Article #11

I would like to share the article about 911 service capabilities with class.
This article introduce how VOIP can help 911 service capabilities.

Please enjoy it.

Article Name: "911 Service Capabilities"
Article Location: http://www.vel.net/Business-VoIP-phone-system.cfm

Article #10

I would like to share the article about unfair charges for international Internet interconnection with the class.

Enjoy it.

Name of the Article: "The International Internet Interconnection Issue"

Location of the Article: http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/1000/vanbeelen.html

MEMO #13

(International Internet Issues)

Today, there are neither established nor uniform rules which decide how the costs of providing Internet access and Internet content services are allocated among the Internet service providers (ISPs) of the world. This situation stimulates unfair charges for international Internet interconnection issue.

For example, most of the non-American ISPs, such as the Asia-Pacific ISPs, pay the full cost of the leased lines connecting their counties to a U.S. international gateway, together with port charges to connect to a U.S. Internet backbone because the Internet started in the US [1]. This means non-U.S. ISPs have to invest more in order to receive the same benefit of global Internet connectivity as U.S. ISPs. Under this situation, unavoidably, inequitable cost allocation occurs. Asia-Pacific ISPs pay for and receive the benefit of connectivity to the U.S., while U.S. ISPs receive the benefit of connectivity to the Asia-Pacific region without paying for it [2]. In addition, this inequitable cost allocation is applied to most international destinations. Now, most of non-American ISPs complain that U.S. ISPs use the investment of ISPs in other countries, and the U.S. gets a net financial benefit that is not equivalent to the amount of service it provides in return [3].

Of course, U.S. ISPs argue that due to the nature of the technology, it is hard or even impossible to determine the direction and the volume of the traffic [4]. In addition, U.S. ISPs also argue that due to this uncertainty and to the fact that so many parties benefit from Internet traffic, it is very difficult to ascertain the cost that traffic would incur given that the determination of price for Internet traffic is so different from that of voice telephony [5].

In summary, although non-American ISPs partially agree with the U.S. ISPs’ view, they think that the direction and quantum of traffic flow are not necessarily the direction and quantum of commercial benefit. The main reason why the non-American ISPs’s view differs from the U.S. is that non-American ISPs have a pressing commercial incentive to address this issue [6]. This issue can be considered an International trade issue, so I think that the World Trade Organization should consider it.

Reference

[1] e-OTI. “The International Internet Interconnection Issue” by Jane Van Beelen and John Rolland. [Last checked April. 21, 2007] http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/1000/vanbeelen.html

[2] e-OTI. “The International Internet Interconnection Issue” by Jane Van Beelen and John Rolland. [Last checked April. 21, 2007] http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/1000/vanbeelen.html

[3] e-OTI. “The International Internet Interconnection Issue” by Jane Van Beelen and John Rolland. [Last checked April. 21, 2007] http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/1000/vanbeelen.html

[4] e-OTI. “The International Internet Interconnection Issue” by Jane Van Beelen and John Rolland. [Last checked April. 21, 2007] http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/1000/vanbeelen.html

[5] e-OTI. “The International Internet Interconnection Issue” by Jane Van Beelen and John Rolland. [Last checked April. 21, 2007] http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/1000/vanbeelen.html

[6] e-OTI. “The International Internet Interconnection Issue” by Jane Van Beelen and John Rolland. [Last checked April. 21, 2007] http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/1000/vanbeelen.html

Article 9 (Economic development issue)

Hello, class.

I would like to share the article relating to a sustainable economic development issue.

The title of article is "Information and Communication Technologies, Markets, and Economic Development."

Location: http://www.cid.harvard.edu/cr/pdf/gitrr2002_ch07.pdf

Article #8

Hello, class.

I would like to share the article relating to telecommunication antitrust issue with class.

The title of article is "Don't Let Telecom Competition Vanish." This article is about the negative effect of monopolization of the telecom market.

Enjoy it.

Article Location: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/01_17/b3729152.htm

MEMO #11

(France Telecom broke Antitrust Rules)

In 2003, the European Commission first pointed out France Telecom’s breach of antitrust rules relating to the high-speed Internet market. In addition, once again, Europe’s second-highest court ruled this past January, upholding a 2003 European Commission decision. The court decided that France Telecom kept its competitors out of the high-speed Internet market illegally by charging artificially low prices. According to ZDNet.com, the Court of First Instance imposed a 13.37 million dollar fine to France Telecom, which is the partially state-owned incumbent telecommunications operator. The court said that a too low service price can be considered as unfair economic activity.

