The emergence of the Networked Society means people all around the world are demanding more in terms of ICT infrastructure and internet-enabled services. A new review of 15 countries looks at the different ways governments are using ICT to transform their nations.
Sustainable governance in smart cities and use of supervised learning based o...IJECEIAES
Evaluation is an analytical and organized process to figure out the present positive influences, favourable future prospects, existing shortcomings and ulterior complexities of any plan, program, practice or a policy. Evaluation of policy is an essential and vital process required to measure the performance or progression of the scheme. The main purpose of policy evaluation is to empower various stakeholders and enhance their socio-economic environment. A large number of policies or schemes in different areas are launched by government in view of citizen welfare. Although, the governmental policies intend to better shape up the life quality of people but may also impact their every day’s life. A latest governmental scheme Saubhagya launched by Indian government in 2017 has been selected for evaluation by applying opinion mining techniques. The data set of public opinion associated with this scheme has been captured by Twitter. The primary intent is to offer opinion mining as a smart city technology that harness the user-generated big data and analyse it to offer a sustainable governance model.
PPP for regional development - Lee MIZELL, ConsultantOECD Governance
This presentation was made by Lee MIZELL, consultant, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Senior PPP and Infrastructure Officials held at the OECD, Paris, on 27 March 2018
Prioritisation and selection of public investment projects - James BALLINGALL...OECD Governance
This presentation was made by James BALLINGALL, United Kingdom, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Senior PPP and Infrastructure Officials held at the OECD, Paris, on 27 March 2018
PPP for regional development - Dorothée ALLAIN-DUPRE, OECD SecretariatOECD Governance
This presentation was made by Dorothée ALLAIN-DUPRE, OECD Secretariat, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Senior PPP and Infrastructure Officials held at the OECD, Paris, on 27 March 2018
Sustainable governance in smart cities and use of supervised learning based o...IJECEIAES
Evaluation is an analytical and organized process to figure out the present positive influences, favourable future prospects, existing shortcomings and ulterior complexities of any plan, program, practice or a policy. Evaluation of policy is an essential and vital process required to measure the performance or progression of the scheme. The main purpose of policy evaluation is to empower various stakeholders and enhance their socio-economic environment. A large number of policies or schemes in different areas are launched by government in view of citizen welfare. Although, the governmental policies intend to better shape up the life quality of people but may also impact their every day’s life. A latest governmental scheme Saubhagya launched by Indian government in 2017 has been selected for evaluation by applying opinion mining techniques. The data set of public opinion associated with this scheme has been captured by Twitter. The primary intent is to offer opinion mining as a smart city technology that harness the user-generated big data and analyse it to offer a sustainable governance model.
PPP for regional development - Lee MIZELL, ConsultantOECD Governance
This presentation was made by Lee MIZELL, consultant, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Senior PPP and Infrastructure Officials held at the OECD, Paris, on 27 March 2018
Prioritisation and selection of public investment projects - James BALLINGALL...OECD Governance
This presentation was made by James BALLINGALL, United Kingdom, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Senior PPP and Infrastructure Officials held at the OECD, Paris, on 27 March 2018
PPP for regional development - Dorothée ALLAIN-DUPRE, OECD SecretariatOECD Governance
This presentation was made by Dorothée ALLAIN-DUPRE, OECD Secretariat, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Senior PPP and Infrastructure Officials held at the OECD, Paris, on 27 March 2018
Prioritisation and selection of public investment projects - Seungwook LEE, ...OECD Governance
This presentation was made by Seungwook LEE, Korea, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Senior PPP and Infrastructure Officials held at the OECD, Paris, on 27 March 2018
Prioritisation and selection of public investment projects - Laurence CARTER...OECD Governance
This presentation was made by Laurence CARTER, World Bank, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Senior PPP and Infrastructure Officials held at the OECD, Paris, on 27 March 2018
Towards an effective governance framework for infrastructure - Ronnie Downes,...OECD Governance
This presentation was made by Ronnie Downes, OECD, at the 11th Annual Meeting of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Senior Budget Officials (CESEE SBO) held in Warsaw, Poland, on 21-22 May 2015.
Embedding Gender Budgeting - Tackmeon YI (Korea)OECD Governance
Presentation given at the OECD Gender Budgeting Experts Meeting, Vienna, Austria. 18-19 June 2018
For more information see http://www.oecd.org/gov/budgeting/gender-budgeting-experts-meeting-2018.htm
Position paper presentazione in occasione del workshop “USING OPEN DATA: policy modeling, citizen empowerment, data journalism” che si è tenuto il 19 e 20 giugno 2012 a Bruxelles
How to plan EC-funded projects? find a compilation of a presentation, handouts and additional tips from a workshop for civil society organisations held in Bratislava on 4 June 2013.
How can Cambridge University's Centre of Governance and Human Rights ensure the sustainability of its innovative public opinion analytics platform, that leverages the ubiquity of mobile and radio in Africa to reach the least heard voices?
Renewable Energy in Federal, Provincial and Local LevelAashish Pradhan
Presentation shows potential roles and responsibility of AEPC at all level of government based on the Constitution 2015 and Local Governance Operational Act 2017
Advanced EC seminar on decentralisation and local governance
European Commission EuropeAid
2-5 July 2012, Brussels
The seminar reviewed the country context and the evolving international development framework and considered how to manage the political dimensions of decentralisation. It also looked at using decentralisation as a trigger to foster better development outcomes and governance and what all this means for future EU engagement in decentralisation and local governance. Jean Bossuyt, ECDPM, was the lead facilitator of this meeting. Alisa Herrero, ECDPM, was also one of the experts facilitating this seminar.
Infrastructure development - Holger Van Eden, IMFOECD Governance
This presentation was made by Holger Van Eden, IMF, at the 14th OECD-Asian Senior Budget Officials Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand, on 13-14 December 2018
Climate Informaation and Early Warning Systems Zambia StrategyGreg Benchwick
The Just Click's Kunda Mwila shared this presentation in the recent UNDP Last Mile Conference in Zambia.
Climate information and early warning systems can save lives, improve livelihoods and build resiliency across Africa. In order to seize this opportunity, timely, accurate and actionable weather and climate information must be delivered from data collection and creation sources across the “Last Mile” to uninformed and vulnerable end-users.
In this innovation-driven multi-country workshop, experts on cutting-edge technology, communications, public-private partnerships, meteorology and sustainable development will come together to explore new pathways to move from the collection of data to its application, with the end goal of creating actionable recommendations that UNDP-supported climate-information programmes can leverage to impact lives and build sustainability. For this to happen, national weather information services should not only have access to modern weather observation technologies and forecast information, but they must also be able to communicate and apply the content derived from these systems to those in need.
