Welcome to the age of, err, steam

This time last year I wrote that it was trendy for analysts and journalists to look into their crystal balls and tell you what to expect in the coming year. For me, it made more sense to look back on the year past and see what had failed or otherwise made no sense...

Regulator bashing – Is there an app for that?

You know it’s a ‘slow news’ year at the Mobile World Congress when the operators start ganging up on the regulators. Oh yes, regulator bashing reached new heights in Barcelona with almost every CEO, whether in keynote or panel sessions, dropping hints and more, that...

Seeking sense in censorship

The very thought of wholesale censorship of the internet by governments would appear abhorrent to many in this digital, hyper-connected era, but it hasn’t stop many from trying. Whether for religious, cultural, national security or citizen ‘protection’ reasons,...

Do we invite regulation?

Singapore regulator, the Infocomm Development Agency (IDA), recently introduced a series of bold, even radical, measures to protect local mobile service consumers. The usual suspects – premium rate services (PRS) and data roaming featured, but IDA also launched...

Free trade, globalization and flying pigs.

I am not a great fan of over-regulation. After many years of deregulation in almost every national telecommunications market of the world it seems that governments believe we still need to be told what to do, constantly, almost like naughty school children. Regulation...