SE Asia embracing the future communication technology
SE Asia embracing the future communication technology
Ericsson Southeast Asia held a three-day: Experience 3G with
Ericsson, media workshop starting on Sept. 7 in Kuala Lumpur,
where four Indonesian journalists, including The Jakarta Post's
Hyginus Hardoyo, were invited to participate in. The following is
his report.
The Southeast Asian region, where the average mobile phone
market is dominated by young people, is projected to have the
highest growth in the use of the advanced third generation (3G)
mobile telephone network technology within the next few years, an
Ericsson executive said.
Jan Signell, president of Ericsson Southeast Asia, said that
where 3G is concerned, the technology had taken off in Europe,
especially Italy and the United Kingdom, and parts of Asia,
especially Japan, and that the momentum would soon begin to
increase in Southeast Asia.
The 3G mobile telephone is a generic term covering a range of
future wireless network technologies, including Wideband Code
Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access
2000 (CDMA 2000), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
(UMTS) and Enhanced Data for Global Evolution (EDGE).
Using 3G technology, mobile phone subscribers will be able to
enjoy triple-play services, ranging from video calls, video
streaming, video conferencing to video clips through mobile
phones, in addition to a much faster data transfer.
Out of an estimated 1,931 million global users of mobile
phones, over 28 million have subscribed to 3G, which is dominated
by the WCDMA standard -- a technology for wideband digital radio
communications of Internet, multimedia, video and other capacity-
demanding applications, Signell said.
"Malaysia and Singapore have launched their 3G networks with
the Malaysian government announcing that two more 3G licenses may
come up for bid in the country," he said .
Malaysia has thus far awarded two 3G licenses. Telekom
Malaysia rolled out its 3G mobile service in May, followed by
Maxis Communications, which launched its 3G network in July.
Early this year Singapore's SingTel and smaller rival
MobileOne also rolled out their 3G mobile services.
Signell predicted that increased 3G activities were expected in
other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, the
Philippines and Thailand later this year or early next year.
In Indonesia, for example, two blocks of International Mobile
Telecommunications (IMT) 2000 spectrum for 3G services will be
auctioned in November, he said.
The auction will apparently be part of the process of
realigning telecommunication frequency allocations currently
being conducted by Indonesia's Office of the State Minister for
Communications and Information for the sake of avoiding
inefficiency.
In 2003 the government granted 3G licenses and allocated
frequency spectrum to PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler/Lippo Telecom
and PT Cyber Access Communications (CAC), an affiliate of
Thailand's leading cellular operator Telecom Orange Asia, but the
two companies are not yet operational.
Two other cellular operators Telkom Flexi and Indosat Star One
-- have not yet obtained the licenses, but have provided WCDMA
services using 3G frequencies.
The regulatory body in Thailand, had announced four possible
3G licenses, while its Philippine counterpart had identified a
radio frequency band for 3G use to be awarded in the first half
of 2006, Signell said.
Ericsson Southeast Asia comprises 13 countries with primary
focus on the high-potential markets of Bangladesh, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam.
It has combined population of over 800 million with a mobile
subscriber growth of two million per month and mobile penetration
rate ranging between 5 percent to 93 percent.
"The highest mobile penetration of 93 percent is registered in
Singapore, which has population of only 4.3 million, followed by
Malaysia with 67 percent amid a population of 25.9 million and
Thailand with 45 percent in a population of 62.8 million,"
Signell said.
He further said that the mobile penetration in Indonesia
reached a mere 13 percent amid a population of nearly 231
million, while Bangladesh ranks the lowest in mobile penetration
with only 5 percent amid a population of 141.3 million.
The total number of mobile subscribers in the Asia Pacific is
around 700 million, out of which 20 percent or 137 million are in
Southeast Asia, Ericsson's data shows.
Signell emphasized that fashionable mobile data services will
be different from one country to the other as is the case in the
2G and 2.5G global system for mobile communications (GSM) and
general packet radio service (GPRS) networks, meaning that short
messaging services, which are popular in a certain country, might
not be essential in another market.
"Our involvement in our customer's 3G networks is not just
entirely on the network side, but also on the service layer,
hosting, and in many other areas which support our customers'
successful launch of new services," he said.
The most important thing is that the subscriber is doing
something other than just talking on the phone, he said,
stressing the importance of looking beyond voice calls amid the
emergence of the digital lifestyle.
Stefan Karlsson, head of business planning of Ericsson
Malaysia, said that 3G technology will enable users to experience
a wider variety of services and share their emotions with family
and friends wherever they are, thanks to mobile broadband.
Karlsson underlined the important role the young mobile users
play to boost the growth of 3G applications, as they have the
characteristics of easily adjusting to the latest development of
communications technology. When young people have a new video
phone, he said, they will automatically take a photo or video
clip and send it to their friends.
Comfortable communication through video calls or video clip
services does bring an emotional dimension to communication.
"Young people don't take a picture merely for documentation
purposes, but to share a feeling," he said, adding that the 3G
services for them are handy, enabling them to do something while
waiting for a ride or doing anything else.
Torbjorn Jonsson, senior solutions manager of Ericsson
Malaysia, said the high mobility provided by the technology
combined with the capability for the faster data transfer will
enable users to have a richer experience, whether to download
music, watch mobile TV, make e-commerce transactions, or chat
with their friends.
Moreover, it will also allow them to shoot the beach scenery
where they are taking a vacation or to help them decide whether
they should buy the clothes they're trying out, he added.
In other word, besides enabling users to enjoy the pleasure of
using the latest features, 3G mobility also means distance is no
longer a problem as they can communicate vividly, thanks to a
visual element in a phone conversation.