TELECOMUNICATION

BRASITECH is capable of supplying and installing all types of Telecommunication equipment from Major Manufacturers worldwide. BRASITECH Ltd. has successfully acted as consultants and advisers to telecommunications companies, government authorities, contractors in Brazil, Eastern Europe and CIS Countries.

BRASITECH is capable in association with its well established network of agents, of supplying telecommunication market reports for the above mentioned Countries.

Society and telecommunication

Telecommunication has a significant social, cultural. and economic impact on modern society. In 2008, estimates placed the telecommunication industry's revenue at $3.85 trillion (USD) or just under 3.0 percent of the gross world product (official exchange rate). The following sections discuss the impact of telecommunication on society.

Economic impact

Microeconomics

On the microeconomic scale, companies have used telecommunications to help build global business empires. This is self-evident in the case of online retailer Amazon.com but, according to academic Edward Lenert, even the conventional retailer Wal-Mart has benefited from better telecommunication infrastructure compared to its competitors. In cities throughout the world, home owners use their telephones to organize many home services ranging from pizza deliveries to electricians. Even relatively-poor communities have been noted to use telecommunication to their advantage. In Bangladesh's Narshingdi district, isolated villagers use cellular phones to speak directly to wholesalers and arrange a better price for their goods. In Cote d’Ivoire, coffee growers share mobile phones to follow hourly variations in coffee prices and sell at the best price.

Macroeconomics

On the macroeconomic scale, Lars-Hendrik Röller and Leonard Waverman suggested a causal link between good telecommunication infrastructure and economic growth. Few dispute the existence of a correlation although some argue it is wrong to view the relationship as causal.

Because of the economic benefits of good telecommunication infrastructure, there is increasing worry about the inequitable access to telecommunication services amongst various countries of the world—this is known as the digital divide. A 2003 survey by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) revealed that roughly one-third of countries have less than one mobile subscription for every 20 people and one-third of countries have less than one land-line telephone subscription for every 20 people. In terms of Internet access, roughly half of all countries have less than one out of 20 people with Internet access. From this information, as well as educational data, the ITU was able to compile an index that measures the overall ability of citizens to access and use information and communication technologies. Using this measure, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland received the highest ranking while the African countries Nigeria, Burkina, Faso and Mali received the lowest.

Social impact

Telecommunication has played a significant role in social relationships. Nevertheless' devices like the telephone system were originally advertised with an emphasis on the practical dimensions of the device (such as the ability to conduct business or order home services) as opposed to the social dimensions. It was not until the late 1920s and 1930s that the social dimensions of the device became a prominent theme in telephone advertisements. New promotions started appealing to consumers' emotions, stressing the importance of social conversations and staying connected to family and friends.

Since then the role that telecommunications has played in social relations has become increasingly important. In recent years, the popularity of social networking site has increased dramatically. These sites allow users to communicate with each other as well as post photographs, events and profiles for others to see. The profiles can list a person's age, interests, sexuality and relationship status. In this way, these sites can play important role in everything from organising social engagements to courtship.

Prior to social networking sites, technologies like SMS and the telephone also had a significant impact on social interactions. In 2000, market research group Ipsos MORI reported that 81% of 15 to 24 year-old SMS users in the United Kingdom had used the service to coordinate social arrangements and 42% to flirt.

Other impacts

In cultural terms, telecommunication has increased the public's ability to access to music and film. With television, people can watch films they have not seen before in their own home without having to travel to the video store or cinema. With radio and the Internet, people can listen to music they have not heard before without having to travel to the music store.

Telecommunication has also transformed the way people receive their news.

A survey by the non-profit Pew Internet and American Life Project found that when just over 3,000 people living in the United States were asked where they got their news "yesterday", more people said television or radio than newspapers. The results are summarised in the following table (the percentages add up to more than 100% because people were able to specify more than one source).

Local TV

National TV

Radio

Local paper

Internet

National paper

59%

47%

44%

38%

23%

12%

Telecommunication has had an equally significant impact on advertising. TNS Media Intelligence reported that in 2007, 58% of advertising expenditure in the United States was spent on mediums that depend upon telecommunication. The results are summarised in the following table.

Internet

Radio

Cable TV

Syndicated TV

Spot TV

Network TV

Newspaper

Magazine

Outdoor

Total

Percent

7.6%

7.2%

12.1%

2.8%

11.3%

17.1%

18.9%

20.4%

2.7%

100%

Dollars

$11.31 billion

$10.69 billion

$18.02 billion

$4.17 billion

$16.82 billion

$25.42 billion

$28.22 billion

$30.33 billion

$4.02 billion

$149 billion