itu news issue 1 2007 - sharing out spectrum for eng

From Antalya to Hong Kong

Conference sets new directions

ITU TELECOM WORLD looks ahead

ITU NEWSINTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION No. 1 January | February 2007 Special Edition

www.itu.int/itunews

Uganda is one country that is working towards a brighter future for coming generations through education and training in information and communication technologies (ICTs). Patience Assime was in the first class of students at the ITU-Cisco Internet Training Centre located at Makerere University. Since its inception in 2002, the centre has trained 1,680 students, 62 per cent of whom are women. Ms Assime gained a valuable certificate in computer skills. She is now an instructor for the

Technology.

Cisco® and the International Telecommunication Unionhave joined with other partners such as the United Nations Development Programme and USAID to teach computer and networking skills to students like Ms Assime in developing countries. Building on this foundation, ITU and Cisco recently announced that they will team up with Grameen Bank to offer

microcredit loans to eligible students who cannot otherwise afford ICT training. The joint project will also offer mentoring and microcredit financing for qualified graduates, so that they can launch their own businesses in areas such as computer repair, telecentres or internet services. The goal is to build a critical mass of ICT activity to support local employment, for both the graduates and others. As Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director of Grameen Bank,

Despite innovative projects such as this, 800 000 villages

Join the International Telecommunication Union and its partners to help connect the unconnected by 2015.

Uganda: EMPOWERING WITH EDUCATION

Ms Patience Assime,graduate and instructor, ITU-Cisco Internet Training Centre, Makerere University

For more information about , visit: www.itu.int/partners

Contents

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not engage ITU. The designations employed and presentation of material in this publication, including maps, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of ITU concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or concerning the delimita-tions of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or of certain products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by ITU in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.

No. 1 January | February 2007 Special Edition

Cover photos: © ICONOTEC, ITU/J.M. Ferré, ITU/M Zouhri

Managing Editor: Patricia LuswetiProduction Editor: Janet BurgessArt Editor: Christine Vanoli

Printed in Geneva by the ITU Printing and Dispatch Division. Material from this publication may be reproduced in full or in part, provided that it is accompanied by the acknowledgement: ITU News.

ISSN 1020–4148www.itu.int/itunews10 issues per yearCopyright: © ITU 2007

This double edition of ITU News is looking to the future with a new style and layout, which is intended to be more attractive and easier to read. We hope you like it!

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ITU News 1 | 2007

Message from ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. TouréMission and vision

The New ITU leadership takes offi ceVIPs welcome the new team

A special report from the Plenipotentiary ConferenceA turning point (page 7)New directions for ITU (pages 8–15)

ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006 — A special reportThe future is now (pages 16–19)Nobel laureate launches ICT Empowerment Network (pages 20–21) Cisco announces USD 1 million grant (page 22)Visions from the Forum (pages 23–28)Highlights from the Exhibition fl oor (pages 29–32)The digital.life report (pages 33–35)

Emergency TelecommunicationsThe Asia-Pacifi c is the focus of an ITU workshop

Preparing for the 2007 World Radiocommunication ConferenceAn ITU workshop looks at spectrum management (page 37)Finding spectrum for electronic news gathering (pages 38–39)

Official visits to ITUHigh-level visitors to the Secretary-General

From Antalya to Hong Kong

Secretary-General’s message

ITU News 1 | 2007

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January | February 2007

To be elected Secretary-General of ITU is a great per-sonal honour for me, but it also brings a deep sense of responsibility. My colleaguesand I are very honoured to

have been elected by the Member States totoes to eennlead the Union over the next four years.r years.ars.four years.yearsee UUn

Deputy Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, eneral HouSecretary-General Houlin Z-General Houlintary-GeneraluutyyyDirector of the Radiocommunication BureauDirector of the RadiocodiocommuDirector of the Radiocommr off thValery Timofeev, Director of the Telecommu-mmomo eofenication Standardization Bureau Malcolm StStantanJohnson, and Director of the Telecommuni-ananddndcation Development Bureau Sami Al-Basheerveloopmopmare all well known for their extensive pro-l knoknowfessional experience in telecommunicationsperieerienand in ITU activities. The new team not onlyctivitvittierepresents continuity and experience, buton inntinnuialso fresh thinking and a new start. We will kingingg ananmake every effort to prove ourselves worthy rt tort to ppof the confi dence and trust that the Mem-ane anddber States have placed in us. I promise that cedaced iinwe will work together in a collegial spirit forr iner in aaa single ITU.a sia sing

Two important events, held recently by Two important events, held rect t h ld tlwo important events, held recentts,nts, hehelITU, will shape its future. The fi rst of these isTheThe fi rfi rsthe Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, nencnce ie inwhich agreed a new strategic plan for ITU nc pc plananfor 2008–2011. It also passed resolutions oluresresosoluthat will help to determine the Union’s fu-’s fnionion’sn’s

ture agenda, notably in the areas of cyber-eas ofs of careas resecurity, Internet Protocol-based networks, ed nl-basedbased ncol-basemergency telecommunications, bridging nicatiommunicmunicatommuthe digital divide and implementing the out-nd impleide ande and imide acomes of the World Summit on the Infor-Woe World of the f the Wmation Society (WSIS). cietyon Society tion Society mation So

The second major event was ITUThe seThe sTh TelecomWorldWW 2006. If the Plenipotentiary shows dITU’s future policy direction, then TelecomWorld indicates the likely environment in dwhich we will operate. I am delighted to re-port that the information and communica-tion technologies (ICT) industry seems to berecovering its confi dence and many majorexhibitors took part in Telecom.mm

Our goalsThe primary task of the new manageage-managenage-mana

ment team will be implementing the seven he sevthe seventing thing the goals in ITU’s Strategic Plan set by the Pleni-by theset by thean set by thPlan set potentiary Conference in Antalya. Antalynce in Antarence in Antference i The fi rst goal — to maintain and extend internation-ndmaintain andint— to mainta— to mailal cooperation among all Member States, coopal cooperation cooperatial coopas well as with relevant regional organiza-as wastions — represents ITU’s traditional duty to improve and promote the rational use of infrastructure. It also includes ITU’s takingthe appropriate leading role in ICT initiatives within the United Nations system, as calledfor by WSIS.

Mission and vision

Message from ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré

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Houlin ZhaoDeputy Secretary-General

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Valery TimofeevDirector of the

Radiocommunication Bureau

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Malcolm JohnsonDirector of the Telecommunication

Standardization Bureau

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Sami Al-Basheer Director of the Telecommunication

Development Bureau

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ITU News 1 | 2007 January | February 2007

Goal two n bn b ginggngtional and international digital divides — istta dal es ———related to ITU’s central mission to “connecto tn ton nneecnnethe world”. In this regard, we must continuewe mme m nuueinueto facilitate interoperability, interconnectionty, teint, in onnionand global connectivity of networks any o nof nof dndservices. We will also play a leading part inplplay ay a ay nnthe multistakeholder process for the follow-ppro esocesroc -up and implementation of relevant WSISati nontionobjectives.

The third goal calls upon us to widencacallU’s membership. This means facilitatingrsh p.hip.rshipITITUU’

the participation of an increasing number ofati n otion oatiothethhe ppaadministrations and organizations, as wellat onsationstratiodmadmminnisas new actors such as WSIS stakeholders.ctoractoanenewwGoal four requires us to develop tools torpromote end-user confi dence and to safe-omoprompro otemote ee

ard the effi ciency, security, integrity andguaruardgu thhe einteroperability of networks. Threats to net-iin lerarabbilwork effi ciency and security include cyber-er-r-ncfi ccienencrime, spam, viruses and denial-of-servicicvicecepaamm,attacks. We count on contributions fromfromomromcWWe c mmmembers to help develop these tools.lss.eoo hhe

Goal fi ve asks us to improve the efvee t ethe thaa f-ef-ef-fi ciency and effectiveness of the Uniohthe Une Unheeffd ef n’on’son’sstructures, as well as the services we offer toces wes wees wless wwe rer toer ttothe membership and the wider global com-wide glder gwiderapsshhip co comcoommunity. Under goal six, we will continuee wwe, w ntontionttinour mission to disseminate information andmin te ininateminadtto d ioationtioonknow-how to help the membership and thee mep the melp theoo he hip ap aannwider community, particularly developingty, panity, munitinmuun devdeevevecountries, to reap the benefi ts of ICT in areap apto re, to eao re fits ots oofoffast-changing environment. ngingng ehanginchan engg e .

Finally, goal seven calls upon us to pro-alls ullss upupomote the development of an environmenttemotemote tmo edeev nt of oof af athat helps governments to foster supportive,thath v ents tts tototransparent, pro-competitive, harmonizedo-comompmpeand predictable policies for ICT, as well astableble popolpoliclegal and regulatory frameworks that pro-d re regugulaulatovide appropriate incentives for investmentappapproppropropria

in, and development of, the informationsociety. ITU has already been working inthis area, notably through the Global Sym-posium for Regulators, and this success hasbeen noted by the membership.

New tasks, and a clear WSIS mandate

Another important priority will be themplementation of the WSIS Plan of Action.imTU has been given a clear mandate to focusITIn infrastructure and cybersecurity. Theseoore areas where we must exercise a positionraraf leadership, both within the United Na-oofoons system and in the wider ICT communi-tioty. We must work more closely with our ex-ttytyting partners and seek to collaborate withtstist

new ones. In other areas, such as Internetnenegovernance, we will continue efforts, withinggTU’s mandate, to facilitate international co-ITTordination and cooperation among a broadorange of stakeholders. Work on Internetgovernance needs to be complementary,rather than competing or overlapping.

The conference in Antalya gave us anumber of new tasks, notably in the organi-zation of two key events. The fi rst of theseis a World Telecommunication Policy Fo-rum, to be held in the fi rst quarter of 2009,which will discuss such important topics astechnological convergence, development ofnext-generation networks, and the Internetand its implications for capacity building,particularly in developing countries. This willhelp prepare for the second event, namelythe holding of a World Conference on Inter-national Telecommunications in 2012, withthe aim of reforming the International Tel-ecommunication Regulations.

Mission and vision

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Outlook for 2007As we start the year, many countries

are accelerating their preparations for the World Radiocommunication Conference, to be held in Geneva from 22 October to16 November 2007. This event carries outone of ITU’s core responsibilities: ensuringthe rational, equitable, effi cient and eco-nomical use of the radio-frequency spec-trum. A Conference Preparatory Meetingtakes place on 19 February to 2 March, and the Radiocommunication Assembly on 15–19 October. The newly elected, twelve-member Radio Regulations Board will be on hand to provide advice at both events.

This year, World Telecommunication andInformation Society Day on 17 May will be celebrated with activities aimed at boostingcooperation among all stakeholders in orderto meet the objectives set by WSIS to bridgethe digital divide by 2015.

The ITU Council will hold its annual ses-sion in September. I look forward to work-ing closely with all Member States on the Council to promote strategic thinking on the broad policy issues of the Union, as well as with the newly established Managementand Budget Group. Our main task will be to balance the budget for the 2008–2009 biennium. To make that process as smoothas possible, I am working with the Coordi-nation Committee to streamline ITU’s work,cut out duplication and manage fi nancial and human resources more transparently, as well as to fi nd new sources of funds whilereducing spending.