More precisely, the court said some of France Telecom’s units, such as Wanadoo, charged consumers rates for high-speed network access that did not cover the costs, elbowing out rivals who could not compete at such prices. In a statement, the court explained that this type of France Telecom’s activity was an obvious breach of antitrust rules because it is part of a plan to pre-empt the market during a key phase in its development. Truly, France Telecom tried to recover losses on the sale of the service by making considerable profits on the prices it charged Wanadoo’s rivals for access to the network. In fact, Wanadoo’s predatory pricing ran from March 2001, when mass marketing of ADSL services started, to October 2002, when France Telecom cut its service prices by more than 30 percent.

Based on this situation, the European Commission and Europe’s second-highest court decided that France Telecom obviously broke antitrust rules in the high-speed Internet market.

Reference

1. ZDNet.com. (2007). “EU: France Telecom broke Antitrust Rules.” Retrieved online on March 24, 2007, from http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6154576.html

MEMO #10

My Google Docs. Experiences

I have used Google Docs. as a word processor for almost three months. During the usage period, I was able to find some good and also bad things about Google Docs. In this memo, I would like to mention both advantages and disadvantages and whether I like Google Docs. or not based on my experiences.

Google Docs. has several advantages over the other word processors, such as Microsoft Word. For example, Google Docs. can help word processor users save their hard disk memory space by using web-server storage. In addition, the documents in the web-server instead of in our own PCs can be considered more secure from computer viruses and any other security breaches. Finally, we can easily share documents and collaborate with others online for revision and feedback. We can even directly publish our documents from Google Docs. server to a blog.

Google Docs. also has some disadvantages. For example, it has some degree of compatibility problem. In other words, if I copy some documents from Microsoft Word and paste them to Google Docs., the document will be messed up. The spaces among sentences and paragraphs and the font sizes will be automatically changed unfavorably. Availability based on Internet access can be another disadvantage of Google Docs. If we do not have internet access, we cannot open and work on our documents on the Google web-server.

Do you see the future of software going “thin”?

Maybe, the answer will be “Yes,” but I think that it will take a long time to change because the users, including me, are too familiar with the style of current software, and also, the users usually do not like huge revolution.

Is this a market that Microsoft can enter and compete within?

I think that Google’s idea relating to a web-based word processor is pretty smart and future-oriented, so Microsoft will definitely have to consider entering the market to strongly compete with Google.

In conclusion, although Google’s idea is good, and actually, Google Docs has definitely several advantages, I do not like Google Docs so far based on my experiences. Because I am definitely more familiar with Microsoft Word than Google Docs., so I can use it more efficiently with much less time and less effort. While my own computer is relatively of no interest to hackers, Google Docs. server, despite its security protocols, is potentially a big target; therefore it is not so advantageous to use Google Docs.

MEMO #9

The Avatar Sung Boa’s Second Life Experiences

I have been enjoying virtual world of Second Life since this past January. Frankly, I started the second life thing for the class assignment, but now I am definitely hooked by its fun. In this memo, I would like to share my experiences, such as how I learned to walk, fly, and communicate with other users on Second Life.

First of all, Second Life’s community guideline, which consists of six issues including assault, harassment, indecency, intolerance, disturbing the peace and disclosure, was interesting when I created an account because I thought that Second Life was just a simple, ordinary computer game before I started, but it was a more serious, web-based, virtual social networking arena.

The first thing I did when starting the Second Life was to change the appearance of my avatar, Boa. I spent more than twenty minutes to decide what I would look like, from choosing my ethnicity to how I would dress. It was totally fun because I could determine many things, from the texture of my hair to the size of my nostrils.

After changing the appearance, I learned how to walk, and it was not hard to learn because I already knew how to move from some computer games. After walking around many places, I met other avatars, such as RockStar and Rider, and learned many things from them. Both RockStar and Rider are now my good buddies in the Second Life world. I learned how to drive and fly from RockStar, however unlike walking, flying required much more effort to learn. Now I can fly very well and teleport to other places, so my friends and I regularly meet, and we usually fly around the several places we like, such as Appearance Castle and Communication Volcano. In addition, we are planning to participate in some interesting events together.

Second Life’s commercial implications, such as trading based on buying and selling and circulation of money, were other interesting points. I have gotten some fun by doing these economic activities.

In conclusion, many experiences relating to the Second Life were fascinating and I am definitely hooked. The community on Second Life is one of the best I have experienced on an online environment. Most people I met were friendly, welcoming, and helpful, and Second Life gave me the chance to meet a variety of people of all different tastes and from all different locations to interact with. I would like to recommend Second Life to my friends who are heartily sick of standard online games.

