As 2011 draws a close, we look back on some of the important themes and topics covered in ICT Pulse’s first year…
In 2011, the world witnessed a number of significant events in ICT and technology. Among other things, we began to recognise the impact of social media and communications technology to mobilise people and disseminate information, especially in times of civil unrest, such as those experienced in North Africa, the Middle East, and in the UK. We also had the first e-G8 Forum in France in May, which was held to inform the G8’s discussions on the Internet.
Closer to home, we had the sale of the third mobile operator in Jamaica, Claro, to Digicel, and continuing efforts towards telecoms liberalisation in Guyana. Additionally, LIME has been repositioning itself to launch 4G services, and to offer triple play (voice, Internet and subscriber TV) in the coming year.
The above are just a few of the events that have shaped the ICT/tech industry this year, and to varying degrees they were covered by ICT Pulse. However, since this our last post for 2011, it is opportune to highlight a few of the important themes and topics we discussed during the year.
1. Cloud computing
One of our first articles was on cloud computing – Is it really in the clouds? How 5 stated trends in Cloud Computing really stack up – and occasionally throughout the year, we continued the discussion. When we first decided to tackle the subject, we noted the overwhelming views that clouds would revolutionise computing. However, since the technology was still in its infancy, we wanted to highlight some of the outstanding issues and questions the average user should ask before accessing those services.
2. Long Term Evolution (LTE)
LTE, one of the 4G technology standards that is being developed, was another topic that we discussed very early in the life of ICT Pulse (See: Evolving Over the Long Term: Considerations towards implementing LTE). Although mobile operators have been stating that they are offering 4G, in the strictest sense, that is not the case. However our look at this upcoming technology led to an important post differentiating some of the most widely used mobile technologies and comparing their download speed against each other – EDGE, WiMAX, 3G or 4G – what’s the difference?
3. Privacy, cyber crime and cyber security
Throughout the year, we regularly highlighted privacy, cyber crime and cyber security. We suggested ways users could protect their privacy, and that of their children online, and improve the security of their smartphones. Additionally, we discussed the fact that privacy is increasingly becoming an illusion (See: Giving up the ghost: Is privacy just an illusion?).
On the subjects of cyber crime and cyber security, our participation in the Caribbean Internet Governance Forum in Trinidad and Tobago was particularly insightful. Of particular note is the fact that the Caribbean is seen as highly susceptible to security threats. We are not as aware as we should be, which is compounded by the absence of Computer Emergency Response Teams in most countries.
4. Green ICTs
We discussed the greening of ICTs in April, primarily to coincide with Earth Day. With energy costs continually increasing and most economies are still recovering from the global financial crisis, there is a growing emphasis on realising efficiencies and cost savings. We therefore suggested options to reduce your computing carbon footprint, and examined the pros and cons of teleworking.
5. Regional and international surveys
Launched in May, we presented the results of a number of surveys with a focus on the English-speaking Caribbean. The topics covered included: mobile and Internet prices and affordability; national e-readiness; and the status of e-government. Some of the results were drawn from reports prepared by internationally recognised organisations, such as the World Economic Forum and the International Telecommunications Union, but most were produced in-house based on our own research and analysis.
6. Internet Governance
Throughout the year we had very specific discussions on Internet Governance (IG), for example in preparation for the IG Forum held in Kenya in September. However the topic covers a broad range of issues, such as privacy, cyber crime, intellectual property, cyber security, telecoms/ICT policy and regulation. Most recently, we discussed the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, which as been getting widespread publicity and is a cause of grave concern for a number industry stakeholders.
7. Health risks
The possible health risks associated with mobile/cellular phone use came to the fore following statements from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), that labelled cellular phones as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. We discussed some of the health risks identified so far and some of the unresolved concerns. In follow-up articles, we compared radiation levels of some of the popular mobile phones in the region, and examined health and environmental risks associated with e-waste.
8. Regional news
In August we began our weekly roundup of the tech and ICT news across the Caribbean. Posts are published on Mondays, and comprise excerpts of newsworthy items drawn from publicly available regional and international sources. Prior to launching our Roundup, we might have thought the Caribbean a pretty boring place with regard to tech/ICT developments, but these weekly updates have highlighted the breadth and depth of activity that is regularly occurring in the region.
9. Barbados’ free Wi-Fi rollout
Earlier in the year, the Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation (BEF) launched an initiative to achieve 100% island wide Wi-Fi coverage by 11 November 2011. We were quite intrigued by this project and had to recognise the BEF’s resourcefulness and vision, especially since no other Caribbean country had undertaken a similar programme. On 11 November, we checked back with the BEF. As at that date, 25% geographic coverage, but 50% of Barbados’s population could access free Wi-Fi. The rollout continues and to varying degrees thanks to this project, Barbados is already experiencing a number positive changes,which undoubtedly will continue.
10. Steve Jobs
Last but not least, is Steve Jobs, co-founder, Chairman and former CEO of Apple. His untimely passing in October sent shockwaves worldwide, but also caused us to reflect his impact on technology and on business. The insights we shared may have been particularly useful to tech entrepreneurs, who are often inspired Jobs’ and Apple’s accomplishments, and continue to look to his legacy for guidance.
Which were our best posts best for 2011?
To all our readers and supporters, the very best wishes for 2012!
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Great blog post Michele! Throughout the year, and via this round-up, you gathered what most probably were the top ICT and technology themes for 2011. [You might want to read Jovan Kurbalija’s blog post on ‘The 10 main Internet governance developments for 2011’ at http://bit.ly/smcfw4%5D
If I had to cast a vote on the best post for 2011, it would be the Steve Jobs blog post, ‘A Job well done!’. The ‘takeaways’ are simply brilliant. And I love the weekly roundups too. Apart from realising that another week has flown by, they remind me of the many things that have taken place every week, and provide some insight into recurring themes that are likely to make a significant impact.
Keep it up, and best wishes for the coming year!
Thanks for the great feedback Stephanie!
I had read Jovan Kurbalija’s blog post on ‘The 10 main Internet governance developments for 2011′ a few weeks ago, and revisited it just a few minutes ago. It is good to see many more comments – when I first read it, there only three…
Based on his webinar just before Xmas, Jovan indicated that he will be releasing his predictions for 2012. I plan to publish some predictions later this week, so I am looking forward to seeing to what extent his and mine match each other …
Thanks again, and Happy New Year!
In my view, the fact that the spectrum of topics was reasonably wide, made the reading unpredictable and hence good to look forward to, because one didn’t have preconceived ideas of what to expect. Topics that provided information on what’s supposed to be common knowledge on ICT were very informative.
But I found the topics that provided insights on entrepreneur, particularly exciting. An example is “Why tech-start-ups in Caribbean cannot access funding”. Good points raised and also such as business owners track record – a catch 22 because you need the funding to start building the track record, in the first place.
A quick glimpse at “The Tech Entrepreneurs of the Caribbean” was another that stood out in this respect. This year, I would love to see a bit more of such topics, probably delving a bit more into the specific areas of entrepreneurship in which these and other new tech entrepreneurs have ventured
Topics on Free WIFI eg 6 ways your business can benefit from offering free Wi-Fi and how these topics helped ( and still help ) to rethink this growing trend, were also particularly exciting and thought-provoking.