Welcome to Connect-World, the information and communication technology (ICT) decision makers'´ magazine. We are the decision makers' forum for ICT driven development.
home magazine Global Africa & Middle East Asia-Pacific EMEA Europe India Latin America North America publishing calendar subscribe media media pack Global-ICT Africa & Middle East Asia-Pacific EMEA Europe India Latin America North America glossary specifications download articles recent articles free articles eLetter archived eLetter events ICT news press releases extras videos blog RSS podcasts widgets white papers about contact us about us our team faq privacy terms & conditions careers links sitemap

Connect-World Asia-Pacific I 2009     Magazine introduction Communications with customers, suppliers, service providers, financial institutions and the like are the lifeline of any business. Today’s converged networks, converged devices and applications that take advantage of the possibilities a converged environment brings are revolutionizing the office - or lack thereof in the case of tele-workers/ telecommuters - to deliver a seamless work environment to workers wherever they may be. The converged environment has stimulated a wide variety of innovative applications for large and small businesses alike, many of which are not just new ways of doing the same things, but are real changes in the way we do business or are new businesses in their own right. Interaction is facilitated, costs are eliminated or drastically cut, and collaboration with colleagues, clients and suppliers anywhere at any time is enhanced. By minimizing the need to travel, applications such as video-presence are also starting to reduce business travel - and the user’s carbon footprint. This sort of convergence is a powerful tool to simplify business processes, but its implications are far reaching and complex. Cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS) special applications, Swiss knife communications and computing devices, innovative applications and a host of storage, communications and network equipment will be needed to make this work efficiently and cost effectively. This issue of Connect-World Asia-Pacific 2009 will examine the implications of these far-reaching converged systems and the impact they have not only upon users, but upon the complex ecosystem that will make these innovative communications systems possible - the networks, communications equipment, user devices, software and business applications.     Theme: Convergence, communications and business innovation Articles Contributors Feature articles     Article no.: 1 Topic: Full convergence step-by-step in Indonesia Author: Mohammad Nuh Title: Minister for Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) Organisation: Republic of Indonesia PDF size: 254KB   About author: Mohammad Nuh is the Minister for Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) of the Republic of Indonesia. Prior to being named as Minister, he was the Rector and Professor of Electrical Engineering Department of Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS). Mohammad Nuh received his Engineering degree from ITS in Surabaya, Indonesia and a Doctoral degree from Signaux et System, Universite Science et Technique du Languedoc (USTL), Montpellier, France.   Article abstract: Indonesia’s Ministry for Communication and Information Technology’s is leading the convergence of Indonesia’s ICT, telecommunication, Internet, and broadcasting infrastructures. In 2008, they completed the migration from analogue to digital television, converged the telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructures and separated broadcast transmission from programming. The government merged their own television broadcasting and telecommunications infrastructures, and six of the largest television broadcasting companies have merged their transmission infrastructures as well. The convergence roadmap will soon extend to Indonesia’s ICT infrastructure, services and content.   buy     Article no.: 2 Topic: A smarter planet: The next leadership agenda Author: Sam Palmisano Title: Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Organisation: IBM Corporation PDF size: 313KB   About author: Sam Palmisano is Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of the IBM Corporation. Mr Palmisano served previously as President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr Palmisano has held a series of leadership positions during his IBM career, including Senior Vice President for the Enterprise Systems and Personal Systems groups. Mr Palmisano also played a key role in creating and leading IBM’s Global Services, rising to Senior Vice President. He also served as Senior Managing Director of operations for IBM Japan. Mr Palmisano is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University. In recognition of his leadership role as co-chair of the Council of Competitiveness’ National Innovation Initiative, as well as his many business accomplishments, Mr Palmisano was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was also awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the London Business School.   