The Department of Commerce released an agenda for the Monday roundtable that kicks off a larger initiative to identify gaps in cross-border data flows and measure the economic impact of restricting the free flow of data (see 1604220016). The goal is to get input on what additional data and analysis are needed on cross-border data flows, which are increasingly important for international trade and communications between and among individuals and businesses, the agenda said. Alan Davidson, Commerce's digital economy director, and Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, the department's chief economist, will open the event. The open meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Bureau of Labor Statistics Conference Center, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE.
Significant progress has been made in cutting international mobile roaming (IMR) prices since 2012, “either by ensuring effective competition or, in its absence, applying regulation,” said the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in a report. OECD members agreed to recommendations on IMR rates in 2012. Roaming reforms have led to new foreign investment including by AT&T, which is completing the integration of two Mexican mobile network operators (MNOs) into its network, following the acquisition of both, the paper said. “While this reduces the number of MNOs from four to three in Mexico, this will be offset by the plans to introduce a national wholesale wireless network,” OECD said. AT&T’s move led to “roam like at home” plans from smaller rivals Sprint and T-Mobile for subscribers traveling to Mexico or Canada, OECD said. OECD sees more room for improvement. “Despite the reduction in prices, however, roaming prices in many countries are far from competitive,” the group said. “In many regions the perception is that price reductions have been insufficient and this has been reinforced by the fact that domestic mobile (and fixed) telecommunication prices have fallen considerably in competitive markets.” Verena Weber, with the OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Directorate, said in a recent blog post that roaming reform has worked. Weber said that, in the past when people were delayed while traveling abroad, it was too expensive to use a smartphone to check for alternatives online and inform others they had to meet. “While recently travelling in Germany, I found myself in exactly this situation -- in a train that was delayed at a station, but this time with the difference of having a roam-like-at-home plan,” she wrote. “While I was checking online maps to see how I could still make my appointment on time, I was chatting with friends, agreeing on a new meeting place and receiving real-time updates from another friend on the train delays. All of this was included in my normal French mobile plan, without any additional costs.”
Peruvian telco Telefonica del Peru (TdP) chose Gilat's SkyEdge II-c platform to extend cellular and broadband coverage to rural areas, Israeli company Gilat said in a news release Tuesday. It said the contract for satellite-based cellular backhaul and rural broadband applications is part of TdP's mobile license renewal contract with Peru.
The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) said it's “pleased” the G7 information and communications technology ministers agreed over the weekend in G7's "Charter for a Digitally Connected World" to a new global approach to ICT policy that focuses on promoting and protecting free cross-border data flows online. The G7 ministers also agreed to data localization laws and will promote effective cybersecurity and privacy policies. ITI, DigitalEurope and the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Association jointly recommended in February that G7 promote the free flow of data and oppose data localization. “By advancing these principles, G7 governments are well-positioned to shape ICT policy for our global economy and address pressing challenges that governments and industries face,” including “harmful data localization requirements that threaten to split the Internet, undermine innovation, and therefore inhibit the expansion and benefits of digital technologies,” said ITI Global Policy Director-Localization, Trade and Multilateral Affairs Ed Brzytwa in a Tuesday blog post. The G7's decision to promote free data flows “has effectively set the stage” for those issues to factor into larger G20 meetings set to occur in Ise-Shima, Japan, in May, and in Hangzhou, China, in September, Brzytwa said.
The IoT, 5G, security and privacy were among focuses of the 20th meeting of the Global Standards Collaboration (GSC) in New Delhi last month, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions said Tuesday in a news release. The IoT “remains a key topic for standardization and attracts interest from industry, public authorities and end users,” ATIS said. “GSC members reviewed current standardization activities focused on specific applications and use cases, such as smart cities and intelligent manufacturing. They also explored how IoT can help address global challenges such as electricity access in the developing parts of the world.” GSC members also discussed “current and anticipated standardization and research activities in the 5G area,” ATIS said: “They noted the importance of engaging both regulators and businesses in the development of 5G and reiterated the need for continued collaboration among” standards groups.
Facebook will employ three SES satellites -- Astra 2G, Astra 3B and Astra 4A -- and various SES services to provide high-speed broadband connectivity services to sub-Saharan Africa through its Express Wi-Fi program, SES said in a news release Wednesday.
HTC is leading a global accelerator program called Vive X targeted at virtual reality startups, said the company Tuesday. The program is designed to support the VR ecosystem by providing expertise, access to advanced VR technology, financial backing, mentorship and go-to market support, HTC said. Vive X will launch in Beijing, Taipei and San Francisco and roll out to other worldwide hubs in the future, it said. Vive X will pilot next month in Beijing, when selected startups from around Asia are invited to apply for the program. Companies from any industry that are creating content, tools, applications and accessories for the VR ecosystem can apply, it said.
NTIA will host a May 9 roundtable as a first step in a Department of Commerce initiative to map gaps in cross-border data flows and to measure the economic impact of limiting the free flow of data, the department said in a notice to be published in the Federal Register soon. "The goal of this roundtable is to get input from stakeholders on what additional data and analysis on cross-border data flows is necessary." It's "generally accepted" that data usage and flows between countries expand economic opportunity, while restrictions to such flows could harm economies, the notice said. "But there is relatively little supporting data or evidence." NTIA will post a detailed agenda on its website before the meeting, which is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Bureau of Labor Statistics Conference Center, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE.
Intellectual property rights seizures in FY 2015 rose 25 percent to 28,865 from the previous fiscal year, Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement statistics show. Total manufacturer's suggested retail price of the seized goods also rose about 8.3 percent to $1.3 billion, a CBP news release said. Increasingly, seized goods are coming through the express mode of transport, coinciding with a drop in seized cargo. China remains the primary source country for counterfeit and pirated goods, with 52 percent of all IPR seizures by MSRP, down from FY 2014, when it was 63 percent of the total MSRP value of seized goods. China's MSRP value fell to $697 million from $773 million last year. The number of seized goods originating in Hong Kong increased about 52 percent to $472 million, now at 35 percent of the seized goods. Consumer electronics/parts were 10 percent or $132 million of the MSRP of seizures in FY 2015.
Mitel agreed to acquire Polycom in a $1.96 billion deal, they said in a news release Friday. The cash-and-stock acquisition is expected to close in Q3, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals from the DOJ, FTC, Russia and Germany. The combined company will be located at Mitel’s headquarters in Ottawa, Canada, operating as Mitel under CEO Richard McBee but keeping the Polycom brand. The combined company will have a global workforce of about 7,700.