document-24.ppt
TRANSCRIPT
Internet Policy in South East Asia
Internet in South East AsiaBangkok, 21 – 23 November 2001
The views expressed are those of the author and may not reflect the
opinions of the ITU or its members
Myth and Reality
Internet market is unregulated
Competition is good
Leave Internet to private sector
Every country restricts market in one way or another
Generally yes BUT incumbent operators may be able to provide lower price Internet access
Fine if you only want the elite to use it
Topics
• Who is in charge?• What can an ISP do?• What about content?• How much does it cost?• To VoIP or not to VoIP• Dot names• Access for the masses• Quality of service• What is the market?• Promoting the Internet
Who should [Why]be responsible for Internet
regulation?
• Who:– Has generally fallen to
telecom regulator to issue ISP licenses and resolve disputes
– Broadcasting & other ministries are also sometimes involved in issues such as content, security & digital laws
• Why:– Public interest – Market referee– ICT access (Digital Divide) 16%
16%
26%
26%
32%
40%
Junk mail
Hacking
Pornography
NetworkReliability
Expenses
Speed
Perceived problems concerning the Internet
Source: NECTEC, Internet User Profile of Thailand 2000
ISP Market Issues
• Free entry? In Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, no new ISPs were licensed for several years. In Thailand, market entry has been frozen. In other countries, difference between licensed and operational ISPs.
• License fees? In Cambodia share revenue with government. In Thailand, share income with international operator.
• Infrastructure? In Singapore, different class of license. In Philippines must go through licensed telecom operators. In other countries, ISPs often constrained.
Who are the ISPs?Country How
many*
Registry ISP association
Thailand 18/18 www.thnic.net ISP Club
Indonesia
150/60
www.iix.net.id/iix.html APJII
Singapore
44/? www.ida.gov.sg/license/Licensees.nsf/SBO-IND-PIAS?OpenView
No
Philippines
150/50
http://www.piso.org.ph/membersframe.htm
PISO
Vietnam 5/4 No
Cambodia
3/3 No
Laos 2 No
Malaysia 18/? http://www.cmc.gov.my/licensing-new/class_license/class_asp2.htm
No
* Licensed / In operation.
What can an ISP do?
Wireless Access
ISPPOP
International connectivity
ADSL?
Cable TV
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
ISP
TELEPHONE
EXCHANGE
Dial-up
Leased line
International Gateway
• Should ISPs operate own international gateway?– Pros: Heart of their
business, redundancy, quality of service
– Cons: Higher costs, content evasion, incentive to exchange traffic
$397
$388
$384
$320
Cambodia
Thailand
Laos
Philippines
Vietnam
$2'500
Price per 64 kbps of international bandwidth, US$
Source: ITU Case Studies
Internet Exchange
• Keep local Internet traffic within country to cut down on international bandwidth costs
• What is mix of traffic?• Private peering• Internet exchanges:
Singapore (2), Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand (2), Philippines (4)
Content
• No content control: Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines
• Content control: Singapore (firewall to pornographic sites, registration of content providers), Vietnam (firewall, registration of content providers), Laos
• Malaysia
Pricing
• Nationwide at local call• One number: Malaysia,
Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand
• Internet on demand• Prepaid cards• Telephone charges
• Usage: Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
• No charge: Philippines• Lower rate: Malaysia,
Indonesia• Flat rate: Thailand
Internet pricing South East Asia
$0 $10 $20 $30 $40 $50
Singapore
Malaysia
Thailand
Indonesia
Philippines
MEDIAN
Vietnam
Laos
Cambodia
ISP chargeTelephone usageTelephone rental
30 hours of Internet access, US$, October 2001
Source: ITU adapted from ISPs / PTOs.
Million $ question:Is the market small because prices are
high or are prices high because the market is
small?
Internet Telephony
• Policies on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) vary across region– Singapore & Malaysia provide for VoIP
licenses– Vietnam special case– In Thailand, telecom operators provide– In Cambodia and Laos, technically
illegal but widely available
Quality of Service
• Only Singapore publishes clear QOS results
• Philippines ask for QOS but does not enforce
• Thailand has informal user surveys
Internet Quality of ServiceSingapore Definitions
1. System accessibility measures the ease with which the subscribers are able to access the Internet network.
1. Dial-up users must be able to be connected more than 95% of the time.
2. Leased line users must be able to be connected more than 99% of the time.
2. Service activation time refers to the elapsed time between the receipt of the customer application and the activation of the service.
1. For dial-up, all service applications are to be activated <= 3 working days.
2. For leased line, all service applications are to be activated <= 7 working days (excludes installation time).
3. Number of complaints per 1000 subscribers refers to the total number of complaints received from the subscribers to the Internet operator per 1000 subscribers in a month.
Source: IDA.