robertshaw.info Telecoms, Internet and Convergence  16 April 2003 Australian Government versus SPAM The Australian National Office for the Information Economy has released a report containing a series of recommendation for addressing the growing problem of SPAM (press release here). Nice to see there is also recognition of the need for multilateral cooperation: "Australia should work with the OECD, APEC and other relevant multilateral bodies."  5:13:18 PM    Google It!     International Packet Communications Consortium The International Softswitch Consortium (ISC) has now become the International Packet Communications Consortium (IPCC).  4:58:23 PM    Google It!     Mobile Number Portability: lessons from Hong Kong, China There's a piece Court Hears Fight Over Numbers Used for Cellphones in today's New York Times about the battle to introduce mobile number portability in the United States. There are perhaps some lessons to draw from Asia, particularly Hong Kong, China. In this "mobile-mad" economy, over 90% of the population has a mobile and it probably has the most highly competitive mobile market in the world with 6 providers for slightly less than 7 million people. A few years ago (March 1999), I happened to be in Hong Kong the day the regulator, OFTA, introduced mobile number portability (MNP). You could barely walk around with huge lines to switch mobile providers flowing out of the shops and stalls (today they also hawk broadband from street stalls but that's another story...). A key reason that no mobile provider has yet been able to dominate the market is due to the high subscriber churn facilitated by MNP. Before implementing MNP, OFTA commissioned a feasibility study and a cost benefit analysis. This study concluded "A wide range of consumers will benefit from the MNP in Hong Kong. Mobile subscribers will be able to switch operators and avoid the costs and inconvenience associated with a number change. Competition in the industry will be heightened as a barrier to switching is removed, further benefiting residential and business users.  2:21:01 PM    Google It!

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