Digital Television and its (Dys)Functions in Africa

2014 ◽  
pp. 20-35
Author(s):  
John Bosco Mayiga
Keyword(s):  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Digital Television ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
International Telecommunication ◽  
Television Broadcasting ◽  
Analogue To Digital ◽  
Manuel Castells ◽  
Political Economic

In 2006, the International Telecommunication Union resolved on a digital terrestrial broadcasting plan to migrate all television broadcasting systems from analogue to digital by June 2015. The stated objective of the switch to digital systems is to achieve qualitative and quantitative rationalization in order to maximize communication benefits. While digital migration may be seen as part of the exponential developments in science and innovation, it obscures serious conceptual issues and social inequalities. This chapter offers a theoretical examination of the ideological and political-economic logics behind the global digital terrestrial migration plan. From a broad critique of the concepts of “Knowledge Society/Information Society,” taking a critical lens into the works of Daniel Bell (1974) and Manuel Castells (2000), and drawing from Guy Berger's (2010) critique of the digital migration process, this author questions the logic of approximating digitization to development and argues that the mandatory migration of TV broadcasting systems requires critical analysis regarding its social costs to Africa.

The Old New Television and the New: Digital Transitions at Home

2008 ◽  
Vol 129 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Policy ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Digital Television ◽  
Policy Problem ◽  
The Past ◽  
Television Broadcasting ◽  
Broadcasting System ◽  
Digital Broadcasting ◽  
Analogue To Digital ◽  
Degree Of Innovation

Over the past decade, a major policy and regulatory problem for governments in Australia and elsewhere has been the implementation of strategies to switch from analogue to digital television broadcasting systems. Despite extensive debate, the transition to digital broadcasting remains fraught. What seems to be a technical matter conceals a range of intractable social, economic and cultural policy decisions. This article explores some of the challenges of digital television through the prism of an earlier, and often overlooked, transformation of television, namely the consumer-driven uptake of what can be called the ‘new television technologies’ of the 1970s and 1980s. These earlier forms of new television help to highlight several arguments: that television was not a stable object prior to digital broadcasting; that the connections between television and broadcasting have been contingent and provisional; and that a remarkable degree of innovation, disruption and adaptation has occurred at the fringes of the broadcasting system, leading to the creation of new audiovisual economies on the boundaries of the household and the market. The article then considers some examples of the ways in which this ‘household sector’ is developing as a new policy problem.

On the Determination of a Compensation Model for Rain Degraded Digital DTH Links over a Tropical Location

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
O.O. Obiyemi
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Channel ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Digital Television ◽  
Signal Loss ◽  
Signal Attenuation ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
Satellite Television ◽  
Compensation Model ◽  
International Telecommunication

Ku-band satellite remains the most cost-effective distribution channel for digital television services in terms of global coverage and wide bandwidth availability. However, signal attenuation due to rain remains the bane of the reception quality and the continuous availability. In the clear-sky, the minimum signal loss between a Ku-satellite and an earth station is about 205 dB. The amount of rain rate and the site’s latitude further compound this minimum signal attenuation. Existing reported research works are mainly limited to modelling of rain-induced attenuation without porting research findings into compensation product in terms of appropriate mitigation technique. This study is aimed at developing a robust compensation model for the rain-induced digital satellite television services for an improved quality and availability of service in Nigeria, with a specific objective of determining the optimal dish size for compensating the signal attenuation on the digital satellite TV downlink. The methodology employed involves rain data collection from the International Telecommunication Union-Radiocommunication (ITU-R) worst rain zone in Nigeria. The determination of appropriate dish sizes for different parts of Nigeria was carried out. A compensation model was derived for the rain degraded DTH link; and practical dish size of 1.5 m, for 48 dBW satellite footprint, was found to be adequate for compensating Ku satellite signal attenuation, regardless of rainstorm in Nigeria.