OECD Digital Government Review of Colombia - Towards a citizen-driven public ...OECD Governance
The aim of the review is to assist the Colombian Government
in its efforts to realise the digital transformation by moving from an e-government to a digital government approach. The latter will enable taking the full benefits of digital technologies to foster a citizen-driven modern administration supporting an era of peace in Colombia. See oe.cd/col-gov
Prioritisation and selection of public investment projects - Seungwook LEE, ...OECD Governance
This presentation was made by Seungwook LEE, Korea, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Senior PPP and Infrastructure Officials held at the OECD, Paris, on 27 March 2018
Prioritisation and selection of public investment projects - Laurence CARTER...OECD Governance
This presentation was made by Laurence CARTER, World Bank, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the OECD Network of Senior PPP and Infrastructure Officials held at the OECD, Paris, on 27 March 2018
Towards an effective governance framework for infrastructure - Ronnie Downes,...OECD Governance
This presentation was made by Ronnie Downes, OECD, at the 11th Annual Meeting of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Senior Budget Officials (CESEE SBO) held in Warsaw, Poland, on 21-22 May 2015.
Embedding Gender Budgeting - Tackmeon YI (Korea)OECD Governance
Presentation given at the OECD Gender Budgeting Experts Meeting, Vienna, Austria. 18-19 June 2018
For more information see http://www.oecd.org/gov/budgeting/gender-budgeting-experts-meeting-2018.htm
Position paper presentazione in occasione del workshop “USING OPEN DATA: policy modeling, citizen empowerment, data journalism” che si è tenuto il 19 e 20 giugno 2012 a Bruxelles
How to plan EC-funded projects? find a compilation of a presentation, handouts and additional tips from a workshop for civil society organisations held in Bratislava on 4 June 2013.
How can Cambridge University's Centre of Governance and Human Rights ensure the sustainability of its innovative public opinion analytics platform, that leverages the ubiquity of mobile and radio in Africa to reach the least heard voices?
Renewable Energy in Federal, Provincial and Local LevelAashish Pradhan
Presentation shows potential roles and responsibility of AEPC at all level of government based on the Constitution 2015 and Local Governance Operational Act 2017
Advanced EC seminar on decentralisation and local governance
European Commission EuropeAid
2-5 July 2012, Brussels
The seminar reviewed the country context and the evolving international development framework and considered how to manage the political dimensions of decentralisation. It also looked at using decentralisation as a trigger to foster better development outcomes and governance and what all this means for future EU engagement in decentralisation and local governance. Jean Bossuyt, ECDPM, was the lead facilitator of this meeting. Alisa Herrero, ECDPM, was also one of the experts facilitating this seminar.
Infrastructure development - Holger Van Eden, IMFOECD Governance
This presentation was made by Holger Van Eden, IMF, at the 14th OECD-Asian Senior Budget Officials Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand, on 13-14 December 2018
Climate Informaation and Early Warning Systems Zambia StrategyGreg Benchwick
The Just Click's Kunda Mwila shared this presentation in the recent UNDP Last Mile Conference in Zambia.
Climate information and early warning systems can save lives, improve livelihoods and build resiliency across Africa. In order to seize this opportunity, timely, accurate and actionable weather and climate information must be delivered from data collection and creation sources across the “Last Mile” to uninformed and vulnerable end-users.
In this innovation-driven multi-country workshop, experts on cutting-edge technology, communications, public-private partnerships, meteorology and sustainable development will come together to explore new pathways to move from the collection of data to its application, with the end goal of creating actionable recommendations that UNDP-supported climate-information programmes can leverage to impact lives and build sustainability. For this to happen, national weather information services should not only have access to modern weather observation technologies and forecast information, but they must also be able to communicate and apply the content derived from these systems to those in need.
OECD Digital Government Review of Colombia - Towards a citizen-driven public ...OECD Governance
The aim of the review is to assist the Colombian Government
in its efforts to realise the digital transformation by moving from an e-government to a digital government approach. The latter will enable taking the full benefits of digital technologies to foster a citizen-driven modern administration supporting an era of peace in Colombia. See oe.cd/col-gov
PMI India encourages professionalism in project management by conducting a Paper presentation competition every year in its National Conference. The 2016 National Conference held as Mumbai had five themes and this paper on Emerging Trends in Project Management was declared the WInner.
Case Study: UNICEF Global Integrated Media Monitoring Programme Lessons learn...Arturo Romboli
In August 2015, UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake, approved a new Global Communication and Public Advocacy Strategy for the entire organization. The strategy, which aims to 1) to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, 2) to support shifts in public policy, 3) fuel social engagement and to increase private and public resources for children, has the following specific objectives:
- Voice: be the leading voice for and with children
- Reach: 1 billion people around the world
- Engage: at least 50 million people acting regularly in support of children
The Strategic Planning and Communication Support unit in the Division of Communications (DOC), working in close collaboration with the Private Fundraising Partnership division (PFP), Regional and Country Offices developed a comprehensive Monitoring & Evaluation framework and set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in support of the strategy implementation. This brief case study looks at the main lessons learned during the first year of implementation.
Monitoring & Evaluation of National Adaptation: Key challenges and emerging s...NAP Global Network
Presented by Julie Dekens, IISD/NAP Global Network, in September 2020 at the Virtual Learning Event on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) for National Adaptation in Pacific Small Island Developing States organized by organized by the NAP Global Network in collaboration with the Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP)
This draft paper outlines key issues and provides insights on implementing cross agency initiatives.
Delegates are invited to comment on the draft paper and reflect on the concluding questions for
discussion.
Similar to Benchmaking 15 National Broadband Plans (20)
Ericsson Technology Review: Versatile Video Coding explained – the future of ...Ericsson
Continuous innovation in 5G networks is creating new opportunities for video-enabled services for both consumers and industries, particularly in areas such as the Internet of Things and the automotive sector. These new services are expected to rely on continued video evolution toward 8K resolutions and beyond, and on new strict requirements such as low end-to-end latency for video delivery.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explores recent developments in video compression technology and introduces Versatile Video Coding (VVC) – a significant improvement on existing video codecs that we think deserves to be widely deployed in the market. VVC has the potential both to enhance the user experience for existing video services and offer an appropriate performance level for new media services over 5G networks.