MEMO #8

Top Three Favorite Podcasts

#1. Japancast.net – (Japanese Lesson)

Address: http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podcasts/6214

Comment: Japancast.net is the number one podcast I enjoy. The reasons why I like this it can be summarized as effective organization and detailed explanation. The overall organization of the lessons makes them easy to follow for the listeners. In addition, the detailed explanations definitely increase the level of understanding. If you want to learn about basic Japanese conversation and pronunciation, this podcast can be a good choice.

#2. New York Times Wine Updates

Address: http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/nyt/podcasts/wineupdate.xml

Comment: If somebody wants to know more about wine and wine-making than just drinking wine, “New York Times Wine Updates,” hosted by Eric Asimov, their chief wine critic, can be a wonderful choice. I like this podcast because the host’s easy explanations definitely provide chances to learn about wine, from knowing the best tasting wine in the world to actual professional wine-making. In addition, this podcast provide interesting news and updates on the famous wine makers and the industry.

#3. Money Girl’s Podcast

Address: http://moneygirl.qdnow.com/

Comment: If you would like to learn about basic tips for managing and understanding investments, taxes, and general finances, “Money Girl’s Podcast” can be useful. I like this podcast because the podcast tends to be relatively easy to follow compared to other financial podcasts I know, and the casters usually provide easy explanations about financial concepts such as taxes filing, and stock investment tips. However, to be honest, the explanations of the casters are not always clear or easy.

The Three Least Favorite Podcasts

#1. Ryan’s Helpful Hints (Nuance Talks Screen Reader for cell phones)

Address: http://www.podcast.net/show/85507

Comment: I do not like this podcast because the overall atmosphere is boring, and it’s hard to follow the caster’s explanation about cell phone’s talks screen reader, although I already knew something about the topic. The caster tried to demonstrate the concept by using his cell phone but it was hard to follow his explanation. The caster needs more time to prepare for his podcast.

#2. The TechWeekly Podcast (Episode3: Recent Technical News)

Address: http://www.podcast.net/show/2138

Comment: I do not like this podcast. There was the lack of explanation in episode 3. Although the caster introduced various recent technical news, such as the current market state of Nintendo Wii and Playstantion 3, Second Life bug, and WiFi complaints, every topics mentioned by the caster lacked details and in-depth explanation. The caster just mentioned the titles of the news and provided really short and almost useless facts.

#3. The Best Damn Tech Show

Address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/BestDamnTechShowPeriod

Comment: Sometimes, this podcast can be useful for highly knowledgeable techies, but not for the average or non-technical person. I think the casters, including Drew Olanoff, Paul Fleming, and Adam Plante, are quite smart, but they often fail to consider the average or non-technical group of listeners during their discussion about some technical concepts. To catch what the caster talks about, much background knowledge is usually required. Without enough technical background, it is hard to follow this public podcast.

Wikipedia Posting Address

Hey Guys.

I posted someting about Digital Multimedia Broadcasting applications in Wikipedia.
Please enjoy it.

Here is the location: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Multimedia_Broadcasting_%28DMB%29_Applications

MEMO #7

Opinion and Critique on whether or not Wikipedia is a Credible Source

It is hard to say that I totally believe Wikipedia, but I think that it can be considered as a useful and a quick research tool. Wikipedia can be considered as a somewhat credible resource because much information in Wikipedia is reviewed by uncountable people, so there are some chances that wrong information in Wikipedia can be corrected by someone if the information includes some mistakes or problems. In addition, much information in Wikipedia usually comes from other trusted sources, such as actually published articles, journals, and believable websites, so these kinds of information are many times quite balanced or almost accurate. Overall, I think that Wikipedia provides a valuable service to the world by providing easily accessible information.

However, although Wikipedia can be a good source to get for a basic or rough idea of some subjects in a short amount of time, we cannot trust everything in Wikipedia like other web sources because the information in Wikipedia is not a truly peer-reviewed resource, such as academic journals. We should be careful not to use Wikipedia for the academic or professional research or presentations. In other words, if somebody prepares a research paper and a presentation with good quality, it is definitely much better to use the library, e-journals, or Encyclopedia Britannica, which is commonly considered accurate, reliable, and well-written, rather than Wikipedia. In fact, many universities or university-level academic institutes, such as Stanford University, do not count Wikipedia as a reference for their student’s school works. Although I am quite inclined to use Wikipedia, I think that Wikipedia is not able to become a replacement at this point for reliable sources such as academic journals or the Encyclopedia Britannica, especially not for academic or professional works.

In conclusion, Wikipedia can be considered as a credible source for simple facts or background information because huge numbers of people work on it and Wikipedia’s credibility has been proven by some research. However, as I mentioned earlier, if we need important information, it will definitely be better to use guaranteed sources, such as academic journals. In addition, it can be a good way to prevent any credibility problem in our works if we have a habit to check against several sources for important information.

