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Why the digital going is good in bad times

By Arthur Goldstuck

1997 – a little start-up: “You are destroying the price structure of the industry”

A once upon a time storyA once upon a time story

There’s always someone trying to make too much

money

Opportunity 1:

The digital revolution levels theplaying fields

1997 – a little start-up: “You are destroying the price structure of the industry”

2000 – part of a listed group: “What you guys are doing is passé”

A once upon a time storyA once upon a time story

The corporation regards “the digital guy”

as an oddity

Opportunity 2:

Instead of a digital mascot, become a digital watchdog

1997 – a little start-up: “You are destroying the price structure of the industry”

2000 – part of a listed group: “What you guys are doing is passé”

2005 – Declaring the mobile subscriber base inflated: “Those close to the industry have known about this for a long time”

A once upon a time storyA once upon a time story

Then why didn’t you SAY something?!

Opportunity 3:

Much needs to be said and donethat’s not being said and done

A reporter asked me if I had a graph of cellphone growth.

“Yes, of course!”

But I didn’t have one, and nor did anyone else.How could we all have missed something so damn obvious?

What a glaring gap in the knowledge base!I didn’t sleep last night.

Just yesterday…Just yesterday…

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And now another gap is filled…

68% of South Africans are locked into that

curve.

Opportunity 4 – 71:

The networks need all the help they can get

Opportunity 72:

The network’s clients want protection from the network

It happened to be us this time.But month after month we come across huge gaps in the digital knowledge base.And people who would pay us good virtual money if we could fill it for them.Yesterday.So much data, so little time

Yesterday it could have been anyone getting that cellular call

How many SMSs are sent daily?Monthly? Annually?

The media would have been eating out of your hands last week if you had that at your fingertips.It’s all publicly available, but like raking leaves when the South Easter is at it.Come inside, there’s plenty room.

For Example…

Opportunity 73 – 85:

You can be Mr SMS.Or Ms Twitter (too late!).Or a dozen other thought leaderships.

And look what’s coming next

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Fully connected, at last

Shipping routes of the world, mid-19th Century. Oxford history of the British Empire

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Behold the broadband culture

0

200 000

400 000

600 000

800 000

1 000 000

1 200 000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

15 700 51 500

160 000

323 000

668 000

1 101 000

Total unique broadband users in SA, 2003-2008

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The death of dial-up

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The cables are coming…

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Exponential bandwidth increase

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

80

2330

5650

10530 10530 10530

Capacity of African undersea cablesGb/s

Opportunity 86 – 87:

Mapping the possibilities of both connectivity and connectedness

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SMEs move to broadband

Opportunity 88:

SMEs and consumers are ready for what broadband can do FOR them, but not for what they can do WITH it.

One SIM card for every South African Three phones for every 4 South Africans Media hype:10-m cellular Internet users (Don’t confuse data with Internet) And 10-million South Africans on Mxit This year: ½ million using phones as primary Internet access device

The Cellular base

Opportunity 89:

Cellphones are great ... as phones. 34-million people need help to turn them into tools.

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A powerful Internet economy

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Opportunity 90:

Prepare for 2013, but meanwhile, help educate the newcomers

Is it evil to destroy the newspaper?

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The global picture

USA Canada Australia SA

30%

54%60%

45%

35%

60%61%

24%26%

38% 34%

27%

11%

25%27%

32%

Online adspend growth rate comparison2005 2006 2007 2008

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Social media lives up to promise

Opportunity 91 – 93:

Mobile content MUST boom. So must video, and the integration of social networks.

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Opportunity 94 – 95:

Wikis and widgets will flourish, the former for content kings, the latter for developers.

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Watch out for the curve

Fibre to the home – a residential reality

True video-conferencing – home and work

Real-time speed monitoring – in your car

Cash will cost – towards a smartcard society

Content will be free – free from platform, that is

2018: the need for speed²

Opportunity 96-100:

Managing speed of technology, of contact, of networking, of transacting, of information.

The digital curves are all on the rise…

FINALLY, THE INFORMATION ECONOMY IS REAL.

JOIN IT.