Monthly Archives: May 2010

Mobile phones offer hope to ‘bottom of the pyramid’

Farming, transport and banking to benefit

  • Published: 12/05/2010 at 12:00 AM

  • ISLAMABAD : Sriganesh Lokanathan, senior research manager at LIRNEasia, spoke of the need to address the agricultural sector in South Asia which makes up a large share of the labour pool but a low share of GDP.

    Sriganesh Lokanathan explains his research on agriculture value-added services in India. Today’s best programmes are still voice led and all but one are based around gaining new subscriptions rather than being a sustainable service in themselves.

    "You have highly inefficient agricultural markets with a large information disparity," he said.

    ICTs cannot solve all problems, chief of which is land reform, but when it comes to making decisions, lowering transaction costs and going to market and selling, information can make a big difference.

    The researched categorised the decision-making process and information value in each from decisions to seed, planting, growing to harvesting and selling.

    Information search costs are highest at the beginning of the cycle. Information on deciding what to grow are three times all other costs, and this is where ICTs have a potential role to play.

    Lokanathan said that ideally he wanted to change the decision-making chain into a cycle where the decision on what the farmer wants to grow is based on the price when he expects to harvest. For this to happen, prices and supply and demand needed to be predicted and farmers need to get into forward sales contracts which does not often happen in this part of the world.

    A number of mobile information services aimed at farmers are now available in India offering crop advisory, weather forecasts and market price information.

    Bharti Airtel offer a non-subscription voice-based service through the phone with 1.5 million subscribers. The revenue model is through the sale of specially enabled SIM cards and the service costs one Indian rupee (0.70 baht) a minute.

    Dr Harsha De Silva explains how mobile phones with near-field communications can enable feedback and choice so that perfect pricing and resource allocation can be possible even with very cheap bus services in Sri Lanka.

    Reuters Market Light has 170,000 subscribers in 17 states. It does not partner with telcos and instead sells scratch cards directly to the farmers.

    Mobile operators are getting into the market to gain subscribers now that the urban market is saturated. Apart from Reuters, revenue from the service itself seems to be secondary right now.

    The problem with agricultural value-added services is that it is very localised. A farmer in Punjab wants weather conditions, markets and soil conditions for his farm, not what is happening in the city.

    Lower literacy levels mean that they prefer voice to text, but with the younger generation becoming more technology-savvy, the farmers’ children are now serving as information conduits.

    Harsha De Silva, PhD Professor of economics at the University of Missouri, conducted a study on the use of mobile payments to create efficiencies in public transport in Sri Lanka.

    In Sri Lanka 93 percent of public transport is by bus. Buses are old and public buses have archaic ticketing machines.

    Twenty five percent of bus revenue is lost in leakage and as a result, buses are over-crowded to make up for lost revenue.

    Commuters were getting played out. In a study for a 6.50 Sri Lankan rupee bus ride (1.80 baht) where 7 rupees were paid, 60 percent of the time change was not given. Often tickets are not issued at all after payment.

    Muriuki Mureithi explains that while the mobile payment system in Kenya has been a great success, lack of regulation means it is a lock-in by incumbent telcos.

    For the state, the issue becomes a matter of subsidies. Instead of subsidising the bus operator, money needs to be focused on the poor.

    Many have moved to the use of contactless smart cards, but De Silva thinks that the mobile phone will be the future. Buying a bus ticket by SMS would be cumbersome, but a NFC (near field communication) enabled phone allows the system to ask yes or no to authorising a payment. It gives an additional layer of security.

    The state could offer a conversion subsidy for NFC-enabled readers or the duty-free import of NFC equipment.

    A lot of work needs to be done on standardisation of the SIM card for NFC-enabled chips and with regulatory concerns both from the radio and banking regulators.

    But after all this is done, what are the benefits of mobile ticketing? De Silva believes that intelligent ticketing with feedback from the phone will enable better use of resources, for instance, selecting a different bus if it is less crowded. First and last buses often run almost empty so pricing by congestion and time of day would increase utilisation. In other words, mobile public transport ticketing would bring about perfect pricing.

    Muriuki Mureithi of Summit Strategies, Kenya, spoke of the mobile payments experience in Kenya – a country were 26 percent of the 39 million population have bank accounts but 52 percent have mobile phone SIM cards.

    A study of the unbanked said that most did not have a bank account as they do not have regular income; that they do not need a bank account or that they did not quality for a bank account.

    "That was a challenge, for these people not to be excluded from the mainstream of society," he said.

    M-Pesa, a mobile payment system launched by market leader Safaricom, today has 9 million users. Twenty three percent of the population are registered on M-Pesa but it is not necessary to be registered to receive payments, but it is cheaper.

    The average transaction per month across all the users comes out at 2,500 Kenyan shillings (1,032 baht) which addresses the Bottom of the Pyramid.

    Before M-Pesa, Kenyans were transferring remittances by hand, by bus drivers or via direct deposit. One side effect of M-Pesa is that post office drafts have all but been killed off.

    The project has been such a success that some companies are now paying employees’ salaries through the platform and it is now moving to add bill payments and paying for purchased goods as well.

    Mureithi said that the problem was that operator-led programmes lock out other operators and bank-led programmes lock out other banks. M-Pesa is a mobile operator led programme with no licensing by the ICT regulator. He said that a better way forward would be for a neutral third party agency providing a platform.

    Aamir Ibrahim, Chief Strategy Officer at Telenor Pakistan, explained the success of the EasyPaisa microfinance branchless banking system but also explained the culture of innovation at Telenor which has a dedicated incubation engine.

    "We are inundated with new ideas. The problem is not ideas, but ideas which make money. We want to break away from the clutter of what is happening in the mobile world, away from the price wars, from the fighting and get into new opportunities," he said.

    More than 40,000 ideas have been generated and some of the projects that have graduated from the incubator include mobile classifieds, tele-doctors, tele-lawyers, and tele-kisan (news and weather).

    Products have to be able to stand alone in terms of revenue generation after an initial period.

    The local term for the ethos behind the incubation centre is "Karo Mumpkin" or "Let’s make it happen".

