EoW May 2010

“Direct-current transmission is also undergoing a modest revival on land,”Mr Wald wrote. “Over long distances its line losses are smaller and ows are easier to control. Two recent proposals for a centrally planned overhaul of the North American electric grid called for heavy use of direct current.” In this connection he also reported that new technology o ered by two European engineering rms (Siemens, of Germany, and ABB Ltd, of Switzerland) has lowered the cost for some direct-current projects, and shrunk the size of the terminals in which AC is converted to DC and back – “a crucial consideration in urban projects.”

Telecom

Reviewing its earthquake- ravaged communications system, does Haiti see its future as copper-free?

Except for cellphones, the population of Haiti was largely cut o from communication after the devastating 12 th January earthquake that destroyed the country’s already inadequate network for phone and Internet service. But, Washington Post sta writer Cecilia Kang has written, “Out of the rubble, one USA wireless industry pioneer sees opportunity.” The pioneer is John W Stanton, CEO of Trilogy International Partners (Bellevue, Washington), who recommends that Haitians not rebuild their copper wire communications network but instead go exclusively mobile. In a keynote speech delivered 24 th March in Las Vegas at a CTIA-The Wireless Association trade show, Mr Stanton called for the Haitian government to create an all-wireless nation with stronger networks for a population of nearly 10 million. (“Telecom Companies Seek to Make Haiti a Mobile Nation,” 24 th March) But Mr Stanton’s ambitions for Haiti go further. He said, “We see Haiti as a model for information and communications services in the twenty- rst century. Our vision for the rebuilding of Haiti is to leapfrog older technologies and create a wireless platform that will become a foundation for a new economic ecosystem. Haiti can be the rst ‘copper-free’ country in the world. Haiti can have a rst-class telecom infrastructure without landline service.” Ms Kang reported that the Stanton vision for a Haitian economy built on mobile technology would require getting Port-au-Prince to release more spectrum to commercial carriers for promoting business and banking as well as general-purpose phone use. Mr Stanton pledged that his company – which also owns wireless communications systems in Bolivia, New Zealand, and in Haiti’s neighbour the Dominican Republic – would commit from $80 million to $100 million to expand its network in Haiti. “Trilogy owns Haiti’s second-largest cellphone company, Voilà,” Ms Kang wrote. “The three cellphone providers there – Voilà, Digicel and Haitel – compete vigorously for customers who have come to rely on cellphones even more after the earthquake. But only about 30 per cent of the population has [a cellphone].” Experts consulted by the Post pointed out the risk for the Haitian government in accepting the Stanton proposal, because “fat” bre networks would still be needed to serve hospitals, schools and government buildings. Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a Washington-based independent think tank, said, “This could be a good strategy even for as long as 20 years. I just don’t see it as an ultimate strategy because at a certain point you need xed wire for services that require more bandwidth.” But Ms Kang noted that, as Haiti begins to reconstruct houses, ❈ government buildings and key infrastructure, some experts see a blank canvas of opportunity – and a more robust cellphone network as the fastest way to a linked-up populace.

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EuroWire – May 2010