It will be a busy year too for the Sec-tor study groups and advisory bodies: theTelecommunication Standardization Advi-sory Group (TSAG), the TelecommunicationDevelopment Advisory Group (TDAG) and the Radiocommunication Advisory Group (RAG). And our last big event will be ITU Telecom Europe 2007, which will be hostedein Sofi a by the Government of Bulgaria on 3–6 December. From some of the world’s most sophisticated ICT markets to newlyemerging ones, the European region offers a wealth of opportunities, which this new event should serve to highlight.

Cooperation and teamworkThe conference in Antalya opened up

many opportunities to enhance the workof ITU. I look forward to the challenge of fostering the development of the industry,as well as promoting innovations to help connect people everywhere. With more ef-fi cient use of the radio-frequency spectrum and new global standards, we can connect the world. All three ITU Sectors must workwith this aim in mind.

I will work in close collaboration withall Member States and Sector Members to achieve the objectives set for us.

Also, one of my top priorities is to estab-lish constructive dialogue and a climate ofconfi dence between the management and staff at ITU. With all of us working together, we can achieve ITU’s mission and improve the lives of people around the world.

Mission and vision

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New leadership

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1 Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré greets Robert Hensler, Geneva State Chancellor 2 Gaoussou Drabo, Mali’s Minister

of Communication and New Technologies 3 Rwanda’s Ambassador Venetia Sebudandi

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Left to right: Sami Al-Basheer, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau; Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary-General; Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary-General; Valery Timofeev, Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau; and Malcolm Johnson, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

VIPs welcome the new top team

at the Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya,Turkey, in November last year, took offi ce on1 January 2007.

More than 200 VIPs attended a cer-emony on 22 January at ITU’s headquar-ters in Geneva, held to mark the inaugu-ration of ITU’s new leadership. Amongthose invited were offi cials of the SwissConfederation and the Canton of Geneva,as well as distinguished representatives ofother United Nations agencies and am-bassadors and permanent representativesto the United Nations Offi ce and other in-ternational organizations in Geneva. ITUSecretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré intro-duced each member of the new manage-ment team: Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary-General; Valery Timofeev, Director of theRadiocommunication Bureau (BR); MalcolmJohnson, Director of the TelecommunicationStandardization Bureau (TSB); and Sami Al-Basheer, Director of the TelecommunicationDevelopment Bureau (BDT). He highlightedthe new team’s mission over the next fouryears (see pages 2–4).

The meeting was then addressed byMali’s Minister of Communication and NewTechnologies, Gaoussou Drabo. On behalfof his government, Mr Drabo congratu-lated ITU’s new leadership, and especiallythe Secretary-General, who is a citizen ofMali. He said that Mali’s President AmadouToumani Touré wishes to “express his grati-tude for having entrusted a son of our coun-try with this great honour.” Mr Drabo wenton to say that the ongoing revolution in in-formation and communication technologies(ICT) “can bring positive change, but canalso be a cause for concern — especially fordeveloping countries.” However, he added,his government is optimistic that the posi-tive scenario will prevail because the newITU team “is keenly aware of the challengesit will have to face… and because this teamhas the will to meet these challenges.”

Speaking on behalf of the Presidentof Rwanda Paul Kagame, the country’sAmbassador and Permanent Representativeto the United Nations in Geneva, VenetiaSebudandi, said that the link between useof ICT and socio-economic development isvery clear, which makes ITU’s role extremely

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4 Deputy Secretary-General Houlin Zhao and the Republic of Korea’s Ambassador Hyuk Choi 5 Secretary-General Hamadoun I.

Touré and Professor Mark I. Krivocheev of the Russian Federation 6 Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications

Leonid Netudykhata 7 Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador Abdulwahahab Abdulsalam Attar 8 China’s Ambassador Sha Zukang

(left), with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Valery Loshchinin 9 Left to right: Valery Timofeev, Director of BR and Mrs

Timofeev; Malcolm Johnson, Director of TSB and Mrs Johnson; Sami Al-Basheer, Director of BDT; Mrs Touré and Secretary-General

Touré; and Mrs Zhao and Deputy Secretary-General Zhao

important. Noting that Africa “is unfortu-nately the continent that is most in need ofbridging the digital and economic divides,”Ms Sebudandi said that, in the work of the ITU team during the coming years, “we sin-cerely trust that you will remain close to the developing regions of the world.”

Professor Mark I. Krivocheev, of the Russian Federation, has been active in ITU’swork for nearly 60 years. In his speech henoted that the inauguration of the new ITU leadership comes at a crucial point in ICT development. “The time has come to cre-ate a universal information platform whichwill allow us to integrate a strategy of devel-opment for a global information society inthis century,” he said. The fi nal speaker was Jaques Sanou, the ITU Staff Council presi-dent. He said that ITU staff looked forwardto warm and constructive relations with the new management team. This, he noted,would be in the interests of the ITU as a whole and its work. “Our aim is to enablethe organization to go further,” he said.

VIPs welcome new team

p y yon 20 November at which the new Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, and the Directors of TSB and BDT swore the following oath:

“I solemnly swear to exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience the functions entrusted to me as astaff member of the InternationalTelecommunication Union; to dis-charge these functions and to reg-ulate my conduct with the interest of the Union only in view, without seeking or accepting instructions orassistance from any Government orother authority external to the Un-ion in regard to the accomplishmentof my duties.”

Each received a letter of ap-pointment from the Chairman of the Conference. The re-elected Directorof BR was presented with a letter of

Yoshio Utsumi was presented with an award from the Asia-Pacifi c Telecommunity in recognition of his dedicated efforts to accelerate the development of the information society

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Antalya report

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Yoshio Utsumi, during the opening ceremony of the Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya

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A turning point The 17th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference

that took place in Antalya, Turkey, from 6 to24 November 2006 was attended by over2000 participants from 164 countries, in-cluding more than 100 government minis-ters. In our December 2006 issue, we cov-ered the elections at the conference of ITU’snew leadership.

Appreciation for the outgoing teamAt a swearing-in ceremony on 20 No-

vember, delegations from around the worldexpressed their support and encourage-ment for the new management. They alsothanked the outgoing Secretary-GeneralYoshio Utsumi and his team for having ledITU with dynamism and clear-sightedness.

On behalf of the Asia-Pacifi c region,Singapore expressed appreciation to MrUtsumi and to then Deputy Secretary-General Roberto Blois for their leadership.The delegate said that under Mr Utsumi,ITU had successfully organized the WorldSummit on the Information Society (WSIS)and had become a facilitator in implement-ing its results.

The Syrian Arab Republic, on behalf ofthe Arab group, also thanked the outgoingSecretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General for their service to ITU and wishedthem every success in their future endeav-ours. Kenya, on behalf of the African group,

wished the outgoing team “nothing but thevery best” and offered full support to the in-coming team. Norway, on behalf of Europe,expressed gratitude to the outgoing offi -cials, especially Mr Utsumi for having stayedfocused on streamlining the managementof the Union. The delegate also wished theincoming team success in the four years tocome.

A new road map for the industry’s futureIn his closing remarks to the conference,

Mr Utsumi said that, during his eight yearsas Secretary-General, a transformation inthe telecommunication environment hadtaken place, in which ITU had played a keyrole. A mark of this change, he said, wasthat almost every resolution and decisionemerging from the Plenipotentiary Confer-ence mentioned the outcomes of WSIS.“The WSIS consensus provides our industrywith a road map for our common future aswe strive to build an inclusive informationsociety,” he said.

Looking ahead, Mr Utsumi commentedthat over the next four years, the industrywill evolve even more swiftly, with growingcompetition requiring a more fl exible ap-proach on the part of regulators and policy-makers. “These changes will be driven bythe private sector,” he said, and “ITU itselfmust also remain flexible and must continueto adapt to the information society.”

Special report from Antalya

A turning point

Antalya report

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The Plenipotentiary Conference in An-talya set out a road map for ITU to followover the next four years in order to remain the pre-eminent organization at whichMember States, Sector Members and As-sociates can work together to help peopleeverywhere benefi t from the emerging infor-mation society. In particular, the conference endorsed ITU’s essential role in supportingthe expansion of global communicationnetworks and in bridging the digital divide.It also reaffi rmed ITU’s focus on implement-ing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

A path for WSIS implementationWSIS is mentioned in nearly all the reso-

lutions adopted or updated at the confer-ence. More specifi cally, a new Resolution 140 covers ITU’s work on WSIS at three lev-els. One is an overall facilitation role in themulti-stakeholder implementation of theGeneva Plan of Action and the Tunis Agen-da for the Information Society, alongside the United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Another role for ITU is as sole facili-tator for WSIS action lines C2 on “informa-tion and communication infrastructure” andC5 on “building confi dence and security in the use of information and communication

technologies (ICT). The third is as a partner and stakeholder in the implementation of all other relevant WSIS action lines.

The resolution welcomes the establish-ment of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) to coordinate implementation of the WSIS outcomes. (ITU is a permanent member of UNGIS, and shares its rotating chairmanship.) The Secre-tary-General is asked to strengthen coopera-tion with other UN bodies within the frame-work of UNGIS, and work to establish an understanding of each organization’s role in order to avoid duplication of activities. He is also urged to raise public awareness of ITU’s mandate and activities and provide broaderpublic access to its resources.

According to the resolution, the Coun-cil will oversee ITU’s implementation of the WSIS outcomes, and it is requested to maintain its Working Group on WSIS. ITU Member States, Sector Members and Asso-ciates are also invited to participate activelyin implementing the WSIS outcomes. An ad-ditional resolution (141) says that other or-ganizations, too, should be encouraged to participate in such ITU activities, and part-nerships should be fostered between them and Member States. The Council is to set up a working group to establish criteria defi n-ing which stakeholders can take part in ITU activities related to WSIS, taking account

New directionsDecisions of the Antalya Plenipotentiary Conference

New directions

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of the strong development orientation thathas been agreed for follow-up of WSIS bythe United Nations system as a whole. Theworking group will present a fi nal report inadvance of the next Plenipotentiary Confer-ence in 2010.

Internet issuesDuring the WSIS process, ITU showed

that it has expertise relevant to the Inter-net Governance Forum established last yearby the United Nations. This expertise is ac-knowledged in Resolution 140, which alsonotes that ITU has a specifi c responsibilityto study international Internet connectiv-ity, as well as to ensure effi cient use of, andequitable access to, the radio-frequencyspectrum by all countries, based on relevantinternational agreements.

Resolutions 101 and 102 were updated,covering Internet protocol-based networks,and ITU’s role in the management of Inter-net resources and in international publicpolicy regarding the Internet. The confer-ence also declared that there should beenhanced cooperation on Internet govern-ance among the membership. It said thatITU should embrace opportunities to buildbridges between the “Internet community”and the more formal intergovernmentalcommunity, through cooperative projectsthat benefi t all Internet users. These wouldinclude, for example, work on cybersecurityand promoting a multilingual Internet.

CybersecurityResolution 130 has been updated to

strengthen the role of ITU in building confi -dence and security in the use of ICT. It notesthe need to enhance international coopera-tion and develop appropriate national, re-gional and international mechanisms to dealwith this issue.