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL REALITIES
The key role that connectivity plays in our personal and professional lives has never been more obvious than it is today. Thankfully, despite the sudden, dramatic changes in our behavior earlier this year, networks all around the world have proven to be highly resilient. At Ericsson, we’re committed to ensuring that the network platform continues to improve its ability to meet the full range of societal needs as well as supporting enterprises to stay competitive in the long term. We know that greater agility and speed will be essential.
This issue of our magazine includes several articles that explain Ericsson’s approach to future network development, including my annual technology trends article. The seven trends on this year’s list serve as a critical cornerstone in the development of a common Ericsson vision of what future networks will provide, and what sort of technology evolution will be required to get there.
ERIK EKUDDEN
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Group Function Technology
Ericsson Technology Review: Integrated access and backhaul – a new type of wi...Ericsson
Today millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum is valued mainly because it can be used to achieve high speeds and capacities when combined with spectrum assets below 6GHz. But it can provide other benefits as well. For example, mmWave spectrum makes it possible to use a promising new wireless backhaul solution for 5G New Radio – integrated access and backhaul (IAB) – to densify networks with multi-band radio sites at street level.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the IAB concept at a high level, presenting its architecture and key characteristics, as well as examining its advantages and disadvantages compared with other backhaul technologies. It concludes with a presentation of the promising results of several simulations that tested IAB as a backhaul option for street sites in both urban and suburban areas.
Ericsson Technology Review: Critical IoT connectivity: Ideal for time-critica...Ericsson
Critical Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity is an emerging concept in IoT development that enables more efficient and innovative services across a wide range of industries by reliably meeting time-critical communication needs. Mobile network operators (MNOs) are in the perfect position to enable these types of time-critical services due to their ability to leverage advanced 5G networks in a systematic and cost-effective way.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the benefits of Critical IoT connectivity in areas such as industrial control, mobility automation, remote control and real-time media. It also provides an overview of key network technologies and architectures. It concludes with several case studies based on two deployment scenarios – wide area and local area – that illustrate how well suited 5G spectrum assets are for Critical IoT use cases.
5G New Radio has already evolved in important ways since the 3GPP standardized Release 15 in late 2018. The significant enhancements in Releases 16 and 17 are certain to play a critical role in expanding both the availability and the applicability of 5G NR in both industry and public services in the near future.
This Ericsson Technology Review article summarizes the most notable new developments in releases 16 and 17, grouped into two categories: enhancements to existing features and features that address new verticals and deployment scenarios. This analysis and our insights about the future beyond Release 17 is an important component of our work to help mobile network operators and other stakeholders better understand and plan for the many new 5G NR opportunities that are on the horizon.
Ericsson Technology Review: The future of cloud computing: Highly distributed...Ericsson
The growing interest in cloud computing scenarios that incorporate both distributed computing capabilities and heterogeneous hardware presents a significant opportunity for network operators. With a vast distributed system (the telco network) already in place, the telecom industry has a significant advantage in the transition toward distributed cloud computing.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the future of cloud computing from the perspective of network operators, examining how they can best manage the complexity of future cloud deployments and overcome the technical challenges. Redefining cloud to expose and optimize the use of heterogeneous resources is not straightforward, but we are confident that our use cases and proof points validate our approach and will gain traction both in the telecommunications community and beyond.
Ericsson Technology Review: Optimizing UICC modules for IoT applicationsEricsson
Commonly referred to as SIM cards, the universal integrated circuit cards (UICCs) used in all cellular devices today are in fact complex and powerful minicomputers capable of much more than most Internet of Things (IoT) applications require. Until a simpler and less costly alternative becomes available, action must be taken to ensure that the relatively high price of UICC modules does not hamper IoT growth.
This Ericsson Technology Review article presents two mid-term approaches. The first is to make use of techniques that reduce the complexity of using UICCs in IoT applications, while the second is to use the UICCs’ excess capacity for additional value generation. Those who wish to exploit the potential of the UICCs to better support IoT applications have the opportunity to use them as cryptographic storage, to run higher-layer protocol stacks and/or as supervisory entities, for example.
Mobile data traffic volumes are expected to increase by a factor of four by 2025, and 45 percent of that traffic will be carried by 5G networks. To deliver on customer expectations in this rapidly changing environment, communication service providers must overcome challenges in three key areas: building sufficient capacity, resolving operational inefficiencies through automation and artificial intelligence, and improving service differentiation. This issue of ETR magazine provides insights about how to tackle all three.
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G BSS: Evolving BSS to fit the 5G economyEricsson
The 5G network evolution has opened up an abundance of new business opportunities for communication service providers (CSPs) in verticals such as industrial automation, security, health care and automotive. In order to successfully capitalize on them, CSPs must have business support systems (BSS) that are evolved to manage complex value chains and support new business models. Optimized information models and a high degree of automation are required to handle huge numbers of devices through open interfaces.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains how 5G-evolved BSS can help CSPs transform themselves from traditional network developers to service enablers for 5G and the Internet of Things, and ultimately to service creators with the ability to collaborate beyond telecoms and establish lucrative digital value systems.
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G migration strategy from EPS to 5G systemEricsson
For many operators, the introduction of the 5G System (5GS) to provide wide-area services in existing Evolved Packet System (EPS) deployments is a necessary step toward creating a full-service, future-proof 5GS in the longer term. The creation of a combined 4G-5G network requires careful planning and a holistic strategy, as the introduction of 5GS has significant impacts across all network domains, including the RAN, packet core, user data and policies, and services, as well as affecting devices and backend systems.
This Ericsson Technology Review article provides an overview of all the aspects that operators need to consider when putting together a robust EPS-to-5GS migration strategy and provides guidance about how they can adapt the transition to address their particular needs per domain.
Ericsson Technology Review: Creating the next-generation edge-cloud ecosystemEricsson
The surge in data volume that will come from the massive number of devices enabled by 5G has made edge computing more important than ever before. Beyond its abilities to reduce network traffic and improve user experience, edge computing will also play a critical role in enabling use cases for ultra-reliable low-latency communication in industrial manufacturing and a variety of other sectors.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explores the topic of how to deliver distributed edge computing solutions that can host different kinds of platforms and applications and provide a high level of flexibility for application developers. Rather than building a new application ecosystem and platform, we strongly recommend reusing industrialized and proven capabilities, utilizing the momentum created with Cloud Native Computing Foundation, and ensuring backward compatibility.
The rise of the innovation platform
Society and industry are transforming at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, the network platform is emerging as an innovation platform with the potential to offer all the connectivity, processing, storage and security needed by current and future applications. In my 2019 trends article, featured in this issue of Ericsson Technology Review, I share my view of the future network platform in relation to six key technology trends.
