Broadband, Video Phones At Ict Show

[george]

Broadband, video phones at ICT show

BANGKOK: -- Video phones and rich broadband-Internet are the main attractions at ICT Expo 2005, a five-day trade event which started yesterday at Impact Muang Thong Thani.

Most booths of telecom operators and vendors at the fair this year share one thing in common – the video mobile and fixed-line phones, which allow callers to see each other’s faces while talking.

Advanced Info Service (AIS) is one showcasing the video service for some third-generation (3G) mobile phones.

The 3G video-phones have been available in Thailand for a while but telecom operators have yet to introduce 3G networks.

AIS is also showing off camera phones featuring a special programme that allows them to read the barcode on the camera. This immediately connects the phones to portal sites of desired content providers.

Telecom giant TOT Plc is also displaying 3G video-mobile-phones and Internet Protocol (IP) video-fixed-line phones to show that it’s ready to be a technology leader in the upcoming liberalised era.

One TOT senior executive of the former state agency said it would soon launch a ‘triple-play’ service that allows broadband-Internet users to make calls, surf the Internet, and download digital content on the same Internet network.

Major telecom firm Samart Corp also has home video phones at its booth. These utilise the iPStar broadband satellite signal.

True Corp is highlighting its rich broadband Internet content, including lots of songs and music videos at its Trueword.net homepage. The site will be launched on a trial basis in the middle of next month.

“3G technology and digital convergence will be the driving forces of our telecom industry,” said deputy permanent secretary of the ICT ministry Thananoot Treetipbut.

The fair is aiming to attract about 300,000 visitors this year, she said, up from 250,000 last year. There are more than 300 exhibitors at the fair, plus a great number of IT vendors. The fair occupies 47,000 square metres at Impact.

The world’s largest mobile-phone maker, Nokia, attracted a crowd of tech and phone buffs with its full range of the Nseries mobile phones to reflect the trend of the convergence of mobile phone-digital camera-music players.

The state Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) is showcasing a new batch of open-source software, Suriyan and Chantra. Chantra is a collection of open-source applications compatible with Windows with an easy-to-use interface for beginners, SIPA’s James Clark said.

Suriyan is a collection of open-source applications such as such as e-mail, instant-messaging, and a file-sharing programme for small and medium enterprises.

--The Nation 2005-08-04

[The_Other_Mac]

One TOT senior executive of the former state agency said it would soon launch a ‘triple-play’ service that allows broadband-Internet users to make calls, surf the Internet, and download digital content on the same Internet network.

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Great to hear of this technical progress from TOT. It's so inconvenient at the moment, needing to connect to all those different internets.