to work under the same principles as longstanding ITU transport network technologies like SDH and OTN. MPLS-TP provides network operators with a reliable packet-based technology the operation of which aligns with current organizational processes and large-scale work procedures. Its deployment may reduce the need for layer 3 routing in an operator’s network.

 Another important draft standard in the field has been forwarded to ITU’s quadrennial World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-12) in Dubai next year. This provides an Ethernet based protocol for operations, administration and management (OAM) for Transport MPLS (MPLS-TP). The delay in approval follows the breakdown of a deal brokered by the Japanese administration in November. The compromise proposed was intended to address concerns expressed by IETF, following a series of previous setbacks, detailed here and here. Unfortunately the IETF were unable to deliver one key element of the proposal, the ACh codepoint which contributed to four national delegations vetoing the standard.

Malcolm Johnson, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU: “I would like to thank Japan for its great effort as a neutral party to find a compromise that took into account IETF’s concerns. It is clear that the majority of the world’s ICT industry and governments supports this standard. It is a practical solution demanded by operators around the globe. I am hopeful that IETF will be able to assign the ACh codepoint before WTSA-12 which should allow the standard to be approved by consensus. ITU has a tradition of working by consensus but this is dependent on delegations being willing to compromise.”

At the close of its December meeting Study Group 15 repeated its request to the IETF to provide an ACh codepoint for the Ethernet based OAM protocols. This request is in line with ITU’s continued commitment to a collegial working environment for ICT standards development

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Making Television Accessible

This report looks at the strategic implications of making audiovisual content accessible to persons with disabilities. The focus includes not only the content itself, but also the information and devices needed by people to enjoy audiovisual content. It is written for professionals involved in decisions to introduce or scale up measures to make television and other kinds of audiovisual content accessible.

The term "audiovisual content" is a broad term used to cover content with pictures and sound. The most widely used audiovisual content today is television. But audiovisual content also includes cinema films and videos distributed on other networks (for example the Internet and mobile telephone networks). It also includes audiovisual content distributed on physical storage media (pre-recorded videos on cassettes, CDs and DVDs, recordings on hard disc and flash-memory devices such as video recorders, computer games delivered on storage media), online or combinations of local and network storage.

While the report covers analogue and digital content, the emphasis is on digital media. Twenty years ago, digitalization began to have an impact on the distribution of audiovisual content. Currently, television is going digital. Analogue television transmission has already been shut off in many countries around the world. We can expect the switch to digital distribution to be complete sometime in the next fifteen years.nSimilarly, digital cinemas are on the increase. Today, consumers use their computers, tablets or smart phones to access television, video and music, and the Internet has become a means of sharing not only television but also short-form video content via portals such as YouTube.

Although the aim of this report is to address audiovisual works in general, the focus is on television, in particular Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT). The reason for this choice needs explaining. While the production or authoring of access services is much the same for any digital time-based medium, when it
comes to the Internet there is a wide variety of distribution solutions on both the open Internet and on IPTV. There are currently more than 12 widespread IPTV solutions and the number is growing. Some of them build on the work of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Open IPTV standards and its rigorous stance on intellectual property so that the standards are truly open. Others are based on ad hoc industry consortia. One such group is the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) that has made proposals for handling access services as part of HTML5. Others include the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) working on a Digital Rights management system allowing digital audiovisual content to be accessed from multiple devices, and Apple’s iCloud. Ultimately the availability and cost of providing access services on Internet-based platforms will be determined in the market place by the relative success of these contenders.

As the principles behind the creation, exchange and delivery of access services are the same, this report concentrates on examples of good practice from broadcasting. Broadcasting is a highly regulated area where more than 60 years of international standardization has been successful in achieving the exchange of programmes and the interoperability of television services. The four major digital television ”families” of standards have gone from continental to global use. Fortunately, they all build on the same basic building blocks such as the MPEG2 and MPEG4 encoding and decoding standards and have well-defined mechanisms for creating, exchanging and delivering access services. Good practice from broadcast television can be adapted and then applied to the authoring and digital distribution of other kinds of audiovisual content.

Apart from going digital, the characteristics of audiovisual content continue to change. There has been a move towards better picture quality (High Definition), multi-channel audio, three-dimensional images and also the inclusion of interactivity. While the report cannot address all of these topics, it can provide strategic pointers to action in the short, medium and long term.

This report is written with a range of decision-makers in mind:

Access service advocates from organizations representing persons with disabilities wishing to get a clear picture of the access options currently available and in the development pipeline.