    Source:http://www.bangkokpost.com/tech/technews/37197/mobile-phones-offer-hope-to-bottom-of-the-pyramid

Internet, phone service maintained: Providers

By Usanee Mongkolporn
The Nation


Internet service will be available as usual despite the escalated violence in Bangkok, said an executive of True Corp.

The executive said that the company has not yet received any request from the government to shut down the internet service.

TOT Plc also insisted that the service will be maintained despite the turbulence.

A Twitter message recently floated the news that the service would be suspended from 8pm onwards.

An executive of Advanced Info Service also denied the rumour that there is an order to terminate the wireless internet or mobile phone services.

However, as Bangkok residents suffered from lack of phone signals, he noted that it is a result of damage to some transmission lines and overcongestion.  

The CRES tonight also asked National Telecommunications Commission and ICT Ministry to block some Facebook pages. Popping up on these blocked pages was the message that the page is temporarily blocked under the emergency decree.

However, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said on his Facebook that the CRES has never issued such order and that the network seemed to come under a kind of manipulation.

source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/05/19/business/Internet-service-maintained-Providers-30129798.html

GoldStar GPS Launches New Software User Interface

GoldStar GPS Launches New Software User Interface

GoldStar GPS, ProconGPS Inc’s industry leading Subprime Finance asset tracking brand, and largest provider of mobile resource management solutions for the subprime automotive finance and Buy Here/ Pay Here industry today announced the successful launch of its latest software application named Voyager.

Knoxville, TN (PRWEB) May 19, 2010 — GoldStar GPS, ProconGPS Inc’s industry leading Subprime Finance asset tracking brand, and largest provider of mobile resource management solutions for the subprime automotive finance and Buy Here/ Pay Here industry today announced the successful launch of its latest software application named Voyager.

This revolutionary software application is the most comprehensive user interface in the industry.

"This new user interface offers our customers a whole host of new tools which will makes their job of finding their assets and collecting from their customers much easier. There is a full administration section which offers multiple levels of security functions and a full host of other features to help our customers manage their customers and their employees usage", said Mark Behnke, Vice President ProconGPS.

Manoj Tank, Director of Product Management for ProconGPS added, "The new Voyager software application is not just your average run of the mill software rewrite, patch or bug fix. This is a completely new design and is built on a totally new platform using all of the latest programming tools available."

"The new Voyager application delivers a complete set of intuitive, outstanding features developed specifically for users in the Buy Here/Pay Here industry. This is yet another example of why GoldStar GPS is the clear market leader," said David Meyer, Executive Vice President of ProconGPS.

See the new Voyager application in action at www.goldstargps.com or call 866.655.8825 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              866.655.8825      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

About ProconGPS
ProconGPS Inc. headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, is the industry leader and world’s largest provider of MRM products and services to the Subprime Automotive Finance industry. Products from ProconGPS Inc host an abundance of features sets allowing users to effortlessly locate and control their assets across the globe by providing a globally-managed, wireless data network. Products from ProconGPS Inc reduce the costs, complexities and risks associated with managing mobile assets, ProconGPS currently has over 450,000 units being used throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico, ProconGPS has offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and a software development laboratory in Thailand.

 

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20100519/bs_prweb/prweb4019014_1

Seven years of frustration

When I started this job, we were on the verge of a brave new world. Now we’re… erm…

Seven years. That is how long I have been writing for the Bangkok Post. I almost did not make it to this milestone, but somehow I managed. I could go on about how disillusioned I am with the Thai IT scene, the government, the Ministry of Truth and the Knights of Truffle and Cake, but why bother? When I started in 2003, we were on the cusp of digital inclusion; of bridging the digital divide and of a new era in 3G communications. Fast forward to 2010 we are still, erm, nowhere.

Instead, let me take this annual opportunity to write about something equally not-quite professional: me. Yes, journalists should be impartial and not write about personal matters, but I am sure an anniversary can be an exception.

Cameras. I look back at many of my interviews and still smile at the quality of the camera gear I use. Compared to the over-processed, over-saturated, high-pixel cameras of today, I shoot my pictures with a very old 6-megapixel Minolta Dynax 7D, circa 2004. I get weird looks from people when I tell them it is has just six million pixels and weirder looks when the images come out better than their 14-megapixel toys.

Most of my pictures are taken with my 70-200mm F2.8 Sigma lens. The focus recently jammed and I took it in for repairs. The receptionist looked at it and wrote on the receipt, "worn-out". I told her it’s not worn out, just very well used. She said she’s been working here for years and she has never seen any lens as battered as mine. "But I’m a journalist; I use it every day," I argued, not that she listened.

For writing, I have splurged a bit and use a Sony Vaio TZ. Lovely piece of kit. Last generation Intel ULV platform: 1.33 GHz Core2 Duo ULV (ultra low voltage) chip, 120 GB 1.8" hard drive (urgh _ the performance of 1.8" units is abysmal), DVD, LED backlight screen (very nice colours and much easier on the eyes compared to conventional LCDs but not as good as a true AMOLED), Intel 945 chipset (urgh, again, when it comes to graphics performance), carbon fibre body (1.1kg but it also means I can’t throw it into my bag) and a claimed eight to 11-hour battery life. In practice I get about five or six, which is still better than anything else out there in this weight and performance bracket.

At over 80K, it should be a premium PC, and it is. Service, though, is horrendous and more suited to a 10K netbook. The touchpad failed and it took three weeks to get it repaired under warranty, though I am not sure how long it took IT City to send it to Sony and back.

My other backup netbook is a first-generation Acer Aspire One. It is as cheap as they come and recently the keyboard broke again under the pounding it has received. Cheap and cheerful and certainly not a premium piece of kit, but the contrast for servicing could not be greater. It failed once, under warranty. I took it in to the Acer service centre at Zeer in the morning, did a bit of shopping, and picked it up in the evening with a new motherboard installed. Budget PC, but premium service. If only you could combine a Sony notebook with Acer’s service, then I would be happy.

