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JANUARY
24-29 Jan, Manila
25-26 Jan, Manila
25 Jan-1 Feb, Kathmandu
28 Jan, Bangkok
FEBRUARY
2-4 Feb, Phnom Penh
2-5 Feb, Chiang Mai
8-12 Feb, Ghaziabad
10-11 Feb, Melbourne
15-26 Feb, Auckland
18-19 Feb, Auckland
21 Feb, Auckland
21-24 Feb, San Diego
26 Feb, Geneva (remote participation will be available)
MARCH
2-3 Mar, Singapore
2-3 Mar, Singapore
5-10 Mar, Marrakech
7-11 Mar, Pattaya
15-16 Mar, Bangkok
INET Kathmandu
17-18 Mar, Kathmandu
21-23 Mar, Bangkok
21-23 Mar, New Delhi
23-24 Mar, Istanbul
29 Mar - 1 Apr, Singapore
30-31 Mar, Singapore
APRIL
7 Apr, Jakarta
11-13 Apr, Jakarta
12-13 Apr, Hong Kong
14-15 Apr, Hong Kong
20-21 Apr, Singapore
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Vol. 1 / JANUARY 2016
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Greetings!
This is a monthly e-newsletter published by the Internet Society's Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau. It has updates on the Bureau's activities and features insights on the transforming Internet landscape in and around the Asia-Pacific region.
If you like our e-newsletter, you can share it by clicking on the social media links above.
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New Year Greetings from the ISOC Asia-Pacific Team!
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The year ahead looks to be as action-packed, if not more, than the year past. The APAC Team had its annual planning meeting in Manila in December, and we already have a series of events and activities underway. Looking at Q1, our first major event for the year will be INET Kathmandu in March. Early last year, Nepal suffered a devastating series of earthquakes that caused much damage and disrupted many lives. INET Kathmandu will bring together local and foreign experts and organisations to discuss the role of ICTs and the Internet in disaster management and relief work. Time and again, the Internet has proved to be a critical tool and the event will discuss some of the lessons learnt, as well as some ideas for the future. The Internet Society was able to provide some support through its local chapter in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquakes, and in December we launched the Nepal component of our Wireless for Communities project that will help several affected villages with connectivity. Throughout Q1 we will be completing the capacity building and training aspects of that deployment - more on that project in a future newsletter. We are also planning a follow-up to our highly successful workshop in Pakistan that looked at special needs access to the Internet, and this is scheduled for end Q1. In order to encourage participation in IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force - where Internet standards are developed), we have launched an IETF extension programme that targets countries in Southeast Asia to disseminate information on, and mentor, active participation. This will run through Q1 and Q2. Many thanks to APRICOT-APAN 2015 Japan Executive Committee for their kind support of the programme. Late this month, we are in Manila for some IXP-related workshops and at PHNOG and APAN meetings. Next month, the team will be at APRICOT and related meetings in New Zealand. We are happy to continue our support of the APRICOT Fellowship Programme, and the large number of fellows from the Pacific Islands this year. We plan to have four Asia Internet Symposiums around the region this year, and further details will be forthcoming. If you don't already, please follow us on Twitter @ISOCapac for news and updates from the region. We will also be releasing our 2015: The Year That Was report towards the end of the month, and we will be having our annual regional webinar on January 27th. On behalf of the Internet Society Asia-Pacific Team, a very Happy New Year to you and yours. We look forward to working with you to ensure the continued success of the Internet and all that it enables! Rajnesh D. SinghRegional Bureau Director for Asia-Pacific
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Guest Article: The Philippines' NTC and the Spectrum Mess
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by Grace Mirandilla-Santos
Recently, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has been put in the spotlight amid calls from PLDT and Globe to reallocate the 700-MHz band held by San Miguel Corporation for more equitable distribution. The 700-MHz band (694-790 MHz) is the second digital dividend for mobile broadband identified by the International Telecommunication Union at the World Radiocommunication Conference last November. This means it was created by migrating the analog terrestrial television platforms which formerly occupied this band to more spectrally-efficient digital platforms. The low-frequency band's wide propagation capabilities allow for lower capital investment to cover a larger area, which can significantly aid the growing smartphone uptake. The need to reallocate spectrum is at hand, but observers point to the risks in applying a confiscatory approach based solely on pressure from other (larger) players. Some telecom stakeholders have lamented that key spectrum bands have mostly been allocated to the large telcos without consideration for the smaller players and new entrants. Others deem it important for NTC to open up more unlicensed frequencies in order to allow small providers to offer internet service. Telcos, meanwhile, argue that spectrum allocation should be based on the number of subscription and scale of use. Different stakeholders value spectrum differently. But one thing is sure: the absence of a spectrum management plan and transparent allocation process are critical issues that affect the quality of mobile. Above are extracts from the full article
Grace is an independent ICT researcher, and Vice President for Policy at the ISOC Philippines Chapter. Extracts from the article are reproduced here with kind permission from telecomasia.net. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the Internet Society.