Article #4

I would like to share current international investment article.

The article is about Korea's current telecommunication invest and business strategies. This article is quite concise and easy to catch the trend of international telecommunication investement. Please enjoy it.

Here is the location of the article: http://www.wimaxday.net/site/2006/12/01/sk-telecom-announces-125-million-investment-in-wibro/

MEMO #6

Public Announcement: IRS Moves to Prevent Telephone Tax Refund Abuse; Helps Taxpayers Make Accurate Requests

(Based on the advice of the professor, Black, I switched this week's memo topic from international telecom. investment and business strategies to public annoucement)

On February 7^th in 2007, the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) announced that it is starting investigation into prevent abuse by tax preparers and is helping taxpayers make accurate requests for the one-time telephone excise tax refund. In fact, the IRS has started to do special site visits with tax preparers across the nation this month and is planning to visit twenty two different tax prepares who have handled more than 1,500 tax returns.

Since the IRS authorized a one-time refund of the federal excise tax colleted on the long-distance service billed from the beginning of March 2003 to the end of July 2006, the IRS has monitored telephone excise tax refund requests for potential problems. By monitoring the requests, problems with returns from tax preparers who have criminal intent were found. In other words, some tax-return preparers are requesting thousands of dollars of refunds for their clients although their clients have the right to request only a tiny fraction of that amount. According to the IRS, the problems with returns from tax preparers are as follows:

· Some tax-return preparers requested an inappropriate amount the taxpayer’s phone bill instead of just the three-percent long-distance tax.

· Some tax-return preparers requested a refund in the thousands of dollars, suggesting that the taxpayer paid more for telephone service than they received in income.

The IRS is seriously warning tax-return preparers and of course taxpayers. According to the IRS, if tax preparers do not prepare accurate tax returns, civil penalties and criminal sanctions can be imposed. In addition, “taxpayers who request more of a refund than they are entitled to receive will have their refunds held, and they may be subject to an audit.”

Finally, to make for an easy and accurate refund, the IRS prepared several refund policies to respond to various cases. According to the IRS, it has prepared a standard refund amount policy, based on personal exemptions, ranging from $30 to $60, to estimate the reasonable amount for most individual taxpayers. However, “If taxpayers have phone bills and other records, they can request the actual amount of excise tax paid.”

The most correct information on this refund issue can be accessed in the Telephone Excise Tax Refund section on the website of the IRS. (http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=164032,00.html)

Reference:

• Internal Revenue Service. “IRS Moves to Prevent Telephone Tax Refund Abuse; Help Taxpayers Make Accurate Requests” Internet: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=167622,00.html, Feb. 7, 2007 [Feb. 21, 2007]

Article #3 (Funding Issue)

I would like to share the short article (memo) on a related funding issue with the class.

In summary, APCO (Association of Public-Safety communications Officials) initiated a Funding Forum in response to the growing loss of 9-1-1 revenue from traditional surcharge models. APCO encouraged open and free discussion of alternate, sustainable funding models for emergency telecommunications across the country.

Here is the location of the source: http://www.apcointl.com/about/911EI/talkingpoints.pdf

Please enjoy it.

MEMO #5

(Based on the advice of the professor, Black, I switched this week's memo topic from funding issues to international telecom. investment and business strategies.)

Last December in 2006, SK Telecom, one of the leading Korean mobile carriers, announced that it would invest $125.8 million dollars for the expansion of its WiBro service in 2007. WiBro, Wireless Broadband, is a portable internet service, which provides a high data rate wireless internet access by using a 2.3 GHz bandwidth with PSS (Personal Subscriber Station) under the stationary or mobile environment, anytime and anywhere. According to the SK Telecom., the investment will be mainly used for two categories. One is relating to the expansion of its WiBro service from Seoul to 20 other cities in Korea. Another one is for subway stations in Seoul. In fact, the SK Telecom and KT, which is the largest fixed-line and broadband operator in Korea, agreed to deploy the subway base stations in a joint venture in 2006. With its network expansion, SK also plans to expand the services available for WiBro. SK announced last year that 30 new games will be available to its mobile users, and the same games will be available to WiBro subscribers in 2007. In addition, the company also announced that it has made an agreement with Google to develop a search engine for its mobile and WiBro services.

Business Strategies

Currently, SK Telecom is trying to figure out the right business strategies for its WiBro Services. According to SK Telecom, they are focusing on young customers in their teens through their thirties who are active and use the Internet intensively. In addition, the company is targeting customers that depend highly on groupware and portable PCs, such as finance and insurance firms for the business sector.