This issue of the magazine also addresses critical topics such as trust enablement, the extension of computing resources all the way to the edge of the mobile network, the growing impact of the cloud in the telco domain, overcoming latency and battery consumption challenges, and the need for end-to-end connectivity. I hope it provides you with valuable insights about how to overcome the challenges ahead and take full advantage of new opportunities.
Ericsson Technology Review: Spotlight on the Internet of ThingsEricsson
The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a fundamental cornerstone in the digitalization of both industry and society as a whole. It represents a huge opportunity not only in economic terms, but also from a global challenges perspective – making it easier for governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to address pressing food, energy, water and climate related issues.
5G and the IoT are closely intertwined. One of the biggest innovations within 5G is support for the IoT in all its forms, both by addressing mission criticality as well as making it possible to connect low-cost, long-battery-life sensors.
With this in mind, we decided to create a special issue of Ericsson Technology Review solely focused on IoT opportunities and challenges. I hope it provides you with valuable insights about the IoT-related opportunities available to your organization, along with ideas about how we can overcome the challenges ahead.
Ericsson Technology Review: Driving transformation in the automotive and road...Ericsson
A variety of automotive and transport services that require cellular connectivity are already in commercial operation today, and many more are yet to come. Among other things, these services will improve road safety and traffic efficiency, saving lives and helping to reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change. At Ericsson, we believe that the best way to address the growing connectivity needs of this industry sector is through a common network solution, as opposed to taking a single-segment silo approach.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explains how the ongoing rollout of 5G provides a cost-efficient and feature-rich foundation for a horizontal multiservice network that can meet the connectivity needs of the automotive and transport ecosystem. It also outlines the key challenges and presents potential solutions.
This presentation explains the importance of SD-WAN technology as part of the Enterprise digital transformation strategy. It goes over the first wave of SD-WAN in a single vendor deployment, with Do-it-yourself (DIY) as the preferred model. Then continues with the importance of orchestration in the second wave of SD-WAN deployments in a multi-vendor ecosystem, turning to SD-WAN Managed Services as the preferred model. It ends up with some examples of use cases and the Verizon customer case. More information on Ericsson Dynamic orchestration - http://m.eric.sn/6rsZ30psKLu
Ericsson Technology Review: 5G-TSN integration meets networking requirements ...Ericsson
Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is becoming the standard Ethernet-based technology for converged networks of Industry 4.0. Understanding the importance and relevance of TSN features, as well as the capabilities that allow 5G to achieve wireless deterministic and time-sensitive communication, is essential to industrial automation in the future.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explains how TSN is an enabler of Industry 4.0, and that together with 5G URLLC capabilities, the two key technologies can be combined and integrated to provide deterministic connectivity end to end. It also discusses TSN standards and the value of the TSN toolbox for next generation industrial automation networks.
Ericsson Technology Review: Meeting 5G latency requirements with inactive stateEricsson
Low latency communication and minimal battery consumption are key requirements of many 5G and IoT use cases, including smart transport and critical control of remote devices. Thanks to Ericsson’s 4G/5G research activities and lessons learned from legacy networks, we have identified solutions that address both of these requirements by reducing the amount of signaling required during state transitions, and shared our discoveries with the 3GPP.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the why and how behind the new Radio Resource Control (RRC) state model in the standalone version of the 5G New Radio standard, which features a new, Ericsson-developed state called inactive. On top of overcoming latency and battery consumption challenges, the new state also increases overall system capacity by decreasing the processing effort in the network.
Ericsson Technology Review: Cloud-native application design in the telecom do...Ericsson
Cloud-native application design is set to become standard practice in the telecom industry in the near future due to the major efficiency gains it can provide, particularly in terms of speeding up software upgrades and releases. At Ericsson, we have been actively exploring the potential of cloud-native computing in the telecom industry since we joined the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) a few years ago.
This Ericsson Technology Review article explains the opportunities that CNCF technology has enabled, as well as unveiling key aspects of our application development framework, which is designed to help navigate the transition to a cloud-native approach. It also discusses the challenges that the large-scale reuse of open-source technology can raise, along with key strategies for how to mitigate them.
Ericsson Technology Review: Service exposure: a critical capability in a 5G w...Ericsson
To meet the requirements of use cases in areas such as the Internet of Things, AR/VR, Industry 4.0 and the automotive sector, operators need to be able to provide computing resources across the whole telco domain – all the way to the edge of the mobile network. Service exposure and APIs will play a key role in creating solutions that are both effective and cost efficient.
The latest Ericsson Technology Review article explores recent advances in the service exposure area that have resulted from the move toward 5G and the adoption of cloud-native principles, as well as the combination of Service-based Architecture, microservices and container technologies. It includes examples that illustrate how service exposure can be deployed in a multitude of locations, each with a different set of requirements that drive modularity and configurability needs.
Search and Society: Reimagining Information Access for Radical FuturesBhaskar Mitra
The field of Information retrieval (IR) is currently undergoing a transformative shift, at least partly due to the emerging applications of generative AI to information access. In this talk, we will deliberate on the sociotechnical implications of generative AI for information access. We will argue that there is both a critical necessity and an exciting opportunity for the IR community to re-center our research agendas on societal needs while dismantling the artificial separation between the work on fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics in IR and the rest of IR research. Instead of adopting a reactionary strategy of trying to mitigate potential social harms from emerging technologies, the community should aim to proactively set the research agenda for the kinds of systems we should build inspired by diverse explicitly stated sociotechnical imaginaries. The sociotechnical imaginaries that underpin the design and development of information access technologies needs to be explicitly articulated, and we need to develop theories of change in context of these diverse perspectives. Our guiding future imaginaries must be informed by other academic fields, such as democratic theory and critical theory, and should be co-developed with social science scholars, legal scholars, civil rights and social justice activists, and artists, among others.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
Let's dive deeper into the world of ODC! Ricardo Alves (OutSystems) will join us to tell all about the new Data Fabric. After that, Sezen de Bruijn (OutSystems) will get into the details on how to best design a sturdy architecture within ODC.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
PHP Frameworks: I want to break free (IPC Berlin 2024)Ralf Eggert
In this presentation, we examine the challenges and limitations of relying too heavily on PHP frameworks in web development. We discuss the history of PHP and its frameworks to understand how this dependence has evolved. The focus will be on providing concrete tips and strategies to reduce reliance on these frameworks, based on real-world examples and practical considerations. The goal is to equip developers with the skills and knowledge to create more flexible and future-proof web applications. We'll explore the importance of maintaining autonomy in a rapidly changing tech landscape and how to make informed decisions in PHP development.
