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Report on the CSTI plenary working
meeting,
17 January 2002
Report
in pdf format
The CSTI members and their representatives
met on 17 January 2002 at the Hôtel Matignon, Paris, for
a plenary session.
CSTI
RECOMMENDATIONS IN 2001
The CSTI formulated three opinions in 2001:
THE
WORKING GROUPS' UNDERTAKINGS
- Group
A "Infrastructure et networks"
- Group
B "Applications et services "
- Group
C "The Need for specialists"
- Group
D "Research and Development"
The purpose of this report
is not to recapitulate in full the presentations of the group
facilitators.
Group
A : " Infrastructure and networks "
led by Thierry Breton and presented by Bertrand Mabille.
The work of this group mainly revolved around
the analysis of the Interministerial Committee on Regional Planning
and Development (CIADT) at its meeting in 2001 on the issue
of studying scenarios for deploying high-speed networks and
seeking any technological innovation that could help improve
territorial coverage.
As the CIADT had set a goal of high-speed
access throughout France by 2005, the work consisted of developing
an action plan to meet this target.
The presentation thus focused on five main
points :
- Observations on the situation in France and abroad;
- A technical-economic analysis of different technologies
for high-speed Internet access;
- Actions to be taken in areas where the market exists;
- Actions to be taken in areas where the market will not function
on its own;
- The need to take an interest now in very high-speed technology.
Additional points were addressed concerning
the price of access terminals, the importance of developing
uses and content, migration to IPV6, and, finally, the question
of using the electricity transmission network (RTE) for collection
networks in low-density areas.
Discussion, remarks, and comments regarding
the presentation :
The presentation reflected the state of progress
of the work of Group A on these issues, certain of which are
still open questions within the group.
-
The support for broadband envisaged by the CIADT aims to disseminate a mature and possibly transitory technology, and presumes the existence of potential demand on the part of the public. In addition, in the case of ADSL the high-speed offer is based on a strong presumption in terms of usage - the asymmetry of download/upload speeds - which seems less and less certain. Another solution could be to give more of a boost to the progress of futuristic, i.e. very high-speed, technologies and to allow the process of take-up to follow its course.
A solution for areas where market forces alone will not
lead to the spread of broadband (which could effectively
create a digital divide) would be to make greater use of
a network with many public access points.
Finally, if broadband were to result from a multitude of
micro-flows produced by an increasing number of connected
machines (PCs, of course, but also, more generally, any
type of electrical apparatus), the issue of migration to
IPV6 would then quickly become crucial, so this needs to
be dealt with quickly.
-
It was noted that the question of creating a mass market favourable to the French economy requires the use of mature technology and, due to the less-extensive development of cable in France, DSL technology. However, attention needs to be paid quickly to uses that could help promote the spread of broadband. Even in the most advanced countries, at most 50% of households have Internet connections. Video streaming using DSL could lead to sustained growth in this level.
-
The notion of 100% coverage reflects, first of all, the government's concern regarding full coverage by the GSM network, and, second, the coverage requirements imposed by the procedures for granting local radio loop licences. This target could be reformulated to "give everyone the speed they need wherever they are".
-
Rather than targeting a given level of penetration by a given date, an interesting means for assessing the lag in broadband penetration in France would be to compare the French situation with that of the most advanced countries, measured in terms of the time lag given the state of development, and to aim at reducing and eventually eliminating any such lag.
Group
B: Applications and Services presented and led
by Anne-Sophie Pastel and Jean Claude Gorichon
The proposals made by Group B focused on three
areas :
- Enriching content and diversifying payment methods,
- The uptake of services and mastery of tools,
- The dynamics of innovation and the observation of usage.
Discussion, remarks, and comments regarding
the presentation :
-
The members of the group agreed that French users' lack of confidence in current payment solutions was holding back the growth of electronic commerce for the latter, and that consideration should be given not only to micro-payments but, more generally, to all types of payment system. The issue of digital signatures also needs to be among the concerns of Group B.
Group
C : The Need for Specialists led by Bernard Larrouturou
and presented by Gérard Corré
The proposals put forth concerned :
- A mechanism for France to be able to continually analyse
ICT skills in a manner that preserves its independence vis-à-vis
companies that are recruiting;
- Initial levels of higher education (Bac + 2 years and Bac
+3 years) as a priority goal;
A joint effort by Groups B and C also led to the formulation
of several recommendations with regard to developing information
and communications technology in the school system.
Discussion, remarks, and comments regarding
the presentation :
-
The question of the Bac+5 level was
taken up, the response to which was the Internet schools
system, particularly according to the CSTI opinion paper
of June 2001. Nonetheless, attention needs to be paid to
the qualitative and quantitative aspects of new job specialties;
therefore, the proposal that would make the determination
of needs independent of companies conducting recruitment
could have the negative effect of de-linking the supply
of technicians from demand. Finally, retraining low-skilled
workers in IT jobs is still a relevant topic.
-
The situation of middle-school and high-school students who excel in technical fields, particularly computers, but who have a difficult time fitting into the traditional educational system needs to be handled properly. Some ways could be developed to give these young people guidance and develop their skills.
-
The need to set up a system for local observation that takes into account the geographical diversity of different situations was also raised.
Group
D : Research and Development presented by Gérard
Roucairol and Michel Petit.
Two major proposals emerged from Group D's
work :
- The setting-up of large, multi-year R&D projects, for
example in the fields of home automation, security and the
environment, and communications;
- The establishment of a unifying structure for government
action to promote R&D that serves to support ICT research
networks, in particular.
Discussion, remarks, and comments regarding
the presentation :
-
It was emphasised that the structure established
must unquestionably maintain the goal of selecting projects
that interest industry, such as is done in the EU Eurêka
programme and for existing research networks.
-
The goal presented is an arrangement that
is based on an efficient administrative structure that is
not weighed down by bureaucratic red tape. The delegation
of decision-making power by ministries would point in the
direction of reforming the State by outsourcing tasks.
-
With regard to R&D, it was emphasised
that it is important to support areas in which France has
the wherewithal to become a leader rather than spend public
money in order to just barely catch up with international
competitors in fields where they are already far ahead of
us. Only the creation of top-notch centres of expertise
in specific fields will convince business leaders to move
their R&D centres to France.
In this respect, major multi-year projects in the fields
of home automation and security and the environment, where
France already has a solid position, are cases in point.
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