Author:
Chairman, CEOs - Telecom, Power, ISDs
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Date Posted: 04:47:32 11/01/99 Mon
In reply to:
Chairman, VC 1, Policy Analyst
's message, "Re: A HYPOTHETICAL - SCRIPT - Third Questioner!" on 04:31:21 11/01/99 Mon
CHAIRMAN: (With a quick glance at his watch, the chairman intervenes). I am conscious of our time and I'd like the representatives from Telecommunications, the National Electricity & Energy, and computer companies to comment a little about the general development trends in their respective industries. Please also consider how your organization might help in the process of developing the concept of higher education without campus. If the gentleman from Telecommunications might want to start.
CEO - TELECOMMUNICATIONS: Firstly, I want to express my appreciation for including us in the discussion today. We are in the business of providing quality telecommunication services for the right price. In our industry, we require highly qualified technical experts because we want to maintain the best service in the country comparable to the best in the world. Because of this, the cost of maintaining such a service is high. But of course, we are also aware of our responsibility to provide services to a larger clientele than we currently do now. I believe, Telecom is one of only a few statutory agencies of the government that is keeping abreast of leading-edge technology in the business. I can confirm that satellite and telecommunications systems are available already in the world and to a limited extent, available in the country. Individuals and organizations can purchase satellite disks to receive, for example, cable TV - and with other peripherals - also direct telephone and Internet communications. While we have a "rural telecommunications program", we will proceed only if we can be guaranteed returns on investment in that area. We have the expertise to install rural telephones but we will not have equipment installed if rural communities cannot organize to maintain and protect the facilities. In short, telecommunications technology is available to facilitate communications in remote places. It is really the cost of these that is our present obstacle to the progress of our "rural telecommunications program".
How then do we see our involvement in the concept of higher education without campus? I think we can help tremendously. From the figures that your policy analyst has provided, it would appear that clientele would just about double our present numbers, if you're talking about the 40,000 students. Communications traffic would certainly increase tremendously and so our capacity to meet additional telecommunications traffic will need to be augmented. This can be taken care of within 12 months of a decision by the governing board. I think, some arrangement for special concessions for educational purposes can be negotiated in order to bring the cost of this new initiative down. So, I am saying that Telecom is ready to work with the Ministry of Education to get this concept on its feet. We also have human resource requirements special to the industry and in fact, we are thinking about establishing formal links with technology institutions in Australia and New Zealand to have our personnel being updated on the latest. (Pauses here and glances to the representative from the National Power & Energy).
CEO- POWER & ENERGY: I also want to thank you for having us in your initial discussion of this concept. I'll be brief. NEE is presently providing 100% electrification to major urban centers. This of course, serves only less than 20 percent of the total population of the country. The rest of the country (80 percent) is still without modern power source. But we do have a "rural electrification program" and it has now begun in surrounding villages near our capital city and in other provinces where hydro-electric installations are serving those areas. Our revenue collection methods have prevented us in the past to expand that service. Now however, the electricity-unit credit card system now being marketed has improved our revenue collection, is most effective and efficient in that you pay for the exact units used, not more and not less. Consumers are therefore responsible for ensuring that they keep the use of power to a minimum.
Current regulation requires that those who want electrification in their homes must have electrification installations inspected and approved by certified electricians. Because of the nature of materials used for most rural homes being susceptible to fires, present regulation is to discourage electrification in homes made of "bush materials".
How can we help? I see us being able to provide electricity price concessions for educational purposes. Rural schools that are within reasonable distance of main cables can be connected at discount and through the credit card system, schools will be responsible for their own power source connection and reconnection. Where there are rural areas with clusters of buildings that are permanent or semi-permanent in nature, inspections of electrical installations will be conducted to ensure safety. I believe that only buildings that can provide safety of people and equipment should be used to facilitate higher education without campus. (Pauses and looks at the Chairman and the representatives from computer suppliers).
AN ISD REP: Thanks for giving us the opportunity to be here and to listen to your initiatives. Personally, I am excited about possible partnerships and collaboration with institutions in expanding computer assisted learning to the rest of the country. I must admit that there is an element of self-interest for the industry to be involved right from the start. It can only be a good thing for the industry. (There are some smiling faces in the room).
What is technology like in this area? Computers, desktops these days are more powerful, have greater storage capacities, and are competitively priced. Network systems are also more affordable now than in the past. Software programs for routine operations such as word processing, spreedsheets, or database, can be purchased from any computer vendor anywhere in the country. Special purpose programs can easily be designed to accommodate individual requirements of institutions. Web pages can be developed quickly to suit clients' needs. We have the expertise to do these things in the country. Obviously, if there's a sudden surge in demand, there may be small delays but we can arrange to contract expertise from elsewhere to meet such demands. It is only a matter of specifying what you want so that we can provide appropriately for your needs. In terms of service and maintenance, we have the expertise to undertake quality service and maintenance. Speaking in terms of my organization, we always have a policy of doing things a step better than expected for our clients. For providing Internet service, there are several large companies now licensed as "Internet Service Provider" (ISP). Yes, we can provide the hub to facilitate this now. Since six months ago, over 300 hundred organizations have requested such services and are now using the service.
How can we help? As I said, we are excited about the possibility of working with institutions. There is a fair amount of competition between service providers, so we think, educational institutions, like everyone else, will benefit from this competition. We are ready to discuss possible collaboration with the universities and other colleges to work out something for each of them individually. We will position ourselves to talk in more detail with the Ministry of Education as soon as possible.
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