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Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
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5. introduction
1. Transforming Government and Building the Information Society: Challenges
and Opportunities for the Developing World – Innovation, Technology, and
Knowledge Management, Springer, 2010
benchmarking 15 national broadband plans 5
This study examines national policies and practices in
respect of broadband development across 15 countries
worldwide. The aim of the study was to compare best
practice and knowledge across countries’ national
broadband plans (NBPs), with particular regard to:
• The formulation of supply side and demand side
policies within NBPs – the ambitions that have been
expressed for private and public sectors, and how
narrowly or broadly these aims have been set out.
• The level of detail and quality of the NBBP goals
in terms of specific targets, regular performance
monitoring and specific KPIs.
• The measures that have been specifically put in place
to ensure successful implementation of the NBPs,
including the resources made available and specific
organizational infrastructures.
Coverage
The research covers 15 countries across five global
regions, examining both large and small countries, and
countries with a range of economies and at different
levels of broadband development.
Sources
The main source documents examined by Cullen
International are listed in the appendix to this report.
A range of other publications and statements, and
Cullen International’s own regulatory database were
reviewed, as well as the use of telephone and face-to-face
interviews to supplement and confirm information
obtained in the research.
Cullen International used an analytical approach
developed by Nagy K. Hanna1 and adopted by Ericsson
that relates the wider national reform strategy with the
government’s reform approach to ICT and the degree of
fit between these two (see Figure 1).
Using this approach, we examined:
• how broadly a country defines its ICT agenda in NBBP
and other related ICT plans
• the level of fit and integration between ICT reform
agendas and public reform policies concerning
sector reforms.
REGION COUNTRIES COVERED
Europe Croatia, Finland, France,
Sweden, UK
Latin America Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
Costa Rica
Middle East Qatar
Asia Pacific Australia, Malaysia,
Singapore, South Korea
Africa South Africa
Figure 1. Approach to ICT and public reform policy strategy
Table 1. Coverage of surveyed countries
6. scope of plans
The initial assessment of countries’ NBPs was to
review the scope of their plans in three dimensions:
• Reach: how ambitious the plans are in relation to
the current national situation (stretch targets or safe
targets)
• Breadth: how wide-reaching the plans are; the aspects
of broadband and ICT that they cover; the number of
sectors of the economy that are included
• Depth: how specific and detailed the plans and the
related implementation measures are, and if the goals
stand a realistic chance of being achieved.
Findings
Applying the analytical model to the dimensions
examined for the scope of the NBPs reveals that:
• A more ambitious plan can deliver more – a stretch
target can be inspirational (even if achievement falls
short of the goal, the change could still be significantly
positive).
• Ambition concerns breadth as well as reach – the
wider the scope of a plan, the more likely it is to have
an impact on a country’s overall economy and society.
• None of the above matters (however ambitious) if the
targets are not clearly defined, with robust plans and
good organization to ensure their implementation,
monitoring and success.
An additional consideration is how the scope of the
plans correlates to the different stages of broadband/
ICT development that each country undergoes. This is
not always a straightforward linear progression, but the
pattern of development is clearly visible.
The development stages can be characterized as:
• Deployment: building the physical ICT infrastructure
that will form the basis of the new broadband/ICT
economy and society.
6 benchmarking 15 national broadband plans
• Adoption: connecting and equipping consumers,
companies and other organizations with the capability
such as relevant ICT human capital skills to take
advantage of the benefits offered by the ICT network.
• Integration: transforming the way the economy and
society operate to create an integrated new digital
model, providing greater opportunities for commerce,
private interactions and public sector performance.
Figure 2. Scoping NBP for maximum impact.
All of the countries’ NBPs contain goals in each of the
three areas – infrastructure (supply-side), adoption and
integration (demand side impact). However, this does
not mean that all plans are equally ambitious in terms
of reach, breadth and depth. In particular, the degree
of focus on integration varies considerably within the
different plans.
For example, we can compare the types of goals set
in the NBPs for South Africa, France and Finland.
For South Africa, the goals are largely focused on
the country’s supply-side aims to provide broadband
coverage nationwide. As a result, even sector-specific
goals are really targeted to supply-side solutions,
7. benchmarking 15 national broadband plans 7
such as the provision of broadband access in schools,
hospitals and government offices. For France, which
already has high levels of broadband connectivity, the
plan contains targets to ensure that broadband is rolled
out to rural areas. However, there is also a range of
demand-side goals to ensure the availability and take-up
of ICT tools across a number of different sectors. In
Finland, which has made significant progress in terms
of ICT development, the plan is almost totally focused
on demand-side initiatives to embed technology more
deeply into society and the economy. These initiatives
include service productivity, tools to ensure the elderly
can also benefit from ICT, and the provision of support
systems to ensure that using ICT is made as easy as
possible for everyone.
We have observed that in some countries, local factors
can lead to targets being set to address specific
questions. For example, in Qatar, which has a high
population of migrant workers, the NBP contains
targets for the provision of e-government services via
mobile phones, so that these are more easily accessible
for migrant workers. Local factors can also influence
which areas are excluded from NBPs. In Singapore,
for example, there are no e-government targets because
this sector has already been extensively developed in
the country’s previous digital plans. In the UK, there are
no central national targets in the health sector, at least
in part because the health sector is a devolved regional
responsibility.
Conclusions
Countries at different stages of ICT development tend
to have different priorities and scope for their NBPs.
Countries in a relatively early stage of ICT development
tend to focus on infrastructure availability and measures
to encourage adoption and internet take-up. On the
other hand, countries in a relatively more advanced
stage of ICT development are more likely to have a
greater focus on demand-side initiatives and qualitative
issues, such as security and privacy.
Local contextual factors can also be highly influential
in the scope of NBPs. For example, countries that
have already achieved significant ICT integration
in key sectors (sometimes as a result of previous
NBPs) do not necessarily need to continue to focus
on these sectors. In other cases, the governmental
or organizational framework of a country can lead to
broadband initiatives being structured as local or sector
plans rather than as an overarching national plan.
While, at face value, all NBPs seem to cover all levels
of ICT targets (deployment, adoption and integration),
in practice, the scope of the plans varies considerably,
particularly in the breadth and depth of demand-side
targets and implementation.
8. In this section, we discuss the approach taken to setting
targets within NBPs, and how this can affect the
focus of the plans and ultimately their implementation.
We will then look more closely at the different types of
targets, the sectors in which targets have been set in the
national plans in this report, and examine the details of
the targets themselves.