The resolution says that the CybersecurityGateway should be maintained on ITU’sywebsite as a way to share informationon initiatives worldwide. Also, workwithin existing study groups of theTelecommunication Standardization Sector(ITU–T) should be intensifi ed in orderto address threats to cybersecurity. Forexample, ITU–T should seek ways to enhancethe exchange of technical informationin this fi eld, promote implementation ofemerging protocols and develop standardsthat can further enhance security. TheTelecommunication Development Bureau(BDT) is urged to develop projects oncybersecurity and combating spam thatmeet the needs of developing countries.

Multilingual content and domain namesFor the Internet to become more acces-

sible to people everywhere, it is necessary tomake content available in non-Latin scripts.Referring to WSIS outcomes, the conferencestressed that there should be a commitmentto work towards “multilingualization of theInternet, as part of a multilateral, transpar-ent and democratic process, involving gov-ernments and all stakeholders”.

World Telecommunication Policy ForumThe plenipotentiary confer-

ence decided that the fourth

World Telecommunication

Policy Forum (WTPF) will be

convened in Geneva in the

fi rst quarter of 2009. It was

agreed that ITU provides a

unique venue for consider-

ing emerging telecommuni-

cation policy and regulatory

issues. The Policy Forum al-

lows discussion of global

and cross-sectoral issues by

high-level participants. Topics

cited by the conference as be-

ing of high interest to the ITU

membership, and that could

be discussed at the WTPF in

2009, include the continuing

convergence of technologies,

the development of next-gen-

eration networks, and the In-

ternet and its implications for

capacity building, particularly

in developing countries. The

WTPF will prepare reports and

opinions (where appropriate)

to be considered by Member

States, Sector Members, rel-

evant ITU meetings and the

Council.

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In this context, the conference updatedResolution 133 on the role of administrations in the management of internationalized (mul-tilingual) domain names (IDN). The resolution underlines the need to promote regional root servers and the use of IDN in order to over-come barriers to access, and to quickly intro-duce multilingualism in such areas as e-mail addresses. Another way to overcome the lin-guistic digital divide, it adds, is to strengthencooperation between relevant bodies to fur-ther the development of technical standards and foster their global deployment.

The conference recognized the role playedby the World Intellectual Property Organiza-tion (WIPO) in resolving disputes concern-ing domain names, as well as that played byUNESCO with regard to promoting culturaland linguistic diversity and local content. Theseare among the organizations with which ITU’s management is instructed to cooperate as it takes an active part in international discussionsand initiatives on the deployment and man-agement of IDN. All entities working in thisfi eld are urged to expedite their activities. In this regard, the resolution recognizes ITU–T’s role as defi ned in the decisions of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly(WTSA) in 2004.

International Telecommunication Regulations

The conference approved Resolution 146 calling for a review of the International Tel-ecommunication Regulations (ITR). This wasconsidered a major milestone, as many differ-ent positions were presented at the confer-ence on what to do with this treaty that gov-erns cross-border communications. The newresolution calls for a World Conference on In-

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Antalya conference offi cials

Chairmanof the ConferenceTanju Cataltepe (Turkey)

Vice-Chairmen of the ConferenceDavid Gross (United States) Hikaru Chono (Japan) Mohammed Jamil Mulla (Saudi Arabia)Philippe Mvouo (Republic of Congo)Leonid Reiman (Russian Federation) Knut Smaaland (Norway)

Committee 1 (Steering)Composed of the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Conference, of the other committees, and of the Working Group of the Plenary

Committee 2 (Credentials)ChairmanErnest Chukwuka Ndukwe (Nigeria)Vice-ChairmenMaurice Ghazal (Lebanon) Wim Rullens (Netherlands)

Committee 3 (Budget Control)ChairmanReynaldo González Bustamante (Mexico)Vice-ChairmenFrank Goebbels (Germany) Makhsum Makhmudov (Uzbekistan)

World Telecommunication and Information Society DayThe 1973 Plenipotentiary

Conference of ITU passed Res-

olution 46 instituting a World

Telecommunication Day, cel-

ebrated each 17 May, which

marks the foundation of ITU.

In 2005, the second phase

of WSIS called on the United

Nations General Assembly to

proclaim 17 May as World

Information Society Day, to

raise awareness of the impor-

tance of the Internet as a glo-

bal resource. This was agreed

by the General Assembly in

March 2006.

At Antalya, the conference

welcomed the General As-

sembly’s decision and, in

response, updated Resolu-

tion 68 inviting the Council

to adopt a specifi c theme for

each World Telecommunica-

tion and Information Soci-

ety Day, relating to the main

challenges which the chang-

ing ICT environment poses for

developed and developing

countries. The resolution in-

vites ITU Member States and

Sector Members to mark the

day annually by organizing

national programmes that

stimulate the exchange of

ideas among all stakeholders.

Member States are also invit-

ed to make available reports

on the main issues discussed

at national level. The Secre-

tary-General is instructed “to

circulate to the entire mem-

bership a consolidated docu-

ment based on the national

reports,” so as to share infor-

mation and views among the

ITU membership on strategic

issues.

Antalya report

11


ternational Telecommunications (WCIT) to beconvened in Geneva in 2012, at which the ITRwill be reviewed. It instructs the ITU Council toadopt by 2011 the agenda and exact dates forholding a WCIT.

The ITR were last updated in Melbournein 1988. At Antalya, several delegations saidthat the system for global traffi c exchange hasworked well within the ITR framework. Theregulations were also seen as being particu-larly important for developing and least devel-oped countries that have mainly public-sectortelecommunication services. Refl ecting suchviews, Resolution 146 underlines that treaty-level provisions are needed for internationaltelecommunication networks and services. Itsays that as technology evolves and converges,countries are evaluating their regulatory ap-proaches to ensure an enabling environmentand legal framework that encourage develop-ment of the information society. This makesit important that the ITR are reviewed “and,if deemed appropriate, revised and updatedin a timely manner.” It calls on ITU–T to leadthis review, in collaboration with the other ITUSectors.

Closing the digital divide

Access to opportunityMany people in developing countries, par-

ticularly those living in rural areas, still do nothave access to basic telecommunications. Anew resolution (139) points to the need “tocreate opportunities for digital services in de-veloping countries, including the least devel-oped countries, landlocked and small islanddeveloping states, and countries with econo-mies in transition.” The resolution notes theimportance of ICT in underpinning economic

Committee 4 (Editorial)ChairmanMarie-Thérèse Alajouanine (France)Vice-ChairmenHassan Lebbadi (Morocco) Manuel Zaragoza Mifsud (Spain) Nie Zheng (China) Andrey Svechnikov (Russian Federation)Esther Val (United Kingdom)

Committee 5 (Policy and Legal Matters)ChairmanKavouss Arasteh (Islamic Republic of Iran)Vice-ChairmenJanis Doran (Canada) Nabil Kisrawi (Syrian Arab Republic)John Nkoma (Tanzania)

Committee 6 (Administration and Management)ChairmanFrédéric Riehl (Switzerland)Vice-ChairmenMarie-Odile Beau (France) Viktor Burmistenko (Ukraine) Chirapa Chitraswang (Thailand) Makhtar Fall (Senegal)

Working Group of the PlenaryChairmanR.N. Agarwal (India)Vice-ChairmenJoao Carlos Albernaz (Brazil) Albert Nalbandian (Armenia) Mahiddine Ouhadj (Algeria)

Council membershipThe conference decided that

there is to be a study of a

possible enlargement of

ITU’s Council. In accordance

with the ITU Convention, the

number of Member States of

the Council must not exceed

25 per cent of the total that

belong to ITU. Some dele-

gates at Antalya questioned

the manner in which the eq-

uitable geographical distribu-

tion of Council Member States

is applied, and it was decided

that this needs to be clarifi ed,

particularly as more coun-

tries have joined ITU in recent

times. Resolution 134 says

that the Council membership

should be increased with ef-

fect from the 2010 Plenipo-

tentiary Conference. It adds

that seats should be allocat-

ed among the world’s regions

according to criteria that

are to be worked out by the

Council with the assistance of

the Secretary-General.

As described in the November

2006 issue of ITU News, some

regional groups of Member

States put forward divergent

views on whether the three

Directors of ITU’s Bureaux

should continue to be elected

alongside the Secretary-Gen-

eral and Deputy Secretary-

General. The conference de-

cided to refer the issue to the

Council to set up a working

group for further study.

Antalya report

ITU News 1 | 2007

12


and social progress, and says that ITU shouldcontinue to implement programmes and projects that aim to close the digital divide.It urges all agencies responsible for devel-opment assistance, including the UNDP andthe International Bank for Reconstructionand Development (IBRD), as well as donorand recipient countries, to give high priorityto ICT for development.

The conference also updated Resolution 30 on “Special measures for the least devel-oped countries and small island developingstates.” Noting the outcomes of the World Telecommunication Development Confer-ence in Qatar in March 2006 and its DohaAction Plan, the resolution instructs the Sec-retary-General and the Director of BDT to re-view telecommunication and ICT services in such countries and “identify areas of critical weakness requiring priority action.” Con-crete measures should then be proposed,and effective assistance provided.

Countries that need special support inrebuilding their communication infrastruc-ture are mentioned in Resolution 34. Theseare countries which have “suffered fromnatural disasters, domestic confl icts or war,” and which “in the foreseeable future,” will not be able to operate a telecommunica-tion service without help from the inter-national community. Listed in the resolu-tion are Afghanistan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Lebanon,Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Timor-Leste. It calls on ITU Member States “to offer all possible assistance and sup-port” to these countries, while the Director of BDT is instructed to carry out an assess-ment of each country’s needs and mobilize

resources to help them, such as from the ICT Development Fund.

Bridging the standardization gapDeveloping countries may also face dif-

ficulties in the area of technical standardiza-tion. A shortage of human resources results in a low level of participation in relevant ITU activities, according to Resolution 123. This, it says, can lead to problems when in-terpreting Recommendations from ITU’s Ra-diocommunication Sector (ITU–R) and from ITU–T. The rapid pace of technological ad-vance adds to the difficulties.

The resolution says that “initiatives to as-sist in bridging the standardization gap are intrinsic to, and are a high priority task of, the Union.” It instructs the Secretary-Gen-eral and the Directors of the three Bureauxto work on closing this gap, in collabora-tion with relevant regional organizations.ITU Member States and Sector Members are invited to contribute to the fund for thisproject.

Symposium for regulatorsResolution 138 notes that the rapid

and profound changes in the telecommu-nication environment present challenges to regulators everywhere, but especiallyin developing countries. It says that train-ing, advice and the exchange of expertise in this area should continue to be provided through making the Global Symposium forRegulators an annual event within the work programme of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU–D). The venue forthe symposium is to be rotated through the various world regions.

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Antalya report

The conference confi rmed ITU’s role in helping to improve ICT in developing countries

TSF

Emergency telecommunication centre in Indonesia

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Technical assistanceThe need for technical assistance to be

provided to developing countries is coveredin Resolution 135. It states that ITU should“continue to coordinate efforts for the har-monization, development and enhancementof telecommunications/ICT throughout theworld.” In particular, it says, BDT should“provide highly qualifi ed technical expertsto offer advice in subjects of importance todeveloping countries.”

BDT is also instructed to cooperate withsources of fi nance within and outside theUnited Nations system, and to form part-nerships to provide assistance to develop-ing countries. BDT’s Special Voluntary Pro-gramme for Technical Cooperation is to becontinued, the resolution says. In addition,regional and international fi nancial organi-zations and agencies, equipment providers,operators, and all other potential partnersare urged to help fund programmes for de-veloping telecommunications and ICT.