Article abstract: To meet the challenges of the financial meltdown, climate change, energy, global supply chains for food and medicine and, of course after the 9/11 attacks, security, we need leadership and intelligence in our processes, decision-making and management systems. We are already infusing intelligence into the systems and processes that provide our goods and services. There will soon be a billion transistors per human and the Internet will connect them - the physical and digital infrastructures of the planet are converging.   buy     Article no.: 3 Topic: Internet in transition Author: Vinton G. Cerf Title: Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist Organisation: Google PDF size: 358KB   About author: Vinton G. Cerf is Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google. He is responsible for identifying new enabling technologies and applications on the Internet and other platforms for the company. From 1994-2005, Dr Cerf served as Senior Vice President at MCI. Prior to that, he was Vice President of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI), and from 1982-86 he served as Vice President of MCI. At the US Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) from 1976-1982, Dr Cerf played a key role leading the development of Internet and Internet-related data packet and security technologies. Widely known as a Father of the Internet, Dr Cerf is the co-designer with Robert Kahn of TCP/IP protocols and basic architecture of the Internet. President Clinton recognized their work with the US National Medal of Technology. Dr Cerf and Dr Kahn also received the highest civilian honour bestowed in the US, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dr Cerf served as Chairman of the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and is a Visiting Scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He served as Founding President of the Internet Society (ISOC) and was on the ISOC board until 2000. Dr Cerf is a Fellow of the IEEE, ACM, AAAS, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the International Engineering Consortium, the Computer History Museum and the National Academy of Engineering. Dr Cerf has received numerous awards and commendations in connection with his work on the Internet, including the Marconi Fellowship, Charles Stark Draper award of the National Academy of Engineering, the Prince of Asturias award for science and technology, the Alexander Graham Bell Award presented by the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, the A.M. Turing Award from the Association for Computer Machinery, the Silver Medal of the International Telecommunications Union, and the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal, among many others. Vinton G. Cerf holds a PhD. in Computer Science from UCLA and more than a dozen honorary degrees.   Article abstract: The Internet, the interconnection of disparate networks using a common protocol (TCP/IP), was originally conceived to let a small closed group of professionals communicate. Today, a substantial part of the world’s population uses the Internet and it has dramatically changed the world’s economy, how businesses operate, even how we make friends and keep up with our families. Not surprisingly, the Internet needs updating to meet the calls for more addresses, international domain names, better security, and the demands of new uses.   buy     Article no.: 4 Topic: Mobile and Internet convergence - driving innovation Author: Shin Bae Kim Title: President & CEO Organisation: SK Telecom PDF size: 265KB   About author: Shin Bae Kim is the President and CEO of SK Telecom, and has a wide-range of experience in both technology and management. Mr Kim began his career at SK Telecom as Head of the Business Strategy Office where he was responsible for the launch and commercialization of CDMA in Korea and a long list of other ‘firsts’ including CDMA EV-DO, Satellite DMB and the world’s first commercial HSDPA service. Mr Kim also serves as the Chairman of the Korea Association for RFID/USN, the Chairman of Korea e-Sports Association and the Chairman of the International e-Sports Federation. Business Week selected Mr Kim as one of the Best Leaders of 2005 and he received an Order of National Service Merit in 2006, as recognition of his social contributions. Shin Bae Kim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Seoul National University, and a Master of Science degree in the same field from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He also completed an MBA degree at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.   Article abstract: Consumer mobile Internet services are growing rapidly; the next big challenge for mobile Internet will be providing customised solutions for businesses. With the new open platforms, companies like Apple, Nokia, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft make the market more challenging; ‘value chain squeeze’ will reduce the added value of new products and features and foster hyper-competition. Rapid, expensive technology shifts prevent returns on network investment and stifle further investments, so mobile industry stakeholders need to find win-win solutions for sustainable industry growth.   buy     Article no.: 5 Topic: IP, unified communications, collaboration and change Author: Andrew Dobbins Title: Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific Organisation: Verizon Business PDF size: 220KB   About author: Andrew Dobbins is Verizon Business’ Regional Vice President, for Sales and Services, Asia Pacific. Prior to this, Mr Dobbins was Asia Pacific Vice President of Sales for Orange Business Services. During his years at Orange, Mr Dobbins served as Director of Sales Australia and New Zealand and Director of Sales Hong Kong, eventually becoming Vice President of Sales Asia Pacific. Mr Dobbins worked earlier at Telstra.   