From Bhutan to Beijing, Tamil Nadu to Tuvalu, these days, getting away from it all -- at least in Asia -- can be just about impossible.
Asia is in the midst of a telecommunications revolution that is bringing the Internet and mobile phones to even the remotest rural villages, as developing nations leapfrog into the 21st century with communications technology that in some cases surpasses that found in most American or European homes.
"Even in the poorest countries, there is a tremendous desire to communicate," said Tim Kelly, coordinator of the strategies and policies unit of the Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union, whose biennial industry show ended here Friday. "The potential for catching up will drive the market."
Though Afghanistan's communications minister, Masoom Stanekzai, lamented the violence that has moved his nation "backward toward the stone age when we need to enter the digital age," elsewhere in Asia, the trend has been overwhelmingly forward.
Isolated Philippine resorts now offer Internet connections -- no more hiding from reality in straw huts.
In Bangladesh, the number of mobile phones raced passed the number of fixed line subscribers last year -- mirroring a trend seen in Cambodia, where mobile subscriptions now exceed fixed lines eight-to-one. In 1990, only about a third of rural Indians had access to telephones; now almost all do.
By the end of this year, more than one-third of all telephone subscribers in the world were in the Asian-Pacific region, up from just over one-fifth in 1991.
Wireless Internet technology called WiFi that allows people to share Internet access inexpensively and relatively easily -- increasingly popular in cafes, airports and hotels in the West -- is being used to link up hard to reach Himalayan villages. The question is how to make such advanced technology affordable to both consumers and providers.
Ubiquitous mobile phones haven't meant universal service for all in rural Bangladesh. Villagers often share a cell phone, as they would a television set, and tend to use it only to receive calls from wealthier relatives working abroad, according to conference participants. In many places, local services remain backward or nonexistent.
"It's ironic because they can probably call their cousins in New York and not the fire department down the road," said Michael Minges, head of the ITU's data and statistics unit.
It's relatively easy to lay broadband cable in tiny, congested Hong Kong, but not in rural areas, where constructing communications facilities can be difficult and revenues scarce.
"There's plenty of WiFi activity even in Bhutan. But not enough people paying to use the services," Kelly said.
Financing universal telecoms services is an issue faced by all, from the poorest countries to the wealthiest: US officials say they are considering ways to revamp a national fund created to ensure all Americans have access to affordable local phone service.
UNCERTAINTY: Innolux activated a stringent supply chain management mechanism, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure optimal inventory levels for customers Flat-panel display makers AUO Corp (友達) and Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said that about 12 to 20 percent of their display business is at risk of potential US tariffs and that they would relocate production or shipment destinations to mitigate the levies’ effects. US tariffs would have a direct impact of US$200 million on AUO’s revenue, company chairman Paul Peng (彭雙浪) told reporters on the sidelines of the Touch Taiwan trade show in Taipei yesterday. That would make up about 12 percent of the company’s overall revenue. To cope with the tariff uncertainty, AUO plans to allocate its production to manufacturing facilities in
Taiwan will prioritize the development of silicon photonics by taking advantage of its strength in the semiconductor industry to build another shield to protect the local economy, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) said yesterday. Speaking at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee, Liu said Taiwan already has the artificial intelligence (AI) industry as a shield, after the semiconductor industry, to safeguard the country, and is looking at new unique fields to build more economic shields. While Taiwan will further strengthen its existing shields, over the longer term, the country is determined to focus on such potential segments as
TAKING STOCK: A Taiwanese cookware firm in Vietnam urged customers to assess inventory or place orders early so shipments can reach the US while tariffs are paused Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam are exploring alternatives after the White House imposed a 46 percent import duty on Vietnamese goods, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on the US’ trading partners. Lo Shih-liang (羅世良), chairman of Brico Industry Co (裕茂工業), a Taiwanese company that manufactures cast iron cookware and stove components in Vietnam, said that more than 40 percent of his business was tied to the US market, describing the constant US policy shifts as an emotional roller coaster. “I work during the day and stay up all night watching the news. I’ve been following US news until 3am
COLLABORATION: Given Taiwan’s key position in global supply chains, the US firm is discussing strategies with local partners and clients to deal with global uncertainties Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday said it is meeting with local ecosystem partners, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), to discuss strategies, including long-term manufacturing, to navigate uncertainties such as US tariffs, as Taiwan occupies an important position in global supply chains. AMD chief executive officer Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) told reporters that Taiwan is an important part of the chip designer’s ecosystem and she is discussing with partners and customers in Taiwan to forge strong collaborations on different areas during this critical period. AMD has just become the first artificial-intelligence (AI) server chip customer of TSMC to utilize its advanced
RSS