Next-generation networksShortages of resources, experience and

skills within developing countries are delay-ing their deployment of advanced, next-generation networks (NGN). In Resolution137, the conference noted that “NGN de-ployment and standards development activ-ities are essential for developing countries,especially for their rural areas where the ma-jority of the population live.” It instructs theDirectors of ITU’s three Bureaux to consoli-date their work on NGN deployment stud-ies and standards development, to assistmembers in deploying NGN effectively, andto seek appropriate solutions for affordableNGN deployment in rural areas. The Secre-

tary-General is instructed to seek supportfor these efforts, including funding throughpartnership agreements. The resolution alsoinvites all Member States and Sector Mem-bers to take concrete action to support ITU’swork in this area, and to develop their owninitiatives to help improve the implementa-tion of NGN in developing countries.

Connectivity indicatorsMonitoring ICT progress in developing

countries requires an internationally agreedmeasuring system and the regular gather-ing of data. In Resolution 131, the confer-ence says that the Secretary-General andthe Director of BDT should “ensure thatcommunity connectivity indicators are takeninto account in regional and world meet-ings convened for the purpose of evaluatingand following up the (WSIS) Geneva Plan ofAction and Tunis Agenda.” It adds that theDirector of BDT should “promote the activi-ties required to defi ne and adopt new indi-cators for the purpose of measuring the realimpact of community connectivity on thedevelopment of communities.”

The resolution also calls for two meet-ings to be held, in 2007 and 2009, to evalu-ate the application of existing indicatorsand decide what others might be requiredin order to give full effect to a decision ofthe Doha World Telecommunication De-velopment Conference in this area. DohaResolution 8 instructs the Director of BDT“to establish and collect community con-nectivity indicators and to participate in theestablishment of core indicators to measureefforts to build the information society and,by doing so, to illustrate the scale of the dig-ital divide.”

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New directions

with relevant international bodies to imple-ment Resolution 131, especially those in thePartnership on Measuring ICT for Develop-ment. The resolution also invites MemberStates “to participate, through the regu-lar reporting of their national communityconnectivity statistics to ITU–D, as well asthrough the work being done at the re-gional and world levels, in the evaluation ofexisting community connectivity indicatorsand the preparation of new such indica-tors.” It says that they should provide the “requested information so as to produce telecommunication/ICT benchmarks, with a view to developing a single ICT index.”

ITU’s regional presenceTo help support its development activi-

ties, ITU has regional offi ces covering Africa, the Americas, the Arab States, the Asia-Pa-cifi c region, and Europe and the Common-wealth of Independent States. The confer-ence updated Resolution 25 to reaffi rm “the importance of the regional presence in ena-bling ITU to work as closely as possible withits Member States and Sector Members,improve the dissemination of informationon its activities and develop closer ties withregional and subregional organizations”.

It was noted that ITU’s regional presence is especially valuable for developing coun-tries, many of which may have problems fi nding the resources to take part in inter-national ITU activities. The regional offi ces can “provide important technical assistance to countries with development needs,” ac-cording to Resolution 25. However, it adds that these offi ces are “inadequately staffed”and it is essential to evaluate their work and

make any necessary adjustments “to opti-mize the use of resources and to avoid du-plication of effort.”

The conference decided that “an evalu-ation of the ITU regional presence” will be carried out, with input invited from the ITU membership, regional and international or-ganizations, and any other relevant entities. A report on this exercise will be submittedby the Secretary-General to the 2008 ses-sion of the ITU Council, which will make rec-ommendations to the 2010 PlenipotentiaryConference on a appropriate action.

Supporting regional initiatives

Agenda for Connectivity in the Americas and Quito Action Plan

In spite of the impressive growth in ICT services recorded in the Americas region in recent years, considerable disparities persist. An updated Resolution 128 says that ITU should release appropriate resources underits Financial Plan for 2008–2011 (and subse-quent plans) to support implementation of

M. N

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Quito, Ecuador

Future ITU conferences and meetingsMexico announced its offer

to host the next Plenipotenti-

ary Conference in 2010. The

Mexican delegation said that

the offer was made in recog-

nition of the importance and

the signifi cance of ITU as a

strategic forum for progress

and modernization in world

telecommunications.

The Antalya conference de-

cided the timing of the pleni-

potentiary and other major

ITU events for the period

2008–2011:


Standardization Assembly:

between May and

November 2008


Policy Forum: fi rst quarter

of 2009


Development Conference:

March 2010

Plenipotentiary Conference:

October/November 2010

Radiocommunication

Assembly, and World

Radiocommunication

Conference: February/

March 2011.

The Council will set the precise

dates of these events after

consulting Member States.

Antalya report

15


projects aimed at fulfi lling the goals of theDoha World Telecommunication Develop-ment Conference, particularly by mobilizingthe surplus income from ITU TelecomTT Wm orldexhibitions and forums. The resolution saysthat ITU should continue paying special at-tention to implementing the provisions ofthe Istanbul and Doha Action Plans thatrelate to initiatives under the framework ofthe Agenda for Connectivity in the Ameri-cas. ITU is also urged to increase its supportfor Member States in the region, through itsRegional Offi ce for the Americas.

New Partnership for Africa’s DevelopmentResolution 124 on the “Support for the

New Partnership for Africa’s Development”(NEPAD) has been updated to take accountof the outcomes of WSIS. The resolutionsays that ITU should continue assisting thedevelopment of ICT in Africa. Suggested ac-tivities with NEPAD include helping to pre-pare master plans for infrastructure develop-ment, and supporting projects that promoteICT development and regional integration.The resolution calls for the strengthening ofICT training institutions in the region, andsays that a cooperation mechanism shouldbe established among regional institutionsthat provide development assistance in theICT sector. Also envisaged in the resolutionare the establishment of a regional ICT thinktank for Africa and an African ICT database;the strengthening of subregional telecom-munication regulatory associations andregional economic communities; and theexpansion of public-private partnerships forcarrying out ICT projects.

ITU strategies and fi nancesIn the November 2006 edition of ITU

News, we outlined the draft Strategic Planfor 2008–2011 that had been prepared bythe ITU Council. The conference at Antalyaendorsed the plan, setting out actions to beundertaken by ITU to achieve its seven goals(see Message of the ITU Secretary-Generalon pages 2–4).

How to fi nance this work was a majortopic of debate at the conference. Decision5 taken at Antalya says that, for 2008 and2009, the “contributory unit” will not ex-ceed CHF 318 000. As a result, the defi cit inITU’s budget envisaged in the draft FinancialPlan for 2008–2011 will be “substantial.”

Decision 5 instructs the Council to re-view and approve biennial budgets for2008–2009 and 2010–2011 (drafted by theITU secretariat), ensuring that, for each pe-riod, income and expenditure are balanced.The Council has been given the option ofraising the level of the contributory unit byup to 1 per cent in the fi rst budgetary pe-riod “in order to meet expenditure on un-foreseen and urgent activities which are inthe interests of the Union,” provided thata majority of Member States approve. Forboth periods, a ceiling of CHF 330 000 hasbeen set on the value of the unit.

At the same time, the Council is told toachieve “every possible economy.” An annexto Decision 5 lists ways in which this mightbe achieved, such as by centralizing certaintasks, avoiding duplication of work, and re-ducing the length and costs of meetings.

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The future is now

ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006, held in Hong Kong (China) on 4–8 December, attractedsome 62 000 visitors from 141 countries.Participants included industry’s top names such as Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, China Mo-bile, China Netcom, China Telecommunica-tions, China Unicom, Cisco Systems, Erics-son, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, Huawei, IBM, Intel, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Motorola, NEC,Nortel, OKI, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Siemens, SK Telecom, Toshiba, Verizon and ZTE. A total of 41 200 m2 of exhibi-tion space was used by 695 exhibitors from 37 countries.

Under the theme “Living the Digital World”, ITU Telecom World 2006 explored dthe trends, technologies and policies that are shaping the information and communi-cation technologies (ICT) industry. In other words, it focused on how future lifestylesare now becoming a reality.

Convergence means changeIt was clear from the event that the tel-

ecommunication industry is facing a sig-nifi cant technological and market shake-up. Convergence is creating what a number ofkey industry players described as “a clash of telecommunication cultures”. This is alreadyforcing a change in the business models ofmajor telecommunication operators.

Today, because of convergence on Inter-net Protocol (IP) networks, a number of com-panies that used to be in separate industries (for example, telephone operators, Internet service providers and cable television fi rms), now fi nd themselves in the same business. It is no longer clear where telecommunica-tions end and content services begin. Cable companies now offer broadband Internet and voice services over networks that used to only carry television. Telecommunica-tion fi rms are upgrading their networks to carry television signals. And Internet playersare entering the communications marketthrough voice over IP (VoIP) services.

Such moves were reflected in new dealsthat were announced at Telecom World 2006. dMicrosoft and BT, for instance, declared that they will provide IP television (IPTV) services in the United Kingdom, and a pan-Asian mobile television consortium was launchedbetween SK Telecom, Toshiba, Global MediaNetworks, and International Mobile Broad-casting, to provide the continent’s fi rst mo-bile television roaming service.

The future is now

Keynote speakers launch TELECOM

WORLD 2006. From left to right are Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang, China’s NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo, then ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus

Master of ceremonies at the opening was Fernando Lagraña, the Executive Manager of ITU TELECOM

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Connecting the global villageAn opening ceremony for Telecom World

2006 took place on 3 December, featuringWu Bangguo, Chairman of the StandingCommittee of the National People’s Con-gress of the People’s Republic of China; Don-ald Tsang, Chief Executive of the Hong KongSpecial Administrative Region (SAR); YoshioUtsumi, then Secretary-General of ITU, andthe 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Pro-fessor Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank,Bangladesh.

Mr Utsumi urged participants in Telecom World to take up the challenge of not onlydgrowing the vibrant and exciting ICT sector,but also of working together to extend itsbenefi ts to the millions of people currentlyleft behind. He told participants that withthe talent, energy and commitment theyrepresented, “we can together launch anew era of shared progress, harnessing thepower of ICT for people all over the world.”

Professor Yunus, the founder of GrameenBank and its innovative microcredit fi nanc-ing programmes, announced the launch ofa virtual, global ICT Empowerment Networkin partnership with ITU, as part of the Con-nect the World initiative (see pages 20–21).dIn a separate announcement, Cisco Systemspledged USD 1 million to support ICT-relatedmicrocredit fi nancing initiatives within theICT Empowerment Network (see page 22).