SK Telecom also plans to improve customer convenience and facilitate the WiBro service by developing new products that combine WiBro with existing relative services, such as CDMA and DMB (a television service with additional audio and data services that can be viewed on DMB cell phones, vehicle DMB, or portable DMB receivers). The company believes that popular combined services can ensure continuity of the WiBro service.

To facilitate the WiBro service and to help the price sensitive users, SK Telecom keeps the price for the service at a moderate level; so many users can enjoy the service by paying some amount of money which depends on a usage based charging system.

SK Telecom’s business strategy can be summarized as leading the new WiBro market by timely investments in complementary services, such as HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) which is a 3G mobile telephony protocol, providing a smooth evolutionary network path for higher data transfer speeds and DMB. In other words, it will redirect some portion of high capacity data service to WiBro while investing in HSDPA as its main product. In addition, because setting a moderate the service rate can be an essential factor in the success of the service, SK Telecom is considering a variety of rate systems to give satisfaction to the subscribers.

Reference:

1. WiMAX Day. “SK Telecom announces $125 million investment in WiBro”

Internet: http://www.wimaxday.net/site/2006/12/01/sk-telecom-announces-125-million-investment-in-wibro/, December 1, 2006 [Feb. 15, 2007]

2. IT Korea Journal. “World’s First ‘WiBro’ Service Launched”

Internet: http://www.rfhic.com/htm/bbs_images/Pre-WIMAX%20service%20introduction%20in%20Korea.pdf, July ~ August, 2006 [Feb. 15, 2007]

3. Wikipedia. “Definition of HSDPA”

Internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSDPA, [Feb. 15, 2007]

MEMO #4

The Korean telecommunication service market can be explained by three distinct stages. It includes industry creation in the 1980s, liberalization of the voice services market throughout the 1990s, and the emergence of data services with the advent of the information society in the new millennium [1].

In this memo, I will focus on 1990's liberalization of Korean telecommunications with a little regarding the industry's creation in the 1980's.

In the 1980's, the telecommunication goals for Korea was to construct a nationwide telecommunications infrastructure and to guarantee universal access to basic telephony service for the general public [2].

The Korea Telecom Authority (now KT) was established in 1981 to ensure that the goals were managed more efficiently. Finally, in 1988 Korea attained their telecommunication goals, thereby ushering the telecommunications industry into the age of "one telephone per household" [3].

The introduction of telecommunications liberalization in the 1990's grew more intense in the latter half of this period. In the 1990's, the markets that were the first to open up to competition were international and long-distance services with the entrance of Dacom (1992, 1996) and Onse (1997, 1999) [4]. Competition was unilateral in the sense that these companies had no other means of direct access to households other than providing services through KT’s network. After the first phase of telecommunications liberalization in Korea, competition moved to the mobile services market. According to the Korean goverment's annual statistics, the leader of the mobile services market has been SK Telecom since 1984, and it has been followed by late comers, such as Shinsegi Telecom in 1996 and three PCS (personal communications service) providers, including Korea Telecom Freetel, LG Telecom, and Hansol M.Com in 1997. As a result of the liberalization of telecommunications in Korea, the mobile facility-based service providers have grown enough to be on equal footing with KT in size, outperforming their number of subscriptions by September 1999 [5]. Finally, in 1988, Korea removed the foreign entry barrier that limited ownership in domestic mobile facility-based service providers, and also opened a door to foreign voice resellers, classified as special service providers in response to Korea's WTO agreement [6].

The WTO (World Trade Organization) strongly affected the liberalization of Korean telecommunications. The foreign entry barrier relating to telecommunications was gradually removed in response to strong pressure in during trade negotiations, such as the USTR (1989), UR (1994) and WTO (1997). In particular, the WTO negotiations on basic telecommunications opened up the Korean telecommunications market [7]. In fact, the WTO negotiation agreement brought major changes in the regulatory structure of Korean telecommunications, including the lifting of foreign entry barriers, correcting market distortion in local service, implementing competitive safeguards such as interconnection and parity in dialing, introducing a consumer-oriented service quality monitoring system and market-driven reshuffling of the industry.

In conclusion, liberalization of telecommunications in Korea was strongly affected by reformation effort of Korean government and WTO negotiation agreement, and it is successful so far. Because of liberalization, there has been an influx of foreign investment and the development of domestic competition leading to much expanded telecommunications services.

Reference

[1] Korea Information Society Development Institute. "Paradigm Shift in the Telecom Industry and Korea's Regulatory Reform" by Nae-Chan Lee.

Internet: http://www.kisdi.re.kr/advertise/pdf/1201-3.PDF, [Feb. 8, 2007]

[2] Korea Information Society Development Institute. "Paradigm Shift in the Telecom Industry and Korea's Regulatory Reform" by Nae-Chan Lee.

