Toward free Internet access

<<March 9, 2000>>

Dr Robert L. Guild <RobertG@forumsec.org.fj>

Richard Wah <wah_r@usp.ac.fj>

Mykola B. Tomyn, Dr. <tomyn@lim.lviv.ua>

Timo Portimojarvi <hotipo@uta.fi>

Dear Robert:
============

(1) Many thanks for your msg (ATTACHMENT I).

(2) Your previous msg said that you have to pay US$7500 per month for a 64k
leased line. This is certainly very expensive.

(3) I understand that the USPNet of the University of the South Pacific has
4 of 128 Kbps channels and 12 of 64 Kbps channels over the INTELSAT
satellite at 177 degree east (a spare satellite) free of charge, in
order to connect one dozen consortium members in small islands around your Fiji.

(4) Mykola in Lviv, Ukraine may be able to give you some figures for the 64
Kbps leased line in his country.

You may view his PowerPoint slide presentation made during our
Tampere event last August at <http://www.uta.fi/EGEDL/outline/>.
Then, click PROGRAM OF CONFERENCE in the left column, and then
find Mykola at 14:00 of August 11th (Wednesday) in the right column.

Dear Timo:
==========

Those slides are not accessible now -- Pls fix this ASAP.

Dear Electronic Colleagues:
===========================

If you have the price of 64 Kbps lease line, pls inform Robert. Thanks.

(5) During our Tampere event, we brainstormed the establishment of:

(a) Global University System (GUS),

Click SYNOPSIS OF GLOBAL UNIVERSITY SYSTEM in the BRAINSTORMING
MATERIALS section in the left column of the above URL.

(b) Global Broadband Internet (GBI),

Click GLOBAL BROADBAND INTERNET in the BRAINSTORMING MATERIALS
section in the left column of the above URL.

Click GLOBAL SERVICE TRUST FUND SYNOPSIS in the BRAINSTORMING
MATERIALS section in the left column of the above URL, and

<http://www.informatics.org/clarke/projects.html>.

(6) The GUS is to have GBI -- both of which are to be supported by the GSTF,
i.e., with a global E-rate or with substantially discounted rates of the GBI.

Although still preliminary yet, we are now working for the GBI for the
Asia/Pacific area with some favorable responses from INTELSAT, etc.

(7) As you see in ATTACHMENT II, the world trend is toward free Internet access.

Best, Tak
****************************************
ATTACHMENT I

Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 22:41:12 -0500
From: Robert Guild <RobertG@forumsec.org.fj>
To: utsumi@friends-partners.org
Subject: internet access costs

I am doing a survey on internet access costs. To keep things simple, and
appropriate to developing countries, I'm looking for the monthly cost of a
64 kbps leased line. If you have this information for any city or country,
or know where I can find it, I would be most grateful. I will summarise
responses back to the list. Thanks in advance,

Dr Robert L. Guild
Economic Infrastructure Adviser
South Pacific Forum Secretariat
Private Mail Bag, Suva, FIJI
Office: +679 312600 Direct: 220212 Fax: 300192
Internet: http://www.forumsec.org.fj/
****************************************

Return to Global University System Early 2000 Correspondence

ATTACHMENT II

The New York Times/CyberTimes

Excerpt from
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/03/cyber/articles/08britain.html>

March 7, 2000

Plan for Free Access in Britain

By JANE BLACK

[D] UBLIN -- In a major sign that the high
cost of Web access in Britain may soon be
doomed, NTL, an American communications
group, announced on Tuesday that it would
offer free and unlimited access to the
Internet beginning April 17.

The move came following pressure from the
British government to lower the cost of
getting online. In a speech to business and
trade union leaders on Tuesday, Prime
Minister Tony Blair praised the plan "as a
significant new offer" that he hoped would
help his reach his goal of allowing every
British citizen unhampered access to the Web
in the next five years.

It also comes on the heels of a similar
announcement on Monday from AltaVista.
AltaVista, however, has set no date for the
launch of its free service.

The NTL plan is expected to shake up the
already volatile Internet service provider
market in Britain, which is currently led by
Freeserve, a homegrown ISP. After the NTL
announcement, Freeserve's stock fell sharply.
Analysts say it may also hurt other players
like America Online and British Telecom.