The Hong Kong event provided an op-portunity for a broad audience of telecom-munication leaders, service providers andgovernment regulators from around theworld to share their visions of the digitalworld. “As well as the innovation, the livelydebate, the busy halls and the fun, I hopeTelecom World2006’s real legacy is as a mile-dstone in our commitment to bridge the dig-ital divide together,” commented FernandoLagraña, Executive Manager of ITU TelecomTT .mm

China to further open its ICT sectorA snapshot of telecommunications in

China and in Hong Kong was given in theDecember 2006 issue of ITU News. At theopening ceremony of Telecom World, WuBangguo said that China will further openits ICT sector to foreign investors. “Chinawill persist in the basic State policy ofopening up and continue to enhance ICTcooperation with all other countries on thebasis of equality and mutual benefi t,” hestated. “We sincerely welcome investmentcompanies of all countries and regions inthe world to jointly explore China’s market.”He added that multinational companieswould also be welcome to establishresearch and development centres in Chinaand work with Chinese companies on newtechnologies and products. He commentedthat by choosing Hong Kong as the host city

The future is now

Then ITU Deputy Secretary-General Roberto Blois welcoming China’s NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo to ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006

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Xudong Wang, China’s Minister of Information Industry addressing the Forum opening at ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006

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Musicians play traditional Chinese instruments at the Opening Ceremony

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of Telecom World, “ITU had given China’s ICT industry a rare opportunity to learn from its foreign peers.”

Mr Wu also said that “the Chinese govern-ment will protect… the intellectual propertyrights (IPR) of all countries and the legitimateinterests of their proprietors by combatingIPR violation and piracy.” He added that the government would “encourage competitive and well-established Chinese companiesto ‘go global’ and engage in internationaleconomic and technological cooperation to contribute to global ICT development”. He cited equipment manufacturers Huawei and ZTE as examples of Chinese “internationallyrecognized businesses”.

Leaping aheadMr Wu said that between 2000 and

the end of October 2006, the number of fi xed-line subscribers in China soaredfrom 145 million to 371 million: an annual growth rate of 21 per cent. The number ofmobile users for the same period skyrock-eted from 85 million to 449 million, grow-ing by 40 per cent annually. Internet users increased by 32 per cent on a yearly basisfrom 33.7 million to 131 million, he said.

Highlighting this growth, Mr Wu ex-plained that after 20 years of development, China’s ICT industry had leapfrogged over two stages of technical development. “Thetelephone exchange went past the criss-cross network and adopted program con-trol, while the long distance transmission skipped the coaxial cable to use digital op-

tical cable, reaching the world’s advancedlevel in both areas,” he said, and now the development of digital and Internet tech-nology in China is evolving in tandem with the rest of the world.

Speaking at the opening of the Forum at Telecom World on 4 December, Mr Utsumi dsaid that China is now the world’s larg-est market for both fi xed-line and mobile phones. He added that China will soon over-take the United States as the world’s largest market for broadband and Internet services,too. “Not only does China represent a huge market, but it is also increasingly the source of new trends in the industry and of innova-tion,” he stated.

In his speech at the Forum opening, Chi-na’s Minister of Information Industry Xudong Wang noted the spectacular growth of the country’s ICT industry. He said that China is expected to have 1 billion telephone us-ers and 200 million Internet users by 2010. However, “given the vast population of the mainland, current penetration rates are not high enough and there is still a lot of room for development,” Mr Wang added. There is a wide gap between urban and rural com-munities, and it remains a key task to reduce the digital divide. Mr Wang explained that the government’s rural connection pro-gramme aims to provide telephone links in all villages in China by 2010. Looking world-wide, he said that international cooperation and development will become increasinglyimportant to meet the challenge of creatinga connected “global village”.

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réHong Kong welcomes “telecommunication Olympics”

Likening ITU Telecom World to the 2008dOlympic Games that will take place in Bei-jing, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SARDonald Tsang said “we are thrilled to behosting the Olympics of the telecommuni-cation industry,” and particularly as the fi rstTelecom World to be held outside Geneva.dOne of the largest trade shows ever heldin Hong Kong, “this prestigious, interna-tional mega-event bears special signifi cancefor us,” Mr Tsang explained. “It brings notonly tremendous economic benefi t to HongKong and the Mainland of China, but alsonew business opportunities.”

With a population of 7 million and percapita GDP exceeding USD 25 000, HongKong is the eleventh largest trading econ-omy in the world. “Our advanced ICT in-frastructure plays a pivotal role in this,” MrTsang said. Broadband networks cover virtu-ally all commercial and residential buildingsin Hong Kong, with a household penetra-tion rate of 67 per cent. “Three-quartersof those families can choose between twoor more broadband networks. Meanwhile,our 3G broadband mobile networks are be-ing upgraded to 3.5G standard,” Mr Tsangadded.

Hong Kong’s fully liberalized ICT markethas generated competition and a recentITU survey shows that it offers the world’smost affordable Internet and mobile phoneservices. “This has resulted in Hong Kongbecoming a forerunner in the adoption of

triple-play services: a single broadband net-work providing telephony, television andInternet access,” commented Mr Tsang. Hesaid that ICT had boosted productivity, gen-erated economic growth and improved thequality of life for Hong Kong people. “Butwe are not complacent”, Mr Tsang stressed,and “in the years ahead, we will focus ondigital inclusion programmes among small-and medium-sized enterprises, as well ascitizens with special needs.”

At the Forum’s opening session, MrUtsumi described Hong Kong as “a fascinat-ing market,” whose citizens are extremelyintensive users of mobile phones, with apenetration rate above 120 per cent. “HongKong is a living laboratory for the introduc-tion of new services, like IPTV or HSDPA (highspeed downlink packet access),” he said.Viviane Reding, the European Commissionerresponsible for the Information Society andMedia, commented that “in Hong Kong, wesee probably more clearly than anywhere inthe world how ICT can help to overcomecultural, geographic and even political bor-ders.” In her personal opinion, she added,“Hong Kong is therefore a microcosm of theglobal village.”

The future is now

Muhammad Yunus was one

of the fi rst recipients of the

ITU World Information Society

Award on 17 May 2006 (see

ITU News for June 2006). He

started the Grameen Bank

project in Bangladesh in 1976.

Today, it provides collateral-

free loans to fi ve million cli-

ents, of whom 96 per cent are

women. One of its most suc-

cessful initiatives has been the

“village phone” project, where

women entrepreneurs provide

a wireless payphone service in

rural areas. Grameen Phone

is one of many companies in

the Grameen group, and is

Bangladesh’s largest mobile

operator.

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New partnership to connect the unconnectedNobel laureate announces ICT Empowerment Network

The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh has announced a new partnership that willuse information and communication tech-nologies (ICT) and microcredit fi nancing to fi ght poverty. Speaking at the opening cer-emony of ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006 on 3 De-cember, Professor Yunus noted that the number of people living in extreme povertycontinues to rise. However, he said, “ICT of-fer an opportunity unprecedented in all ofhuman history to end poverty.”

Professor Yunus is also the Managing Director of Grameen Bank, which shared the Nobel Prize. He announced that ITU andGrameen had signed an agreement to es-tablish an online, global ICT EmpowermentNetwork, as part of their collaboration with-in ITU’s Connect the World initiative. Several dConnect the World partners have already ex-dpressed an interest in participating in the net-work, including Cisco Systems, Qualcommand a new consortium, Enclusion, based inCambridge, United Kingdom. Grameen will reach out to more than 3000 microcreditorganizations and 100 million borrowers worldwide, while ITU will encourage thesupport of its 191 Member States and some 650 private-sector members.

“We need to press the international community into action, so I am grateful to ITU for helping push this cause,” ProfessorYunus said. But “this is just the beginning

of an exciting, new, open collaboration and I encourage others to join us in this glo-bal effort.” The network aims to combineICT with microcredit to help the poor earn sustainable incomes. The focus will be ondeveloping and implementing activities in three priority areas: ICT technical solutions,sustainable business models, and capacity building.

Design and skillsProfessor Yunus stressed that “ICT de-

signers need to be given the challenge andopportunity to show their talent in design-ing equipment and devices which will solve the problems of the poor, especially poor women.” To inspire their work within the ICT Empowerment Network, he said, eachdesigner has to start by asking: what are the daily problems of such women, and how can my device help fi nd solutions?

The skills to use technology are essentialtoo, as well as sound business models to en-sure sustainability. “That is why we will also help more people get access to ICT training,through microcredit loans for their studies,” said Professor Yunus, “and we will provide microcredit fi nancing to help newly trained graduates of ICT training launch their own ICT related businesses to help build a sus-tainable, critical mass of ICT activity in their communities.”

ICT Empowerment Network

One of the fi rst projects an-

nounced within the ICT Em-

powerment Network aims

to bring the village phone

concept to rural communi-

ties in Indonesia during 2007.

Qualcomm and the Grameen

Technology Centre will work

on a pilot project in conjunc-

tion with CDMA operators.

Training schemes are another

priority. Cisco aims to build

on its network academies

through the new initiative.

It will also team up with ITU

and Grameen Bank to provide

graduates of ITU’s Internet

Training Centres with help in

creating business plans, and

offer microcredit as capital

for launching ICT businesses.

Another network participant,

Enclusion, aims to develop

low-cost ICT solutions, such

as by expanding existing

GSM networks to reach rural

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Telephone ladies show the wayProfessor Yunus admitted that, originally,

skepticism had greeted some of Grameen’sefforts to help the poor. Recounting this, hesaid “there is a view in some quarters thatICT are totally irrelevant for poor people. ICTare too complicated for the poor who aregenerally illiterate. ICT are too expensive;the poor don’t need fancy ICT gadgets, theyneed food, and so on.” There will alwaysbe skeptics, he concluded. As an example,the professor cited the launch of the mo-bile phone company Grameen Phone, whenskeptics had declared: “You’ve got to becrazy to give cell phones to illiterate poorwomen in the villages, who have never seena conventional telephone in their lives.”Today, though, everyone in Bangladeshadmires the Grameen telephone ladies, heexplained, adding that “they are doing aroaring business selling telephone servicesto villagers”.

Professor Yunus said that anotherGrameen company is setting up Internet ki-osks in rural areas on a commercial basis,and there has been a good response fromlocal residents. Young people are signing upto learn computer skills, and in villages with-out electricity, solar panels are powering themobile phones and computers. Grameenhas set up a company to introduce solar en-ergy to those villages.

Today there are 265 000 telephone la-dies in Bangladesh, said Professor Yunus,and “we now want to start adding Internetaccess at a price the poor can afford.” He ex-pressed confi dence that the current businessmodel could be used and that telephoneladies could offer Internet services too.

“Now imagine empowering poor womenwith access to microcredit fi nancing, mo-bile phones and the Internet in countriesall around the world. We would unleash aburst of creative and entrepreneurial energythat would change millions of lives.”

Tackling povertyProfessor Yunus stressed that the po-

tential of ICT to help eradicate povertywill remain unrealized unless the poor areenabled to tap into the benefi ts of marketforces. The problem is the lack of entre-preneurs with a social conscience who areprepared to help fi ght poverty. “We need tofi ll this vacuum by creating an environmentwhich encourages larger companies, as wellas entrepreneurs, to take up the challengeof applying their talents to achieve socialprogress,” he said. All projects under the ICTEmpowerment Network will be sustainablekand should not be seen as charity, the pro-fessor added. “We are talking about busi-ness opportunities with a social aspect.”

According to Professor Yunus, empow-ering poor people, particularly poor wom-en, has wider effects than simply raising in-comes. “I am convinced that the best way tochange a society is to give dignity and self-reliance to the poor women in that society,”he stated. “Both ICT and microcredit do thatvery effectively,” he added. “They mutuallyreinforce each other when it comes to ad-dressing the issue of poverty.”