Media executives concerned with access service provision and complying with media regulation.

Regulators and legislators working on measures to improve digital media accessibility to comply with international conventions and directives.

Pay-TV operators and consumer electronics manufacturers and sales outlets examining the implications of demographic change and media regulation on their business. The report aims to help the reader with the following kinds of strategic challenge:

Formulate the objectives and Key Performance Indicators to make television accessible in a given territory.

Set up from scratch and operate one or more access services on analogue television.

Plan the transition from analogue to digital television and the access services that accompany television programmes.

Conduct pilot tests of a new access service on digital television.

Scale up access services after completion of a pilot phase.

Common to all of these challenges is the ability to identify the nature and extent of the access challenge.

The report starts here by first looking at the needs that have to be addressed by accessible television.

The report also explains in general terms what the options are for improving the accessibility of television.

In subsequent chapters there is more about the options for producing and delivering access services, and what they cost to establish and run.

It concludes with a chapter on managing change – metrics, key performance indicators and processes to get started. Mention is made of a range of legal instruments that can be used to ensure that a new access service, or an existing service that is scaled up, becomes a success.

A check list of strategic issues that need to be covered when considering actions to make television accessible has been included as an appendix to this report. This check list can be used to ensure that key issues have been considered.

This report is published in cooperation with G3ict – The Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies, whose mission is to promote the ICT accessibility dispositions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities www.g3ict.org. ITU and G3ict also co-produce the e-accessibility Policy Toolkit for Persons with Disabilities www.e-accessibilitytoolkit.org and jointly organize awareness raising and capacity building programmes for policy makers and stakeholders involved in accessibility issues around the world.

This report has been prepared by Peter Olaf Looms, Chairman ITU-T Focus Group on Audiovisual Media Accessibility.

Making Television Accessible

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Announcing the launch of a Global Survey on e-Waste

ITU-T Newslog.November,29,2011.ITU. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)/ Secretariat of the Basel Convention and the United Nations University (UNU), in collaboration with the Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP) Initiative and the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE), have launched a joint survey on e-waste.

This survey aims to collect detailed data on e-waste management, policies and standards; constructing a comprehensive overview of the current e-waste landscape and identifying future challenges in this realm. Such a mapping of the e-waste issue will establish a base upon which the exchange of e-waste information and best practices can occur, and will form a valuable tool in communicating the gravity of the problem and promoting collaborative work in the future development of policy and management of e-waste.

The widespread use of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) has raised public awareness of its positive effects such as the reduction of the digital divide, but also of the negative environmental and health effects associated with the inefficient waste management of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE or e-waste).

There have been alarming reports of e-waste mismanagement in many countries, particularly in less developed nations and countries with economies in transition. E-waste is a significant contributor to the ICT industry’s impact on the environment, and urgent global action to address this issue is essential if the industry is to fulfill its commitment to a sustainable future.

Invitation Letter

Fill in the Survey (Available until 31 January 2012)

More information about E-Waste:

ITU’s reference site provides links to external resources: background papers, additional information, statistics, and examples on e-waste. [ more… ]

• ITU-T Activities on ICT and Climate Change
• UNEP/Basel Convention
• UNU-ISP
• StEP
• CEDARE

Contact: Cristina Bueti (ITU); Matthias Kern (UNEP/SBC); Ruediger Kuehr (UNU): ewastesurvey@itu.int

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New Delhi Workshop on Standards and Intellectual Property Rights, 19-20 December 2011

ITU-T Newslog.ITU is organizing a Workshop on Standards and Intellectual Property Rights in New Delhi, India, 19-20 December 2011. Taking place at the HMR Institute of Technology and Management, the event will be hosted by the Global ICT Standardization Forum for India (GISFI), and will be followed by the seventh GISFI meeting at the same venue, 21-22 December 2011.

One of the key aims of standardization is to enable the efficient ‘globalization’ of ICT products and solutions. IPR issues must be taken into consideration when developing standards, a process demanding a balance of varying stakeholder interests; such as those of patent holders, standards implementers and standards’ end-users. Additionally, SDOs frequently encounter copyright issues relating to the incorporation of software in standards.

Such patent and copyright issues are the subject of global debate, and the workshop is being convened to provide a forum for discussions relating to the inclusion of patented technology and software in standards. International experts from both the public and private sector will provide an overview of these issues and share their insights on the present nature of the issue and how it is likely to progress in the future.