Findings
Many countries appear to have embraced the accepted
principles for setting targets, which, broadly speaking,
can be encapsulated in the SMART criteria. In other
words, the targets should be:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound.
This is a logical and defensible approach. It makes
sense that poorly defined, unclear, overambitious and
unmeasurable targets are unlikely to lead to great
success. However, the SMART approach also has
limitations, and these are also important to consider.
An excessive focus on metrics, particularly in terms
of a country’s relative performance in international
“league tables,” can create a blind spot for softer, more
qualitative aspects of ICT development. Taking a large
number of actions and “ticking broadband boxes” may
not be enough to progress toward the optimum level
of social and economic transformation. The softer,
qualitative aspects are often crucial in the realization of
a deep-seated integration of ICT into society and into
the economy of a country.
The more preferable approach may be for an NBP
to contain a combination of hard and soft targets,
to mix the specific and measurable aspects with
more visionary and qualitative goals. A country
adopting this combined approach may sacrifice the
8 benchmarking 15 national broadband plans
achievement of being ranked highest in international
league tables but may be happy to forgo this for
better overall progress toward a fully ICT-integrated
society and economy.
Different types of targets
Targets can be categorized as:
• Overall targets, setting a high-level goal for a country’s
broadband progress.
• Supply-side targets, focusing on the provision of
broadband infrastructure and the take-up of internet
use among the population.
• Demand-side targets, which aim to encourage the
wider use of ICT and driver a deeper change among
specific social and economic sectors in a country.
Overall targets
Not all countries set overall targets but, for those that
do, the targets are (as we might expect) broad in their
aims and often driven by political goals. Measurable and
non-measurable targets are set at the overall level for
the countries covered in this report.
The implementation structure for overall targets is
generally light or even non-existent. By definition,
such targets set an overall goal for the plan (at best)
or seemingly exist to grab political headlines. The
exception is for those countries where the overall targets
form the top of the pyramid of a “master plan,” where
the whole organization of the NBP is clearly designed
to deliver the overall targets.
In Singapore, the overall goal of the current version (the
sixth) of its “Intelligent Nation” master plan is to make
the country No. 1 in the world in harnessing ICT to add
value to society and the economy. Underlying this high-level
aim are some specific overall targets, including
doubling the size of the added value of the Singaporean
ICT industry to SGD 26 billion (USD 20 billion), to create
80,000 additional jobs and to have 100 percent PC
ownership in homes with school-age children.
targets
9. benchmarking 15 national broadband plans 9
Supply-side targets
Supply-side targets typically aim to ensure the physical
network infrastructure is in place to deliver high-quality
broadband access to the whole country or large parts
of it. These kinds of targets are normally highly specific
and measurable.
The measures cover:
• The coverage of broadband networks – often with
a particular focus on hard targets to reach rural and
remote areas.
• The backbone network required – to support and feed
the access network.
• Technical criteria – especially for the minimum
download and upload speeds that the network should
be capable of delivering.
• The technology that should be deployed – particularly
whether mobile and satellite technologies form part of
the mix of access technologies.
• Enablers – to help facilitate the rollout of broadband
networks, in particular measures to ensure speedy
planning permission.
In most countries, governments set the targets but then
rely mainly on private-sector investment to deliver the
infrastructure. The governments’ role in such cases is
largely to facilitate rollout through enabling measures
and often to provide public funding for broadband
coverage only in non-commercially viable areas.
In a few countries, governments play a more direct role
in the issue of network infrastructure, by defining the
requirements of a new national broadband network and
taking a major role in the delivery of the network through
direct public funding, ownership or a private finance
initiative.
In Australia and Qatar, governments have decided they
need to directly control the provision of the broadband
network through the funding and rollout of a national
(largely) fiber infrastructure. However, in Qatar’s case
the government was in the process of selling its national
broadband company to a private operator while this
report was being produced. In most other countries,
provision of the network infrastructure is left to private
network operators but is subject to government targets,
including minimum standards in terms of coverage and
performance (particularly download speeds). There is
a mixed approach across the countries regarding how
the plans aim to achieve these targets – sometimes the
targets are almost purely aspirational but more often
the government plays a role, in particular by funding
network rollout in rural and hard-to-reach areas. In
a few countries, such as Finland, achieving network
infrastructure targets is supported through regulation,
where the supply-side targets are set out in the
universal service obligations.
Internet adoption
The issue of internet adoption is closely related to
that of network infrastructure, and is also commonly
dealt with in NBPs, including in most of the countries
covered in this report.
In several countries, special targets have been set that
cover a range of areas regarding internet adoption.
These targets include:
Figure 3. Broadband infrastructure targets.
10. • free access to the internet in specified public areas via
Wi-Fi
• internet access included within the universal service
obligation
• special measures to ensure the elderly have internet
access
• fiscal incentives to reduce the cost of devices and
internet access
• special measures to ensure that internet access is
available in rural areas.
Demand-side targets
Demand-side targets have been set in a range of
sectors in the countries covered in this report. Some
sectors are particularly prominent across most
countries’ NBPs. In particular, these are targets set for:
• e-government
• education
• health.
In both this section and the following section on
implementation of the plans, we focus on these three
sectors, taking a closer look at examples from selected
countries’ plans for each of these demand-side
sectors.
10 benchmarking 15 national broadband plans
E-government
In general, we class e-government targets as those
that aim to increase the use of ICT within government
departments, in particular where this has an impact on
the type of interaction between a government and its
citizens. Examples of types of targets include:
• making more government information available online
• connecting the offices of government departments
with broadband links both for improved internal (intra)
and external (inter) communications
• migrating government communications with citizens
from physical letters to e-mails
• enabling citizen interactions with governments to be
performed online
• providing citizens with secure online government
identification to facilitate online government
transactions.
In many countries, such as South Korea, targets
for e-government are specifically set out, including
the provision of particular systems such as an
e-procurement service for dealing with online tax
returns. This is a common approach. In other countries,
such as the UK, the targets are expressed in more
general terms in the NBP, to make government “digital
by default.” Each government department is then
required to develop its own plan with specific goals that
it will try to reach.
Education
Educational targets are those that aim to increase
the availability of ICT tools within educational
establishments and to ensure that ICT skills are taught
systematically. Examples of types of targets include:
• ensuring that schools and other educational
establishments are provided with high-speed
broadband connectivity
• providing (or subsidizing) IT equipment for schools
and students
• providing skills and technical training to students
Figure 4. Demand-side targets
13. Countries tend to adopt targets in
their NBPs that are specific and
follow the SMART principles
benchmarking 15 national broadband plans 13
to enable them to use ICT and to work in digital
industries
• establishing and provisioning online courses; in other
words, using ICT as a tool in the educational process.
