Business
Tighter internet could harm Asian flexibility
- K
Aug 29, 2012 / 09:12 AM
Some countries are calling for the internet to be brought under the control of the UN International Telecommunications Regulations, but experts warn that a more tightly regulated regime could have a significant and detrimental impact on Asian countries, including Vietnam.
The Hanoitimes - Some countries are calling for the internet to be brought under the control of the UN International Telecommunications Regulations, but experts warn that a more tightly regulated regime could have a significant and detrimental impact on Asian countries, including
The 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT), to be held in
According to the chair of the ad hoc WCIT working group, Ambassador David A Gross, increased regulation of the internet should be troubling to both goverments and the private sector since it would threaten the innovation and commercial flexibility that has allowed the telecommunications sector to flourish in such countries as
"Increased regulation threatens successes that liberalisation and competition have enjoyed in recent years [and] could have adverse impacts on commercial businesses involved in international telecommunications and slow the dramatic growth of ICT revenue and e-commerce in developing nations," Gross said in
According to Ministry of Information and Communications, internet penetration in
Meanwhile, while e-commerce currently accounts for just 2.5 per cent of national GDP, online payment transactions are estimated to reach US$6 billion by 2015.
The Vietnamese Government is currently drafting a new decree on the management of internet services and electronic information on the internet, which would replace Decree No 97/2008/ND-CP of August 2008.
The draft decree would require foreign internet service providers to set up primary servers and representative offices in
The draft has attracted opposing viewpoints from the public and the business community, but Government officials have said that the new decree would be necessary to keep up with the internet's rapid development in