Internet: http://www.kisdi.re.kr/advertise/pdf/1201-3.PDF, [Feb. 8, 2007]

[3] Korea Information Society Development Institute. "Paradigm Shift in the Telecom Industry and Korea's Regulatory Reform" by Nae-Chan Lee.

Internet: http://www.kisdi.re.kr/advertise/pdf/1201-3.PDF, [Feb. 8, 2007]

[4] Korea Information Society Development Institute. "Paradigm Shift in the Telecom Industry and Korea's Regulatory Reform" by Nae-Chan Lee.

Internet: http://www.kisdi.re.kr/advertise/pdf/1201-3.PDF, [Feb. 8, 2007]

[5] Korea Information Society Development Institute. "Paradigm Shift in the Telecom Industry and Korea's Regulatory Reform" by Nae-Chan Lee.

Internet: http://www.kisdi.re.kr/advertise/pdf/1201-3.PDF, [Feb. 8, 2007]

[6] Korea Information Society Development Institute. "Paradigm Shift in the Telecom Industry and Korea's Regulatory Reform" by Nae-Chan Lee.

Internet: http://www.kisdi.re.kr/advertise/pdf/1201-3.PDF, [Feb. 8, 2007]

[7] Korea Information Society Development Institute. "Paradigm Shift in the Telecom Industry and Korea's Regulatory Reform" by Nae-Chan Lee.

Internet: http://www.kisdi.re.kr/advertise/pdf/1201-3.PDF, [Feb. 8, 2007]

Article #2

Hello, class.

Here is an interesting article, which is "Local Government: FCC Not Playing Fair".

Although FCC does not an international organization, I think that this organization itself and their policies relating to telecommunication can be definitely important for the students in international telecom. policy or standardization classes. For this reason, I would like to share information of FCC with you.

If you guys have time, check this out!

Article Location: http://www.topix.net/content/ap/3762798474414742816105053963662419660426

MEMO #3

The video game industry has been one of the fastest growing industries of the last few years, and the competition among the video game manufacturers, such as Sony and Microsoft, has increased as much as the video game industry itself. According to market research firm NPD Group, U.S. video game sales of software, hardware and accessories were up 19 percent to $12.5 billion in 2006 from 2005 [1]. The top two video game platforms from the last year were the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 [2].

Sony vs. Microsoft

Last year, Tokyo Microsoft Corp. introduced an external high-definition DVD player for the Xbox 360 video game console to match the Blu-ray disc capability of Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 [3]. The basic Xbox 360 does not come with the capability to play high-definition DVDs, but Microsoft launched their new peripheral which is based on HD DVD standard, which is a rival technology to Blu-ray, in a short period of time. In addition, Microsoft also announced that there will be 110 game titles available for the Xbox 360 in Japan by year's end, addressing a common complaint by video fans who said PlayStation offered more choices [4].

Sony also put some enormous amount of effort to widen the gap with Microsoft in the game console market. For example, even though Sony had to postpone the launch of the PlayStation 3 (initially planned for earlier 2006) twice, it had a built-in HD player when it was launched [5]. The fact that the PlayStation 3 had a high definition DVD capability was one of the most pronounced differentiating factors when compared to the Xbox 360.

The two companies continue to put new and unique features into their game consoles to differentiate their platforms and to ultimately win market share against each other. In addition to HD playing capabilities mentioned above for the PlayStation 3, it also features a browser with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. In addition, Sony has permitted advanced computer and technology users to install additional operating systems such as Linux onto the PlayStation 3 [6]. This is a rather surprising move by Sony since game console manufacturers have been closely guarding their hardware traditionally. On the other hand, the Xbox 360 has a thriving online community and supplies a video download service unlike the PlayStation 3 [7]. The time magazine reports that “both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have talent beyond their ability to give gamers their fix. Where the PS3 has a remarkable aesthetic elegance, the Xbox 360 has a rugged connectedness [8].”

Who will win in the future?

I predict that there is a high probability that Microsoft will come out as the market leader in the video game industry in the future because I think that Microsoft’s response to the market trend is more appropriate than the one by Sony at this point. I believe that the seamless integration of various entertainment experiences such as watching movies, listening to music, and playing video games will become the most important factor for video game customers in the near future, and Microsoft has a lead in this area at the moment. For example, the Xbox 360 is all about the network. Xbox 360 knows about your music collection, and if the Xbox 360 is connected to your home network via Ethernet, you can quickly pull up tracks from PCs around the house [9]. In addition, according to the Time magazine, “you can also stream photos and videos, although not all formats are supported and the photo browsing, while thorough, lacked the sophistication of the PS3 [10].” Furthermore, I believe that Microsoft has the financial strength and software technology know-how relating to networking to ensure their victory over Sony in the future.

