international telecommunication union ebrahim al haddad, regional director, itu innovation and...

InternationalTelecommunicationUnion

Ebrahim Al Haddad, Regional Director, ITUInnovation and Technology Day, 24th April 2012, Doha


“…Innovation is essential if countries and firms are to recover from the global economic downturn and thrive in today’s highly competitive and connected global economy. It is a powerful engine for development and for addressing social and economic challenges. And it holds the key, both in advanced and emerging economies, to employment generation and enhanced productivity growth through knowledge creation and its subsequent application and diffusion”

- 2010 Ministerial Report on the OECD Innovation Strategy


Innovation and ICTs

“Today, high-speed communication networks support innovation throughout the economy much as electricity and transport networks spurred innovation in the past.”

-- OECD Ministerial Report on Innovation


How does it happen?

• “Innovation” does not occur in isolation• Innovation arises out of the intersection of a series of

interacting initiatives across multiple sectors performed by a broad group of actors — including governments, institutions, firms and, increasingly, ICT-enabled users


Where ICTs are having major impact on innovation


• ICTs having large impact on:• education and training systems• nature of work• Direct involvement of end users in innovation processes• Entrepreneurial culture

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read & write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn & relearn"

- Alvin Toffler


Unleashing innovation in firms

ICTs having large impact on:

•Framework conditions supportive of competition and conducive to innovation •Well-functioning financial markets. Easing access to finance for new firms•Culture of risk-taking and creative activity•Fostering innovation in small and medium-sized firms, in particular new and young ones


Creating and applying knowledge


•Investment in effective public research systems•Ensuring coherence between sources of funding R&D•Ensuring modern and reliable knowledge infrastructure supporting innovation accompanied by regulatory frameworks supporting open access to networks and competition in market•Policy and regulatory environment that allows for the development of technologies and their convergence


Creating and applying knowledge cont’d


•Facilitating knowledge flows and foster development of networks and markets that enable creation, circulation and diffusion of knowledge, along with an effective system of intellectual property rights•Foster innovation in public sector at all levels of government to enhance delivery of public services, improve efficiency and create positive externalities in the rest of the economy


Applying innovation to address global and social challenges


•Policy regime providing flexibility/incentives to address global challenges through innovation in developed and developing countries, and encourages invention and the adoption of cost-effective technologies

•Spur innovation as a tool for development; strengthen the foundations for innovation in low-income countries, including affordable access to modern technologies


Improving the governance and measurement of policies for

innovation


•Ensure policy coherence by treating innovation as a central component of government policy•Foster evidence-based decision making and policy accountability by recognizing measurement as central to the innovation agenda•Enable regional and local actors to foster innovation, while ensuring co-ordination across regions and with national efforts


ICT Development in the Arab region


ICT developments in the Arab region,

2006-2011

Strong growth in mobile telephony over the last five years, from 39% to 100% penetration

Almost all countries have launched a 3G network Active mobile-broadband subscriptions have

increased from 1% penetration to around 13% Internet usage penetration has increased from 11%

to almost 30% Fixed (wired)-broadband penetration has increased

from 0.3 % to 2.2%

13


ICT developments in the Arab region, 2006-2011

Strong growth in mobile-cellular subscriptions

14

…

Note: 2011 data are ITU estimates ** Data on fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions exclude WiMAX subscriptionsSource: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011*

Per

10

0 i

nh

ab

ita

nts

Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions

Internet users

Active mobile-broadband subscriptions

Fixed-telephone subscriptions

Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions* *


Mobile-cellular penetration (2011)

At the end of 2011, the Arab region reached a very high mobile-cellular penetration: 97% compared to the world average of 87%

There are significant differences in mobile-cellular penetration between GCC countries (173%) and non-GCC countries (76%)

15


Mobile-cellular penetration (2011)Major differences exist within the region

16

Note: 2011 data are ITU estimates Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database

143.0

119.5

103.3

96.7

86.7

73.9

53.0

0 50 100 150 200

CIS

Europe

The Americas

Arab States

World

Asia & Pacific

Africa

Per 100 inhabitants

187.9

173.3

171.5

165.5

160.8

145.5

132.4

124.2

107.0

106.0

100.1

92.4

87.1

79.3

75.9

75.8

68.0

57.8

46.1

40.5

22.5

18.6

7.0

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

Saudi Arabia

GCC countries

Libya

Oman

Kuwait

UAE

Qatar

Bahrain

Jordan

Tunisia

Morocco

Algeria

Egypt

Mauritania

Non GCC countries

I raq

Lebanon

Syria

Yemen

Sudan

Comoros

Djibouti

Somalia

Per 100 inhabitants


Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions

Between 2006 and 2011, fixed (wired) broadband has grown relatively slowly in the Arab region

