Sandra Sieber, IESE professor
Up to now, ADSL technology has prolonged the life of outdated copper wire telephone lines, but the current needs of net navigators in the age of video and content exchange demand a massive and decisive implementation of fiber optics. This will require real competition so that high-speed Internet access in Spain does not end up costing an arm and a leg.
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"New technologies are allowing us to take a more active role in the treatment of illnesses, in the acquisition and exchange of information, and in decision making," says the opening paragraph of "Sanidad 2.0, el paciente toma la palabra" ["Health 2.0: Patients Have Their Say"]. The idea of using the Internet to offer advisory services to patients is certainly not new. In the 1990s, a number of projects were launched with that same objective, although the majority folded when the Internet bubble burst. This time around, however, the new generation of Web-based projects appears to be rooted in more solid ground. Part of the reason is that since the year 2000 there has been a dramatic rise in the critical mass of users that have the necessary bandwidth. It is also due to the higher quality of both written and audio content, and, increasingly more often, video as well. And also to the availability of new platforms, such as blogs, chats, forums, online support groups and social networks, which allow users to share their knowledge and experiences. A recent study by Manhattan Research reveals that the number of Americans using this type of resources has doubled since 2007 to reach a total of 60 million users, who now include medical patients with illnesses such as cancer, fibromyalgia and depression. Behind these new services, says the consultant, are companies like Google, Yahoo! and AOL, among others. Cinco Días has run a story with this same information, expanding it with data on Spain. The conclusion is that the emergence of this range of services falling under the label of Health 2.0 is forcing medical professionals to take heed, since it can be of significant help to patients. For instance, by cutting down on trips, detecting illnesses, alleviating the workload in hospitals and optimizing the use of health resources.

Articles in Euskadi Innova (Spanish), Manhattan Research and Cinco Días (Spanish)

There are human beings who bother those around them with their impoliteness while using cell phones. At the same time, there are nonhumans that, despite lacking the capacity for manners, manage to utilize theirs politely. The first example involves antisocial users, while the second has to do with machine-to-machine (M2M) devices. These include vending machines in bars and other establishments, point-of-sale terminals, counters, luminous boards of information, alarms and sensors connected to security systems and other devices that communicate wirelessly, primarily in the form of SMS messages. Their number is clearly on the rise, although quantifying them was no easy task. That changed as of last January, when the Spanish telecommunications commission (CMT), in its studies on the evolution of wireless lines, decided to give an itemized  breakdown on those related to M2M, as explained on the blog published by the cited regulatory agency. The CMT report for the month of September reveals that of the 50,356,169 wireless lines existing in Spain, 1,391,173 pertained to M2M. It goes on to say that these automaton users grew by 33% with respect to the same period from a year ago, far exceeding the figure recorded for wireless lines, which rose by 4.9%. Numerous consulting firms are predicting that in the coming years the number of machines that communicate between themselves through this channel will shoot up and in fact extend to other applications, such as robotics, home automation and medicine. While the current crisis and the prices of these products may slow their takeoff around the world, it seems that manufacturers and operators have found a gold mine in M2M, one that should inject new vitality into a mobile market that has started to get saturated. After all, the number of machines already surpasses that of human beings and this trend has just begun.

Articles in Blog CMT (Spanish), Specialty Publisingh and CMT (Spanish)