Home PC? A few. Phenom X4 in my bedroom, huge Zalmann fan for almost silent running (not overclocking) but honestly, I do not use it as much as I could, spending most of my time on my Sony. Another Phenom X3 for a home theatre PC and an old Athlon running FreeNAS with six 1.5 TB SATA drives running in RAID (faster, too, not just bigger) for storing the videos, sharing it over a gigabit wired LAN. Infuriatingly, I cannot upgrade to Freenas 0.7.1 on this hardware and am stuck with 0.69.2. A major migration project to Openfiler or NexentaStor beckons.

OS? Ubuntu for the most part. Boot-up times and speed make Vista feel ancient but there are two things I still need to dual boot into Vista for. One is SlingPlayer so I can watch BBC1, Virgin 1 and E4 from the UK legally and the other is the fact that the Sony webcam does not work under Karmic Koala (Ubuntu 9.10). No, I have not updated my "production" laptop to Lucid Lynx (Ubuntu 10.04) yet, as rumours of a power management bug still circulate. Open Office, of course, for all my writing, though I have toyed with Google Docs.

UK versions of Windows 7 for the rest of my family and, believe it or not, the Evil Empire has really outdone itself in its wickedness this time around. Windows 7 is actually cheaper in the UK than it is in Thailand. The UK had a family pack of three licenses available at launch, Thailand did not. Hence strictly speaking it is a different product, though I cannot see the difference between buying three single boxes or one triple pack. To add insult to injury, the more expensive Thai version cannot be activated outside of Southeast Asia. Ah yes, Microsoft must do its bit to protect the poor British folk from buying a more expensive product overseas and must force them to save money. At times like this I almost miss Surapong and Mr McBean.

Wireless? I have one 54G router, but wires abound in my home. Try two streams over Wi-Fi and you’re fried. Wires can do full duplex at gigabit speeds. Only problem is that rats seem to like to chew them from time to time.

Internet? I wish I had ADSL like the rest of you but I live on the other side of the digital divide. My only link to the outside world is a crummy ToT microwave link that used to cost 7,500 baht a month for a 1 MBPS link. Now it’s down to 2,500 a month for one meg. Much better than IP Star, which was next-to useless at peak times. However, despite having a lightning rod, the unit regularly gets fried in the rainy season. For backup I have a ToT 3G connection (Loxley i-Kool, 500 baht for 5 GB) which worked fine with a big 13 db directional antenna on my balcony but lately has run into serious network problems as more people use it. Last I checked, one cellsite near my place failed completely over Songkran and i-Kool are at a loss as what to do as it’s ToT’s fault.

Phones? I have a Dtac Sim and a 365 ToT 3G Sim and swap them around. Google Nexus One (almost perfect apart from the abysmal battery life, lack of video calling and media streaming), WinMo Samsung i780 and HP iPAQ 614c (I need to watch ASTV and Windows Media Player is much more bandwidth efficient than anything else out there) and a Nokia N95 (Fring video calls to Skype, only available on Symbian and iPhone for now, plus it just keeps going when the others’ batteries are dead).

Unlike most people who have one phone and many Sims to swap around for cheap calls. I swap my Sim depending on the phone platform-dependent application I need. Google sync makes it seamless in terms of contacts and email settings to move around. Oh, and Nokia’s been naughty. I complained to them that the email app was playing peek-a-boo on my phone and no new firmware had come out in ages, making me feel abandoned. A new Rom came out, completely removing the share via Nokia Messaging links from the camera app so now it’s not playing peek-a-boo, but missing entirely. I guess they punished me for complaining. I also have a Huawei 5830 MiFi, which is a waste of money considering its terrible reception, but sometimes it is so bad I wonder if my unit was a lemon.

It takes reflection like this to wonder if I can afford to continue as a tech journalist. Perhaps being unemployed would be better for my wallet after all is said and done.

As I enter my eighth year of writing, I realise, though, that the real stories, the real things that matter, are not coming out of the west any more. It was visits like the ones with IBM and HP to Bangalore that got me starry-eyed at the level of research they are doing. For instance, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S Swipe keyboard method was demoed there over two years ago. My recent trip to Islamabad saw real innovation in micro-finance and mobiles that could never have come out of the west as they simply don’t have the problems we face.

What I learned is that technology writing is not really just about the latest server launches of CIO studies, and latest versions of mobile phones but it is about social paradigm shifts and how technology can be made meaningful for the poor majority of the world’s population rather than the elite few. I hope I will be able to continue doing this job I love without burning out.

A surreal seven is done and dusted. Now, to an enlightening eight.

source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/tech/techscoop/37597/seven-years-of-frustration

Tanner EDA Expands Presence in Southeast Asia

Tanner EDA, the catalyst for innovation for the design, layout and verification of analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs), has appointed Advinno Technologies Pte. Ltd. of Singapore to provide regional representation in Southeast Asia. Advinno will provide sales and support for all Tanner EDA products in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

The agreement covers sales of Tanner’s full-flow analog IC design suite, HiPer Silicon, as well as related specialty design tools and services. HiPer Silicon gives designers a complete analog design flow, from schematic capture, circuit simulation, and waveform probing to physical layout and verification, which is ideal for analog, mixed-signal, RF, and MEMS IC design. The integrated tool suite shares a common architecture and common user interface that is consistent across all tools, resulting in a comprehensive, unified software solution. Over 5,000 customers worldwide use some or all of the HiPer Silicon suite to maximize design productivity in areas such as Verilog-A simulation, device layout acceleration, interactive auto-routing, foundry-compatible physical verification, and parasitic extraction.

Advinno Technologies is a privately-held design solution company incorporated in Singapore and with offices in China, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The company provides customers with best-in-class solutions such as electronic design automation (EDA), intellectual property (IP), FPGA and ASIC, and embedded as well as design services, training and consultation.

“Our focus is on enabling customers to deliver first-pass design success within the shortest possible time to market by using best-in-class design solutions,” said Terry Teh, president and co-founder of Advinno Technologies. “Tanner EDA has been helping designers reach those same goals for two decades now. We are very pleased to be able to add this top quality line of products to the stable of solutions we can offer our customers.”

“With demand for Tanner EDA product increasing in Southeast Asia, we needed an experienced and well-regarded technology company with regional market knowledge to be the first line of contact for sales and support in the region,” said Robin White, international sales manager for Tanner EDA. “Advinno’s customer relationships and technical depth are second to none. We look forward to their assistance as we provide design solutions to customers throughout Southeast Asia.”