Reference

[1] Neowin.net. “Statistic of Video Game Market (2006)”

Internet: http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=37093, Jan. 12, 2007 [Feb. 1, 2007]

[2] TMCnet. “Playstation3 Defeats XBox 360”

Internet: http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/gadgets/playstation3-defeats-xbox-360.asp, [Feb. 1, 2007]

[3] International Herald Tribune. “Microsoft ups Xbox defenses vs. PlayStation and Nintendo with HD-DVD add-on”

Internet: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/20/business/AS_FIN_COM_Japan_Microsoft_Xbox.php, Sep. 20, 2006 [Feb. 1, 2007]

[4] International Herald Tribune. “Microsoft ups Xbox defenses vs. PlayStation and Nintendo with HD-DVD add-on”

Internet: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/20/business/AS_FIN_COM_Japan_Microsoft_Xbox.php, Sep. 20, 2006 [Feb. 1, 2007]

[5] International Herald Tribune. “Microsoft ups Xbox defenses vs. PlayStation and Nintendo with HD-DVD add-on”

Internet: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/20/business/AS_FIN_COM_Japan_Microsoft_Xbox.php, Sep. 20, 2006 [Feb. 1, 2007]

[6] TIME. “Sony PlayStation 3 vs. Microsoft Xbox 360 with HD DVD Player (Difference between Xbox and PS3)”

Internet: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1561414,00.html, Nov. 20, 2006 [Feb. 2, 2007]

[7] TIME. “Sony PlayStation 3 vs. Microsoft Xbox 360 with HD DVD Player (Difference between Xbox and PS3)”

Internet: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1561414,00.html, Nov. 20, 2006 [Feb. 2, 2007]

[8] TIME. “Sony PlayStation 3 vs. Microsoft Xbox 360 with HD DVD Player (Difference between Xbox and PS3)”

Internet: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1561414,00.html, Nov. 20, 2006 [Feb. 2, 2007]

[9] TIME. “Sony PlayStation 3 vs. Microsoft Xbox 360 with HD DVD Player Features of Xbox 360)”

Internet: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1561414,00.html, Nov. 20, 2006 [Feb. 2, 2007]

[10] TIME. “Sony PlayStation 3 vs. Microsoft Xbox 360 with HD DVD Player (Features of Xbox 360)”

Internet: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1561414,00.html, Nov. 20, 2006 [Feb. 2, 2007]

Article #1

(Although the content of this article is not the latest telecommunication issue, I believe that it is a good example which shows how U.S. telecom. view or policy can be different with international one. In addition, this article shows how the effect of the difference on telecommunication issues among nations can be severe. In my opinion, this article is interesting, so I would like to share with the class. Sung Hyung Lee)

INTERNET
World vs. U.S. for Web Control
BY BEN WORTHEN
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Debate during a United Nations conference this month will highlight a growing rift between the United States and the rest of the world over Internet governance that could result in changes to how the World Wide Web can be used.

The purpose of the World Summit on the Information Society, which opens in Tunis Nov. 16, is to generate ideas and strategies for extending the benefits of the Internet and other communications technology to the developing world. But these goals are being overshadowed by an effort among some of the world's most influential governments to transfer management of the Internet infrastructure to an international body. The United States opposes the idea, and if no agreement can be reached there's a possibility that countries could end up creating their own versions of the Internet with their own rules for its use—a move that would disrupt international business.

Currently the Internet is coordinated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), an independent organization that has international representation but is based in the United States and has close ties to the U.S. government. ICANN assigns domain names, manages the Internet's root servers and maps IP addresses to the domains.

A handful of countries, including Brazil, China and South Africa, have argued that de facto control of ICANN by the United States is incompatible with a global network. They maintain, for example, that the current governance structure does not accommodate domain names that use non-Western characters, making the Web less accessible to someone who doesn't know a Western language.

The internationalization proposal seemed to be headed nowhere until September, when the European Union changed its position and decided to support it. "We are looking for a new model which allows Internet governance on the basis of cooperation with all governments and stakeholders because the Internet is a global infrastructure," says Martin Selmayr, spokesman for EU Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding.

American and international business interests agree that it's important to extend the reach of the Internet, but that these needs don't warrant a new bureaucracy. "Bureaucracy would not be consistent with the dynamic nature of the Internet," says Ayesha Hassan, senior policy manager and executive in charge of information and communication technologies for the International Chamber of Commerce.