Situational Analysis of the Status of E-Agriculture in Tamil Nadu, India

2012 ◽  
pp. 118-139
Author(s):  
P Senthil Priya ◽  
N. Mathiyalagan
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Situational Analysis ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
International Telecommunication ◽  
The Status

In recent years, there is scarcely any field in the various sectors of the world economy that has not been influenced by the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT), and the field of agriculture is no exception. Within the past decade, many projects have been implemented by governments, private sector, and NGOs in developing countries to streamline the production, storage, selection of markets, and commercialization of agricultural commodities. These new ICT have opened up numerous opportunities for the farmers to increase the timeliness, quality, relevance, availability, and accessibility of critical agricultural information. The UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that one billion people worldwide – most of whom depend in some way on agriculture for their livelihoods – still lack connection to any kind of ICT. Indian farmers face competition from global forces and the usage of ICT tools. Advances in ICT help farmers to access accurate, timely, relevant information and services, thereby facilitating an environment for more remunerative agricultural practices to meet the new challenges. This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the existing rural agrarian digital divide in Tamilnadu, India. The chapter describes the information needs, ICT access, and new opportunities for farmers in rural Tamilnadu. The chapter also examines the status of E-Agriculture in Tamilnadu and the ICT interventions that are available to Tamilnadu farmers. The study outlines the emerging opportunities for rural farmer’ participation in the knowledge society and offers some guidance on how the farmers can take advantage of ICT and utilize the information management system to derive maximum benefit out of the technology.

Discourse on Standardization

2009 ◽  
pp. 141-191
Author(s):  
Timothy Schoechle
Keyword(s):  
International Standards ◽  
International Organization ◽  
The Political ◽  
International Electrotechnical Commission ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
The Public ◽  
International Telecommunication ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Do So

The preceding chapter examined the history, structure, and practices of the principal international standards-setting organizations, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), with particular attention to their composition, the public/private nature of their organizations, the interests they serve, and their processes. The present chapter will examine current discourse on standardization and the rise of the consortia movement. It will do so first by framing the debate within general structural and openness issues and then by looking at specific rhetorical examples of arguments, claims, and controversies. It will then establish a taxonomy of arguments and rhetorical discourses, focusing on the issue of legitimation of consortia standardization. It will next analyze several important cases, looking at public documents, testimony, and reports. In doing so, it will examine the specific claims to legitimacy made by consortia and traditional bodies. It will seek to clarify how the practice of standardization is being discursively re-constructed. Finally it will consider international, institutional, and industrial responses to these claims of legitimacy and to the political/economic pressures they have brought.

International Communication Regimes

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.P. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Cooperative Interaction ◽  
Current View ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
Satellite Systems ◽  
International Telecommunication ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Television Broadcasting ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Privately Owned

International regimes are often described as regularized patterns of cooperative interaction or behavior among international actors such as nation-states. They also provide the most concrete instances of international cooperation. One example is the telecommunications regime, which grapples with issues such as satellites, radio and television broadcasting, surveillance, and sending of voice or data messages. Until the late 1970s or early 1980s, the international communications regime was dominated by state- or privately-owned monopolies in the communication industries. Recently, this cartel has unraveled and communication markets worldwide have moved toward privatization and liberalization, which led to changes in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Intelsat. The ITU was initially seen as strongly resistant to liberalization, but the current view is that it eventually came around to supporting it. The ITU still remains the premier authority arbitrating interconnection protocols, frequency distribution and arbitrations, and weighs in on prices and standards. Intelsat, meanwhile, has become a much weaker organization as a result of the regime change toward liberalization. As competitive private and regional satellite systems have developed, Intelsat is now one among many telecommunication satellite carriers in the world, although it remains the largest provider of fixed satellite services. Various forms of Internet governance have also emerged, reflecting a mix of private and public authorities at national and international levels. In electronic commerce, the emerging regime reflects the overall rubric of the principles and norms of global liberalization.

