http://www.oplan.org Articles, papers, tools and documents that hold important information and comment relating to the emerging OPLAN model as it is being variously deployed and developed around the world. daily 1 2006-08-28T11:17:26Z http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/what What is an OPLAN? 1-page summary of some of the main defining characteristics of an OPLAN Reproduced from this website No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-12-04T08:36:08Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/wireless-communications-and-computing-at-a-crossroads-new-paradigms-and-their-impact-on-theories-governing-the-public-s-right-to-spectrum-access Abstract: Over the past few decades, many paradigm shifts have changed our view of the interrelationship of science and law. Future developments promise that wireless devices will continue to become simultaneously less expensive and more powerful. As distributed and mesh theories are being applied to wireless communications, we should endeavor to develop policy proposals that endow users of the new wireless devices with technology-neutral rights and obligations. The Wireless Device Bill of Rights - an initiative advanced by Bran Ferren, Kalle Konsten and others (and which borrows from the principles of Paul Baran's research) - is one early model to address the rights and obligations of spectrum users by delineating simple rules for what users of the wireless spectrum (in an open spectrum environment) can do rather than what they cannot do. In addition to describing the Wireless Device Bill of Rights, this article questions whether Ronald Coase's scholarship on wireless technologies - which was made prior to the widespread use of digital signaling - may be valuable today's all-digital world. Patrick S. Ryan : University of Colorado at Boulder, Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program; Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) - Interdisciplinary Center for Law and Information Technology (ICRI) No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-10-17T16:03:28Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/Nepal_Wireless_report The paper documents the remarkable story and background to the OPLAN project in Nepal, driven by Mahabir Pun and his colleagues. Started by connecting Himanchal High School of Nangi, Nepal to the Internet, it has now expanded considerably. This project is an exemplar for the life-enhancing benefits to a community of an open access deployment of digital network technologies. As Mahabir writes; "I worked step-by-step with the villagers and a team of international volunteers to achieve this goal. We built a micro hydro generator in the village. I learned how to assemble computers from donated parts in wooden boxes. By 2003, we had set up a limited Internet connection using Wi- fi technology. This project was formally started in 2003 as Nepal Wireless Networking Project to continue expanding the network throughout the area. Today, we have connected fourteen villages to the network and expanded our services to include telemedicine, distance education and telephone service. We have come a long way since 1996, but we still have much further to go. We hope it will continue to prosper due to the improving political situation in Nepal." http://www.nepalwireless.net No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-09-28T10:21:29Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/VoIPocalypse Published by Pyramid Research, the Executive Summary states: VoIP has been nothing short of a nightmare for fixed operators. Faced with the onerous choice of either losing PSTN revenues to third-party VoIP services or losing revenues to in-house VoIP, telcos can do little to stem the accelerated decline of voice revenues in an inevitable zero sum game. So far, VoIP has been predominantly the domain of telcos, cable operators, and third party providers such as Vonage. However, Internet goliaths (Microsoft, Yahoo!, Google, Ebay, and AOL) may shortly muscle in on the action. They certainly have the means, but do they have the motivation? We anticipate that these companies will indeed decide to move to the provision of VoIP services in both PC-dependent and PC-independent forms over the next few years. There are clearly revenues to be made, and with a large and relatively untapped base of Instant Messaging and P2P VoIP subscribers, it may not be difficult to monetize VoIP calls terminating on fixed and mobile lines. This could be highly disruptive for telcos, already sandbagging against the combined threats of fixed mobile substitution and VoIP offered by rival telcos, cable operators, and third parties." No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-09-28T10:08:01Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/djurslands-net-in-depth-study-for-infodev The In-Depth Case study covering the Djurslands.net experience was prepared as part of the OPLAN Foundation's project undertaken for InfoDev at the World Bank. This study is of 7 open access network initiatives around the world selected by the OPLAN Foundation as being beacon projects. As founder of DjurslandS.net and educational leader of the “Djursland International Institute of Rural Wireless Broadband” Bjarke Nielsen has written the report on behalf of the Djursland society. No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-04-27T06:00:05Z Link http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/singapore-providing-the-world-with-a-beacon-oplan Singapore, the small city-state in South East Asia is well on the road to implementing an OPLAN strategy that could become the exemplar for other cities wishing to gain competitive advantage in the information age. This article explores some of the specific reasons why Singapore could be better placed than many to achieve this. No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-04-26T13:20:41Z Cen document http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/freifunk No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-04-26T13:18:37Z Cen document http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/proxicommunication-ict-and-the-local-public-realm Publisjhed by the Work Foundation (Chairman, Will Hutton) as part of their iSociety, this is an important contribution to the debate on the relevance of new ICT technologies to the local, community environment. From the Executive Summary: "Information and communication technology (ICT) is habitually seen as weakening the dependence communities have on shared locality. ICTs enable larger and more dispersed social groups to coordinate themselves through