Digital Reach

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NNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

are often at the heart of

change. New methods, materials and inventions are the causes

of macro shifts in society and economics that shape the world

we live in. It may take years, or even generations, for the shift to

become evident. But despite being obscure during their appear-

ance, they are powerful.

Every schoolboy knows that the building of roads was the core

infrastructure strength behind the Roman Empire that enabled

its legions to control so much of the then-known world. Similarly,

the British Empire ran on steam trains and the emergence of the

USA owed so much to the car. These technology innovations

weren’t about new super weapons or greater economic power,

they were about communications. They enabled messages to be

sent to the furthest reaches, and allowed the population to move

freely as economic opportunities presented themselves, as well

as enabling the administration to be able to understand and

control the extent of its domain.

In the last decade, we have seen a new innovation that is

changing the world. The mobile phone has probably been one

of the most profound changes in history. It has affected not

just the speed with which business operates, but has changed

forever the social structures and rules by which we live our

lives. Relationships and families are sustained over global

distances because of the instant availability of communication;

working life has been transformed as the shackles to the tele-

phone on the office desk have been removed; and even

love-struck teenagers have found through text messaging the

means to overcome their natural shyness and fears of personal

rejection.

It all sounds great, but there are two very major issues with

this utopic interpretation of events: it has only happened to date

for the developed world, and it has only involved voice.

For the four-fifths of people outside of the industrialized world,

the mobile phone phenomenon has had scant impact beyond the

political elite. Most people throughout Africa, Latin America, the

Indian sub-continent and Asia have yet to experience the life-

changing force of mobile communications.

And even within the capital cities of the most developed

nations, it is voice communications that the people are using

mobile technology with. The networks may be in place for music

downloads, video conferencing and data applications, but very

few are using them compared to the potential that the mobile

‘multiplay’ communication possesses.

These two issues may sound unrelated, but in fact they are one

and the same, because it is through the power of the mobile multi-

play that the developing world will join this communications

revolution.

Looking at the situation in Africa, and right here in Tunisia, we

see the effects of these changes taking place right now, today, as

a generation of Tunisians are able to jump decades of technology

development. Working with the Tunisian PTT, ZTE has built the

country’s first 3G network. There follows an overview of the bene-

fits that have been derived from this.

The focus on growth

Today, the world is focused on finding ways to generate this

growth in the developing world – especially in Africa.

At the recent meeting of world leaders at the G8 summit in

Gleneagles, Scotland, it was Africa that headed the agenda for the

world’s leaders. And specifically, it was how the wealthier nations

of the world can collectively lift these nations out of poverty. As

the world leaders at the G8 discussed: while billions have been

pledged towards aid for Africa, it is investment, expertise and

practical ideas that are essential to helping Africa share in the

benefits of the global economy.

At ZTE, we believe that it is in the creation of a robust, scalable

communications infrastructure that the greatest good can be done.

It is self-evident that this infrastructure must be wireless, and

equally self-evident that it must be based on industry standard

WCDMA specifications to ensure the greatest interoperability.

Through this infrastructure, the business and consumer sectors

can be provided with the easily accessible communications that

fuel economic growth. As the expression goes: “It is from small

acorns that mighty oaks will grow” – and in the economies of

Africa and other developing nations, it is the indigenous busi-

nesses that will create the economic momentum. To do this, they

need reliable and affordable communications.

Take, for example, seed traders in Sousse – without commu-

nications they must take their chances in deciding where they

will find the best market for their products. Should they travel to

Tunis, where they will be certain to find buyers in the big city? Or

should they go to Monastir or Mahdia, where they may find less

competition and so receive higher prices? With a mobile infra-

structure they can find out where they will receive the best prices

and so act in an economically smart way. With a 3G mobile infra-

structure they have a plethora of options through which to track

the market – by fax, SMS and Java applications, as well as voice

calls – and the trader can start to build in systems for how the

business is run based on live data, delivered seamlessly.

Before long, our trader from Sousse may start looking at export

opportunities and the higher prices paid in other countries. Video

conferencing and the Internet introduce him or her to buyers in

London, New York and Tokyo. The trader’s seeds win major

contracts and he or she starts acquiring more local capacity,

Ringing economic changes in the

developing world

ZTE Corporation – committed to building a seamless Information Society