Title: OECD Broadband Statistics
Study: June 2008
Source: OECD (OECD Broadband Portal)
Abstract: In June of this year, Spain had an average of 19.83 lines per 100 inhabitants, placing the country 20th out of the 30 OECD members and bringing it closer to the organization's average of 21.26.
Nevertheless, Spain remains far behind the countries heading up the list: Denmark has 36.7 lines per 100 inhabitants; the Netherlands, 35.5; Norway, 33.4; Switzerland, 32.7; both Iceland and Sweden, 32.3; Korea, 31.2; and Finland, 30.7 lines per 100 inhabitants. At the same time, Spain holds a slight lead over Ireland and Italy, as well as those at the bottom: Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey and Mexico, which rounds out the list with 4.7 broadband lines per 100 inhabitants. By mid 2008, the number of broadband lines in the OECD countries had gone up 14%, reaching a total in excess of 251 million active lines. Of those, almost 151 million (60%) utilize DSL; just over 72 million (29%) have cable modems; and nearly 23 million (9%) connect via Fiber LAN. The remaining 2% use other technologies.
As for the number of lines per country, United States tops the list with 75 million. Nevertheless, and in spite of America being the undisputed leader in ICT, its ranking continues to fall in terms of the number of available lines per 100 inhabitants. After occupying the sixth spot in mid 2002, the US now ranks 16th, with 20 connections per 100 inhabitants. Japan is next, with over 29 million; then Germany, with 21.6 million; followed by England and France.
Spain, with over 8.7 million active broadband lines, ranks eighth.

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Title: Truffle 100 Europe 2008
Source: Truffle Capital
Date: November 2008
Abstract: The top 100 developers in Europe, including the 25 countries of the EU as well as Switzerland and Norway, recorded software sales revenues totaling 24 billion euros for the year 2007. This figure, which is still below the 33.4 billion euros taken in by Microsoft, equates to a growth of 10.3% in comparison to 2006. This according to data released in a Truffle report that also highlights a number of weaknesses in European software, such as overconcentration (i.e., 80% of total revenues coming from the top 25 developers), inadequate diversification (one third of the revenues revolve around ERP software and related products, and another third around infrastructure software) and disproportionate attention being paid to products for the financial sector and public administration. This sector is influenced by the changes affecting the majority of developers, such as the shift from the traditional model based on the sale of licenses to that based on software as a service, as well as by the open-source boom.
SAP, the German business software giant, leads the pack once again, having amassed 42% of the total revenues generated in 2007 by the top 100 businesses of the Truffle ranking. Second place this year was taken once again by the British company Sage, with third place being occupied by France's Dassault Systemes. Fourth place, however, is no longer held by Business Objects as in the previous edition, with the company having been acquired at the beginning of year by SAP. This year, fourth place goes to the German company Software AG. Another change with respect to the 2007 edition is the appearance of Spanish businesses among the rankings. Specifically, Panda Security and Meta4, which came in at 36th and 76th, respectively. As for the breakdown by country, Germany holds onto the top spot with 11 businesses making the cut and accounting for 48.1% of the total revenues; the United Kingdom is next with 22 companies and 18.2%; followed by France, which had 20 companies and 11.8%.

2008 Truffle Report 

Have you ever heard the term "email bankruptcy"? Want to know the meaning of all the recent moves by Google? To keep up to date with analysis on the major issues in technology and business, you can now turn to ISblog, the new weblog from the professors of the IESE Information Systems department. The blog offers detailed breakdowns on the latest trends in IS from Sandra Sieber, Rafael Andreu, Gabriel Giordano, Evgeny Kaganer, and Josep Valor, who encourage readers to share their opinion with the other users.

ISblog

On February 3, 2009, the city of Barcelona will be home to the third edition of the III Conference on Interactive Advertising, an annual event organized by the e-business Center PwC&IESE in collaboration with the IAB. The 3rd Meeting on Interactive Advertising—which will feature the participation of companies such as Google, Telephone and BBVA—will address the keys of communication in this new era in which people's habits in terms of reading, seeing and listening have radically changed.

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The Catalan Association of Telecommunications Engineers (ACET) and the Official Association of Telecommunications Engineers of Catalonia (COTEC) are organizing the 14th edition of La Nit de les Telecomunicacions [Telecommunications Night] under the theme of "La Nit y el juego de la innovación" ["The Night and the Game of Innovation"]. The event will be taking place on Wednesday, March 4, 2009, at the Barcelona Auditorium, starting at 19:00.

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