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Profile Feature: Mohammad Kawsar Uddin, General Secretary of ISOC Bangladesh Dhaka Chapter
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Mohammad Kawsar Uddin has been in the ICT industry since 1999, and is a well-known ICT journalist in Bangladesh. He is an Executive Member of the Bangladesh ICT Journalist Forum, Joint Secretary of the Bangladesh Science Writers and Journalists Forum, and a member of the Bangladesh Computer Society. He has been involved with the ISOC Bangladesh Dhaka chapter since 2011, and, as a chapter leader has been part of numerous activities, events and programmes organised by the chapter. Recently, he attended the IGF 2015 in Brazil and is working to share his experience and learning with local community through his core skill in journalism. Follow Mohammad Kawsar Uddin on Twitter @kawsaru
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Internet Society Bangladesh Dhaka Chapter Organised Events on Computer Science Education Week
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 Computer Science Education Week (CSEWeek) is an annual global programme dedicated to inspiring children to take interest in computer science. The 2015 CSEWeek was held in over 160 countries around the globe from 7 to 13 December. The ISOC Bangladesh Dhaka chapter organised numerous workshops, training sessions and activities related to computer science education for school and college level students in 40 locations across 10 districts in Bangladesh during CSEWeek. Over 900 students participated in an online computer programming competition, and 64 teams of girls competed in the National Girls Programming Contest. An 'Hour of Code' session to help young students in computer programming was held together with various other training sessions. Furthermore, discussions on programming were held in 11 universities. The week helped to raise awareness among students about computer programming, and inspired young girls to showcase their computer programming skills.
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South Asian Regulators Open to Supporting OTT Market
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by Naveed Haq, Chapter Development Manager, ISOC Asia-Pacific Bureau
With the convergence of technologies and services, data consumption is exploding. The global over-the-top (OTT) service delivery market has changed the way people communicate and consume media. These services create more demand for high speed Internet access but are also pushing network operators to work on new business models and arrangements, particularly in developing countries. In recent times, OTT has been a hot issue in South Asian markets, with high consumer demand as well as challenges faced by telecommunication service providers. Some regulators in the region have considered or proposed to establish regulatory frameworks for Internet-based messaging and calling applications like Skype, Whatsapp, and Viber. This has generated a bit of uncertainty in the minds of consumers, with questions being asked on the nature of the regulatory measures and the level of control these would place over OTT services. Deliberations on OTT at the SATRC workshop indicate that regulators are looking forward to facilitating the delivery of OTT services. They are working on establishing partnerships between local network service providers and global OTT giants, and appear keen to facilitate local players and to introduce innovative business models. There were also discussions indicating that regulators were not in favour of blocking or killing available OTT services. However, they were also looking to introduce regulatory frameworks that will invite OTT players for service authorisation, and also want to look at addressing risks related to data privacy and consumer protection...
Read Full Article
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Singapore revealed plans to restructure the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) and the Media Development Authority (MDA) following the launch of the Infocomm Media 2025 plan.
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In a survey of 30,000 people in India, conducted by citizen engagement platform LocalCircles, 81% voted against Free Basics or any such programme, and want an unbiased or neutral Internet.
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