Educational goals are common across the countries
covered in this report. In Costa Rica, for example, there
is a strong focus on connectivity, reflecting the general
approach of that country’s NBP. Broadband access at
given speeds is to be provided to schools and to higher
education facilities by specific dates. Other countries,
such as Australia and Malaysia, go significantly further,
extending their plans’ targets to cover the educational
approach (delivering courses through ICT tools and
e-learning), the curriculum (making ICT a compulsory
element), and providing equipment and training for
teachers and students.
Health
Health targets aim to increase the efficiency and expand the
reach of health care. Examples of types of targets include:
• connecting hospitals and clinics with broadband links,
mainly for improved internal (intra) communications
• digitizing health records to enable quick and easy
access for health professionals
• using ICT to enable the establishment of clinics to
serve citizens living in remote locations
• providing health care by means of ICT (telemedicine).
The ability of ICT tools to assist in the provision of
improved health care services is well illustrated in Brazil,
with its goal to provide more e-health centers to cover
the country’s population and the development and
increased use of telemedicine. In a country of Brazil’s
size, harnessing the benefits offered by technology
could be critical in ensuring that the whole population
can enjoy even the most basic levels of support and
care. However, ICT initiatives in the health care sector
are widely recognized across the countries in this
report. This is especially true in France and Sweden,
where the digitization of medical records and improved
information-sharing among medical practitioners
are seen as being highly beneficial to efficiency and
improved patient care.
Conclusions
Countries tend to adopt targets in their NBPs that are
specific and follow the SMART principles. This is an
understandable and effective approach that allows for
clarity of purpose and the measurement of progress.
However, this is only part of the process to develop a
fully integrated ICT economy and society. To achieve
the full level of integration, attention should also be paid
to softer, qualitative targets that broaden the scope of
the plan to describe how ICT can be embedded into
the social and economic fabric, dealing with key issues
such as security, privacy and ease of use.
Countries set three types of targets. Some set overall goals
for their plans but these can often be highly politicized
and rather broad in aim. All countries set supply-side and
demand-side targets, with the targets’ area of focus often
reflecting the stage of ICT development in the country.
Supply-side targets tend to be technical and
measurable, including infrastructure provision, internet
access and adoption.
Demand-side targets are significantly more variable both
in scope and by type. They can cover a wide range of
different social and economic sectors and, while they can
be measurable, they are often more qualitative in nature.
14. implementation
Figure 5. Implementing NBP – government action – different approaches
This section reviews the approach that the countries in
this report have taken to manage the implementation of
their NBP, examining:
• the extent of direct government involvement, including
financing
• the different ways in which the government can be
involved
• how progress is monitored
• whether plans are in place to deal with delays.
Findings
There is a range of possible approaches (see Figure
5) regarding the most appropriate or most effective
role for government action, ranging from national
plans that are fully funded and directly operated by
government agencies to plans that rely entirely on
private-sector funding and operation. The approach
14 benchmarking 15 national broadband plans
adopted can reflect the underlying political or
philosophical framework in a country rather than
an objective consideration of what could be most
effective in achieving the NBP aims.
However, in the countries covered in this report, we
have observed a trend where plans do not fall into
either of these extreme cases; they usually have a
mixture of private and government funding and private/
public interventions instead. Within this middle ground,
the type of government input can also vary widely,
from direct action to interventions more designed to
stimulate further action from the private sector, including
promotional and educational activities, pilot projects
and seed funding.
15. Brazil UK
benchmarking 15 national broadband plans 15
Scope of national plan Wide-ranging plan, covering
infrastructure supply, adoption and
demand-side initiatives.
Mainly on supply side (infrastructure
goals), with some e-government
targets.
Supporting measures Several new laws, decrees and
programs to define and ensure
delivery of the varied targets.
Regulations to facilitate network
rollout (changes to planning and
development rules).
Management
Responsibility:
Lead responsibility originally with a
specially organized national committee
but this was disbanded. The
responsibility for coordination now lies
with the ministry for communications.
Responsibility:
Lead responsibility lies with the
ministry for communications.
Financing:
Direct government funding for many
aspects of the plan: infrastructure
rollout; fiscal incentives to provide
low prices for equipment and
access; and demand-side programs.
Financing:
Funding targeted to specific supply-side
elements of the program and
designed to stimulate additional
private investment.
Organization:
Largely decentralized with each
responsible ministry running the
program within its sector.
Organization:
New body established to drive
delivery of supply-side targets.
For e-government, each department
is required to produce its own plan.
Table 2 compares summarized versions of the plans
for Brazil and the UK, which have adopted different
approaches to setting their NBPs, particularly in terms
of scope and the role of the government.
It may, however, be overly simplistic to think that
countries adopt only a single approach to the level of
government involvement. In some countries, there is
strong direct government involvement in some aspects
of the NBP, but not at all in others. In Australia, for
example, we have observed that (prior to the current
2011 plan) the focus was very much on building the
network infrastructure, and that this focus was clearly
driven by a central government. Subsequently, the
need to stimulate demand has led to a more diverse
approach, with a series of initiatives that aim to
facilitate and encourage both public and private sector
interventions.
Organization
The countries also differ in terms of their organizational
approach. We have observed that some countries
take a centralist approach, with one ministry (or other
body) responsible for running an integrated central plan
covering several sectors. An alternative approach is to
have a series of plans for each sector, (see Figure 6)
overseen by the relevant government body. In this case,
the key question in terms of meeting the overall targets
in the NBP is the extent of coordination between the
separate responsible bodies.
If we compare the approach in South Korea with that
in Singapore, we see that the South Korean approach
is highly centralist with a single ministry responsible for
delivering the central master plan. Within this master
plan, there are overall targets and integrated cascading
sector targets. Singapore has a series of different plans
Table 2 Case study: Brazil and UK
16. Figure 6. Organizing implementation of NBP
by sector, each driven by a different government body.
Integrating these separate plans is done in reference to
the overall plan, and is managed by the communications
regulator and the economic performance unit.
These organizational arrangements also reflect the
different roles required for an NBBP to be well managed.
In all cases, a plan requires clear political will and
visible commitment from the country’s leaders that it
is of national importance and will be supported. This
is essential – though not in itself sufficient – to ensure
success.