At the end of 2011, fixed (wired)-broadband penetration stood at 2.2% (8 million subscriptions compared to 1 million in 2006) in the Arab region, compared to almost 5% in the developing world and 8.5% globally

This reflects to some extent the limited fixed network in the region as a whole

17


Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptionsRelatively low uptake of fixed broadband

18

2006-2011

Note: Data on fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions exclude WiMAX subscriptions; 2011 data are ITU estimatesSource: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011*

Per

10

0 i

nh

ab

ita

nts

Developed

World

Developing

Arab States

25.8

15.5

9.6

8.5

6.2

2.2

0.2

0 10 20 30

Europe

The Americas

CIS

World

Asia & Pacific

Arab States

Africa

Per 100 inhabitants

2011


Active mobile-broadband subscriptions

Wireless broadband is growing fast in the region, including the deployment of WiMAX and 3G mobile broadband services

Active mobile-broadband subscriptions (48 million in 2011 compared to 3 million in 2007) in the Arab region reached 13% penetration in 2011

Comparing with other regions: 8.5% in the developing world, 10.7% in Asia and the Pacific, and 3.8% in Africa

19


Active mobile-broadband subscriptionsFast-growing wireless broadband

20

Note: 2011 data are ITU estimates Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011*

Per

10

0 i

nh

ab

ita

nts

Developed

World

Arab States

Developing

54.1

30.5

17.0

14.9

13.3

10.7

3.8

0 20 40 60

Europe

The Americas

World

CIS

Arab States

Asia & Pacific

Africa

Per 100 inhabitants

2007-2011 2011


WiMAX and 3G licenses in Arab countries, mid-2011

Strong growth in wireless-broadband uptake is the result of strong increase in operational licenses

Most Arab countries have started to deploy wireless- broadband networks (WiMAX and 3G)

Some of the GCC countries are early adopters (as of 2003)

These are promising developments in view of the relatively low fixed-broadband penetration

21


WiMAX and 3G licenses in Arab countries: mid-2011

Wireless-broadband licensing on the rise

22

…

Note: *3G services were not available in 2011Source: ITU, operators, Arab Advisors Group

3 3 3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1

0 0 0

2 2

3

2

0

4

1

2 2

1

0

2

5

4

1 1

5

1

00

1

2

3

4

5

6

Number of operational 3G licensees

Number of operational WiMAX licensees


Internet users in the Arab region: 2011

In the Arab region, 29% of people are currently using the Internet, compared to 35% globally, 26% in developing countries, 27% in Asia-Pacific and 13% in Africa

These numbers are expected to increase with the growth of wireless broadband

23


Internet users in the Arab region, 2011Less than 1 out of 3 people are online

24

Note: 2011 data are ITU estimates ** Commonwealth of Independent StatesSource: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database

74.4

56.3

47.6

29.127.2

12.8

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Europe The Americas CIS* * Arab States Asia & Pacific Africa

Per

10

0 i

nh

ab

ita

nts


ITU Fixed-broadband sub-basket, 2010

Strong link between ICT uptake and cost of ICT services

ITU ICT Price Basket shows that average cost of ICT services, and in particular fixed-broadband services, in the Arab region is higher compared to other regions (except Africa)

In 2010, the average price of an entry-level fixed broadband package in the region cost the equivalent of 52% of average monthly GNI per capita

Note: these figures are of course influenced by very high prices in a few of the region’s low-income countries

25


ITU Fixed-broadband sub-basket, 2010Fixed broadband is still relatively expensive for the

user

26

Source: ITU

1.4 1.5 7.322.4 27.3

52.6

112.2

291.3

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Europe Developedcountries

CIS TheAmericas

Asia &Pacific

Arab States Developingcountries

Africa

US$

PPP$

Fixed-broadband sub-basket as % of GNI capita, 2010

Mo

ne

tary

un

its

% m

on

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GN

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cap

ita


Integrate ICT innovative strategies into overall national economic development plans and establish concrete targets to monitor progress

Increase investment in fixed infrastructure Leverage on wireless technologies to increase broadband

Internet access and increase mobile innovative apps. Make broadband more affordable in line with ITU-UNESCO

Broadband Commission target 2 (i.e. to cost less than 5% of average monthly GNI per capita by 2015).

Internationally, align the work of the UN agencies towards the creation of and strengthening knowledge societies.

SO, WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO ENSURE INNOVATION IS EVERYWHERE?


Thank you for listening

international telecommunication union ebrahim al haddad, regional director, itu innovation and...

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