[wsfii-discuss] I need information on ISM Bands

Sat Jul 29 12:14:40 UTC 2006

Mahabir,

Always good to hear from you. I will try to provide the answers you need 
as best I am able but please understand that there is no worldwide 
uniformity in this industry as much as we might like there to be.

Mahabir Pun wrote:
> I am in Kathmandu now for more than a week. My mission is to make ISM band
> license free in Nepal. I want to make at least Wi-fi technolgy license
> free to import and use in Nepal.
>   

This is an excellent goal and one that the government should be thrilled 
to adopt given the research that conclusively shows how much of a help 
this technology can be to economic development:
http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=1813
http://cba.media.mit.edu/publications/articles/02.00.pentland.pap.pdf
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Webflyer.asp?intItemID=3356
www.inta.gatech.edu/michael_best/wireless.pdf

If you need more documentation, I know you would feel comfortable asking 
me for help. If possible, please tell me exactly what information you 
are looking for.

> Could you please let me know the names of the countries where they don't
> require license to use ISM bands? It will be helpful if you tell me the
> reasons as why some countries require to use it and why others don't? Any
> information on this area will be useful.
>   

Reduced to it's most simplistic explanation, there are basically three 
regulatory structures that the entire world complies to. These are:
1.) FCC - www.fcc.gov/sptf/files/E&UWGFinalReport.pdf
2.) ETSI - http://portal.etsi.org/radio/RadioSpectrumUse/RadioSpectrum.asp
3.) All others <grin>

Here is a link to a rather outdated chart that provides an overview by 
region that also contains a wealth of other information.
http://www.conformity.com/0008emc1.html

> The reason is that the government of Nepal now requires license to import
> Wi-fi radios and other radios using ISM bands. They also charge a license
> fee of about US$85 per year per radio on the top of duties, and taxes.
> Moreover, there are several places the importers need to bribe money to
> the government officers. Therefore the ISM band radios cost more than five
> times by the time it get to the customers.
>   

I would like to think that the government would understand that by 
imposing these fees the deployment of broadband and wireless 
communications in general will be slowed down. The key phrase there is 
"I would like to think"

One thing we can all seem to uniformly count on is that our respective 
governments will each find a way to block anything good anyone might try 
to accomplish. On the good side, they are all uniformly consistent! <grin>

> So far I organized a seminar and gave presentation the a group of the
> Members of Parliament. I invited the government minister, political
> leaders, high level government officers in the seminar and presented about
> Nepal Wireless Networking Project. We had a group discussion after that.
>   

I will help in any way that I can. Let me know what you need to back up 
what you're saying and I will try to find you the documentation you need 
to back up your point of view.

> Then I gave one-hour long presentation to a group of 15 Members of
> Parliament, who are the members of a committee called "Development
> Committe". I told them about my network and asked them to bring new laws
> for the advancement of Information Technology in Nepal. I clearly told
> them that if they don't bring liberal ICT policies, they will be
> responsible to take Nepal back to 20th century. Now I am talking to
> several other peoples related to ICT area.
>   

This type of education can be a painfully slow thing, based on my 
experience. Hell, the Senator that sits on our governing 
telecommunications committee told us (some of us are still laughing 
about this) that "the Internet is not like a truck, it is a series of 
Tubes" which apparently can become clogged and that can lead to him "Not 
getting an Internet someone sent him" in a timely fashion. I'll trade 
you this genius for your entire committee but I would feel like I stuck 
it to you if you accepted.

> Any information provided by you will be helpful for me to lobbying.
>   

Let me know what else you need and my wife and I will go to work finding 
it as best we are able.

Glad to hear everything is going okay for you.

Ken

New-ISP.net/NextGenCommunications.net
Wireless solutions - not concessions.
http://www.nextgencommunications.net
1044 National Highway LaVale MD 21502
Tel# (301)789-2968 Cell (301)268-1154

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