DICT Should Enable the Sector by Getting Rid of Bureaucratic Red Tape

Wazzup Pilipinas!

DICT Secretary Rodolfo Salalima’s has called for “good public service” from telco operators in the country. Globe said that it remains committed to its purpose of strengthening the nation through ICT by continuing investments in the sector. “Globe invests millions of dollars annually for network expansion and service improvements,” said Globe General Counsel Froilan Castelo. In terms of capital expenditures, the Philippines ranks second to China with almost 30% of telco revenues spent on CAPEX, the second highest in Asia.

“Further, Secretary Salalima’s proposed executive order to help rationalize the permitting process for telco infrastrusture, once in place, would be a respite from the difficulties we encounter in putting up cell sites and right-of-way issues for fiber optic cables,” added Castelo. The reduction of bureaucratic red tape was also presented by the company as a key measure that local government units can implement to help the sector, during the recently concluded Regional Competitiveness Summit, chaired by Guillermo Luz of the National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines. It is important for the government to play its role not only as a regulator but also as an enabler of the sector. If put into action, “this bodes well with what the public really wants, a better internet experience,” said Castelo.

Castelo also said that Globe will continue to roll out new network capacities using the spectrum assets it gained as a result of the joint buyout of SMC's telco assets. Reacting to the recent statement of the PCCI, Castelo clarified that the company is not hindering the PCC from doing its job. “We are not in any way blocking the PCC from performing its mandate. In fact, we repeatedly invited the PCC to exercise its plenary powers under Section 12 of the Competition Act to investigate the conduct and behavior of the companies on this transaction for possible violations of the Act. Globe has consistently relayed to the PCC its willingness to submit to this investigation, and Globe is confident that all its actions pertaining to this transaction are all legal and above-board as certified by its legal counsels,” he said.

All parties should abide by the provision of Memorandum Circular 16-002 and this includes the PCC who is expected to uphold its own rules and the Philippine Competition Act. "Globe followed to the letter the rules of the PCC, and the same should be appreciated by the PCC,“ Castelo added.

NEC Announces New AI Technology Brand, “NEC the WISE”

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NEC Corporation announced that it will be branding its lineup of artificial intelligence (hereinafter, “AI”) technologies as “NEC the WISE”(*) and globally launching this new brand and its mark as part of NEC’s efforts to contribute to the realization of a safe, secure, efficient, and equal society in which people work together with AI to enhance technological advancements.

In recent years, AI technologies have experienced tremendous breakthroughs amidst the explosive growth of data volume resulting from the increased sophistication of analysis engines (i.e., software) and the improved processing capabilities of computers. These technologies are currently attracting attention for their usefulness in complementing human abilities, solving societal issues, and creating a more convenient society.

“We have named our lineup of cutting-edge AI technologies ‘NEC the WISE’ to reflect NEC’s strong desire to facilitate cooperation between people and AI as we continue to leverage our advanced wisdom to solve the increasingly complex and sophisticated problems confronting society,” says Katsumi Emura, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO). “To accelerate the development and use of state-of-the-art AI technologies supporting advanced fields such as IoT, Big Data, and Security, which are at the core of NEC’s Solutions for Society, NEC will be focusing its efforts on providing innovative solutions that contribute to not only the resolution of societal problems but also the transformation and growth of enterprises.”

NEC has promoted the development of AI-related technology for nearly half a century in the domains of visualization, analysis, and control and guidance. As a result of these efforts, many of NEC’s AI technologies, including speech recognition, image and video recognition, language and semantic understanding, machine learning, prediction and detection, and optimal planning and control, are either unprecedented or ranked No. 1 in the world. (**)

NEC’s lineup of cutting-edge AI technologies

NEC’s AI technologies are already being utilized for a variety of solutions, including an immigration control system equipped with facial recognition technology boasting the world’s highest degree of accuracy(**), a failure sign monitoring system for large-scale plants that can be used to discover imperceptible changes and recognize them as a sign of failure, and a retail ordering system based on highly accurate demand forecasting that uses machine learning technology. These solutions can be applied to the creation of safe and secure environments in the realm of Public Safety, the monitoring of large-scale social infrastructure, and enterprises looking to enhance their marketing abilities and operational efficiency.

“Going forward, AI will make it possible to provide people with suggestions for problems without a clear single answer, such as management decisions and the development of new products. NEC is therefore committed to offering advanced solutions that will help people make decisions from a broader point of view. We will also be proactively leveraging open innovation and utilizing a wide array of AI technologies to maximize the value we provide to our customers,” says Katsumi Emura.

Optimization of intellectual and creative activities through collaboration between people and AI

Note:

(*) NEC the WISE is a portfolio of AI technologies developed by NEC for enriching human intellect and creativity. This portfolio represents our strong determination to harness the wisdom of humans and AI working together to resolve the increasingly complex and intertwined issues society is facing today.

The NEC the WISE mark is a simple, opaque triangular pyramid with a cube in the center. The keen edges and futuristic shape of the pyramid represent our intention to hone our technologies to precision and use them as a cornerstone of future innovations. The cube is the core of wisdom collected as AI technologies.

The orientation of the mark expresses our goal of bringing stability to societies and creating a brighter world for everyone by harmonizing people, society and AI.

(**)

http://www.nec.com/en/global/solutions/biometrics/technologies/nist_proven_accuracy.html

Online Car Classified Carmudi Opens 2016-2017 Scholarship Program

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Online Car Classified Carmudi formally announced its third scholarship program that aims to help third and fourth year undergraduate students who are academically outstanding but economically challenged.

The Scholarship Program is a bi-annual search that provides scholarship grants for deserving students in the country. It is open to all incoming senior college students of the participating universities and colleges. Carmudi PH holds this program as one of their many ways to uphold the company’s continuing concern for the socio-economic development of the country.

The scholarship program targets students from the fields of Economics, Business, Marketing, Communications, Media, IT, Engineering, and other relevant majors in the university. A financial aid worth of P30,000.00 per semester will be given to the grant sole recipient.

At present, Carmudi Philippines has already granted 2 scholarship program from University of the Philippines Visayas and Ilocus Sur Polytechnic University. Aljohn T. Torreta who is a son of a fisherman and a vendor was the first scholarship grantee who recently graduated as a Summa Cum Laude, while Kristine Ian De Guzman—a single mother—was chosen as the second scholarship recipient for her academic excellence.

With the Philippine automotive industry growing at breakneck speed, Carmudi Philippines supports the Filipino consumer by empowering them with widest choices, best prices and authoritative reviews, all at their fingertips. The company serves as the guaranteed safest marketplace for car selling and buying.

To know more about the scholarship program, visit www.carmudi.com.ph or go directly to www.carmudi.com.ph/scholarship