BuddeBlog

According to OpenNet, the company installing the infrastructure for Singapore’s National Broadband Network (NBN), by late April nearly 30% of Singapore’s homes and offices had already been hooked up with the fibre-optic cables. In delivering this progress report on what is referred to locally as the Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure (Next Gen NII), the company announced that it was set to begin operations, selling broadband bandwidth on a wholesale basis to Nucleus Connect, which would in turn retail the bandwidth to ISPs, online game companies and Internet TV broadcasters. OpenNet said it was on target to finish wiring up the nation by 2012.

Also see:

• Singapore – Broadband Market;
• Singapore – Key Statistics, Telecom Market and Regulatory Overviews.

In a dramatic move, the government in Bangladesh has closed down the private TV channel Channel 1 for being in breach of regulations. A three-member team from the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) went to the Channel 1 office and switched off its transmission while the channel was broadcasting its evening news bulletin on 27 April. The BTRC said that Channel 1 had sold off its broadcasting equipment and had been using machinery owned by another company. According to the law, the licensee must own the equipment. The government said it had asked the channel to explain but its replies were unsatisfactory. However, Channel 1 said that although the bank had auctioned off its equipment, the winning bidder had not yet made the necessary payment. So, the channel claimed it still owned the equipment. The BTRC said Channel 1 had paid off its bank loans by selling the equipment to another company through an auction arranged by the bank. The channel then rented the same equipment to air its programs. Channel 1 said it had replied to all BTRC notices in time. It had also filed a case against Prime Bank for arranging the auction, but the court judgment came down against the channel.

Also see:

• Bangladesh – Mobile Communications and Broadcasting;
• Bangladesh – Key Statistics, Telecom Market Overview & Forecasts.

In a month when the anti-government protests saw violent clashes with security forces in the streets of Bangkok, the Thai Senate approved the draft law on the establishment of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), a move that was expected to speed up the long delayed 3G auction. The Senate also set up a 35-member committee to review the bill, a task that should be completed within 30 days. The proposed NBTC will be made up of 11 commissioners, including two telecoms industry experts, two lawyers, two economic specialists, two consumer protection officials (one each for telecoms and broadcasting), and one expert each in the areas of radio, TV and education/culture. An auction of 2100Mhz network operating licences was tentatively scheduled for November 2010. The existing telecoms regulator, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), has had its hands tied by a legal dispute over its jurisdiction to issue 3G licences ahead of the delayed formation of the new unified telecoms and broadcasting watchdog.

Also see:

• Thailand – Key Statistics, Telecommunications Market and Regulatory Overview;
• Thailand – Mobile Communications – Market Overview;
• Thailand – Mobile Communications – Major Operators.

Canadian TV and video markets are enjoying strong revenue growth as well as significant changes, characterised by convergence with digital media, broadband and telecommunications services. Cable TV operators and telcos, and to a lesser extent satellite companies, are increasingly competing for the triple play consumer. The steady transition from analogue to digital TV is increasing the use of new products and services such as VoD and High Definition services. Rising broadband penetration continues to drive the triple play market, with around 95% of all Canadian households passed by broadband networks by early 2010. Latest estimates of cable broadcasting revenues indicates growth rates of around 12%, which outstrips broader economic growth by three to fourfold.

For more information on the digital TV broadcasting market in Canada and its convergence with other telecommunication markets, see Canada – Digital TV Broadcasting.

Smart meters are in the process of being rapidly deployed in Canada. For instance, Toronto Hydro, one of the province’s distribution companies, aimed to have hooked up all its customers to smart meters in early 2010. By early 2010 about 500,000 households in Toronto were on Time of Use  rates. Hydro One, the province’s electricity transmission company, surpassed the key milestone of having installed one million smart meters by mid-2009. It is the largest smart meter deployment by a utility in North America. Consistent with the Green Energy Act legislation, Hydro One said it was on track to install a smart meter in every home and small business in Ontario by end-2010.

For more information on smart grid developments in Canada, see Canada – Infrastructure – FttH, NGNs & IP Networks.