About Tanner EDA

Tanner EDA provides a complete line of software solutions that catalyze innovation for the design, layout and verification of analog and mixed-signal (A/MS) integrated circuits (ICs). Customers are creating breakthrough applications in areas such as power management, displays and imaging, automotive, consumer electronics, life sciences, and RF devices. A low learning curve, high interoperability, and a powerful user interface improve design team productivity and enable a low total cost of ownership (TCO). Capability and performance are matched by low support requirements and high support capability as well as an ecosystem of partners that bring advanced capabilities to A/MS designs.

Founded in 1988, Tanner EDA solutions deliver just the right mixture of features, functionality and usability. The company has shipped over 33,000 licenses of its software to more than 5,000 customers in 67 countries.

HiPer Verify and HiPer Silicon are trademarks of Tanner Research, Inc.

All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

source: http://www.sys-con.com/node/1401250

 

Software piracy rate drops 1% despite economic woes

Thailand still ranks among worst offenders

Two children examine a computer at a campaign organised by the Business Software Alliance at Siam Discovery shopping centre to discourage software piracy. Software piracy in Thailand dropped one percent last year.

Varunee Ratchatapattanakul, consultant at the Business Software Alliance, disclosed that IDC’s seventh annual global software piracy study found that despite the global economic recession, installations of unlicensed software on personal computers in Thailand in 2009 fell by one percent, continuing a decline which has been seen since 2006.

Further to the government’s anti-piracy efforts, vendor legalisation programs to implement new business revenue and distribution channels, adopting cloud computing and offering "Software as a Service" or bundled software with bandwidth service, may also help to the reduce piracy rate.

However, the commercial value of pirated software in Thailand last year increased to $694 million (22.4 billion baht), a rise of $85 million (2.75 billion baht) from the 2008 figure, which places the Kingdom at number 15 in the rankings of the countries with the highest commercial value of pirate software.

The higher value lost in Thailand comes from PC shipments, which rose by 16 percent in 2009 to over 2.4 million units and the software installed base rising to over 11 million units.

According to IDC, consumers had undue influence on the country piracy rate, as they accounted for 68 percent of PC shipments and 60 percent of the installed base. While More than half the software deployed in the country went to the consumer installed base, typically a high piracy segment.

A further cost to the industry comes from businesses having to recover from security incidents as a result of installing viruses and Trojans which are often packaged with illegal software. Often the cost of such recovery will exceed whatever was saved by a business avoiding buying licensed software.

At the global level, the piracy rate rose from 41 percent in 2008 to 43 percent in 2009, due to the exponential growth in PC software deployments in emerging economies, especially China, India and Brazil.

However, the global value of pirated software decreased by three percent over 2008, reached $51.4 billion (1.6 trillion baht), while the United States, Japan and Luxembourg remained the three countries with the the lowest piracy rates, at 20, 21, and 21 percent, respectively. The countries with the highest piracy rates are Georgia, Zimbabwe and Moldova, all with rates higher than 90 percent.

"This study makes it clear that efforts to reduce software theft in Thailand are making a difference and the result will input to The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for evaluating Thailand’s place in the priority watch list," Varunee said.

However, there is a long way to go in comparison to the Asia-Pacific rate, where Thailand ranks eighth.

It has been proposed to push the Copyright Act Amendment, which employs the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s Copyright Treaty to create an effective legislative environment for copyright protection, especially the use of Digital Rights Management and anti-circumvention issues.

Moreover, skills training and a dedicated digital intellectual property rights unit are also important factors in attempts to investigate and prosecute intellectual property theft.

If there is change of government, the BSA will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders and expects Thailand still strengthen its copyright laws, especially in software.

source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/tech/technews/37594/software-piracy-rate-drops-1-despite-economic-woes

Research and Markets: Games Software Sales via Key Retail Formats in Thailand to 2013: Historic Analysis of Games Software Retail Sales Revenues and Analysis from 2003 to 2008

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8c4f7c/games_software_sal) has announced the addition of the "Games Software Sales via Key Retail Formats in Thailand to 2013" report to their offering.

The ‘Games Software Sales via Key Retail Formats in Thailand to 2013‘ databook provides market value data for two key market segments and eight key retail distribution channels. It focuses on data and analysis of market revenues and segmentation. It also provides historic and forecast data, as well as a comparison against the top five countries in the market.

Scope

 

  • Games software retail sales revenues and analysis from 2003 to 2008 and forecast values up to 2013.
  • Market value of categories which include console games and pc and mac games.
  • Current and forecast analysis of sales via major retail channels in the games software industry as well as its sub-categories

 

Highlights of this title

Games Software retail sales in Thailand increased at a compound annual growth rate of 13.6% between 2003 and 2008.

Console Games sales led the games software market with a share of 78.1% in 2008. Specialist Electricals and Electronics Retailers were the leading retail format for Console Games in 2008.

Key reasons to purchase this title

 

  • Design effective marketing and sales strategies by identifying the key growth categories and retail formats in terms of sales
  • Develop business strategies by understanding the quantitative trends within the games software market in Thailand
  • Understand the future direction of the market with reliable historical data and full five year forecasting

 

Key Topics Covered:

DATAMONITOR VIEW

GAMES SOFTWARE RETAIL SALES OVERVIEW GAMES SOFTWARE MARKET SEGMENTATION

GAMES SOFTWARE SALES ANALYSIS BY KEY RETAIL FORMATS

CONSOLE GAMES SALES ANALYSIS BY KEY RETAIL FORMATS

PC AND MAC GAMES SALES ANALYSIS BY KEY RETAIL FORMATS

GAMES SOFTWARE RETAIL SALES – COUNTRY COMPARISON

APPENDIX

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8c4f7c/games_software_sal

Source: http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/Research-and-Markets-Games-bw-4117220499.html?x=0&.v=1

Reportlinker Adds Global ERP Software industry

NEW YORK, May 17 /PRNewswire/ — Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global ERP Software industry

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0197245/Global-ERP-Software-industry.html

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for ERP Software in US$ Million by – Revenue Type (Software Revenue, Maintenance Revenue, & Service Revenue), and Application Type (Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Human Resource Management (HRM), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Purchase Management, and Customer Management. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for each region for the period 2006 through 2015. The report profiles 63 companies including many key and niche players worldwide such as ABAS Software AG, CDC Software Inc., COA Solutions Ltd., Consona Corporation, Epicor Software Corporation, Industrial and Financial Systems AB, Lawson Software, Microsoft, NetSuite Inc., Oracle Corporation, Plex Systems, Inc., QAD Inc., Ramco Systems, The Sage Group plc, SAP AG, Unit 4 Agresso NV, and Visma AS. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are mostly extracted from URL research and reported select online sources.