An NBBP also requires operations to be organized on
a working level. Someone has to manage the specific
details of each initiative and ensure the planned actions
are carried out. Finally, someone needs to take overall
responsibility for coordinating and driving the series
16 benchmarking 15 national broadband plans
The approaches taken include both
direct government funding and
government actions, to a much
lighter government role with more
reliance on private funding and
commercial initiatives. In this latter
situation, the government’s role is
usually to stimulate private
interventions through seed funding,
piloting and public.
17. benchmarking 15 national broadband plans 17
of different detailed plans to ensure they are coherent
and all work together to achieve the overall NBP
objectives.
This third coordinating role is critical to the management
and implementation of the plan. If this role is not
handled effectively, there is a significant risk that
targets will not be met or that separate initiatives fail to
be connected in a way that creates genuine progress
toward achieving the plan’s goals.
We observe that in the countries covered in this report,
the central coordinating role is often taken on by a
single government body, most commonly the ministry
responsible for communications issues. In some cases,
the role is played by a body that has been especially
created for the purpose (a special commission such as
in Argentina or a part of the prime minister’s office, as
in Malaysia); this action in itself is a visible signal of the
importance of delivering the NBP.
Conclusions
A variety of approaches are taken for the role and level
of government involvement in managing NBPs. The
approaches taken include both direct government
funding and government actions, to a much lighter
government role with more reliance on private funding
and commercial initiatives. In this latter situation,
the government’s role is usually to stimulate private
interventions through seed funding, piloting and publicity.
The government’s critical organizational role lies in the
central coordination and monitoring of the detailed
actions required by the plan’s goals. Most often, this
coordinating role is given to the ministry responsible for
communications.
18. One of the critical roles for the central coordinating body
is to monitor progress against the goals of the plan.
Findings
All countries seem to recognize the importance of
monitoring progress as a means to verify that the
planned actions are being taken and are effective.
Nearly all of the countries covered in this report had
some form of monitoring progress towards the NBP
targets with a clearly defined body to undertake the
monitoring. Even where a specific monitoring platform
is not envisaged, such as in Chile and Costa Rica, the
regular reports from the communications ministry or
from the national regulatory authority often provide
robust insights into many elements that make up
the NBP.
Publishing the results is also an important element
to ensure transparency and to instill confidence that
the plan is being implemented effectively. Almost all
the countries in this report have published (or plan to
publish) the results of their monitoring.
18 benchmarking 15 national broadband plans
However, there is a more diverse approach to one further
element in ensuring progress towards the plan’s goals,
namely the setting of interim targets. Such targets are
particularly important when the goals are ambitious (the
stretch goals previously discussed in the Scope section);
if it becomes apparent only near the end of the target
period that a goal will not be met, it may be too late to
take remedial action. Despite this, only about half of the
countries in this report systematically set interim targets.
In some countries, such as Australia and Sweden, an
interim review of progress toward the desired plan goals
has been conducted. As a result, additional targets were
set, both to rectify perceived underperformance and to
identify and exploit additional opportunities.
A similar structure can be observed in some other
countries, such as in Croatia, where the NBP sets
out broad overall goals, which are further specified in
subsidiary implementation plans (every one or two years).
This approach allows for adjustments to be made to the
initiatives and activities, so the achievement of the plan’s
targets can be matched with the level of current success
and take into account new market or sector developments.
tracking
Figure 7 Monitoring Progress
21. OVERALL
OBSERVATIONS
benchmarking 15 national broadband plans 21
The review of the 15 countries covered in this report,
their NBPs and the management of these plans have
revealed a wide range of approaches and results.
Having a local context, in terms of both the current
stage of ICT development and the political aims of
the plans, seems highly important to the countries’
approaches. As a result, it is difficult to draw many firm
conclusions by comparing the countries in this report,
as their contexts differ. Nevertheless, we will attempt to
make some overall observations from the study.
Countries at different stages of ICT development tend
to have different priorities and scope for their NBPs.
In particular, we see that countries in the earlier stages
of ICT development have a greater focus on supply-side
initiatives, building network infrastructures and
encouraging widespread internet usage. Countries
in later stages of ICT development focus more on
demand-side measures and embedding ICT into the
national society and economy.
All of the NBPs therefore seem to include all the
different target levels (infrastructure, adoption and
integration). For countries in the early stages of ICT
development, many of the demand-side activities are
more about adoption than integration. For countries in
the later stages of ICT development, the smaller number
of supply-side initiatives are usually closely linked to
deeper integration activities.
Even countries with advanced ICT development see
the continued need to integrate ICT more fully into
their society and economy, with a changing focus
of targets to ensure that potential obstacles to full
integration, such as privacy concerns, are managed
and that all sectors can take full advantage of the
future benefits.
Setting specific and measurable targets is a recognized
approach to ensure that the plan’s goals can be
monitored and achieved. However, softer, qualitative
targets are also important particularly as ICT integration
becomes more fully developed.
Supply-side targets lend themselves more readily
to being expressed in specific, measurable terms
but many effective demand-side targets express a
direction of change but with less tangible, harder-to-
measure KPI targets, which is also an important
signal of progress toward a fully integrated ICT society.
Demand-side targets can therefore be seen in both a
measurable form and a more qualitative form but these
two different types of demand-side targets should be
treated separately.
Management of the NBP also varies considerably
across and within countries, depending on the political
framework and type of initiative. There is no single
right approach – central government control and
funding is often used but is seldom the only approach
taken. Effective government actions often focus on
the stimulation of private funding and commercial
activities. However, governments always play an
important role in the central coordination of initiatives,
in monitoring progress, and in ensuring the plan’s
goals are achieved.
Having a local context, in terms of
both the current stage of ICT
development and the political aims
of the plans, seems highly important
to the countries’ approaches.
22. appendix
COUNTRY MAIN SOURCE DOCUMENT OTHER
Argentina Argentina Conectada Decrees and sector policies
Australia National Digital Economy Strategy
Brazil Programa Nacional de Banda Larga Decrees and sector policies
Chile Agenda Digital Imagina Cile Decrees and sector policies
Costa Rica National Broadband Strategy Digital social agreement
Croatia Strategy for Broadband Development Implementation program
Finland Productive and Inventive Finland Broadband for Everyone
France Feuille de route de Gouvernment sur le numerique France Tres Haut Debit
Malaysia National Broadband Initiative Digital Lifestyle Malaysia
Qatar National Broadband Plan National ICT plan
Singapore Intelligent Nation 2015 Masterplan
South Africa South Africa Connect
South Korea U-Korea Masterplan
Sweden ICT for Everyone Broadband strategy
UK Britain’s Superfast Broadband Future Government digital strategy
22 benchmarking 15 national broadband plans