ASEAN: Regional Trends in Economic Integration, Export ... - USITC

foreign ownership of express delivery service firms in Burma is permitted, but described
licensing procedures as “restrictive.” 127
E-Commerce
E-commerce is “the buying, selling, or exchanging of goods, services, and information
through electronic networks.” 128 It occurs through three channels: business-to-business
(B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), and consumer-to-consumer (C2C). Use of e-
commerce varies by country and industry. Its prevalence depends on a combination of
factors, including the quality and extent of infrastructure; the existence of a sound legal
framework; and individuals’ access to information and communication technologies
(ICTs), facility with the use of ICTs, and willingness to make electronic transactions.
Broadband service is a critical element of the infrastructure required for e-commerce. 129
People who subscribe to broadband are more likely to shop online; 130 the high-speed
Internet connections enabled by broadband service permit shoppers to complete
transactions more quickly than non-broadband service. Among the ASEAN countries, the
number of broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants (broadband penetration) varied
from 0.02 in Burma to 21.7 in Singapore in 2008. Broadband penetration was far higher
in Singapore than in any other ASEAN country, but increased in all members between
2004 and 2008 (figure 2.3).
127 Conference of Asia Pacific Express Carriers (CAPEC), “Express Delivery Services (EDS): ASEAN
Regulatory Matrix and International Best Practices,” May 2009.
128 Acoca, Empowering E-Consumers, December 2009, 6.
129 According to the OECD, “Broadband service is usually understood to be a connection providing highspeed
Internet access, that is, a communication service that enables access to the Internet at data transmission
rates above a specific threshold.” Díaz-Pinés, Indicators of Broadband Coverage, December 10, 2009, 38.
130 OECD, OECD Information Technology Outlook 2008, 2008, 239–40. This report presented evidence
from several OECD countries showing that individuals in households with broadband access were more
likely to buy goods and services online than individuals in households with non-broadband Internet access.
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