ERP SOFTWARE MCP-6578

A GLOBAL STRATEGIC BUSINESS REPORT

CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS

Study Reliability and Reporting Limitations I-1

Disclaimers I-2

Data Interpretation & Reporting Level I-3

Quantitative Techniques & Analytics I-3

Product Definitions and Scope of Study I-3

II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW II-1

Introduction II-1

Current and Future Market Outlook II-1

Impact of Recession on the Global ERP Market II-2

Tight Budget Hunts the Enterprises II-2

World Economic Crisis and its Impact on ERP Implementation

Market II-2

High Consolidation Rife in the ERP Software Sector II-3

SaaS Finds More Takers Amid Recession II-3

Market Drivers and Constraints II-3

Changing Scenario in the ERP Maintenance and Support Segment II-3

ERP Enhances Productivity II-4

Vendors Diversifying Product Portfolio to Sustain Competition II-4

SaaS ERP Solutions Gaining Prominence Over On-premise ERP II-4

Business Intelligence Gains Ground among SaaS Solutions II-5

Role of Social Networking Sites on Business Applications II-5

Table 1: Global Top 5 ERP Software Vendors (2007):

Percentage Breakdown of Revenues Held by Vendors – SAP,

Oracle, Sage, Microsoft Dynamics, SSA Global Tech, and

others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-6

Key Sources of Revenue for the ERP Vendors II-6

Table 2: Global Top 10 ERP Software Vendors (2006):

Percentage Breakdown of Revenues Earned as License Fees for

SAP, Oracle, Sage Group, Microsoft, Infor, Epicor, Exact

Software, Deltek Systems, Lawson, IFS, and others (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) II-7

