ACT questions EC white paper

A European Commission (EC) policy review white paper was brought to light in the US this week by virtue of a comment from its most vocal opposition, Association for Competitive Technology's Jonathan Zuck, according to betanews.

Press sources including IDG's Paul Meller quoted Zuck as taking sides against the white paper, accusing the EC of bias in favour of open source software producers over commercial manufacturers.

"We remain concerned that the policy framework suggested in the white paper seems to favour open source software over proprietary software to achieve more interoperability," reads another citation of Zuck's statement.

Local telecoms companies gearing to introduce new services will have to review their plans as Thailand is yet again delaying the tender for 3G licences until next year, according to Telecom Magazine.

Bangkok Post reported that the local regulator has confirmed putting off the 3G spectrum allocation to Q1 2010 which means new services are ready to be launched only by the later part of next year.

At different times, industry players have expressed concerns over the foot-dragging which is a significant development in transforming the revenue model for the sector.

South Australia's digital future is linked to growth in connectivity, capability and content in a new five-year plan unveiled by science and information economy minister, Michael O'Brien, states AdelaideNow.

The Information Economy Agenda 2009-2014, released recently, had no surprises and emphasised the continuation of existing IT programmes, as it defined priority areas and actions in support of the South Australia's Strategic Plan.

The state trails the rest of the nation in broadband uptake with skills shortages and a lack of confidence in digital technologies stands in the way of achieving its potential, the report stated.