The Broadband Commission for Digital Development has agreed four new targets for global broadband development to ensure that all people can participate in the benefits that arise from broadband access. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: broadband, Broadband Commission, ITU
Doubling broadband speeds could increase GDP by 0.3%
A new study has revealed the positive effects that arise from increasing broadband speed include an increase in economic growth. The report, carried out by Ericsson, Arthur D. Little and Chalmers University of Technology has shown that by doubling its broadband speed, a country could see its GDP increase by 0.3%. Read the rest of this entry »
ForgetMeNot Africa has been nominated in the Best New Service category at this year’s prestigious AfricaCom Awards.
Facebook, email and online chat access using SMS
Africa’s premier telecoms award gala has shortlisted ForgetMeNot Africa for the deployment of its Message Optimiser technology with Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s eTXT service, which provides Facebook, email and online chat access using SMS to all of Econet’s 5 million subscribers. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: AfricaCom Awards 2011, Best New Service, Econet Wireless, eTXT, ForgetMeNot Africa, Message Optimiser Technology, Zimbabwe
A new report from the International Telecommunication Union has revealed that prices for fixed-broadband services have dramatically decreased between 2008 and 2010 across the globe, reflecting an increase in competition amoungst internet providers.
The report, ‘Measuring the Information Society 2011,’ revealed price decreases of over 50% in some regions such as Africa, as well as a 47% price decrease in Asia and the Pacific. In the Arab States, prices fell by 35% and by 18% in Europe. Only the Americas saw a price decrease of less than 10%. Such figures reflect a narrowing of the broadband price divide considering the far larger decreases in the price of broadband in developing countries. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: africa, broadband, Digital divide, fibre optic, internet, ITU
A new study from the National Statistics Agency in Peru has revealed a large difference between internet coverage in rural and urban areas of the country. The report shows that whilst in Lima, the capital of Peru, internet coverage in homes is relatively high at 25%, in other urban areas the figure is lower at 12%. However, in rural areas, this figure drops dramatically to 0.3%. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: fibre optic, internet, Peru
Indonesia is leading the way in its attempts to provide the entirety of the country with access to the internet. In recent years, the country has seen a boom in the number of internet users. In 2010, the International Telecommunication Union reported 9.1 internet users per 100 inhabitants in Indonesia. However, recent figures from the Indonesian Communication Ministry reveal over 45 million internet users in Indonesia, almost twice those in 2010. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: fibre optic, Indonesia, internet, Internet vans
In the months since the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti in early 2010, a massive reconstruction project has been underway to aid in the country’s recovery. Much of the country’s communication network was damaged as a result of the earthquake and great efforts are now being made to enhance the communication access in Haiti. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: broadband, fibre optic, haiti, internet, inveneo
Recent statistics from Panama suggest the country is greatly expanding the range of its internet coverage. Figures from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) show close to a 10% increase in internet access in the country between 2008 and 2010 with curent data showing 42.75 internet users per 100 inhabitants. Read the rest of this entry »
A recent study by risk analysis firm Maplecroft has revealed that whilst undergoing continuous development, the BRIC nations are still finding difficulties in bridging the digital divide.
The study attempted to find levels of digital inclusion, that is, the ability within the countries to access and use information technologies. Results showed India lying in the extreme risk category, showing a severe lack of digital inclusion within the country. Brazil, Russia, and China were all placed in the medium risk categories. This is despite higher than average growth rates over the past decade for these countries.
However, recent plans in India to increase access to information technologies, such as expanding access to 3G networks across the country could see a narrowing of the digital divide. Whether such services are affordable on a wide scale remains to be seen.
Tags: BRICs, Digital divide, internet
Our subsidiary ForgetMeNot Africa has triumphed at the prestigious Meffys Awards, picking up the title of Best Innovation in a Mobile First Market for its innovative Message Optimiser technology. The Meffys success comes just two weeks after the company collected the coveted Innovation in Messaging award, also for its Message Optimiser system, at 160 Characters’ Mobile Messaging Awards.
