Start-Up

I am the past Chairman of the Board of the National Information Infrastucture Testbed, a Consortium of companies, Universities, and National Laboratories. The goal of this consortium was to build and testlarge, distributed applications, using internet technology.

I look forward to participating in the Conference.

At MIT Media Lab, I am in charge of a project to establish a new research center for media and kids named "MIT Okawa Center". Until last summer, I was a member of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Japan for fourteen years after a career as a rock musician.

As my role here should be exchanging discussion between English and Japanese forums regardless my poor English, in the first place I introduce my scope I proposed to the Japanese forum for a start.

1 What is the information infrastructure ?
New generation Internet ? World universal servece including telephone ?
Should we also refer to browser, security system, etc ?
2 Demand
B to C / B to B
Charactor/Visual
3 System
Internet over PSTN, Digital TV
Wire and wireless ; fiber, ADSL, satellite, mobile ...
Network and terminal
4 Charge, cost
5 What is their role ?
Telecom carrier, CATV, ISP...
International organizations, governments, other communities...

That can be translated as follows,
- Telephone network survives forever ?
- Japan's telephone charges will become like those in US ?
- Which do you prefer, Cable modem or ADSL ?
- Internet takes over Digital broadcasting ?
- FTTH comes to me someday ?
- Content and Network should be divided ?
- Infrastructure industry "should" grow up ?
- Who/how many will survive as network providers?
- What should goverments do ?

INternet ONE was identified at the OECD Conference in Ottawa as a foundationfor building consumer confidence on the net. It was subsequently designated a G8 Industrialised Nations Information Society Testbed
http://nii.nist.gov/g7/10_global_mp/testbeds/in-one.html
and has recently been adjudged by the Internet Industry Awards 1999 as "Best New Platform".

I have the good fortune of being in Tokyo next week 16th to 19th February and to assist this discussion group if any participants would like to meet informally, face-to-face next week, we may be able to arrange something.

NIKKEI has again asked me to serve as a coordinator for the English language online conference leading up to the March 12 event. Your thoughts and ideas will contribute significantly to the discussions conducted by the keynote speakers and panelist at the March 12 event in Tokyo.

This is your chance to once again give advice to leaders of Japan's government and information industry. Your comments, new ideas and criticisms are welcome. You can communicate those to this e-mail address so that NIKKEI and all others involved can share in your ideas.

Here are some questions to start the ball rolling in our online conversations:
1. What are the milestone technologies that have been (1) invented this past year, or (2) commercially exploited this past year that are likely to produce the truly global digital economy?
2. How has online commerce, electronic commerce, contributed to substantial change in the organization of global businesses? Here we are looking for ideas on how this has changed business organizations themselves.
3. What has been the reaction of consumers to new opportunities in online commerce? Is it different in Asia and Japan than in North America and Europe? What about developing economies?
4. What are some of the obstacles to a global digital economy? Technology? Business practices? Government regulations? Global financial crises?

Let's get started. What do you think?
We look forward to your ideas.

Tekes (http://www.tekes.fi) is the main financing organisation for applied and industrial R&D in Finland, a public agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Our goal is to promote the competitiveness of Finnish industry and service sector by technological means. We have several local unit and seven overseas offices, e.g.
in Tokyo http://www.tekes.fi/eng/contact/ulkomaan_yksikot/tokyo.html
and in Washington DC
http://www.tekes.fi/eng/contact/ulkomaan_yksikot/washingtondc.html.
This means practical channels for co-operation with Finnish companies, universities and research institutions.

My main responsibilities include electronic commerce and international cooperation. I've been e.g. the chair of the OECD Working Party on InformatonEconomy http://www.oecd.org/dsti/3.htm.

Another example: I'm the rapporteur of the ETAN (European Technology Assesment Network) working group "Transforming European science through information and communication technologies: challenges and opportunities of the digital age" http://www.cordis.lu/etan/src/topic-8.htm.

The raeport should be ready next October. Last week I was at a seminar in Paris, Boosting SMEs through the Internet, arranged by the European Commission (DGXXIII) and the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry, I drew theconclusions.

Since 1996 I am lecturer for media management in firms and media companies at the Bauhaus University Weimar and project manager of the initiative "African Internet (AIN)" supported by the former study commission "Future of the media - Germanys road to the information society" and the former commitee for foreign affairs of the German Bundestag under the auspices of Dieter Weirich, Director of Deutsche Welle, Cologne.