the use of telecommunications, publishing and broadcasting. Over the past decade, a number of new ICTs have entered mainstream society in the UK, including the internet and mobile phones, and early analyses tended to depict them as long-distance communication devices.The internet in particular was associated with globalisation, and seen to remove the constraints that geography places on social interaction." No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-03-21T11:09:42Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/trends-in-telecommunications-services-does-the-traditional-operator-have-the-advantage This insightful article is significant both, for what it states and for who it is written by. The Author, George Salisbury, is a Managing Consultant for Detecom (part of the Deutsche Telecom family) and is in charge of the "technology Strategy" Group. He prefaces his insightful article with the statement, "The multi-faceted developments with telecommunications are leading to an increasing number of players entering the market who intend to use these developments to attack the traditional providers' market share with new business models. It is with the backdrop of this increased competition that this article attempts to assess the traditional telecommnications service provders' chances and to identify ways in which the telcos of the future can hold on to their position at the front of the field." No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-02-09T13:27:32Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/france-rolls-out-open-public-local-access-networks At the start of 2007, the Government of France is well underway in the implementation of a broadband strategy to ensure the provision of ubiquitous and affordable high-speed and very high-speed connectivity and services throughout France. The basis of the policy framework is unquestionable founded on OPLAN principles. The programme involves the building and operation of new IP (internet protocol) OPLANs developed through public-private partnerships on a regional and community basis but with substantial financial support from central government. The European Commission has given a 'thumbs up' to this vanguard grand plan for France. No publisher Kenneth Murricane 2007-01-22T19:56:56Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/5Ways_ILSR This timely report notes that high speed broadband is becoming ever more widespread. But, it argues, the way in which that broadband is introduced may be as important as whether it is introduced. Many telecommunications companies are offering to build a citywide wireless or even wired network at little or no upfront cost to the city. That arrangement is especially attractive to local elected officials who fear that government lacks the expertise to manage a high tech network and who worry about the possible impact on their budget. “This is an excellent time to remember to look that gift horse in the mouth,” maintains Becca Vargo Daggett, the report’s author and the director of the Institute’s Telecommunication as Commons Project. “Even deals framed as coming at no cost to the city require the public sector to enter into extended contracts to pay millions for their own services over the new privately owned network. Cities owe it to themselves and their citizens to carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of public ownership.” Ms. Vargo Daggett also notes that cities that own infrastructure like roads and water pipelines should not fear owning the physical information network. “Concerns about obsolescence are overstated. Fiber optics is the gold standard, with essentially unlimited capacity and a lifespan measured in decades. Wireless technology is rapidly evolving, but its price is low and the payback period is short.” Moreover, unlike investments in traditional infrastructure, an investment in information networks can generate a significant return. “The investment will not only pay for itself, but can generate revenue that can pay for other important municipal services. No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-01-10T18:38:12Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/broadband-for-rural-development-a-bard-policy-briefing Analysing Broadband Access for Rural Development (A-BARD) was a 24 month Coordination Action to research rural broadband provision and use, as part of the Scientific Support to Policies (SSP www.cordis.lu/fp6/support.htm ) in the EU Sixth Framework Programme (www.cordis.lu/fp6). Starting in January 2005, A-BARD has been continuously identifying views on the issues and barriers to widespread broadband provision and the extent to which broadband can act as an external driver of change in rural economies. This is the final report No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-01-10T15:25:01Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/a-dynamic-perspective-on-government-broadband-initiatives This Reason Foundation study written by Jerry Ellig, former deputy director and acting director of the Federal Trade Commission's Office of Policy Planning, outlines seven key factors that municipal officials should fully address before moving forward with plans for municipal broadband and Wi-Fi to ensure that the projects are technologically and financially viable. The study also cautions city officials to beware of "geeks bearing gifts," suggesting that companies like EarthLink and Google are interested in providing free Wi-Fi because the deals will give them rights-of-way and valuable access to public infrastructure like light and telephone poles. This worthy study is seriously weakened by its failure to undertake any examination of the state-sustained 'vertical integration' of the current telecoms/cable sectors and, in our view, wrongly concludes, that the current competition between 'service providers' is evidence of a successful free market. No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-01-08T10:05:22Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/actions_words January 2007 note on fund raising - circulated to mailling list No publisher Malcolm Matson 2007-01-04T15:41:52Z XFile http://www.oplan.org/documents/articles/triple-play-at-affordable-cost-in-andhra-pradesh-india Not strictly an OPLAN, this rural development in India none the less holds interesting information and experience relevant to OPLAN development in emerging markets. This detailed case-study was written by Y.L.Agarwal for InfoDev, The World Bank as part of the broader local open access study undertaken for the Bank by the OPLAN Foundation No publisher Malcolm Matson 2006-12-22T20:21:49Z XFile