Key Application Segments for ERP Software II-8

2. PRODUCT OVERVIEW II-9

Introduction II-9

Advantages of Deploying an ERP System II-9

Choosing the Most Efficient ERP Package II-10

A Peek Into History II-10

Characteristics of an Ideal ERP System II-10

Advantages Vs Disadvantages of Implementing an ERP System II-11

Classification of ERP Vendors According to Services Offered II-11

Consulting Services II-11

Customization Services II-12

Support Services II-12

Implementation of ERP System II-12

Overview of Leading ERP Software Products II-12

SAP II-12

SAP R/3 II-13

Key SAP Application Modules II-13

ABAP II-13

Finance and Control (FICO) II-13

Production Planning (PP) II-14

Supply Chain Management (SCM) II-14

SAP SD (Sales and Distribution) II-14

Oracle E-Business Suite II-15

Oracle Database II-15

Microsoft Dynamics II-15

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): An Overview II-16

Background II-16

SaaS versus Earlier Applications II-16

Characteristics of SaaS Software II-16

Implementation of SaaS II-17

Level 1: Ad-Hoc/Custom II-17

Level 2: Configurable II-17

Level 3: Multi-Tenant-Efficient, Configurable II-17

Level 4: Scalable, Multi-Tenant Efficient, Configurable II-17

SaaS and Service Oriented Architecture II-18

SaaS Responsibilities II-18

Tenancy Partitioning II-18

Scaling II-18

Monitoring and Metering II-18

Advantages of Metering and Monitoring II-18

Pricing Catalog – Publish Business Services II-19

Usage tracking II-19

Contract Management II-19

3. PRODUCT LAUNCHES II-20

CODA Unveils CODA 2go Spring’09 II-20

Tally Solutions Introduces Latest Release of Accounting Tool II-20

Accomplish Introduces Accounting Software for Visually Impaired II-20

Compleat Introduces Compleat Spend Control e-Procurement Software II-20

Stage Software Rolls Out the Latest Version of Peachtree

Accounting Software II-21

Thai Ministries Unveils Low-Cost Software II-21

Intelliob Technologies Introduces MoneyFacts II-22

Lawson Software Launches Lawson Enterprise Search II-22

NetSuite and InsideView Introduce InsideView for NetSuite II-22

Inteva Products Launches Plex Systems’ Plex Online at Global

Locations II-23

Consona Unveils Made2Manage ERP Version 6.0 II-23

Consona Rolls Out DTR Version 9.3 ERP Solution II-23

NetSuite Introduces NetSuite OneWorld SRP II-24

CDC Software Launches Ross ERP version 6.3.2 II-24

Epicor Software Launches Epicor Commerce Solution II-24

Infor Rolls Out New Version of Infor ERP SyteLine II-25

MangeSoft Unveils Enterprise Compliance Manager 8.0 II-25

YemenSoft Introduces Onyx-Pro Latest Version II-25

AccountMate Software Corporation Rolls Out AccountMate 7.5 for

SQL II-25

CaseWare Rolls Out IFRS Financials II-26

AccountMate Software Launches Latest Version of AccountMate7 II-26

SYSPRO and Centage Collectively Develops Budget Maestro® II-26

ETSage Software Launches FAS Canada 50 Asset Accounting II-27

Kesselring Holding Corporation Introduces MAS 200 II-27

Infor Unveils New Infor ERP LX II-27

Infor Unveils Enhancements to Infor ERP XA II-28

Infor Launches New Version of Infor ERP TRANS4M II-28

Infor Rolls Out Latest Version of Infor ERP COM II-29

Lawson Software Unveils Lawson QuickStep Government II-29

NetSuite Unveils SuiteSuccess™ II-29

Ramco Systems Rolls Out Ramco OnDemand ERP II-30

SAP Launches Enhancement Package for SAP® ERP II-30

Consona Introduces New Version of Encompix II-31

4. RECENT INDUSTRY ACTIVITY II-32

John Hogg Selects Epicor 9 ERP Solution II-32

Vatmi Industries Inks Agreement with Pronto Software II-32

Fisher & Company Chooses Plex Online II-32

AbilityCRM Collaborates with Consona ERP II-33

Ohio Tool Works Chooses Made2Manage II-33

Unicircuit Chooses Cimnet Systems™ Engenix® II-33

NetSuite Enters into a Partnership with Fujitsu and Fujitsu

Business Systems II-34

Apache Inks Contract with Lawson Software II-34

City of St. Paul and Lawson Software Ink Multiple Suite Contract II-35

Cherry Creek School and Lawson Software Sign Contract II-35

Planet Filters Chooses Infor ERP LN from Infor II-35

STAHLWILLE Selects ERP Solution from IFS II-36

Linkam Scientific Instruments Selects ERP Solution from Epicor

Software II-36

Khalid Cement Industries Complex Chooses Epicor 9 II-37

Renewed Metal Technologies Choose Epicor 9 II-37

Baker Perkins Chooses Epicor 9 from Epicor Software II-37

CDC Software Inks Agreement to Take Over gomembers II-38

CDC Software Inks Binding Term Sheet to Acquire Informance

International II-38

CDC Software Enters into Alliance with 3E II-39

AccountsIQ Inks Agreement with Deloitte II-39

Pansoft Signs Solution Provider Agreement with Microsoft II-39

Everglades Implements Steel Plus Software by Bayern II-40

IFS Enterprise Explorer Supports Windows 7 II-40

VITOVA Chooses Ross Enterprise Solution for FSIMP II-40

CDC Software Acquires Majority Shares of Integrated Solutions II-41

Tecnologia Metallic en Maquila Industrial Selects ERP Solution

from Epicor Software II-41

Campbell Scientific Chooses Infor ERP SyteLine II-41

Land Systems Chooses Infor ERP LN and PLM 8 II-42

Industria Cofaz Chooses Infor ERP VISUAL II-42

Barry-Wehmiller Companies Deploys Infor ERP XA II-42

Saab Signs Framework Agreement with Agresso II-43

AAA Base IT Enters into Partnership with ABAS Software II-43

ABAS Software Enters into Partnership with Transformaempresas

(Mexico) II-43

Consona Corporation Purchases Intuitive Assets from TproSoft II-43

Consona ERP Takes Over Entire Intuitive Assets from Automated

Design Systems II-44

Deloitte Consulting LLP Buys Solbourne Computer II-44

Computer Software Innovations Purchases ICS Systems II-44

Telecom Enters Partnership with Xero II-45

Safe Computing Acquires Topaz II-45

CCH and OpenPages Inks Strategic Technology Agreement II-45

ATG Takes Over Access Unit of Holbrook IT II-46

ATG Takes Over Armstrong Consultants II-46

Focus Softnet and Storm Computers Sign Partnership Agreement II-46

International Business Machines purchases Kingdee

International Software Group II-47

Blytheco Business Solution Merges with Macdonald Consulting Group II-47

Intuit Acquires Homestead Technologies II-47

CDC Software Enters into Joint Venture with FlexSystem II-48

Sage Group Acquires XTR II-48

5. FOCUS ON SELECT GLOBAL PLAYERS II-49

ABAS Software AG (Germany) II-49

CDC Software Inc. (US) II-49

COA Solutions Ltd. (UK) II-49

Consona Corporation (US) II-50

Epicor Software Corporation (US) II-50

Industrial and Financial Systems AB (Sweden) II-50

Lawson Software (US) II-51

Microsoft (US) II-51

NetSuite Inc. (US) II-51

Oracle Corporation (US) II-51

Plex Systems, Inc. (US) II-52

QAD Inc. (US) II-52

Ramco Systems (US) II-52

The Sage Group plc (UK) II-53

SAP AG (Germany) II-53

Unit 4 Agresso NV (Netherlands) II-54

Visma AS (Norway) II-54

6. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE II-55

Table 3: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for ERP

Software by Geographic Region – North America, Europe, Asia

Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World Markets

Independently Analyzed with Annual Revenues in US$ Million for

Years 2006 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-55

Table 4: World 10-Year Perspective for ERP Software by

Geographic Region -Percentage Breakdown of Revenues for North

America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of

World Markets for the Years 2006, 2009 & 2015 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) II-56

Table 5: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for ERP

Software by Revenue Type – Software Revenue, Maintenance

Revenue, and Service Revenue Independently Analyzed with

Annual Revenues in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2015

(includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-57

Table 6: World 10-Year Perspective for ERP Software by Revenue

Type -Percentage Breakdown of Revenues for Software,

Maintenance, and Service for the Years 2006, 2009 & 2015

(includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-58

Table 7: World Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis for ERP

Software by Application – Enterprise Asset Management (EAM),

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Human Resource Management

(HRM), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Purchase Management, and

Customer Management Independently Analyzed with Annual

Revenues in US$ Million for Years 2006 through 2015 (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) II-59

Table 8: World 10-Year Perspective for ERP Software by

Application -Percentage Breakdown of Revenues for Enterprise

Asset Management (EAM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM),

Human Resource Management (HRM), Supply Chain Management

(SCM), Purchase Management, and Customer Management for the

Years 2006, 2009 & 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-60

III. MARKET

1. NORTH AMERICA II-1

A.Market Analysis II-1

Outlook II-1

Table 9: US ERP Software Market (2007 & 2008): Percentage

Breakdown of Software Revenues by Leading Vendors – SAP,

Oracle, Sage, Infor, and others (includes corresponding

Graph/Chart) II-1

Product Launches II-2

Strategic Corporate Developments II-8

Key Players II-15

B.Market Analytics II-18

Table 10: North American Recent Past, Current & Future

Analysis for ERP Software – Annual Revenues in US$ Million

for Years 2006 through 2015 (includes corresponding

Graph/Chart) II-18

2. EUROPE II-19

A.Market Analysis II-19

Outlook II-19

Product Launches II-19

Strategic Corporate Developments II-20

Key Players II-24

B.Market Analytics II-26

Table 11: European Recent Past, Current & Future Analysis

for ERP Software – Annual Revenues in US$ Million for Years

2006 through 2015 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-26

3. ASIA-PACIFIC II-27

A.Market Analysis II-27

Outlook II-27

Select Regional Markets II-27

China II-27

Inspur: A Key Player in the Chinese ERP Software Market II-27

Table 12: Chinese Market for Management Software for the

Years 2003 through 2010: Revenues in US$ Million

(includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-28

Table 13: Chinese Market for Management Software (2008):

