Report on the CSTI plenary working
meeting,
1 October 2001
Report
in pdf format
The CSTI members and their representatives
met on 1 October 2001 at the Hôtel Matignon for a plenary
session.
The meeting took place in two parts:
- A presentation of the current undertakings of the four existing
working groups;
-A discussion of the organisational structure of the CSTI and
coming job deadlines.
THE
WORKING GROUPS' UNDERTAKINGS
The purpose of this report
is not to recapitulate in full the presentations of the group
facilitators.
Group
A: Infrastructure and Networks
presented by Bertrand Mabille, representing Thierry Breton, facilitator.
The issue posed concerned analysis of the possibilities
for action by the public authorities to promote access to high-speed
networks. A decision was quickly made to concentrate more on access
methods than on core network technologies.
Up until now, the work has essentially consisted of gathering
the information required to enrich dialogue. Several studies were
initiated, and several presentations brought the meeting up to
date on various topics.
Four subjects should henceforth be considered :
- Technology : What experiments might be proposed ?
- Regulation : Are there any obvious regulatory roadblocks?
What might be done to eliminate them ?
- Budget support : Are the credits granted by the DiGITIP
and the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations inadequate,
adequate, or excessive ?
- Service and use : What trends in usage can be seen, and
how will these affect the development of one technology or another?
This needs to be considered in close coordination with group B.
Several points were discussed :
- At the Interministerial Committee on Regional Planning and Development
(Comité Interministériel d'Aménagement et
de Développement du Territoire, or CIADT) meeting of 9
July 2001, the possibility of making use of the French electricity
transmission network (RTE) for the deployment of fibre optic telecommunications
networks was approved. The Prime Minister submitted the question
of the feasibility of this method for the CSTI's consideration.
RTE members spoke to Group A and, in particular, strongly emphasised
regulatory issues that need to be resolved ;
- The current state of UMTS at the time of the meeting inevitably
posed the question of a common CSTI position on this subject.
While this is not a response to the immediate issue, some medium-term
consideration of such an important subject seems necessary.
A
note on UMTS is presented as an appendix to this document
for information purposes as part of - and to encourage - ongoing
discussion. It reflects the opinion of its author alone and not
that of the CSTI or any of its members.
- The goal is clearly to promote the creation of a mass market
for broadband (fixed or mobile). Insofar as high performance technologies
already exist (DSL/cable/local radio loop), it seems that the
question of alternative technologies is not crucial. At the level
of services as well, the goal is clearly to identify mass services
and promote their growth. In this respect the future of the audiovisual
sector seems important, and thus requires attention.
Group
B: Applications and Services presented and led by Anne-Sophie
Pastel.
Six subjects were chosen based on proposals
by members of the working group :
- Dynamics and economics of models of use,
- The role of e-government,
- The problem of content,
- The promotion and use of information and communications technology
(ICT) in small- and medium-sized enterprises,
- Copyright/patentability of software,
- Issues in the software industry.
There were several comments following
the presentation :
- The collective creation of editorial content (analogous to the
creation of freeware programs, but for content) seems to be growing
solidly. Would this be a justification for high-speed networks?
To what extent can its impact be measured?
- Payment models for content and services are still in the test
phase. It is also worth noting that less content is now being
offered on the Internet. Is the virtual kiosk the model for the
Internet?
Group
C: The Need for Specialists led by Bernard Larrouturou
and presented by Gérard Corré.
The analysis carried out by this working
group focused on five main points :
- France today a priori does not need to train additional specialists
in information and communications technology. Nevertheless, given
the lack of reliable data, a precise study of this subject would
be worthwhile. The first issue to be examined should be the respective
level of needs for the baccalauréat + 5 years of higher
education (Bac+5) and Bac+2 or Bac+3 levels of qualification;
- IT training in higher education: universities and grandes écoles
(elite institutions of higher education) are opening new courses
(cf. Internet schools and professional degrees). Concern is now
focused on the need for teachers, mediators, technical and editorial
webmasters, and the like;
- Expanding the role of IT in vocational training: here too we
are concerned with the need for teachers and providing support
for beginners in IT;
- IT in the classroom: the main issue here is how to get IT taken
on board by teachers and integrated into the school environment;
- Development of e-learning;
- Attractiveness of France and relocation abroad.
The presentation prompted several comments :
- It seems that the problem does not lie with the Bac+5 level
of qualification since in France, engineering schools are of a
high calibre and in particular attract good students (which is
not the case in certain neighbouring countries where they are
poorly viewed and far from crowded). There is more uncertainty
about the appropriateness of training at the Bac+2 and Bac+3 level.
Job specialties are not clearly identified and an excessive number
of programmes can undermine recognition. This situation needs
to be sorted out.
- There is also a question regarding the development of demand
for specialists in digital content. This is worthy of the working
group's
analysis.
Group
D: Research and Development presented by Gérard
Roucairol.
At issue were the conditions for the growth
of R&D in France, in particular relative to the other major
industrial countries, as well as the analysis of the breakdown
and effectiveness of public spending on R&D.
There were presentations by members
of the General Armament Directorate (DGA), the Ministry of Research
and Technology, and the General Directorate for Industry, Information
Technologies and the Post Office (DiGITIP), which led to a certain
number of conclusions :
- Conventional classifications (upstream vs. downstream research,
basic vs. applied, and so on) are no longer suitable;
- University R&D needs to be opened up;
- European aids need to be completely restructured;
- The French assistance systems need to be revised;
- The R&D lag in information and communications technology,
in particular relative to other countries, needs to be made up;
- Communicating with technicians and with civil society as a whole
is of utmost importance.
Two proposals were made :
- The two subjects put forward concerned security and the environment,
as well as "smart home" IT systems, with regard to the
setting-up of an information and communications technology project
that could mobilise skills and resources;
- A second project could entail creating an R&D agency that
centralises all measures to promote R&D.
Several comments were made :
- Benchmarking seems to be a key issue. There have been many international
comparisons of R&D levels and R&D support in different
countries; however, they have generally failed to take all measures
into account. In the United States, for instance, public spending
- in particular on military and space projects - represents a
high level of indirect support for R&D. In the field of IT
systems, it is estimated that US support for R&D is double
that of France. Businesses hold data that would be useful for
making international comparisons;
- An analysis of the 6th FRDP was submitted to the CSTI. This
consultation (belated with respect to the Framework Research and
Development Programme's state of progress) should not prevent
members of the Strategic Board from giving their opinion about
mechanisms for R&D assistance and the way they generally work.
A
note on UMTS is presented as an appendix to this document
for information purposes as part of - and to encourage - ongoing
discussion. It reflects the opinion of its author alone and not
that of the CSTI or any of its members.