(4) Jim Johnson
1.What are the milestone technologies that have been (1) invented this past year, or (2) commercially exploited this past year that are likely to produce the truly global digital economy?

a.)telecommunication: Handys are as small as a cigarette box and the use is a part of life. This technology only needed 5 years to take its part in whole society. It can also send email, faxes and I can take part at this conference lying at the beach if I would like (but I am sitting in my dark office).

b.)MP3 (music by Internet) is at the beginning of a similiar development and the conventionell music industry is shivering about that technology that will change the whole entertainment industry. My opinion concerning the "Real-Audio" and "Chat-Internet-Technologies" which could exploite in the future is ambivalent. As a daily user of these technologies my experiences are quite bad: If I would be a "normal" user I would not use these technologies. It all takes to much time to get started with these things.

(4) Jim Johnson
2.How has online commerce, electronic commerce, contributed to substantial change in the organization of global businesses? Here we are looking for ideas on how this has changed business organizations themselves.

But this can change rapidly after liberalisation. Most of the german companies have their problems presenting their thelves in the Internet and their behaviour handling communication is also not so good (if you contact a company by email it can take a week before you get an answer).

(4) Jim Johnson
3.What has been the reaction of consumers to new opportunities in online commerce? Is it different in Asia and Japan than in North America and Europe? What about developing economies?

We run a realtime information service for professional and private traders
www.realtimetrader.com
sending signals by email, fax and SMS, a service by online chat is planned. Although our target is to get german clients most of the interested persons are Americans! What in America is normal is in Germany/Europe still exotic. From Asia we here nothing. Is the language the frontier? I think so.

(4) Jim Johnson
4. What are some of the obstacles to a global digital economy? Technology? Business practices? Government regulations? Global financial crises?

1 Flat rate
Is the flat rate charge system necessary/available ?
A) As it is difficult and inadequate on the existing telephone networks, totally new access line must be constructed.
B) Recent technology could make it possible even on the telephone networks.

2 Access line
Should NTT's access line facilities be open to other carriers for xDSL etc ?
A) Yes, for more competition, more enhanced services and lower charges.
B) No, because it would cause loss of NTT's strength, which might bring about cost up. Which should be aimed at, FTTH or ADSL ?

3 Japanese model
Should Japan aim at US's network style with PC - Internet ?
Or should Japan look for its own style ?
(e.g. Network with mobile, TV - game console, etc.)

4 Year 2000 problem
Is preparation for Y2K on internet - telecommunications network sufficient ?
A) There is not so serious problem in Japan technologically in comparison with US.
B) We can't be relieved without proof. Cooperation, disclosure and consumuer's self preparation are needed.

We would like to welcome your comment. We are now gathering opinions about policy. The role of ministries, local governments, universities, NGOs, etc. We also appreciate your opinion.

1. One central point of the Japanese discussion, especially, has been the frustration which Internet users have with the NTT monopoly on access to the 'Net. Should NTT's monopoly be broken? Should competition be allowed to provide a variety of points of access to the world wide Internet?

The issues of monopoly control of access to the 'Net are not just in Japan. Even in Germany, where Deutsche Telecom is supposed to be privatized and competitive, it is fighting vigorously to stop competitors from connecting for access on all types of services. In the US competition for the "last mile" of access is still not clearly allowed.

What about alternative technologies that go around the telecoms? Do these have a future in your country? Fundamentally, infrastructure still is a problem. 50% of the people of the world still do not have even basic telephone services.

2. The other central point seems to be around the sociological, cultural and psychological barriers to change, to the new technologies and how they will change all of our lives. Are these changes just too threatening to people? Will they resist relentlessly? Or is it just a matter of time until the new generation takes over? Which generation are we in? Are changes brought about by the technologies really "good" for society?

What about governments' new abilities to snoop into your private affairs? What about the diminishing of national boundaries and the barriers they imply? What about the elimination of jobs, the traditional intermediaries of our business culture - such as travel agents, stock brokers, insurance sales people, business agents? Are these people relics of the past?

Should we allow unchecked access to all the data, information, and knowledge that is on the Web? Are their fair limits that society should impose? Is their harmful information on the 'Net? Will unlimited access to all knowledge improve the human race?