Percentage Breakdown By Application Segment – ERP,

Accounting, Supply Chain Management, Customer

Relationship Management, Human Resources Management, and

Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-28

Table 14: Chinese Market for ERP Software (2008)

Percentage Breakdown by End use Industry – Manufacturing,

Logistics, Construction, Energy, Retail, Transportation,

Media, and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-29

Hong Kong II-29

India II-29

Scenario in the Indian Software Industry II-29

Table 15: Indian ERP Software Market (2006): Market Share

by Revenues Held by Top ERP Vendors – SAP India, Oracle

India, Microsoft India, and others (includes

corresponding Graph/Chart) II-30

Japan II-30

Table 16: Japanese ERP Package Software Market (2006):

Percentage Breakdown by Revenue for SAP, Glovia – C,

Oracle Group, ProActive, Glovia Series, OBIC7, GEMPLANET,

MUSLINK, and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart) II-30

Vendors By Types II-31

Software Package Vendors II-31

System Vendors II-31

Independent Integrators II-31

Others II-31

Taiwan II-31

Product Launches II-32

Strategic Corporate Developments II-33

B.Market Analytics II-37

Table 17: Asia Pacific Recent Past, Current & Future

Analysis for ERP Software – Annual Revenues in US$ Million

for Years 2006 through 2015 (includes corresponding

Graph/Chart) II-37

4. LATIN AMERICA II-38

A.Market Analysis II-38

Outlook II-38

Strategic Corporate Developments II-38

B.Market Analytics II-39

Table 18: Latin American Recent Past, Current & Future

Analysis for ERP Software – Annual Revenues in US$ Million

for Years 2006 through 2015 (includes corresponding

Graph/Chart) II-39

5. REST OF WORLD II-40

A.Market Analysis II-40

Outlook II-40

Product Launches II-40

Strategic Corporate Developments II-40

B.Market Analytics II-42

Table 19: Rest of World Recent Past, Current & Future

Analysis for ERP Software – Annual Revenues in US$ Million

for Years 2006 through 2015 (includes corresponding

Graph/Chart) II-42

III. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Total Companies Profiled: 63 (including Divisions/Subsidiaries – 74)

——————————————

Region/Country Players

——————————————

The United States 29

Canada 2

Japan 9

Europe 11

Germany 2

The United Kingdom 4

Rest of Europe 5

Asia-Pacific (Excluding Japan) 18

Latin America 2

Middle-East 3

 

source: http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/Reportlinker-Adds-Global-ERP-prnews-236461002.html?x=0&.v=1

University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce adopts Microsoft’s Cloud Computing technology to build a digital learning community

 

University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce adopts Microsoft’s Cloud Computing technology to build a digital learning community
           University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce adopts Microsoft’s Cloud Computing technology to build a  digital learning community
          In a Cloud Computing first for Thailand, Microsoft and UTCC strive to lift Thai education standards to new heights.
          The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) is joining forces with Microsoft in order to integrate a Hybrid Learning 2.0 system into its curriculum, which promises to bring education standards up to date with the rapidly evolving digital lifestyle of 21st century students.

          Bringing together the latest IT innovation, Microsoft software and cloud-based technology (or software-plus-services), the collaboration will be applied to enhance education standards and transform the classroom experience by making it easier than ever before for students and teachers to communicate via online communities. In order to achieve this, Microsoft has developed a fully digital approach to learning with an interactive learning environment with cloud-based services so that students can work efficiently from any location with a wireless internet connection. 

          As a leader in Cloud Computing technology, Microsoft’s vision for 21st century education is an environment that is knowledge-based. This means using the cloud to make it easier for students to both access and share the information they need with their peers and teachers via a 3 screens concept – comprising of PCs, internet browsers and mobile phones. Using any of these access points, students can obtain course materials and interact with teachers and classmates anywhere and anytime. Course materials can also be downloaded with a teacher’s personal guidelines for studying by themselves anytime they want.

          Under an agreement between Microsoft and UTCC, Microsoft is offering various Microsoft online software and services to students and teachers for free. Included in these programs are Microsoft DreamSpark, Microsoft BizSpark, Microsoft WebsiteSpark, Microsoft Imagine Cup and MSNDAA, which together are expected to enhance the education standards of UTCC and help position it as a leading and innovative university that can compete on the global stage. Microsoft also plans to establish Microsoft IT Academy programs for UTCC in order to encourage UTCC students to obtain internationally recognized Microsoft certification before their graduation. 

          Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chiradet Ousawat, President of University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said, “I am proud to say that the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce is the first university in Thailand to adopt Microsoft’s Cloud Computing technology and offer the Hybrid learning 2.0 system in order to establish a truly digital learning community. We are excited to be a part of this next generation of learning tools and firmly believe that UTCC students will gain substantial long-term benefits from this collaboration.”

          The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce is equipped with an IT infrastructure that can support the hybrid learning system, while prospective 2010 students at UTCC will receive a laptop running Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010 in order to take full advantage of the new system. Students can connect using the WiFi internet available throughout the university in order to use and download learning materials and search for relevant information specified by teachers before attending their classes. By making it easier and more enjoyable for students to learn, this new approach will also help equip students with the IT skills they’ll need to succeed upon graduation when they join Thailand’s workforce of the future.

          Patama Chantaruck, Managing Director, Microsoft (Thailand) Limited added, “At Microsoft we recognize that students will play a vital role in the future development of the country. As such we are committed to using technology as a means of improving education standards and we are continuously seeking new ways to integrate IT into learning environments by collaborating with various organizations, such as the Ministry of Education and educational institutions. We are happy to see the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce adopt Microsoft’s Cloud Computing technology and I strongly believe that UTCC, as a leading Thai university, and Microsoft’s leading Cloud Computing technology can together create an efficient learning method that will maximize the potential of teachers and students and help bring Thai education standards to the international forefront.”
 