Article abstract: Integrating communications into business operations and transforming how these tools are used at work are critical to business success. Unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) tools seamlessly integrate business communications so employees can collaborate easily and naturally. UC&C is still relatively immature. IP telephony, conferencing, IM, presence and email are all available, but few solutions effectively integrate them into a single system. To make UC&C truly work, collaborative capabilities need to be embedded into applications or Communications Enabled Business Processes (CEBP).   buy     Article no.: 6 Topic: Mobile money - transforming the wireless paradigm Author: Lucas Skoczkowski Title: CEO Organisation: Redknee PDF size: 186KB   About author: Lucas Skoczkowski is the CEO of Redknee, a communications software company providing products for services delivery to wireless network operators around the world. Mr Skoczkowski has received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Top 40 Under 40 Award for Canada. Prior to Redknee, Mr Skoczkowski worked at Nortel Networks and Clearnet in various realms of Product Management. Mr Skoczkowski currently serves on the Redknee Board of Directors. Lucas Skoczkowski earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.   Article abstract: Mobile money is the latest of many spendable symbols - starting with seashells used to buy coconuts. Mobile money is prepaid credit; the same credits used to pay for cellphone calls. Used as mobile money, these credits can be transferred by a worker to his/her family in another country or used to pay bills at a local store. This will give most of the world’s population - less than one sixth have bank accounts - their first access to banking services.   buy     Article no.: 7 Topic: Cross-border cash Author: Stephen Gibb Title: Chief Information Officer Organisation: Upaid PDF size: 275KB   About author: Stephen Gibb is the Chief Information Officer for Upaid. Mr Gibb joined Upaid as the Senior Vice President of Customer Operations. Mr Gibb currently leads international technological operations, focusing on maximizing the implementation of global projects through the Upaid Brazilian technology hub. Prior to joining Upaid, Mr Gibb served as Director of Strategy and Operations at ExchangePath (New York), a CMGI company providing online payment systems. While based in New York, Mr Gibb was also a Program Management Consultant with Allied Irish Bank where he was instrumental in launching new e-business initiatives.   Article abstract: Workers from developing countries often travel abroad to work and send money back to their families. In some developing economies these cash flows can amount to more than one fifth of their GDP. In parts of Asia Pacific, about 60 per cent of the average family income comes from cross-border payments. Mobile money transfers prepaid mobile phone credits between phones; it lets those without bank accounts - the vast majority in developing regions - transfer money to others even between countries.   buy     Article no.: 8 Topic: Affordable mobile email for business Author: Carsten Brinkschulte Title: CEO Organisation: Synchronica plc PDF size: 252KB   About author: Carsten Brinkschulte, the CEO of Synchronica plc, is a serial entrepreneur and pioneer in mobile technology; he has founded, transformed, acquired, and sold a number of high-tech software companies. Mr Brinkschulte founded Synchronica in his native Germany and subsequently sold the company to the DAT Group, an AIM-listed British company. He became CTO of the DAT Group and six months later, the company was restructured, changed its name to Synchronica and Mr Brinkschulte was named CEO. Mr Brinkschulte founded two other companies before starting Synchronica and spent time working for Apple and SAP as a software development contractor. Carsten Brinkschulte holds a degree in Computer Science from the Technical University Berlin.   Article abstract: Mobile email has long been recognised as a way to improve productivity, enhance customer service and build organisational efficiency. Blackberry’s pioneering mobile email service is efficient, but given its high acquisition and service charges, is rarely cost-effective for any but upper-level executive. To be both affordable and effective, most organisations need a standardised, ‘good enough’, mobile email solution that works on any handset already used by employees, is compatible with the company’s existing email server software and provides carrier-grade security.   buy     Article no.: 9 Topic: Mobile advertising - next great hope or flash in the pan? Author: Eran Hertzman Title: AVP Marketing for Mobile Advertising Organisation: Mobixell Networks PDF size: 230KB   About author: Eran Hertzman, AVP Marketing for Mobile Advertising, is the head of marketing for Mobixell Mobile Advertising, a business that includes a range of ad-serving, multi-channel ad-delivery and behavioural mobile marketing solutions. Mr Hertzman previously worked at Adamind - later acquired by Mobixell - where he was responsible for the company’s production and mobilization solutions for the content industry. Prior to Adamind, Mr Hertzman worked for Comverse heading the Product Group in Comverse’s Instant Communication Division. Eran Hertzman co-chairs the Messaging Subcommittee of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) Advertising committee. Eran Hertzman holds an MBA from Tel Aviv University’s Reccanati School of Business.   