UN sets global broadband targets

25 October 2011 Last updated at 14:15 GMT Net users account for just 20% of the world's population according to the ITU The United Nations has set "ambitious" new targets for broadband uptake around the world.

It calls on all countries to put in place broadband strategies by 2015.

By that time it wants to see 60% of people in the developed world online, with a slightly lower target of 50% for people living in the developing countries.

It also wants net access to be made available to 40% of households in the developing world by 2015.

It emphasised that broadband services must be "affordable" - amounting to less than 5% of average monthly incomes.

The four targets have been set by the UN's broadband commission for digital development.

"These targets are ambitious but achievable, given the political will and commitment on the part of governments, working in partnership with the private sector," said Dr Hamadoun Toure, the secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The ITU will be charged with measuring each country's progress towards the targets, with an annual broadband report, ranking nations in terms of broadband policy, affordability and uptake.

Slow speeds

To coincide with the new goals, the ITU has unveiled a mini-report looking at the current state of connectivity around the world.

It finds that internet users now makes up 20% of the world's population up from 13% in 2008.

The report shows that the world's top broadband economies are all located in Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

While the majority of broadband connections in the Republic of Korea run at speeds of at least 10Mbps (megabits per second), countries such as Ghana, Mongolia, Oman and Venezuela offer much slower connections, rarely exceeding 2Mbps.

Oliver Johnson, an analyst with research firm Point Topic, thinks that new league tables will force countries to think about broadband.

"Countries have to pay attention or risk becoming seriously uncompetitive," he said.

He also expects to see the EU making it easier for customers to buy services from a wider range of providers.

"Why can't you buy your football feed from Greece or your IP or broadband service from the organisation that offers the best price, regardless of where they are in Europe?" he asked.

In the UK it is estimated that 8.7 million adults have never used the internet.

Race Online - the body charged with getting more people using the net - has begun a new campaign urging net-savvy individuals to 'give an hour' to someone new to the web.

The BBC is backing the campaign, and on its website presenters and others celebrities explain how and who they intend to help.

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Qatar forges new global role

12 September 2011 Last updated at 23:02 GMT By Katy Watson Middle East business reporter, BBC News, Doha As President Nicolas Sarkozy greeted the world's leaders at the Libya meeting in Paris last month, one leader who emerged from his limousine was perhaps a little less well known than the others.

Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, then proceeded to stand alongside President Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron as the talks began.

The tiny Gulf state's bank rolling of the Libyan rebels has given its leader a front-row seat in international politics.

The Arab uprising is changing the political map of the region and Qatar is playing an important role in it.

Tiny population A picture of Qatar's emir hangs on a building in the anti-Gaddafi stronghold of Benghazi

There are fewer than two million people living in Qatar. And of those, only about 250,000 are Qataris, the rest being foreign workers. But its vast gas reserves have made its people the richest on the planet.

At a time of unprecedented unrest and while traditional regional leaders like Egypt are dealing with their own problems, that wealth is being used to try to forge Qatar's new path as a regional political heavyweight.

But Qatar is not a democracy. Ruled by a monarchy, this may seem at odds with the political changes happening in the region, but some experts think it actually helps Qatar in making quicker decisions.

"We have the emir at the top, but he's generally well respected and he has a lot of genuine domestic legitimacy here," says David Roberts of the Royal United Services Institute think tank.

"It's quite conservative so there's some kind of societal deference."

Rebel TV

Qatar's support for the rebels has been widespread and was not just limited to funding the fighting on the ground.

It also provided money for projects such as Libya TV, a television station set up to counter the pro-Gaddafi propaganda machine.

Libya TV is funded by the Qatari government as part of its support for Libyan rebels

It got off the ground in just five days - no dry runs or practices. Dozens of Libyan journalists and non-journalists alike were recruited and trained at lightning speed.

Among them is 26-year-old Yusra Tekbali. Born and brought up in the US, she returned to live in Tripoli in December. But when the violence started, her plans had to change.

A month ago she arrived in Doha to work for Libya TV as a blogger. And despite the shift in direction, she remains upbeat.

"I was lured to Libya by greater economic opportunities and also a connection with my roots," she says.

"But now, the opportunity for Libyans and young Libyans from abroad is going to grow at an amazing rate. And Qatar will have a role in that, of course."

Despite Qatar saying that its interests were solely about the welfare of the Libyan people, it is expected that Qatar's support for the rebels will pay off economically in time, too.

It has already helped to market oil for the rebels and that relationship is expected to continue.

And as the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas - there may be potential to work with Libya on exploring its reserves.

'Arab renaissance' Continue reading the main story

This opens the door quite well for Qatar to take this leadership role and to play a role in the Arab renaissance in the 21st Century”

End Quote Ibrahim Sharqieh Brookings Doha Centre Qatar's role in the Libyan conflict has boosted its profile. And that, according to some experts, is exactly what Qatar wanted. It is a Gulf state trying to stand out from the crowd.

"These are brand new countries, dating back to the 1970s," says Mehran Kamrava, the director of the Centre for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University in Qatar.

"They're frantically trying to play catch-up, frantically trying to make a global presence felt.

"[They are] competing with countries like Egypt with centuries of history, competing with countries like Saudi Arabia, competing with countries like Iran that has tremendous resources and a massive demography and geography."

This stance has been well received at home.

In a region used to foreign intervention, an Arab country taking the lead is seen as a welcome step and one that provides both political security and economic stability too.

"This opens the door quite well for Qatar to take this leadership role and to play a role in the Arab renaissance in the 21st Century," says Ibrahim Sharqieh, deputy director of the Brookings Doha Centre.

"By having that active role in the international arena at this point and taking political leadership, Qatar is protecting its wealth and protecting its existence."

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Global oil demand 'set to rise'

13 July 2011 Last updated at 09:59 GMT Continue reading the main story Global oil demand will increase further next year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted.

The IEA, which represents the main oil consuming nations, said the increase in crude usage would continue to be driven by emerging economies.

It estimates that demand will grow by an average of 1.47 million barrels a day in 2012, up from the current 2011 average daily growth of 1.2 million.

Last month, IEA members released oil stocks to try to reduce prices.

The move came after oil producers' cartel Opec voted against increasing supplies, although the world's largest producer, Saudi Arabia, did unilaterally raise its export levels.

US light crude oil was down 14 cents at $97.29 a barrel in Wednesday trading, while Brent was eight cents lower at $117.67.

Oil prices have fallen over the past week as concerns have risen that the debt crisis in the eurozone may spread to Italy and Spain, thereby reducing crude consumption in Europe.

However, crude prices have risen over the past year, led by strong demand from China and other fast-developing economies.

US light crude hit a record high of $147 a barrel in July 2008 before the global financial crisis hit global growth.

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