PTC Projects

Current RFP | Submit a Project Proposal

The priority deadline for proposal submissions for the current round of funding closed on 23 March 2012. However, proposals are accepted on an on-going basis and may be submitted at any time.

The PTC Projects outreach initiative provides members with an exclusive opportunity to develop and implement projects that promote the use of telecommunications and ICT to improve the lives of the people of the Pacific Hemisphere. The initiative’s goals are two-fold:

• To help realize PTC’s vision and mission
• To add to the value of PTC membership

Project proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis. For a complete description of the PTC Projects initiative, including proposal submission guidelines, view the 2012 Project Request for Proposals (RFP) (pdf). All proposals are to be submitted online. Submit a Project Proposal.

On-going Projects: (as of 15 Feb 2012)

Spreading Best Practices in Rural Agricultural Information: Lessons of Sichuan for the Asia-Pacific Community
Dr. Chun Liu, Associate Professor, Southwest Jiaotong University

It is universally acknowledged that a modern and adequate information i¬nfrastructure can benefit a country’s development. “Informatization,” a policy of integrated telecommunications development, is regarded as one of the driving forces behind the Chinese government’s “new socialist countryside” program. Various national and provincial programs have been initiated to connect the agricultural communities to the information highway. Arguably, China is the first country in the world to combine connectivity and content into a single national program.

The primary objective of the research project is to complement the existing rural informatization research in China with a comprehensive provincial/local-level analysis. An analytical framework is used that evaluates the performance and sustainability of major ongoing agricultural informatization programs in Sichuan province, which has been chosen because its geographic and economic features make it an ideal site to study agricultural informatization. The project will identify the best practices and lessons Sichuan’s experience offers for rural development in other Asia-Pacific communities or sub-national administrative units.

Regional Renewable Energy Data Center Assessment Study: Focus on Five Pacific Island Nations.
Dr. Laura Hosman, Assistant Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology and Bruce Baikie, CEO & Founder, Green Wifi.

The study will focus on five Pacific Island nations and territories, initially Guam and Palau in the first phase and later Fiji, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu in a second phase pending successful outcomes of the first phase. These were selected because each serves as a landing site for high-speed Internet submarine cables, yet for each country, the lack of sufficient and affordable energy remains an obstacle to both technology adoption and economic growth.

The study will examine the potential for these states to harness renewable energy in order to capitalize on ICT-associated economic development. More specifically, the study will investigate the potential for a new generation of ultra energy efficient data centers to benefit the local economies, by collecting relevant data, reporting on demand forecast and possible scenarios, and assessing the potential impact for each country.

Telecom Enhancement of e-Learning Networks in the Asia-Pacific.
Dr. Mark Chun, Associate Professor and Director, Center for Applied Research, Graziadio School of Business & Management, Pepperdine University and Charla Griffy-Brown, Associate Professor and Director, Center for Teaching Excellence, Pepperdine University.

This research project is a joint collaboration that includes CPCNet in Hong Kong, and six universities across Mainland China and Taiwan to better understand how Asia-Pacific telecommunications companies can impact and influence e-Learning environments. In particular, the study will investigate how the technologies and resources of telecommunications companies can help corporations in delivering e-Learning initiatives (i.e., integrate face-to-face, online, and asynchronous learning) in the Asia-Pacific region. The goal is to develop an e-Learning framework for trans-national learning and knowledge management opportunities.

Anticipated outcomes include: (1) Identifying trends in e-Learning goals, appropriate learning methodologies, and future market opportunities; (2) Understanding how firms can use telecommunications and social networking technologies across different geographical sites (i.e., Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore); and (3) Through discussions with six universities across Mainland China and Taiwan, identify how firms can use telecommunications and social networking technologies to help facilitate e-Learning and knowledge sharing opportunities.

For questions regarding PTC Projects, please email Emily Lee.