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The members of the CSTI met in plenary session
on 9 October 2003 at Hôtel Matignon (Prime Minister's offices).
The CSTI remembered Mr. Jean-Pierre Noblanc, an
associate member, who had died suddenly on 20 September 2003,
and extended its condolences to his family and friends.
GROUP REPORTS
- Group A: Infrastructure
and Networks
- Group B: Applications and Services
- Group C: Needs for Specialists
- Group D: Research and Development
This account does not seek to be a comprehensive
record of the reports by the group coordinators but a description
of the discussions generated by these issues and their conclusions.
Group
A: Infrastructure and Networks
After discussion of the opinions presented,
an interim review of the convergence issue was conducted in conjunction
with Group B: Applications and Services.
The following comments were made.
- Existing experience in this field should be
taken on board, in particular through case studies (eg, Fastweb
in Italy, Yahoo Broadband in Japan and the lessons to be learnt
from In Fusio regarding games on mobile phones, especially those
intended for China).
- The structural risks run by players according
to different business models should be identified.
- The impact of the overall decline in costs
was emphasised, pointing out that the locus of lower costs was
not always completely clear (content, services, infrastructure?).
Different types of player (content provider, network operator,
etc.) were more or less sensitive to different points of impact.
- Self-production of content by users should
be taken into account.
- Economic studies should be carried out, relating
to both quantitative aspects and applications.
- Attention should be paid to the pre-eminence
of certain players in the management of digital rights and the
possibility of a European initiative should be considered.
Group
B: Applications and Services
As part of the review, priorities had been assigned
and opinions presented.
Group B was currently looking at how SMEs appropriate
ICT.
The following comments were made.
- As existing statistical information on SMEs was unsuitable,
a better understanding of the situation was needed in order to
establish objectives and define the corresponding evaluation criteria
and the required resources, both at national level and through
international comparisons.
- Concerning comparative studies of implementation, such as South
Korea, the question arose whether the case had been sufficiently
studied and whether the corresponding social experiment was reproducible.
- It was pointed out that there had been no shortage of explanations
for the lag in France even though definite knowledge existed in
laboratories and universities and at France Telecom. Shouldn't
particular care be given to expressing the reality of the applications
measured and observed there ?
- Before giving business-to-business exchanges priority over
business-to-consumer exchanges, the types of application which
favour business competitiveness should be considered for each
sector.
- In order to promote a proper understanding of national and
international initiatives, it could be appropriate for the CSTI
to express its policy analysis relating to the relevance of public
data gathering choices in France, in particular those made by
INSEE.
Group
C : Needs for Specialists
Particular light was shed on a segmentation
of the populations trained in information technology. The issues
and prospects were described.
The following comments were made.
- Approaches to training needed to be consistent with the proposed
segmentation.
- Consideration had to be given to the necessary dual skilling
involved when a particular type of job was associated with IT
skills.
- Should IT be regarded as a tool to be mastered or as a subject
to be taught?
- A study of the introduction of the IT and Internet school certificate
and a review of supervised personal work were suggested.
Group
D : " Research and Development"
After a review of the opinions presented, a
study carried out for the CSTI on the statistical monitoring of
research and development was presented.
The following comments were made.
- The places where research funds were spent should be identified
so that the effectiveness of public, civil and military funding
systems could be evaluated, including by way of an international
comparison.
- It was necessary to note the absolute values of the observed
differences and how they changed.
A report was given on the work of the group on critical technologies.
The following comments were made.
- What links were there between US spending and critical technologies?
- What links were there between the FRDP and national research
programmes and these critical technologies ?
- The examination of European strengths and weaknesses in this
area needed to be pursued in greater depth.
- A question had arisen about the extent of actual European consultation
on these technologies, and especially about how little emphasis
was given to one avenue relating to the competitiveness of European
businesses, with regard to the effectiveness of Eureka programmes
to that end.
- Another concern was brought up, relating to the current relevance
of a consideration of critical technologies, because of the present
state of public support for IT research.
- To what extent did this research translate into marketable
products? And how could the CSTI address such transfers? How were
public orders made?
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On conclusion of the plenary meeting, the Board's Secretary-General
and chair of the meeting thanked the members for their contributions
to the CSTI's work since its inception.
He said that the Prime Minister's office was
taking the necessary steps to ensure that the CSTI would be able
continue its work.
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