We have developed a set of curricula to provide basic technology literacy to adults and that allows them, as they gain access to things like personal computers, to use them in the local businesses. And we've seen quite remarkable adoption of these technologies even in the rural communities. That, plus access to the Internet, seems to be creating new economic activities for many of these people.
Within Microsoft, what are some of the initiatives that you have embarked on to support your efforts to engage governments?
Several years ago, MS created a new business unit in the company which we called the Global Public Sector business. It's run by a woman named Gerri Elliott. We created that in recognition of the fact that governments themselves and the educational component of government activities are not traditional businesses--they have some special and unique requirements [with regards to accessing] technology and using it.
In the past, Microsoft really didn't have a good way to address either the business relationship or the unique special requirements of those activities. And so we've spent the last few years improving our own organizational abilities, and we're quite happy with the progress there.
What are your discussions with the Singapore government specifically about?
The company, through our National Technical Offices Community, which we built up as an adjunct to my office, [has been engaging] the government around prospective technology policy issues, and these span the range from consulting on new models of spectrum management in order to facilitate the deployment of new radio systems, to broadband wireless technologies, to consultation on policies around telecom reform on a legal basis. We talked a bit about regulatory requirements to match the technology convergence that seems to be happening quite naturally around these advanced networks and devices.
We increasingly try to provide some insights to the basis of the government's policy, which stems from a somewhat unique perspective through our direct involvement and heavy investment in research and development, so as to help translate that into the policy makers' language and needs. [By doing so], we ensure the best possible alignment in the future between the regulatory and policy regimes, and the deployment of these new technologies.
How has working with governments helped Microsoft rein in the company's longer-ranging goals?
In many countries of the world, the government is our largest customer. So even in a very traditional analysis, you should do whatever you can do to have a relationship to support your big customer. One of the challenges we have in the region is the level of piracy of our products. It stems from the best case, which is in the low 40 percent, to the worst case, which is about 99 percent in the region.
Governments really have a role to play in evolving both their legal environment and sort of the culture of the company. In many countries, the governments themselves are not particularly immune from piracy. Part of what comes out of working with them is a better mutual understanding of what it's going to ultimately take to make the Asian region more competitive [with regards to] intellectual property protection. That's clearly important to us, because our business is clearly an intellectual property business.
Stay tuned for part 2 of Craig Mundie's interview, where he talks about the highs and lows of bringing ideas to market at Microsoft.
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