Freeserve -------------------------
originally Some Call It 'Free'
introduced the
concept of "free" AltaVista: There is a
Internet access to one-time charge of ﾋ�30
the British to ﾋ�50, then ﾋ�10 to
market. But ﾋ�20 a year. Users get
despite the name, access 24 hours a day
surfing the Web without telephone charge.
was never really
free. Although AOL: For ﾋ�9.99 a month,
consumers pay users get Internet access
nothing for a at all times for a
Freeserve account, telephone charge of 1
they do pay for pound per minute.
each minute they
are online for BT Click: No subscription
using the local charge. Users get
phone line, which Internet access at all
can cost up to times for the price of
about 10 cents per local phone calls.
minute during peak
hours. Freeserve BT Internet: For ﾋ�9.99 a
takes a cut of the month subscription, users
local phone get access with no call
charge. A new charges between 6 p.m.
study from the and midnight and from
Boston Consultant midnight on Friday to
Group estimates midnight on Sunday. There
that using such are local call rates at
"free" services other times.
costs twice as
much as using an Freeserve: No
Internet service subscription charge.
provider in the Internet access 24 hours
United States. a day for the price of a
local phone call.
A Freeserve
spokesman played -------------------------
down the NTL
offer, saying Freeserve was always aware that
the opportunity for making money on telephone
revenues would diminish over time. He added
that Freeserve's strategy is to grow by
increasing advertising revenues and directing
its 1.6 million registered users to
e-commerce initiatives.

NTL's plan, called ntlworld, will offer its
service to anyone with a PC and a modem --
even if they live outside the reach of the
company's cable networks. NTL, which did not
say how it plans to make money from the new
venture, will provide dail-up service by
buying local phone access from British
Telecom.

But even this new "free" plan has a catch for
consumers. Users who are outside NTL's reach
will have to sign up with NTL for their voice
telephone calls and spend at least ｣10 per
month on calls to be eligible for the offer.
NTL's networks only reach 5.6 million
consumers.

While the plan is undoubtedly a boon for
consumers, the fight for unlimited access is
only part of NTL's battle. Last year, it
announced plans to merge with Cable and
Wireless, one of Britain's biggest telecom
operators. The planned merger is currently
being reviewed by the government. NTL hopes
that by boosting Internet use, one of the
government's crusades, the government in turn
will look favorably on the merger.

Regardless of other motives, the offer is a
giant step forward for the already-booming
Internet market in Britain. Until the end of
last year, British Telecom's lock on the
phone market had made the future look grim.
With the price of international calls
falling, the telecom giant was reluctant to
offer unlimited access because the growing
volume of Internet-related calls was one of
its most profitable activities.

This month, British Telecom launched its own
unlimited access plan. But the charges are
still high -- ﾋ�35 per month, or almost $60,
for full access. Last year, AOL, too, was
forced to change its tack. It now offers a
monthly subscription of ﾋ�9.99 and each
minute online costs just one British penny.

"We are three-quarters of ------------------
the way through the battle Related Article
for unmetered Internet America Online
access," said Erol Ziya, Unit to Reduce
spokesman for the Subscription
nonprofit group Campaign Costs in Britain
for Unmetered Access. "But (September 28,
in the end, it all really 1999)
comes down to BT, which ------------------
still has the only wires
into about 80 percent of British homes. The
competition can put on the pressure and
subsidize unmetered programs but they are
still paying a per-minute rate if they use
the BT local loop. That's got to change."

---------------------------------------------
Related Sites
These sites are not part of The New York
Times on the Web, and The Times has no
control over their content or availability.

* NTL

* Alta Vista

* Freeserve

* British Telecom

* AOL

* Campaign for Unmetered Access

Return to Global University System Early 2000 Correspondence

List of Distribution

Dr Robert L. Guild
Economic Infrastructure Adviser
South Pacific Forum Secretariat
Private Mail Bag, Suva, FIJI
Office: +679-312600
Direct: +679-220212
Fax: +679-300192
RobertG@forumsec.org.fj
Internet: http://www.forumsec.org.fj/

Richard Wah
Head of Distance Education and Deputy Director
University Extension
The University of the South Pacific (USP)
Laucala Campus
PO Box 1168
Suva, FIJI
Tel: (679) 212483
Fax: (679) 300482
wah_r@usp.ac.fj
richard.wah@usp.ac.fj
www.usp.ac.fj

Mykola B. Tomyn, Dr.
Information Manager
Technology Promotion Center
Lviv Institute of Management
57, 700-ritcha Lvova Str., Room 706
Lviv, 290601
UKRAINE
Tel: +380-322-52 26 81
Fax: +380-322-52 44 63
tomyn@lim.lviv.ua
http://www.lim.lviv.ua/

Timo Portimojarvi
Assistant
(Media Culture, Media Education)
Department of Teacher Education
University of Tampere
P.O.Box 513
13111 H砧eenlinna
FINLAND
tel. +358-3-61451
+358-50-381 3443
GSM: +358-40-550-3193
fax. +358-3-6145 237
hotipo@uta.fi
www.uta.fi/~hotipo/
www.uta.fi/laitokset/okl/hokl/

**********************************************************************
* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA *
* (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A.) *
* Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education *
* Founder of CAADE *
* (Consortium for Affordable and Accessible Distance Education) *
* President Emeritus and V.P. for Technology and Coordination of *
* Global University System (GUS) *
* 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-3998, U.S.A. *
* Tel: 718-939-0928; Fax: 718-939-0656 (day time only--prefer email) *
* Email: utsumi@columbia.edu; Tax Exempt ID: 11-2999676 *
* http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/ *
**********************************************************************

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