ICT Empowerment Network

ITU TELECOM WORLD

From left to right: Art Reilly of Cisco Systems; Deputy Secretary-

General Houlin Zhao; John Chambers, President and CEO of Cisco Systems; Secretary-General

Hamadoun I. Touré; and Jeff Spagnola of Cisco Systems

Tae Yoo, Cisco Vice-President of Corporate Affairs, announces the company’s initiative at ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006

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Cisco Systems Inc. announced at ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006 that it will provideUSD 1 million to support initiatives for giv-ing more people access to information and communication technologies (ICT). It is part of Cisco’s work within the ICT Em-powerment Network launched by ProfessorMuhammad Yunus, Managing Director of Grameen Bank, in partnership with ITU (seearticle on pages 20–21).

In 2002, Cisco and ITU launched theInternet Training Centre Initiative for Devel-oping Countries, with the goal of settingup 50 centres around the world by 2003. The effort has led to the establishment of66 such ITU-sponsored centres in 56 coun-tries today, including 20 least developed countries. Cisco will work with ITU andGrameen Bank through these Internet Train-ing Centres to provide eligible students withloans to pursue their studies in ICT. In addi-tion, Cisco will help graduates receive entre-preneurial business training and/or mentor-ing, as well as microcredit capital to launch their own ICT-related businesses.

“I am very excited at the level of com-mitment and support from ITU Connect theWorld partners, like Cisco, who can trans-dlate creative ideas into action to make a difference in the developing world,” Profes-

sor Yunus said. ITU-Cisco Internet Training Centres use the comprehensive curriculumcreated by the Cisco Networking AcademyProgram, which serves 500 000 students a year around the world and which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2007.

“Education and enhanced ICT skills haveproven to expand communities; so, increas-ing access to ICT education in the develop-ing world through microcredit fi nancing is a great idea,” said outgoing ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi. “The continuedgrowth of Internet Protocol networking in developing countries, especially through ac-tive support from government and private-sector leaders, will yield tangible benefi ts forthe global economy as a whole,” Mr Utsumi added.

“ITU continues to be a leader in ICT de-velopment programmes and partnershipsworldwide that help narrow the digital di-vide,” said Tae Yoo, Cisco Vice-Presidentof Corporate Affairs. She added that “this opportunity for Cisco to provide a replica-ble and sustainable platform for people to enter the ICT world through education and entrepreneurial pursuits is a great exampleof the impact that effective public and pri-vate partnerships can have in the develop-ing world.”

Cisco’s pledge

Cisco pledges a million dollars to support ICT initiatives

ITU TELECOM WORLD

Turning customers into fansSustainable telecommunica-

tion businesses can be built

through “turning customers

into fans,” according to Jose

Maria Alvarez-Pallete Lopez,

Executive President of Tel-

efónica Latin-America. At a

Forum session on attracting

and keeping clients, Mr Lopez

outlined how Telefónica had

expanded 25 years ago from

its home country of Spain

and into a global company

with 200 million customers in

22 countries. In Latin Ameri-

ca, he added, Telefónica had

invested USD 70 billion and

had added 59 million custom-

ers in the last four years.

Mr Lopez said the key to the

company’s growth was cus-

tomer satisfaction. Offering

prepaid services is crucial in

attracting customers, he said.

The ultimate aim is to achieve

solid, customer loyalty. “You

need to turn them into fans,”

he said. Such “fans” are Tel-

efónica’s main asset, he

explained.

Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete LopezExecutive President of Telefónica Latin-America

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The Forum

Throughout ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006,leading industry players, including chief ex-ecutive offi cers (CEO), regulators and policy-makers, used the Forum to share their vi-sions of our “digital world”.

New business models

Constant re-invention“The global telecommunications busi-

ness is in a state of dynamic transition asservice providers become ‘experience pro-viders’ and collaboration and interactionsdrive the next wave of growth in our indus-try,” said John Chambers, President and CEOof Cisco Systems. According to Mr Cham-bers, “service providers have to continuallyre-invent themselves, moving from chargingfor calls to determining how to charge forthe bandwidth and services on top.” He not-ed that many of Cisco’s service-provider cus-tomers are increasing their network capacityto meet the demand for new services, espe-cially video. “If there is a killer application forservice providers and businesses as a whole,it is video,” he said. Mr Chambers also com-

mented that “corporate social responsibilityand good business go hand-in-hand,” add-ing that companies need to do a better jobof balancing their social responsibilities withtheir need to make a profi t.

EU Commissioner considers standards and spectrum

The adoption of agreed technical stand-ards is another essential factor in marketdevelopment. Speaking at the Forum, Vivi-ane Reding, European Union Commissionerresponsible for Information Society and Me-dia, pointed out that today more than ever,it is diffi cult for governments to choose aparticular standard among several com-petitors. This is due to the complexity oftechnologies and markets, and more com-petition at national and international levels.“Except where we have a real chance of aglobal accord on a single standard, we haveinstead to move towards competition be-tween several open standards,” she said.

Taking the example of mobile televi-sion standards, Ms Reding commented thatthere are already a number of alternatives

Views from the Forum

John ChambersPresident and CEO of Cisco Systems

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Viviane Reding, European Union Com-missioner responsible for Information Society and Media

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A pioneer in converged regulationSpeaking at the Forum session

on “Do we need a converged

regulator?” Malaysia’s Com-

munications Minister Seri Lim

Keng Yaik said that the expo-

nential growth of new forms

of communication, such as

blogs and podcasts, is giving

them “an even wider audience

than traditional media.” Such

consumer-based, interactive

media break the traditional

rules of broadcasting. “This

phenomenon alone is one

reason why we need a con-

verged regulator,” he said.

Mr Lim outlined Malaysia’s

pioneering experience of con-

verged regulation, with the

formation of the Malaysian

Communications and Multi-

media Commission in 1998.

He said that the converged

model had worked well,

partly because it included a

degree of self-regulation of

content to refl ect the diverse

nature of Malaysian society.

“Self-regulation has become

increasingly important, be-

cause no longer is it feasible

for government to play a

watchdog role,” Mr Lim said,

although the regulator has

a role to play helping the in-

dustry to mature to the point

where it can regulate itself.

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less broadband solutions. “I believe it should be up to businesses to defi ne attractive busi-ness models that will entice consumers toopt for the standard they like best,” Ms Reding said, adding that governments are not usually best placed to decide betweencompeting technologies. “We know that the choice of the wrong standard can lock our economies into long periods of eco-nomic underperformance, while market ledsolutions have consistently provided a muchbetter environment for technology selec-tion” she explained.

Nevertheless, Ms Reding stressed that governments “have a duty to eliminate un-certainty by insisting that standards-settingprocedures are open, streamlined and in-dependent. We have a duty also to makesure that the standards that are adopted are open and interoperable.” Meanwhile, sheadded, “we should certainly all condemnthe abuse of standards as a non-tariff bar-rier to market access. If we can achieve this,we will have taken off an important brake on development.”

Ms Reding also commented that the dig-ital dividend resulting from the move from analogue to digital systems “gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink theway we use this valuable natural resource.” However, to get these benefi ts, there has to

be a change in the way that allocation ofradio-frequency spectrum is managed. Ms Reding said that economies of scale are re-quired — for example by agreeing common spectrum allocations worldwide.

Views on regulation

CEOs favour a “light touch” The need to transform business mod-

els was one of the topics discussed at the CEO Round Table on 4 December. Leadersof major companies also had a message for telecommunication regulators: they shouldprovide guidance, but they should not stifl e competition. “We have a few bottlenecks and one is regulators,” said Reza Jafari, moderator of the round table session and Chairman of the ITU Telecom World2006 Fo-drum Advisory Committee. This was also the view of Sanjiv Ahuja, CEO of Orange, United Kingdom. “Regulation has to be as minimal as possible,” he said, noting that the marketis now very competitive. “Our request to the regulators is to ‘keep a light touch’ and letus continue to do what we do best… andthat is serve our customers,” he added.

Carl-Henric Svanberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, agreed, but stressed that some form of regulation is still essential to safeguard investments in technologies in deregulated markets. Patricia Russo Chair-

Carl-Henric SvanbergPresident and CEO of Ericsson


Reza JafariModerator of the round table session and Chair-man of the ITU TELECOM

WORLD 2006 Forum Advisory Committee

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Sanjiv AhujaCEO of Orange

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Patricia RussoChairman and CEO of Alcatel-Lucent

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man and CEO of Alcatel-Lucent emphasizedthat “regulation has to keep up from a tech-nological perspective.” Rules governing theUnited States market, for example, werelast updated in 1996, she said, but “ourworld no longer looks anything like it didin 1996.”

Working together to bridge the digital divide

CEOs suggest solutionsAnother topic debated at the Forum’s

CEO Round Table was how to close thedigital divide. Ms Russo pointed out thatcreating an environment that encouragescompanies to actively bridge the digital di-vide was essential, otherwise “we will stillbe talking about it in fi ve years’ time.” Ma-sao Nakamura, President and CEO of NTTDoCoMo, said that technologies such asWi-MAX or HSDPA could be used to bridgethe gap in developing countries, as well asin rural areas everywhere. The President ofNEC Corporation, Kaoru Yano, commentedthat governments should act on behalf oftheir citizens and facilitate services such ase-government.

Carl-Henric Svanberg of Ericsson point-ed out that one way to bridge the divideis to make technology cheaper. But EdwardZander, Chairman and CEO of Motorola,

noted that “it is not just about low-priceddevices.” Inexpensive mobile phones, forexample, are just a starting point, he said,emphasizing that low-price markets offerexciting opportunities. Customers in thosemarkets “don’t just want cheap devices.They want iconic devices too,” he explained.And according to Mr Zander, developingeconomies have forced new directions tobe taken in handset design, such as screensthat can be read in bright sunlight and voice-activated commands for illiterate users.

Mobile technology was seen as an ef-fective way to bridge the digital divide byproviding Internet access in countries wherefi xed infrastructure is not widespread. Asingle access device, based on a commonplatform, could also reduce costs in emerg-ing markets, said Ki-Tae Lee, President ofSamsung Electronics’ TelecommunicationsNetwork Business. Mr Lee stated that a“seamless technology” is needed, and hepredicted that mobile Wi-MAX would bethe fi rst step towards a common InternetProtocol (IP) platform.

Emerging markets also offer big oppor-tunities for business, according to Mr Ahuja.Companies’ interest in those markets is notentirely selfl ess, he explained. “We are do-ing it not because it is altruistic, but becauseit makes good business sense,” he said.


Edward ZanderChairman and CEO of Motorola

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Ki-Tae LeePresident of Samsung Electronics’ Telecom-munications Network Business

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Masao NakamuraPresident and CEO of NTT DoCoMo

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Kaoru Yano President of NEC Corporation

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Voices from the developing worldIn the Forum session on Building Digital

Communities, Indonesia’s Minister for Com-munication and Information TechnologySofyan A. Djalil commented that the pre-dominant business model of today is cre-ating a “one-sided dependency” that riskstrapping developing economies into a “vi-cious cycle of greater and deeper” depend-ence. He said that global equipment makersand software companies should adopt a dif-ferent approach and lower their prices in de-veloping economies — or the digital dividewill never be closed. “It is not a sustainablekind of information society if developingand least developed economies keep beingnet consumers of pricey telecommunicationequipment or exorbitantly expensive ap-plication software,” Mr Djalil said. Because software is often “simply unaffordable” forusers in the developing world, “it is no won-der then that piracy is rampant and the dis-content is accumulating,” he added.