          About Microsoft


          Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
          Established in 1993, Microsoft (Thailand) Limited provides world-class software that is easy to use and localized to suit the local market’s needs. It also has a compelling and consistent platform to build powerful business solutions that can scale from a notebook computer to a mainframe – class multiprocessor systems using Microsoft technology. For further information, information, please visit the Microsoft (Thailand) website at: http://www.microsoft.com/thailand.
          Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and / or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
          Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

 

source: http://www.thaipr.net/nc/readnews.aspx?newsid=06DADC736B7E2DFDD962B39A1F253B37

Thailand censors more websites as protests persist

George Orwell’s "1984" had its Big Brother, and Thailand has Ranongrak Suwanchawee. The country’s information minister stares down from billboards along Bangkok’s expressways, warning that "Bad websites are detrimental to society" and should be reported to a special hot line.

BANGKOK —

George Orwell’s "1984" had its Big Brother, and Thailand has Ranongrak Suwanchawee. The country’s information minister stares down from billboards along Bangkok’s expressways, warning that "Bad websites are detrimental to society" and should be reported to a special hot line.

The government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is fighting a battle on at least two major fronts against protesters seeking its ouster. On the streets, a massive force of soldiers and police has only managed to battle them to a standstill. In cyberspace, the authorities have fared little better, despite efforts to block dissenting voices with the threat of lengthy prison terms.

Still, it is a struggle for uncensored information to get through, forcing both information providers and consumers to resort to various dodges to penetrate the government’s firewall, sometimes using tactics perfected by dissidents in such authoritarian states as China and Iran.

The often broad-brush approach to blocking websites even affects surfers just out for some video fun: Live streaming services justin.tv, ustream.tv and livestream.tv have also been blocked, apparently because they host transmissions by the so-called Red Shirt protesters.

"Thailand is getting increasingly like China when it comes to Internet censorship," said Poomjit Sirawongprasert, president of the Thai Hosting Service Providers Club.

All the while, Thailand’s freedom of speech reputation takes a battering. Thailand’s standing in the Press Freedom Index of the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders slipped to 130 last year from 65 in 2002, when the ratings were initiated.

The latest crisis in Thailand’s past five years of political turmoil has pushed the government into tightening already tough controls over the Internet. The Red Shirts want Abhisit to dissolve Parliament and call early elections, claiming he came to power illegitimately in December 2007 with the help of back-room deals and military pressure.

The demonstrators have been camped out on Bangkok’s streets for almost two months, during which time protest-related violence has left 29 people dead and almost 1,000 hurt.

On April 7, when the government realized the demonstrators were here to stay, it declared a state of emergency, barring the media, under threat of a ban or censorship, from disseminating any news that "causes panic, instigates violence or affects stability."

Immediately it ordered 36 politically oriented websites blocked. It also went after small radio stations that are a key organizing tools for the Red Shirts, as well as their satellite TV connection. Their print media so far has been left alone. And although the order is meant to crack down on inflammatory sites, none belonging to the Red Shirts’ ideological opponents – the royalist Yellow Shirts, whose sites also sometimes contain extremist content – are known to have been targeted.

"Nobody has come out to explain why the websites are blocked, starting with 36, then 190 and later 420," said Supinya Klangnarong, coordinator of the Thai Netizen Network, which promotes freedom of speech on the Internet. She says the actual figure is probably much higher, since there are unofficial ways, such as pressure on Internet service providers, to block sites.

Web censorship has been going on for years in Thailand. Reporters Without Borders says that cumulatively, over the past few years, more than 50,000 websites or individual pages have been blocked.

In fact, the government openly touts its crackdowns on sites that contain content seen in Thailand as immoral – including those related to pornography and gambling – and there has been little public outcry. But increasingly the censorship is spreading into news and politics.

The big chill began after a military coup deposed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in September 2006, following demonstrations calling on him to step down for alleged corruption and abuse of power. He was also accused of Thailand’s biggest political sin: disrespect for the country’s esteemed constitutional monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, now 82.

Thaksin, a billionaire who made his fortune in telecommunications, was no friend of free speech either, putting political and financial pressure to limit negative reporting from outlets he did not control. But after his ouster, there was a concerted push by those in power to "protect the monarchy" – going so far as to block all of YouTube for several months because of a few videos it hosted that were deemed insulting to the king.

The interim military-installed regime enacted the 2007 Computer Crime Act, which bars the circulation of material deemed detrimental to national security or that causes public panic, and authorities have used it to block thousands of sites.

This is often done quietly and many Internet users will see only an error message when they try to visit a blocked page.

Websites that serve as mouthpieces for the Red Shirts have been the main targets of government censorship lately. But another one of those first 36 ordered shut after the declaration of the state of emergency was Prachatai.com, which was established by several respected journalists, senators and press freedom activists. It describes itself as an independent, nonprofit, daily Web newspaper that provides information "during an era of serious curbs on the freedom and independence of Thai news media."

"The attempt to control the Internet has become very great, even greater than after the coup took place in 2006. But then again, Internet communication has played a bigger role since then," said Prachatai’s webmaster, Chiranuch Premchaiporn.

Chiranuch was already facing charges of violating the Computer Crime Act by allowing comments "threatening to national security" to be posted on her site. She could receive up to 50 years in prison for the multiple charges against her.

Prachatai, like others, is playing a cat-and-mouse game with censors, moving servers out of the country and finding other ways to get its news out.

"If they keep blocking, eventually we might have to distribute content via e-mail," Chiranuch said.

Users also can circumvent blocking, most typically by using proxy servers, which allow them to connect through a third party computer to disguise their intended destination, and sometimes even software developed to get past firewalls set up by more notorious censors such as China and Iran.

Chiranuch said censorship is not the answer to Thailand’s divisions.

"From personal observation, the political crisis intensified after media were suppressed," she said. "The government is looking down on the people. If it believes people in the country are intelligent and smart enough, showing respect by allowing them to consume news and information from all sides is better than blocking them."

source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011812410_apasthailandpoliticscensorship.html?syndication=rss