Mr. Orlando Ayala,
Microsoft
“Microsoft is proud to be an inaugural member of the Broadband Commission for
Digital Development. We have public-private partnerships with both the ITU and
UNESCO, the commission’s founding organizations. Our work together promotes the
implementation and use of high-speed, high-capacity broadband technology to
realize economic and social benefits, helping developing countries increase
their competitiveness and enhance education.”
Orlando Ayala is a corporate vice president, chairman of emerging markets,
and chief advisor to Microsoft's chief operating officer (COO).
As chairman of emerging markets, Ayala is dedicated to helping federal,
provincial and local governments develop the infrastructure, educational
programs and human resource capability to turn their particular capabilities
into a competitive advantage on an international scale. By partnering with
leading technology partners, multilateral organizations and non-governmental
organizations, Ayala's highly-focused group aims to use technology as a
supporting player in initiatives designed to advance the national agenda,
whether in education, health, citizen services, citizen safety or academic and
industry research. Focused on results-driven programs that seek to optimize
positive impact, time to market and constrained resources, Ayala's projects
frequently highlight mixed-source environments and interoperability, recognizing
the realities that our customers and partners face. His goal is to improve
access to technology and education that will offer new ways for individuals,
communities and entire countries to realize their potential in the coming years.
Video message from Mr. Orlando Ayala
The power of technology to drive a country's competitiveness is broadly
understood and accepted.
According to a 2009 report by the World Economic Forum, raising broadband
penetration in emerging markets to levels currently in Western Europe could add
300-420 billion dollars in GDP and create 10-14 million new jobs. Information
Technology infrastructure, and specifically universal access to sufficient,
affordable broadband connectivity is integral to strengthening the local economy
and ensuring a sustainable future for individuals and businesses.
These technology trends offer an unprecedented opportunity for governments,
businesses and citizens to work more efficiently, streamline workflows and
services, and ultimately create a more inclusive society. We're still near the
beginning of connecting the world and we collectively need to take a broader and
bolder view of how technology can help society thrive. As connectivity optimizes
how we work, learn, access healthcare, entertainment and other services,
broadband access is a must-have for individuals to reap the benefits. Innovation
and partnerships built on a strong IT foundation can improve access to quality
services for all.
Two trends stand out as great opportunities for industry and government to
work together: Cloud Computing and White Spaces.
With continued advancements in process and storage capabilities, IT users are
increasingly leveraging cloud computing for services and content beyond email
and search. Cloud computing in its many forms creates significant opportunities
for cost savings, flexibility, scalability and improved computing performance.
At the same time, it represents new challenges related to security, privacy and
reliability and raises questions about functional responsibility and legal
accountability. Customers, including business and government need to make
informed decisions about adoption of cloud services due to the nuances of how
these responsibilities can differ over geographies This ongoing debate requires
that government and cloud providers at all levels of the stack engage in a
meaningful dialogue to ensure a trustworthy cloud computing experience for all
users.
White spaces represents making use of unused channels in the TV spectrum to
provide wireless broadband access while ensuring that there is no harmful
interference to current TV users. TV white spaces are particularly valuable
since signals in this spectrum can better penetrate walls and trees, and are
able to cover greater distances, enabling a service provider to cover a bigger
service area with less equipment. Market-oriented and internet-friendly policies
are increasingly likely to generate investment in new infrastructure and
innovative solutions for providing access to lesser developed regions.
A Booz & Company analysis indicated that countries that perennially ranked in
the top tier of broadband penetration recorded twice the rate of GDP growth of
countries that consistently ranked in the bottom tier. Additionally, boosting
broadband penetration by 10 percent translated into a 1.5 percent increase in
the country's labor productivity— representing an opportunity to more
efficiently use a constrained resource as countries strive to bolster their
competitive advantage and meaningfully advance overall national competitiveness.
— Mr. Orlando Ayala, Microsoft