Chima Onyekwere
24 October 2007
Lagos — Technology has provided opportunities for a better life for everyone, and indeed a "lifestyle".
The key factor of change in ICT today is digital convergence. Convergence is bringing a fundamental modification not only to the ICT sector but also to the way we use ICT across society and the economy. In general, convergence is a coming together of two or more distinct entities or phenomena. It is increasingly prevalent in the IT world; in this context the term refers to the combination of two or more different technologies in a single device. Taking pictures with a cell phone and surfing the Web on a television are two of the most common examples of this trend. In an Information Society, we are concerned not just about gadgets and smart toys, but services for consumers and citizens and new opportunities for interesting jobs.
Convergence may influence consumers to accept new technologies. According to some studies, people who aren't computer literate are more likely to embrace the Internet, video-on-demand, and so on if they can -- at least initially -- access these technologies through their televisions. In general, TV is familiar and non-threatening. Displays are large and TVs are easy to operate, requiring almost no training. Personal computers, in spite of their graphical user interfaces (GUI) tend to be more text-oriented, highly interactive, oriented in terms of purpose and content toward business and education uses. Displays are smaller. Computers can be very challenging to use and usually require formal education or a certain personal curve. We in the ICT are on the verge of a whole new wave of applications and services that will transform the way we live, do business and spend our leisure learning time.
Digital convergence combines numerous present and future markets, technologies and functions, and will serve as the foundation for innovation in extant and new industries.
The idea of digital convergence originated with Nicholas Negroponte of MIT 's Media Lab in 1978. He used the concept to describe the overlap of computing, printing, and broadcasting and posited that the greatest growth would be in the intersection of these separate industries. Twenty-seven years later Negroponte 's vision has materialized. However, as developments around the globe demonstrate, digital convergence goes well beyond this first conceptualization and we are only beginning to see the real opportunities of digital convergence arise.
It brings together the separate worlds of audio, video, data and voice communication services. Already today we can access the same services and content (e-mail, music television) using different terminals over different types of networks. The borders between fixed-line and wireless mobile networks are disappearing. In the convergent world, consumers will be in control of their entertainment and media content; what they want, when they want it, and where they want it. It could also be said that whether the customer plays digital games, manages complex logistics for grocery store chains, uses 3-D representations of geological formations to determine better where to drill for oil, or requires real-time integrated intelligence to make battlefield decisions, consumers of digital convergence have related needs: to use the widest range of relevant data as easily, quickly, cheaply, safely and securely as possible to best satisfy the greatest number of beneficial purposes. The customer wants their needs met at the appropriate time, place, and cost at the appropriate level of risk.
Personal Computers and Entertainment.
A major area of interest is the merging of the PC and entertainment. There are numerous devices that transmit photos, music and videos from the PC to the home stereo/home theater system. In 2002, Microsoft introduced the Windows XP Media Center Edition, a Windows version that concentrates on managing media for home users. This concept uses the Internet as input, the PC as organizer and the home theater as output. Exactly how and where we want to hear, listen and manage all this is evolving.
Data and Voice
Data used to travel over voice networks. Increasingly, voice is traveling over data networks. Billions have been spent by private enterprises and telecom carriers to develop voice over IP (VoIP) networks using the Internet's IP protocol. Already today, there are more radio stations on the Internet than radio stations broadcasting over the airwaves.
Wireless and Handhelds
There is a convergence of wireless transmission for portable phones and cell phones that enable them to also connect to the LAN if they pick up a Wi-Fi signal in the vicinity. Numerous functions are now combined, such as the cell phone/PDA and cell phone/camera/music player. Tiny video camcorders also function as still cameras, voice recorders, digital music players, Webcams and even external storage drives.
In other words, digital convergence is the coalescence of all the functions for the acquisition, storage, distribution and utilisation of all present and future human knowledge.
The combinations of these technologies are unleashing a wealth of opportunities, blurring the boundaries between market sectors, and proving a powerful driver for innovation and change in a global market.
Meanwhile, mobile 3G services are starting to drive a demand for more applications in the ICT. Of course this will create innovative services such as 2-way (or more) video conferencing, data speeds of up to 2mbps, ancillary and integrated services like mobile TV viewing, and mobile computing applications. This is good for innovation, competition and for consumer choice.
But Digital Life is not just about entertainment and culture. It means a leap in the quality of essential services. ICT is becoming crucial in all application sectors, such as health, automotive and security.
Commendably we have been proactive towards the development of this agenda in Nigeria. I would want to believe we have the talent and creativity and we have the intellectual property to make sure that Nigeria is Africa 's best and leading in providing these.
Benefits/Constraints
Digital convergence which is subject to a number of convergence technologies, will form the invisible technical infrastructure for human action -analogous to the technological, institutional, and policy developments, each of which has enabling and constraining elements. Among the most critical drivers and constraints are:
Embeddedness -digital visible infrastructure provided by buildings and cities (Nordman 2004).
Embeddedness is driven by cost-effective computing, miniaturisation, ubiquitous communication, and advanced materials and sensing devices. They could be in our cars, appliances, toys, clothes and even in parts of our bodies.
In 2000 98% of computing devices sold were embedded in products and were not apparent to the product 's users (Borrielllo and Want 2000).
Mobile communication networks -the holy grail of connectivity is ubiquitous mobile communication networks.
While the availability of wireless access is increasing rapidly, there are still significant barriers to ubiquity. Large areas of the US and of the world have little or no connectivity, and migration among networks and protocols remains a significant technical and organizational challenge.
Specificity
Convergence implies a coming together of disparate elements; however a hallmark of digital convergence is relevance, which is particular to location, time and customer goals and is therefore a very specific product such as targeted drug delivery tailored to an individual 's genome.
Interoperability and standardization -the ability of multitudes of data streams to work seamlessly on multiple devices and platforms is a critical challenge that must be overcome if digital convergence is going to reach its full potential. To address this challenge, Digital Living Network Alliance (http://www.dlna.org) has 250 members worldwide to facilitate the establishment of interoperability specifications and standards for the digital home. However, the data streams to create and enhance user experiences will only get more complex. A Japanese consortium of government, academia, and private companies including Matsushita Electric and Sony is focused on integrating smell and touch into the television experience by 2020. Potential technologies could include ultrasound, electric stimulation, and wind pressure.
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