Participation in the workshop is open to ITU Member States, Sector Members, Associates, Academia and to any individual from a country part of ITU’s membership. Fellowships are available upon request, please contact tsbworkshops@itu.int.

World Radiocommunication Conference opens January 2012

ITU. Geneva, 16 November 2011– The World Radiocommunication Conference will open in Geneva, 23 January - 17 February 2012. The outcome of this international treaty-making conference will have worldwide ramifications in the field of communications.

The 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12) will focus on the following:

1. Review and revise the international regulatory framework for radiocommunications –Radio Regulations – to reflect the increasing convergence in radio services arising from the rapid evolution of information and communication technologies (ICT).
2. Management of scarce radio-frequency spectrum to provide new opportunities for radiocommunication services, including those for maritime and aeronautical transport as well as for scientific purposes related to the environment, meteorology and climatology, disaster prediction, mitigation and relief.
3. Management of satellite orbital slots and associated spectrum resources.
4. The introduction of mobile broadband and other advanced technologies, the use of digital dividend resulting from the switch over to digital TV and the development of Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV).

What:	World Radiocommunication Conference 2012 (WRC-12)
When:	23 January – 17 February 2012 (Radiocommunication Assembly, 16-20 January 2012)
Where:	Geneva, CICG Convention Centre
Why:	The World Radiocommunication Conference, held every three to four years, is mandated to review and revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. WRC-12 will facilitate the management of scarce orbit/spectrum resources in the interest of end-users, with global implications for both policy-makers and the industry.
Who:	Over 3000 participants from around the world are expected to attend.

Media Information: Deadline for Accreditation: 12 January 2012

Note: UN Press accreditation is valid, but registration is required for WRC-12 access badges.

For more information, please contact:

Sanjay Acharya Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU +41 22 730 5046 +41 79 249 4861 sanjay.acharya@itu.int	Grace Petrin Promotion Officer ITU Radiocommunication Bureau +41 22 730 5810 +41 79 599 1428 brpromo@itu.int
Media accreditation enquiries: Soraya Abino Quintana +41 22 730 5424 pressreg@itu.int

World Radiocommunication Conference opens January 2012

GSMA Energy Efficiency Methodology Incorporated in ITU's New Global Standard

GSMA. 16 November 2011, Mobile Asia Congress, Hong Kong. The GSMA’s Mobile Energy Efficiency Benchmarking methodology has been recognised in a global standard by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The GSMA’s methodology, which benchmarks the energy efficiency of mobile networks, is included in the ITU’s standard ITU-T L.1410 ‘Methodology for Environmental Impact Assessment of ICT Goods, Networks and Services’. The GSMA developed its methodology as part of the Mobile Energy Efficiency (MEE) Network Benchmarking service, launched a year ago at Mobile Asia Congress 2010. MEE has now been adopted by 35 mobile network operators who run more than 200 networks across 145 countries.

“The recognition of our methodology in a global standard is a testament to the outstanding collaboration the GSMA has with its members and other stakeholders such as the ITU and European Commission,” said Gabriel Solomon, Head of Regulatory Policy, GSMA. “We have developed a unique management tool that mobile operators are using to identify energy and carbon saving opportunities.”

           

“We are delighted with the timely outcome of a complex process. The ITU maintains a first-rate working relationship with the GSMA, and many other partners, aimed at achieving a definitive set of methodologies to measure the environmental impact of ICTs,” said Mr. Malcolm Johnson, Director, ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau.

           

To leverage the results of the MEE Benchmarking service, the GSMA has launched a new service, MEE Optimisation, which undertakes a detailed bottom-up analysis to identify and assess the inefficiencies of a network, to then provide operators with a cost-benefit analysis of specific solutions that can be considered to improve network energy efficiency. The MEE Optimisation service develops detailed action plans aimed at reducing operators’ energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. To do this, the GSMA partners with third parties such as equipment vendors to deliver the MEE Optimisation service to operators. The GSMA is currently piloting the first MEE Optimisation project and is in discussions with several members about rolling out the service more widely.

           

More information is available at: www.gsmworld.com/mee or contact mee@gsm.org

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Congress.

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the online portal for the mobile communications industry, at www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at http://www.gsmworld.com.

Media Contact:
For the GSMA:
Abigail Faylor
44 (0)2070 670 851afaylor@webershandwick.com

GSMA Press Office press@gsm.org