The United States would have to agree to any change in how the Internet is governed, and that seems unlikely. That leaves advocates of internationalization with little recourse but the threat to build new regional or national Internets that could be incompatible with the current one. If this were to occur, the Internet would no longer be an open global network.
Negotiators planned to meet once more immediately before the summit. But the two sides are so deeply entrenched in their positions that at press time an agreement seemed unlikely, according to Heather Shaw, director for e-commerce and telecommunications policy at the United States Council for International Business.

Source: CIO - http://www.cio.com/archive/111505/tl_internet.html

MEMO #2: History of ITU

On May 17, 1865, International Telegraph Union, which is the mother of current International Telecommunications Union (ITU), was established in Paris by the 20 founding members to facilitate international telegraph interconnection, adopted uniform telegraph operating instructions which would apply to all countries, and laid down common international tariff and accounting rules [1]. The name of the Union was changed to International Telecommunication Union at the 1932 Madrid Conference, and today, the new name reflects the overall scope of the Union’s responsibilities from all forms of wireline and wireless communications [2].
According to ITU, its central role can be defined as the promotion and co-ordination of programmes to accelerate the transfer of appropriate technologies to developing countries and to stimulate co-operation between the public and private sectors to create technologies suited to the needs of developing countries [3].
The overall structure of ITU can be divided into three main sectors including Telecommunication Development (ITU-D), Radiocommunication (ITU-R), and Telecommunication Standardization (ITU-T). Each sectors of the union can be distinguished by their unique activities. The activities of the three sectors are as follows:

· ITU-D: The activities include “the preparation of recommendations, opinions, guidelines, handbooks, manuals and reports, which provide decision-makers in developing countries with best business practices relating to a host of issues ranging from development strategies and policies to network management [4].”

· ITU-R: The activities include reporting of the technical characteristics of communication services and systems with developing of operational procedures. According to ITU, ITU-R also undertakes the important technical studies which serve as a basis for the regulatory decisions made at radiocommunication conference [5].

· ITU-T: The activities include the preparation of the technical specifications for telecommunication systems such as their performance and maintenance. In addition, “the activities cover the tariff principles and accounting methods used to provide international service. [6]”

Structure of ITU

Each sectors of ITU has their own mission. The missions of the three sectors are as follows:

• ITU-D: The mission of ITU-D is to achieve the situation that everyone of the world can communicate each other through access to infrastructure and information and communication services [7].

• ITU-R: The mission of the ITU-R is to ensure rational, equitable, efficient and economical use of the radio-frequency spectrum by all radiocommunication services, and to carry out studies and adopt recommendations on radiocommunication matters [8].

• ITU-T: The mission of the ITU-T is to be the unique worldwide venue for industry and government to work together in developing, adopting, providing and promoting global consensus-based telecommunication recommendations (standards) for the information society [9].

Reference

[1] International Telecommunication Union. “History”
Internet: http://www.itu.int/aboutitu/overview/history.html , Jan. 11, 2007 [Jan. 25, 2007]

[2] International Telecommunication Union. “History”
Internet: http://www.itu.int/aboutitu/overview/history.html , Jan. 11, 2007 [Jan. 25, 2007]

[3] International Telecommunication Union. “Role of ITU”
Internet: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ecdc/role.html , Aug. 28, 2001 [Jan. 25, 2007]

[4] International Telecommunication Union. “Role and Work of the Union- (ITU-D)”
Internet: http://www.itu.int/aboutitu/overview/role-work.html , Nov. 15, 2004 [Jan. 25, 2007]

[5] International Telecommunication Union. “Role and Work of the Union- (ITU-R)”
Internet: http://www.itu.int/aboutitu/overview/role-work.html , Nov. 15, 2004 [Jan. 25, 2007]

[6] International Telecommunication Union. “Role and Work of the Union- (ITU-T)”
Internet: http://www.itu.int/aboutitu/overview/role-work.html , Nov. 15, 2004 [Jan. 25, 2007]

[7] International Telecommunication Union. “The Telecom. Development Sector Mission-(ITU-D)” Internet: http://www.itu.int/aboutitu/strategic_plans/04-07/d_mission.html , Jan. 14, 2004 [Jan. 25, 2007]

[8] International Telecommunication Union. “The Telecom. Development Sector Mission-(ITU-R)” Internet: http://www.itu.int/aboutitu/strategic_plans/04-07/r_mission.html , Jan. 14, 2004 [Jan. 25, 2007]

[9] International Telecommunication Union. “The Telecom. Development Sector Mission-(ITU-T)” Internet: http://www.itu.int/aboutitu/strategic_plans/04-07/t_mission.html , Jan. 14, 2004 [Jan. 25, 2007]