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<strong>Update 2009: Digital Convergence Continues</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.weforum.org/en/knowledge/KN_SESS_SUMM_26735?url=/en/knowledge/KN_SESS_SUMM_26735">http://www.weforum.org/en/knowledge/KN_SESS_SUMM_26735?url=/en/knowledge/KN_SESS_SUMM_26735</a><br>
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<strong>• Esko Tapani Aho • R. Marcelo Claure • Alexander V. Izosimov • Rafael Ramirez • Paul Twomey</strong>
<br>Moderated by <strong>• Elizabeth Daley <br>
</strong>Thursday 29 January</p>
<p>Internet use has exploded globally – more than 300% since 2000 – and
mobile telephony has captured just over half of the world's population.
There are 1.4 million Internet users and 3.6 billion people use mobile
telephony. The two trends are the drivers of digital conversion, which
is having profound effects on business models and transforming social
networks and consumer patterns globally. This intersection – where
users access the Internet from their mobile phones – maps a
revolutionary digital paradigm shift proffering a multitude of
opportunities. However, it also has a dark side with potential for
unintended consequences. Panellists cautioned against "sleepwalking"
into this new era, but remained upbeat about the potential for digital
convergence to change people's lives in both the developed and the
developing world.</p>
<p>The bright side</p>
<p>• Mobile phones are coming down in price. At the same time, netbooks
– light-weight, economical energy-efficient laptops designed for
wireless communication and Internet access – are becoming affordable at
US$ 300. Soon, users will be given free netbooks and the world will
change forever. Some panellists and participants called for free
Internet access worldwide. With more than 70% of the planet covered for
mobile telephony and ubiquitous coverage on the horizon, the world will
be changed forever. In this context, digital convergence brings
universal access and democracy of information.</p>
<p>• These new technological tools provide opportunities to improve
productivity in developing and developed countries in both the private
and public sector. Mobile technologies have been the most important
tool to promote growth in developing countries. Mobile Internet will be
the next step.</p>
<p>• Times of crisis present opportunities for innovation. As the
global economy is being reformed, a window is being opened to use these
new technological tools to expand knowledge creation capacity and to
make huge leaps in the areas of science and health. For the private and
public sector, such tools can help create future growth by driving down
costs through increased efficiency.</p>
<p>The challenges</p>
<p>• Digital convergence ushers in opportunities for increased
transparency and participation in government decision-making. However,
in a networked world, it is important to view technologies as quickly
changing social actors. Governments should run experiments to learn
more about the industry. For example, how does this technology change a
society where people are still productive well into their 80s and 90s?</p>
<p>• Governance and data protection are key issues. Today, there is
seamless data transmission between industries and users. Because this
underlying common technology holds potential for good, but also for
danger, what role for governments? Some panellists called for zero
intervention, while others advocated a light regulatory framework or
architecture that at once protects citizens and encourages R&D, but
does not throw up obstacles to a very dynamic and entrepreneurial
sector.</p>
<p>The dark side</p>
<p>• In the hugely popular "The Dark Knight" movie, Batman converts
every mobile phone in the area to capture the villain. Is this too much
power for one man? This scenario is perfectly plausible today as
cooperating sensory networks can provide instantaneous feedback to
users. In the movie, it was technology for good, but what about its
potential for terrorism?</p>
• The offline world is characterized by natural limitations to
scale, for example to money launderers. Such boundaries are erased in a
networked world, which could provide opportunities for those who
operate in the shadowy netherworld of cybercrime.