At the Forum closing, the SecretaryGeneral of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), Akossi Akossi, outlined thesituation in Africa. At the end of 2005, the continent had 14 per cent of the world’s population but only 4 per cent of its tele-phone subscribers, he said. Only 3 per cent of Internet users are in Africa and about4 per cent of Africans use the Internet, compared to the world average of 15 per cent. The continent has only 0.16 per cent of Internet hosts, and there are about two computers for every hundred people — far below the world average of 13 per cent. At the same time, Mr Akossi added, the Africantelecommunications landscape has beentransformed. “The mobile telephone seg-

ment has, in particular, witnessed tremen-dous growth,” he said, and “competition has… certainly increased the breadth of val-ue-added telecommunication services avail-able to the people of Africa.” But he stressed that “we still have a lot to accomplish in theefforts to bridge the existing gaps, not only with the developed countries, but also be-tween rural and urban areas.”

Some 127 Fellows from 78 least devel-oped and low income ITU member states participated in the Telecommunication De-velopment Symposium (TDS) organized byITU with Cisco Systems as exclusive sponsor. The TDS discussed how the use of next-gen-eration fi xed and wireless technologies can help narrow the digital divide, transform-ing developing countries and helping them compete in the global marketplace.

The $100 laptop comes off the assembly line

While Telecom World was taking place indHong Kong, in Shanghai the fi rst units of the “One-hundred-dollar laptop” were reportedto be rolling off the production line. De-signed for children in the developing world, the rugged computers were launched in Tu-


Akossi Akossi Secretary General of the African Telecommunica-tions Union (ATU)

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Papi Molotsane CEO of Telekom SA, speaks at the Telecom-munication Develpment Symposium

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Children will use the $100 laptops

Participants in the Youth Forum

27


nis in 2005 during the second phase of theWorld Summit on the Information Society(see ITU News for December 2005). Nicho-las Negroponte is the founder and chairmanof the One Laptop per Child non-profi t asso-ciation, which is a partner in ITU’s Connectthe World initiative. At a Forum session, hedshowed an image of the laptop in produc-tion. “Many people said this was all icingand no cake, but there is the cake goingdown the assembly line,” he said.

During 2007, between three and fi vemillion of the laptops are expected to bedistributed to children in Argentina, Brazil,Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Thailand, MrNegroponte said. There are plans to in-crease the number of laptops to 150 mil-lion by 2008, with more countries receivingthem. “The moral purpose of the project isreally to look at education as the tool foreliminating poverty or creating peace, andbringing opportunity to people in a differentway,” Mr Negroponte said. “Whatever bigproblem you or your country has on its mindwill be solved in part by education, in nopart without education, and in some casesjust with education,” he declared.

Youth Forum DeclarationAround 250 young people from around

the world took part in the Youth Forum dur-ing Telecom World, and were able to inter-act and develop mentor relationships withgovernment offi cials, industry executives,technology leaders, content providers andstrategists. Walda Roseman, CEO of Com-pass Rose International and Youth ForumChairman, said there were equal numbersof men and women taking part in the YouthForum, from 130 countries that includedBelize, Cuba, Gabon, Paraguay and Qatarfor the fi rst time.

Addressing the Youth Forum partici-pants, Jiang Yaoping, China’s Vice-Ministerof Information Industry, said that 57.2 percent of Internet users in that country areaged between 18 and 22, so the concernsof the younger generation are important.EU Commissioner Viviane Reding praisedthe benefi ts of the Internet in content deliv-ery, while encouraging her audience to helpprevent piracy. “I know most of you believethat content must be free, but there are up-coming artists, designers and actors… whoalso stand to lose a lot because of piracy.That is why it is important to fi nd a balancebetween the interests of content creatorsand consumers,” she said. Touching on con-cerns about equitable access to ICT, thenITU Deputy Secretary-General Roberto Bloiscommented that the digital divide betweenand within nations, as well as between agegroups and gender groups, remained thesector’s biggest challenge. “Bridging all di-vides will truly extend the benefi ts of ICT toall,” he said.


Walda Roseman, CEO of Compass Rose International and Youth Forum Chairman

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Young people from around the world took part in the Youth Forum

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The Declaration adopted at the end ofthe Youth Forum is committed to initiating change. “We will start with realizable ac-tions that can be implemented in our homecountries and regions in partnership withITU, governments, universities, companiesand other bodies.” In particular, the Declara-tion promises that Youth Forum participantswill undertake the following actions:

Corporate social responsibility andICT: seek to form a ‘Fair Trade’ label spe-cifi cally for ICT, with the aim of increas-ing the incentives for companies to act in more socially responsible ways.Education and ICT: establish ten ICTclubs in universities on all continents byJanuary 2008, with the aim of increasingawareness of, and skills in, ICT.Governments and ICT: launch, by Janu-ary 2008, a bi-annual electronic publica-tion for all ICT stakeholders, in particular governments. “It will be created and ed-ited by youth and will provide a unique platform for our diverse views and ideas covering important issues such as regu-lation, entrepreneurship, infrastructure and accessibility, investment and regula-tion of content” the Declaration says.

TELECOM WORLD returns to Geneva in 2009

At the closing ceremony for TelecomWorld 2006, ITU Secretary-General Hama-ddoun I. Touré praised Hong Kong’s success-ful handling of the event, which achieved a record number of participants and ex-hibitors. He said that he will give his fullcommitment to ensure the success of ITU Telecom World 2009, which will be held in dGeneva on 5–9 October.


From left to right: Pierre-François Unger, President, Geneva State Council; Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU Secretary-General; and Marion Lai, Deputy Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, HKSARG, at the launch of ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009

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Countries from around the world hosted national pavilions

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Industry cooperates to display technologies

From China to the Russian Federationand from Egypt to Spain, countries aroundthe globe hosted national pavilions as partof the Exhibition at ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006.And alongside exhibits by individual manu-facturers and service providers, for the fi rsttime there were also pavilions representingparticular information and communicationtechnologies. Demonstrating the blurredlines between competition and partnership,these pavilions displayed the achievementsof the G-PON (gigabit passive optical net-work) industry, the Internet community andthe WiMAX Forum.

The organizations cooperating to hostthese displays saw Telecom World as a uniqueopportunity to engage at the internationallevel with a variety of stakeholders, to forgenew partnerships, and to demonstrate tech-nological advances that can improve com-munications worldwide.

ITU G-PON PavilionThe G-PON Pavilion was organized by

ITU in association with industry members.Visitors saw interoperability demonstrationsof G-PON equipment by manufacturersthat included AMCC, Cambridge IndustriesGroup, Ericsson, FlexLight Networks, FujitsuNetwork Communications, Hitachi, LS Ca-ble, NEC, Terawave Communications andZTE.

The fi rst public demonstration of interop-erability in PON systems based on the ITU-TG.984 standard took place at the pavilionon 8 December. Internet protocol (IP) multi-cast high-defi nition video, voice over Inter-net protocol (VoIP) based on SIP, and Inter-net access were delivered over 2488 Mbit/s(downstream) by 1244 Mbit/s (upstream) G-PON systems, while operating on 20 km offi bre-optic cables on an optical distributionnetwork with 1x32 optical splitters. Withdata capacities such as these, G-PON accesssystems can underpin the delivery of high

A glimpse of the Exhibition

The Exhibition

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Nearly 700 companies took part in the exhibition

ITU News had a popular stand at the exhibition

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The ITU stand at TELECOM WORLD

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broadcast services and video-on-demand) to homes and small or medium-sized busi-nesses. They do so over a fully converged IP infrastructure, for which interoperable equipment is essential. Widespread supportwithin the industry of ITU’s technical stand-ards for G-PON equipment helps to ensure such interoperability. This is key to making the digital home a reality, at an affordable price for consumers.

Additional demonstrations of G-PON in-teroperability are being planned for 2007, including test events organized through theFull Service Access Network (FSAN) Group.This is an international forum for serviceproviders and equipment suppliers to sup-port applicable standards and to work to-wards the expansion of broadband access networks.

Internet PavilionThe Internet Pavilion was organized and

primarily sponsored by three non-profi t or-ganizations: the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Internet Society (ISOC), and the NumberResource Organization (NRO), which coor-dinate many critical aspects of the Internet.All three organizations have outreach ef-forts to bring new stakeholders into theirdiscussions, activities and policy develop-

ment processes. Hosting an exhibit at ITU Telecom World was a natural extension of those efforts.

“It is an important opportunity for our community-based organizations to reachout to as broad a range of stakeholders as possible,” said Lynn St. Amour, Presidentand CEO of the Internet Society. “The Inter-net plays an integral role in ICT and a valu-able role in the business of every exhibitingorganization present at ITU Telecom World,”she added.

WiMAX Forum PavilionThe WiMAX Forum is an industry-led,

non-profi t corporation formed to promote and certify compatibility and interoperabil-ity of broadband wireless products. Over 400 companies make up its membershipacross the world, and among those featured in the pavilion were Aerofl ex, Aperto Net-works, Comsys, Navini Networks, Redline Communications, SOMA Networks, and SR Telecom.

Mohammad S. Shakouri, WiMAX Forum Board Member and Vice President of Mar-keting, commented that 2006 had been a key year for the WiMAX Forum, in terms of delivering standards-based broadband wireless. “Our members have demonstratedthis with nearly 30 WiMAX Forum Certifi ed products and hundreds of operators in glo-

The Exhibition

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bal trials and deployments,” he said. “Earlyin 2007, this value will increase with theintroduction of the fi rst mobile WiMAX Fo-rum Certifi ed Products. We have chosen toshowcase these accomplishments and goalsat the WiMAX Forum pavilion during ITUTelecom World 2006,” Mr Shakouri added.

Launch of new products and services

Tracking and tracing livestock China’s Ministry of Agriculture and China

Mobile Communications Corporation jointlylaunched an “animal tracing system” thatcombines two-dimensional barcode tech-nology with a high-speed general packet ra-dio service (GRPS) network. This is designedto consolidate the management and super-vision of livestock, from birth to slaughter,as well as helping to prevent the spread ofdisease.

Workers can use a mobile terminal toattach barcode tags to animals, enablingthem to be traced instantly. Data are sentvia the short message service (SMS) to andfrom the Ministry of Agriculture. This allowsanimal quarantine agencies to collect andanalyse critical data related to possible out-breaks of animal disease, and can thereforeassist in the prediction and warning of anemergency or in responding to it.

Samsung demonstrates HSUPA technology

Samsung Electronics showcased its high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA) systemsand mobile phones at its stand at Telecom World. With HSUPA networks, users canupload and receive photographs, video clipsand data fi les, and share content more eas-ily with friends and family. At a demonstra-tion of the technology, Samsung’s networkequipment and mobile phones reacheduplink speeds of up to 2 Mbit/s, and down-link speeds of 3.6 Mbit/s. These speeds arecapable of handling large-scale data com-munications, such as video streaming. WithHSUPA, it takes 1 minute to upload fi ve MP3songs (assuming 3 megabytes per song),compared with 5 minutes using W-CDMA.

Samsung plans to introduce the fi rstcommercial HSUPA phone during 2007, inEurope. The company announced that Or-ange will be one of its earliest partners forHSUPA deployment.