Article abstract: Mobile advertising will generate US$14.4 billion in revenues by 2011. The question is who will get these revenues, the operators or the Internet search providers. Properly used, ad funded content can provide a welcome revenue stream. If operators are to succeed, they need to offer advertisers a well targeted audience and reliable statistical feedback. They must also respect the subscriber’s interests and not intrude excessively upon the content. Viral advertising forwarded by friends and colleagues is likely to be a big success.   buy     Article no.: 10 Topic: Service delivery platform - innovation for convergent networks Author: Raghav Sahgal Title: Vice President Organisation: Oracle Communications, Asia Pacific & Japan PDF size: 237KB   About author: Raghav Sahgal is Vice President for Oracle Communications in Asia Pacific and Japan. A 20-year veteran in the communications and computing industries, Mr Sahgal was previously with Comverse Technologies as the Chief Business Officer of the Converged Billing Group, responsible for the achievement of worldwide bookings and revenues for the Group. He also held Asia Pacific roles at Lucent Technologies, Kenan Systems and Sequent Computer Systems. Mr Sahgal earned a Master of Science degree in Computer Systems Management from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from Tulane University in the USA. He also attended Harvard Business School and completed the Executive General Managers program.   Article abstract: IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) defines the IP-based next-generation network architecture for the convergence of voice, data, video and its delivery over any type of broadband network. However, as this technology matures, Internet players - such as Google, Skype, Facebook and MySpace - have taken the lead blending communications and Web 2.0 services, raising customer expectations for integrated functionalities and high-quality user experiences. How can traditional CSPs compete with these Internet leaders, escaping their legacy systems, and delivering services that hit the mark?   buy     Article no.: 11 Topic: Social networks and B2P Author: Donald Bulmer Title: Vice President Global Communications Organisation: SAP AG PDF size: 192KB   About author: Donald Bulmer is Vice President of Global Communications at SAP AG. As part of the SAP Global Communications management team, he is responsible for SAP’s IT Influencer Relations, Business Influencer Relations, Global Customer Communities, Integrated Partner Communications and University Alliance programs. Mr Bulmer has over 14 years of experience planning and implementing strategic marketing, communications and business development programs for enterprise technology, Internet, and professional service companies. Donald Bulmer holds a B.A. degree from the University of the Pacific and a Certificate of Professional Development from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.   Article abstract: The Internet has radically changed the business landscape. Web 2.0 technologies have facilitated the social networking phenomenon and created commercial opportunities by harnessing the influence of online communities. Business-to-person (B2P) communications via social networking give consumers new power. Social networks tend to coalesce around common social, cultural or professional interests. The networks are growing; there may be as many as 250,000 social networks within a year. Sales executives are now leveraging these networks to understand their customers and drive sales.   buy     Article no.: 12 Topic: Convergence - beyond limits Author: Pierre Jean Beylier Title: CEO Organisation: SpeedCast PDF size: 1440KB   About author: Pierre Jean Beylier is the CEO of SpeedCast a satellite service provider in Asia , servicing enterprise and governments‘ telecommunications needs and providing innovative digital media services to operators in over 30 countries. He worked previously at Rhodia (ex Rhone-Poulenc), where he held successive Sales & Marketing positions spearheading global strategy initiatives. Mr Beylier also worked for Black & Decker in consumer marketing. Pierre-Jean Beylier holds a MBA from the University of Southern California and the Lyon School of Management in France.   Article abstract: Convergence of all sorts, from networks to devices to applications, is bringing a variety of important new services to people and businesses throughout the world. Still, there are areas where most forms of modern communications cannot economically reach. Satellites are increasingly used to bring services to otherwise unreachable areas on land and at sea. Satellite delivered broadband communications are bringing voice, data and video applications to underserved - often totally unserved - communities, to businesses and to ships at sea.   buy     Article no.: 13 Topic: ICT convergence and implications Author: Naeem Zamindar Title: VP & Head, Broadband Business Division Organisation: Mobilink, Pakistan PDF size: 279KB   About author: Naeem Zamindar is the VP & Head of the Broadband Business Division at Mobilink, Pakistan. Mr Zamindar was part of the start-up team responsible for setting up Mobilink. Mr Zamindar previously led 23 venture capital investments for Intel Capital in of Santa Clara, CA, in sectors enabling the broadband economy. To give every Pakistani an opportunity to connect to interactive TV via high-speed Internet, Mr Zamindar is currently transforming Mobilink into a total communication services provider utilizing its extensive fibre optic and WiMAX network under the brand of Mobilink Infinity (www.mobilinkinfinity.com). Naeem Zamindar holds a MBA from INSEAD and a CPA from the State of Washington, USA.   