Wi-Fi keeps growing in popularity

The popularity of Wi-Fi knows no end.
Some describe it as the 'true 4G standard'. This has an intuitive logic: we want to be rid of cords and over the long term everything will be wireless; mobile networks are increasingly shared by too many subscribers; and fibre needs to be brought as close as possible to every home, business and other location.
In short, Wi-Fi forms the unmissable link between fibre -- which is expensive to roll out to every location -- and mobile -- a 'shared' netwerk that potentially is used by too many subscribers.
It's not surprising then that Wi-Fi has a growing number of applications like Draadloos Groningen, a muniwifi project, is attempting a restart. A consortium of Orange France, the SNCF, Eutelsat, Alsthom and Capgemini are deploying wireless internet in TGVs, at speeds up to 320kph. Wi-Fi is offered on-board, with backhaul via satellite.
The BT has developed an iPad app allowing broadband subscribers free access to two million British hotspots.
It's also going well in a corporate sense like Boingo Wireless, which manages more 200,000 hotspots worldwide, is planning a stockmarket listing.
BSkyB is reportedly planning a bid to acquire The Cloud, which operates 22,000 hotspots in Europe.
The question remains how to earn money with the service. The BT is going in a clear direction, in line with companies such as New York's Cablevision and Telenet -- which has dropped plans to participate in the Belgian spectrum auction in order to focus on cable and Wi-Fi, free hotspot access for broadband subscribers.
The necessity of ubiquitous access will only increase in the coming years, as underlined by the TGV initiative.
In the race for subscribers there is still room for creating a distinctive asset, as there can never be enough hotspots. If you can collect revenues from it, all the better, but the subscriber won't see it that way: they want to pay just once for access.
It makes hotspot access a classic loss leader, that indirectly increases the value of a broadband subscription.

Nepse permits trading through WAN

Nepse has started giving access to trading through
Wide Area Network (WAN). Due to this extended
facility, now stock brokers donot have to go to the
Nepse floor, they can place order, sell or buy shares
from their office.
In the first-phase; some brokers; stock broker number
19, Umesh Regmi, started from the Sunday; stock broker
number 14 started from Monday; and stock broker number
11 started trading from Wednesday. Stock broker number
28 and stock broker number 32 has started trading from
Tuesday.
"The brokers, who have pre-requisites, according to
Nepse's guidance, will get access," says Rewat Bahadur
Karki, managing director of the Nepal Stock Exchange
(Nepse), adding that within one month Nepse will
provide real time information and will work towards
making online trading possible.
"It will be lot easier to work from the office,
clients can get immediate information, can be better
served, and orders can be placed immediately," said
Rabindra Pradhan, stock broker number 32, who started
the trading via WAN from today.
Agreed Umesh Regmi, the first broker, who started
trading via WAN "Clients get better service and it
saves our time."
However, Nepse has set some basic pre-requisites for
trading from office via WAN. A broker must have a
price-board, separate rooms along with separate
computers for clients, order entry, settlement and
must provide up-to-date information to the clients
like in the Nepse floor.
"The broker must have a separate trading room, where
investors should not have any access," Karki said
adding that the number of brokers can now be increased
to more that the capacity of the floor, which is 50 only.

Stock trading a mouse click away

The day is not far then an investor here or abroad and brokers could place an order to sell or buy stocks through Internet.
“We are trying hard to make it possible that brokers can work from their respective offices,” Bimal Prasad Wagle, chairman of the Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) said. He added that the system, which is now operating in Local Area Network (LAN) only will be soon upgraded to Wide Area Network (WAN). “And the days of online trading is also not far,” Wagle said.
However, experts showed serious concern, over rise in the shares prices in recent days that is not supported by the economic growth, at a formal inaugural function of automated trading — after the successful test — of the Nepse, in the valley today.After the automation, stock analysts have predicted price correction but contrary to that the heated stock market is not showing any signs of cool down.
“Too much money is chasing too few shares creating an artificial rise in the prices,” finance minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat said adding that there has been no new issuance to meet investors’ appetite at present.
“Present irrational exuberance is also due to short supply of shares,” Dr Posh Raj Pandey, member of the National Planning Commission (NPC), the government think-tank, said adding that the new tools like mutual fund could help stabilise the market.
“The present growth of Nepse index — and that only of the banking index (Bankex) — do not reflect real economic growth,” said Rewat Bahadur Karki, CEO and MD of the Nepse adding that the development of a barometer — of present banking sector dominated market — is a real challenge.
“One of the reasons of Bankex being bullish is due to the transparent and international standard accounting system of the financial institutes, which indicates that the transparent and international standard accounting system will help boost the real sector also,” Karki said adding that the market capitalisation has reached to around Rs 200 billion and the number investors has also increased to 800,000 at present.
“But the number of brokers is not sufficient and we are committed to increase the number of brokers in near future,” Deepak Raj Kafle, chairman of the Securities Exchange Board (SEBO) said.
Nepse is planning to adopt some other practical measures like Central Depository System (CDS) and Real Time Information, which will ultimately help it to grow as a vibrant sector.
Krishna Bahadur Manandhar, acting governor of Nepal Rastra Bank on the occasion, praised Nepse’s initiative and stressed on competitiveness.
Steve Ujarosy, the technical consultant for the automation, said that automated trading system would expand horizon and secure the future of capital market in Nepal.
On the occasion, Umesh Regmi, a broker stressed on making share market competitive and autonomous and Jeevan Basnet, an investor gave some suggestions for the improvement of Nepse.
Comdaq Ltd — that has supplied the system to replace the open-out-cry system — issuing a press release has congratulated the Nepse for entering into the new age of technology.The stock market automation was supported by Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the CFG project.