Russia export controls and sanctions

A new gas deflector is being installed at the stern of the Sea Launch Odyssey. The deflector was destroyed in the Jan. 30 explosion (CD Feb 1 p14). The 308-ton replacement part was built by the Design Bureau for Transport Machinery (DBTM) of Moscow, Russia, Sea Launch said.

Consumers get better telecom services for less in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries -- but with investment rising, operators face challenges in deciding how much and how soon to invest in next-generation networks, the group’s “Communications Outlook 2007” study said. In 2005, more than 60 percent of 256 million Internet subscribers in the 30 OECD countries, which cover North America, Japan, Australia and much of Europe, had broadband, an OECD release said. Revenue from broadband is offsetting telecom operators’ falling voice revenue, the study said. “Trends show a distinct shift away from paying for voice to paying for data, which can also be used to transport voice,” OECD said. Operators must decide how much and when to put into fiber optics and other next generation networks rather than continuing to pour money into traditional copper networks. Japanese fiber subscribers can upload and download at 100 Mbps, ten times the OECD average, the study said. The price paid per Mbps in Japan is the lowest in the OECD, it said. A growing trend is buildout of networks by local municipalities that require local network operators to offer competitors access under equal terms, OECD said, adding that when it comes to stimulating deployment no size fits all. Governments, industry and local authorities need to collaborate to find the best way to upgrade telecommunications networks, OECD said in a news release, noting that the more than $1 trillion in voice revenue remains the cash cow in OECD countries. Downward price pressure from VoIP will continue, and mobile services are increasingly important in OECD markets, with revenue having tripled 2005 to 39 percent of total telecom revenue, the release said. Mobile subscribers outnumbered fixed subscribers in OECD countries 3-1, the report said. During 2000-2005, yearly outlays on data and communications technology in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa rose more than 19 percent to $227 billion, compared with a 5.6 rise in world spending on data and communications technology, the release said. Spending in OECD nations rose 4.2 percent.

The U.S. leads the world in information technology (IT) competitiveness but like other top players must guard against losing its edge, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said Wednesday. The EIU is part of the Economist magazine. Its white paper, The Means to Compete: Benchmarking IT Industry Competitiveness, gauged the IT industry environment in 64 nations, ranking countries according to sector performance. The findings are meant as a “road map” for governments, said Business Software Alliance (BSA) President Robert Holleyman, whose organization sponsored the study.

If European govts. fund Galileo’s infrastructure (CD May 17 p6), maybe private companies could run it, Thomas Enders, CEO of the European Aeronautics Defense & Space Co. (EADS) said Thurs. He spoke to reporters after giving a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The EC moved Wed. to take over the troubled satellite navigation system, proposing to finance it with public money due to failure of an industry consortium to coalesce. EADS belongs to the 8-company consortium. Navigation systems in the U.S., Russia and in China have been or will be financed publicly, said Enders. EADS is interested in Galileo but “the funding must be realistic. It must be secure and it must be manageable,” he said.

Swedish telco TeliaSonera said it increased its stake in Estonian telco Eesti Telekom to 58.3%, acquiring 4.6% of outstanding shares for 485 million kronor ($72 million). TeliaSonera is the top telecom provider in the Nordic and Baltic regions and provides mobile service in Eurasia, Spain, Turkey and Russia.

The Russian Federation will launch up to 15 spacecraft by 2015 to create a network of communication and broadcasting satellites, the ITU said. Russia aims to augment 14 units now orbiting for civilian use, ITU said.

Russia could double the number of WCDMA connections in eastern Europe in 5 years, Wireless Intelligence (WI) said Mon. Connections in eastern Europe are expected to pass the 5 million mark by 2008, and Russian incumbents will bid in a coming auction of 3 WCDMA licenses, said WI, a venture of telecom consultant Ovum and the GSM Assn. Russia makes up about 45% of total connections in eastern Europe, said analyst Joss Gillet. If WCDMA rolls out quickly in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other tier-one markets, by 2012 about 100 million users could be connected, he said.

GENEVA -- The Doha round of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks and bilateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are key tools for improving market access in telecom and information technology, but snags face Doha services negotiators trying to achieve market access, officials here said. President Bush’s 2007 Trade Policy and Annual Report details progress on multilateral negotiations in the WTO and bilateral efforts for telecom market opening and liberalization.

GENEVA -- World Radio Conference (WRC) negotiators may consider spectrum allocation for long-range ship tracking, electronic newsgathering, safety at sea and continuing protection of aeronautical radiocommunication services when they meet later this year, officials here said.

GENEVA -- Concern about China’s Jan. 11 antisatellite test was voiced Tues. by countries at the U.N. Conference on Disarmament. They worried about its effect on other nations’ space assets, documents said. China again said it didn’t aim the test at or threaten a particular country, documents said. China also said the U.S. created 41.6% of the more than 10,000 pieces of debris in space.