Article abstract: Broadband Internet service in Pakistan is quite limited; only 200 thousand of its 165 million inhabitants have high-speed Internet access. The cost of providing access was, until recently, prohibitive. Pakistan has over 90 million mobile subscribers today, so the convergence of mobile voice and data promises to bring affordable Internet access - and a socio-economic revolution to the country. This will follow the example of mobile WiMAX, which leverages existing fibre, microwave and cell backbones for its distribution network.   buy     Article no.: 14 Topic: IPTV and fixed-mobile entertainment Author: Brian Caskey Title: Vice President, Worldwide Marketing Organisation: UTStarcom PDF size: 245KB   About author: Brian Caskey is the VP of Worldwide Marketing for UTStarcom, Inc.; he has more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications and IP networking industry and currently oversees all marketing efforts for UTStarcom. Mr Caskey joined UTStarcom as Vice President of Strategic Technical Marketing, responsible for consultation on the design and implementation of large-scale Voice over IP (VoIP) and next-generation networks. Mr Caskey also has extensive experience in the design of large, IP-based voice and data networks for Fortune 500 companies and telecommunications service providers. He spent more than 12 years in the satellite communications industry at GTE SpaceNet and AscomTimeplex designing Voice, TDM and SS7 networks and over ten years at 3Com/CommWorks in various executive, technical marketing and strategic technical advisory roles.   Article abstract: Mobile service providers, wire line networks, cable operators and mobile device manufacturers all look to fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) and IPTV to generate new revenues and compete strongly in the market. FMC makes possible fixed-mobile entertainment (FME), the ability to seamlessly stream a programme one is watching between devices - from the home TV to a mobile handset. IP-based Next-generation networks (NGN) and softswitches make it both economically and technically viable to bundle programming and to seamlessly transfer between networks and devices.   buy     Article no.: 15 Topic: Testing the next generation data centre Author: Victor Alston Title: Senior VP Product Development Organisation: Ixia PDF size: 257KB   About author: Victor Alston is the Senior VP Product Development at Ixia. Mr Alston oversees engineering, product strategy, product development, partnership and marketing activities for Ixia worldwide. He joined Ixia as Vice President of Engineering. Prior to that, Mr Alston was Senior Director of Engineering at SAP, a publicly traded enterprise software company. Mr Alston honed his entrepreneurial skills as a co-founder and Vice President of Engineering for two successful enterprise software companies that were later sold to Computer Associates and Oracle Corporation. Before starting those two companies, Mr Alston rose through the ranks at Oracle in the RDBMS and PLSQL group. Victor Alston received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Computer Science from Stanford University.   Article abstract: Next generation data centres must simultaneously increase performance, efficiency and their capacity to deliver converged services while ensuring improved users experience, quality of service and return on investment. To meet these demands, next generation data centres increasingly rely upon higher speed Ethernet networks, virtualized servers, converged application servers and specialized network devices for load balancing, deep packet inspection and security. The resulting increase in the complexity of these centres challenges the ability of those deploying them to maintain an uninterrupted, high-performance operation.   buy Confirmed authors (Order by article no.)   Mohammad Nuh Minister for Communication and Information Technology (MCIT), Republic of Indonesia   Sam Palmisano Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, IBM Corporation   Vinton G. Cerf Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google   Shin Bae Kim President & CEO, SK Telecom   Andrew Dobbins Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific, Verizon Business   Lucas Skoczkowski CEO, Redknee   Stephen Gibb Chief Information Officer, Upaid   Carsten Brinkschulte CEO, Synchronica plc   Eran Hertzman AVP Marketing for Mobile Advertising, Mobixell Networks   Raghav Sahgal Vice President, Oracle Communications, Asia Pacific & Japan   Donald Bulmer Vice President Global Communications, SAP AG   Pierre Jean Beylier CEO, SpeedCast   Naeem Zamindar VP & Head, Broadband Business Division, Mobilink, Pakistan   Brian Caskey Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, UTStarcom   Victor Alston Senior VP Product Development, Ixia