Global Sport

2018 ◽  
pp. 596-612
Author(s):  
Richard Giulianotti
Keyword(s):  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
Future Research ◽  
World Cup ◽  
Economic Issues ◽  
Mega Events ◽  
Sport For Development ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Sociocultural Issues ◽  
The Olympic Games

World sport often appears as one of the most powerful illustrations of globalization in action. This chapter provides a critical analysis of global sport. Four major areas of research and debate on global sport are examined: political–economic issues, centering particularly on the commercial growth of sport and inequalities between different regions; global sport mega-events such as the Olympic Games or World Cup finals in football; the emergence and institutionalization of the global sport for development and peace; and sociocultural issues, notably the importance of global sport to diverse and shifting forms of identity and belonging. Concluding recommendations are provided on areas for future research into global sport.

scholarly journals The graph neural networking challenge

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
José Suárez-Varela ◽  
Miquel Ferriol-Galmés ◽  
Albert López ◽  
Paul Almasan ◽  
Guillermo Bernárdez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Computer Networks ◽  
Real World ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Global Competition ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
International Telecommunication ◽  
Broad Audience

During the last decade, Machine Learning (ML) has increasingly become a hot topic in the field of Computer Networks and is expected to be gradually adopted for a plethora of control, monitoring and management tasks in real-world deployments. This poses the need to count on new generations of students, researchers and practitioners with a solid background in ML applied to networks. During 2020, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has organized the "ITU AI/ML in 5G challenge", an open global competition that has introduced to a broad audience some of the current main challenges in ML for networks. This large-scale initiative has gathered 23 different challenges proposed by network operators, equipment manufacturers and academia, and has attracted a total of 1300+ participants from 60+ countries. This paper narrates our experience organizing one of the proposed challenges: the "Graph Neural Networking Challenge 2020". We describe the problem presented to participants, the tools and resources provided, some organization aspects and participation statistics, an outline of the top-3 awarded solutions, and a summary with some lessons learned during all this journey. As a result, this challenge leaves a curated set of educational resources openly available to anyone interested in the topic.

scholarly journals A line-of-sight channel model for the 100–450 gigahertz frequency band

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joonas Kokkoniemi ◽  
Janne Lehtomäki ◽  
Markku Juntti
Keyword(s):  
Channel Model ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Line Of Sight ◽  
Absorption Loss ◽  
Radio Communication ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
International Telecommunication ◽  
Fifth Generation ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Actual Response

AbstractThis paper documents a simple parametric polynomial line-of-sight channel model for 100–450 GHz band. The band comprises two popular beyond fifth generation (B5G) frequency bands, namely, the D band (110–170 GHz) and the low-THz band (around 275–325 GHz). The main focus herein is to derive a simple, compact, and accurate molecular absorption loss model for the 100–450 GHz band. The derived model relies on simple absorption line shape functions that are fitted to the actual response given by complex but exact database approach. The model is also reducible for particular sub-bands within the full range of 100–450 GHz, further simplifying the absorption loss estimate. The proposed model is shown to be very accurate by benchmarking it against the exact response and the similar models given by International Telecommunication Union Radio Communication Sector. The loss is shown to be within ±2 dBs from the exact response for one kilometer link in highly humid environment. Therefore, its accuracy is even much better in the case of usually considered shorter range future B5G wireless systems.

THE ROLE OF HARMONIZATION OF ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE RATING OF RUSSIA IN THE INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL COMPARISONS IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND ICT

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Н.П. РЕЗНИКОВА ◽  
Г.С. АРТЕМЬЕВА ◽  
Д.В. КАЛЮГА
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
International Telecommunication Union ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
International Telecommunication ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Ict Development ◽  
The Impact

Представлены основные направления для поиска путей улучшения рейтинга Российской Федерации в международных статистических сопоставлениях в сфере электросвязи/ИКТ с учетом необходимости гармонизации разнообразных направлений деятельности, связанных с оценкой влияния электросвязи/ИКТ на достижение Целей устойчивого развития, а также с появлением Нового индекса Международного союза электросвязи (МСЭ) взамен Индекса развития ИКТ(IDI). OThe main directions for finding ways to improve the rating of the Russian Federation in international statistical comparisons in the field of telecommunications/ICT are presented, taking into account the need to harmonize various activities related to assessing the impact of telecommunications/ICTs on achieving the sustainable development goals, as well as the advent of the new International Telecommunication Union Index instead of the ICT Development Index (IDI).

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