Motorola unveils its entertainment PDA

Upgrading its iTunes-enabled phone(the ROKR E6), Motorola Inc announced thelaunch of its new entertainment device, MO-TOROKR E6. It is a slim, black, widescreenmobile phone that is designed to appealto a wide market. According to Motorola,

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PaPeRo is a companion robot that was showcased by NEC

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it is has all the functions needed for busi-ness use, such as e-mail and SMS, but it alsofeatures entertainment capabilities such as RealPlayer, USB connectivity and a standard headphone jack.

The MOTOROKR E6 will be launched fi rstin the Chinese market. With this in mind, itcomes with predictive input for writing Chi-nese characters, and an application from the Chinese travel website “eLong”. In a demonstration of the new device, Motorola showed how a user could click on the eLongicon, book a fl ight to China and receive a confi rmation SMS that acted as an e-ticket.

Huawei launches UMTS data cardsHuawei Technologies Co Ltd displayed

the latest of its devices for providing next-generation networks (NGN) for telecom-munication operators. These included new GSM dual density base transceiver stations (BTS), called EnerG GSM. Huawei says that, compared with earlier BTS, these use ad-vanced technologies that increase the cov-erage area by around 40 per cent.

The company also announced the launchof two, new data cards for the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS),a third-generation (3G) mobile phone tech-nology. The E660 and EC360 are designedfor use by business people. Based on thehigh-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA)

protocol, the E660 card supports a transmis-sion rate up to 7.2 Mbit/s. The EC360 sup-ports a transmission rate of up to 3.1 Mbit/s (downlink) and 1.8 Mbit/s (uplink).

NEC’s robot can help around the home

In the not-too-distant future, your per-sonal robot could look up the weather fore-cast, read your e-mail to you, and changetelevision channels. This is the vision of NEC Corporation, which, since 2001, hasresearching robots that can interact with people. Showcased at Telecom World was the company’s latest version of PaPeRo (or “PArtner-type PErsonal RObot”).

PaPeRo 2005 is a communications de-vice with an Ethernet jack, USB ports and connectivity to third-generation (3G) mobilephone networks. It also comes with speechand facial-recognition software, allowing it to recognize its owner and respond to voice commands. PaPeRo can look up informationfrom the Internet by command or automati-cally, and its ‘eyes’ are cameras that can alsobe used for home monitoring via 3G net-works.

The Exhibition

ITU Internet Report 2006digital.life is the eighth in the

series of ITU Internet Reports

that was launched in 1997.

The report is written by a

team of analysts from ITU’s

Strategy and Policy Unit and

looks at how lives are being

reshaped by advances in dig-

ital technologies. The report

includes comprehensive sta-

tistical data covering more

than 200 economies.

ITU TELECOM WORLD

33


Going digitalAn ITU report looks at a lifestyle revolution

We are in the middle of a digital revolu-tion, according to a new report released atITU TELECOM WORLD 2006. Around one in eve-ry three people on the planet now carriesa digital mobile phone everywhere. Digitaltechnologies are transforming businessesand public administration, and changing theways in which people live and interact.

The digital.life report from ITU remindsus that the telecommunication industrybegan with the dots and dashes of the tel-egraph that were not only digital in nature,they were also generated by the fingers (ordigits) of telegraph operators. Between theinvention of the telephone in 1876 and thedevelopment of the first digital switch exact-ly 100 years later, the industry took an ana-logue detour. But rapid innovation over thelast few decades indicates that the digitalworld is firmly back on track. And althoughthe transition from the analogue to the dig-ital world is not yet complete, the directionof change is clear. This was evident from theITU TelecomTT Wm orld 2006 Exhibition and Fo-drum, organized under the theme “Living theDigital World”.

Fingers do the talkingThe difference such vague concepts as

“many” or “few”, and discrete numbers wascreated when people began using their fi n-gers to count. In modern times, the systemof discrete binary digits was developed, andthrough the Internet and the mobile phone,the reach of our fi ngers (mainly the thumb)has been extended to the whole world. To-day, people everywhere are regularly seenwalking, talking and even driving while theirthumbs busily tap on the keypad of a hand-held digital device. Using multimedia appli-cations and the short message service (SMS)on mobile phones has taken only a fewyears to become a global industry, generat-ing around USD 80 billion in annual revenue(see Figure 1).

The next phase in this digital revolutionis the transition from low-speed to high-speed networks. For fixed-line telecom-munications, broadband networks are welladvanced and there were some 216 millionbroadband subscribers across the world atthe end of 2005. This transition is also oc-curring in mobile networks, such as with theadvent of third-generation (3G) systems. Atthe end of 2005, there were some 62 mil-lion mobile broadband users, with serviceslaunched in around 60 economies (see Fig-ure 2).

The digital.life report

Alc

atel

Sanj

a G

jene

ro

Source: ITU, adapted from Eurostat, OECD, OFCOM, China Mobile, China Unicom

Figure 1 — SMS/MMS per user per month, selected economies

010203040506070

20052004200320022001

ChinaUnited KingdomAustraliaFrance

Source: ITU Information Society Statistics DatabaseNote: “Broadband” is 256 kbit/s

Figure 2 — Total broadband subscribers, worldwide, in millions

50

0

100

150

200

250

300

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Mobile broadbandFixed broadband

Source: ITU Information Society Statistics Database

Figure 3 — Fixed lines and mobile phones worldwide

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

1990 19

95 2000 20

01 2002 20

03 2004 20

05

21 years

3 years

125 years

Fixed linesCellular mobile phones

ITU TELECOM WORLD

ITU News 1 | 2007

34



More devices, more servicesThe report points out that a growing ar-

ray of digital devices and technologies are on offer today. These range from slimmer and faster laptops, to MP3 players with video capabilities, and mobile phones withhigh-speed Internet access. While it tookthe fixed-line network some 125 years to reach one billion users globally, the mo-bile network reached the same level in just 21 years. Thereafter, it took only three years to reach the second billion in 2005, as shown in Figure 3.

Technology is having a significant im-pact on the nature of social interaction. The Internet, in particular, is stimulating new kinds of networking for both real and virtual identities.

One of the most striking developments since TelecomTT Wm orld 2003 has been the rise of social networking websites such asMySpace and FaceBook, while YouTube (re-cently acquired by Google) reportedly pro-vides 100 million video downloads each day. Participation in online role-playing games is also on the rise, creating the possibility forpeople to lead “second lives” in cyberspace.In the digital world, people are no longerjust consumers; they are creators and dis-tributors of information too.

Digital is big businessThe global market for information and

communication technologies (ICT) is worthmore than USD 3 trillion (see Figure 4). In mobile telephony, the report says that thehigh prices paid for 3G licences, whichseemed extortionate after the collapse ofthe IT bubble, now seem quite reasonable,given the ongoing expansion of the mobile

sector to reach 2.15 billion subscribers atthe end of 2005, of which over 10 per cent have already moved to 3G services. Despite the crash that affected the technology sec-tor between 2000 and 2003, the underlyingnetworks have kept expanding.

Key factors driving growth in the mobile broadband market include higher-capacity,user-friendly services and a shift to flat-rate billing models. Japan and the Republic ofKorea were early leaders in this market, but Italy and the United Kingdom are catchingup fast. Mobile broadband suffers from the same limitations as fixed-line broadbandwhen it was first introduced. In many cases, prices remain high, it can be complex to use, and the quality of service is sometimes poor due to capacity constraints. But theseproblems should be resolved as W-CDMA networks shift to high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) and CDMA 2000 1x networks are upgraded to EV-DV and EV-DO. The ultimate goal is to deliver access to consumers more cheaply and conveniently. Improving the technical capabilities of mo-bile networks will help increase the range ofcompeting delivery platforms.

Businesses are putting more emphasis on consumer requirements, particularly in un-derstanding demand in saturated markets.In this respect, the growing trend towards personalization of services and user-gener-ated value is having a significant impact on reshaping the industry. Firstly, consumers are generating a higher share of network investment than in the past, as more andmore equipment (such as broadband rout-ers) is owned directly by them. Secondly, a higher percentage of revenue now comes from subscription charges and advertising,

Siem

ens

ITU

/J.M

. Fer

ré

Phili

ps

Source: Adapted from the Financial Times using Nielsen/Net. Ratings fi gures, 23 August 2006

Figure 4 — Global ICT market, 2005, in USD billion and in %

Hardware Services

Global ICT market, 2005, in USD billion

Broadcast services

9.4%

Consumerelectronics

9.4% Computerhardware

12.1%

Telecomequipment

7.5%

Total value, USD 3.13 trillion

Software &computer

services23.7%

Telecom services

37.9%

Global ICT market, 2005, in %

ITU TELECOM WORLD

35


markets, increasing revenue is coming fromoutside the service provider’s home area.Finally, competition between different tech-nology platforms is now as significant ascompetition within the same market. All ofthese factors not only have an impact onbusiness, but also on policy formulation,which requires an increasingly integratedapproach and less reliance on traditional,sector-specific regulation.

Identity and securityAs the boundary between the private

and the public in the digital age becomesincreasingly blurred, the creation and main-tenance of secure identities online hasemerged as an important priority for busi-nesses and consumers alike. Governments,too, are looking for ways to reduce crimi-nal activity and offer secure e-governmentservices. Identity theft online poses a con-siderable threat to Internet users and tothe expansion of electronic commerce. Forexample, a survey by the United States’ Fed-eral Trade Commission in September 2003estimated that 10 million US citizens havebeen victims of identity fraud.

The report notes that problems for iden-tity management arise from such factors asthe lack of limits on the collection of per-sonal details online, and unclear guidelinesfor the retention of data. National and in-ternational discussions on this topic are on-going, involving security experts, lawyers,economists and governments.

ChallengesOther important challenges remain,

such as ensuring regulatory consistencyamid rapid technological change. The bor-derless nature of the digital world also raisesconcerns about content, while convergence(such as in mobile and Internet television) isbringing together three different regulatoryapproaches: the content-regulated cultureof the broadcasting sector, the carrier-ledculture of telecommunications, and thenon-regulated culture of the Internet.

Digital technology brings importantchallenges for individuals and society. Forinstance, equipment should remain easy touse even if it becomes more complex. User-friendly systems must be developed in orderto ensure that a maximum number of peo-ple can use digital technology with a mini-mum amount of training. Only then, thereport says, can we be sure that the processof going digital will be inclusive and that thetransition from older systems is smooth. Thebenefi ts of digital lifestyles should be madeavailable to all the world’s inhabitants, ena-bling everyone not only to access informa-tion and knowledge, but also to create andshare it.


Residents of Catanduanes Province make calls from an emergency communications centre set up by Télécoms Sans Frontières

Typhoon Durian killed hundreds of people in the Philippines

Emergency telecommunications

ITU News 1 | 2007

36


Asia-Pacifi c workshop on disaster response

On 12–15 December 2006, ITU held a workshop on enhancing capacity to re-spond to natural disasters. It took place in Bangkok, Thailand, organized in conjunc-tion with the United Nations Economic andSocial Commission for Asia and the Pacifi c (ESCAP). The aim was to provide guidancefor the region (especially to developing countries) on technical, policy and institu-tional issues in the development of systemsto support emergency communications andrespond to disasters.

The meeting was held with support from the Governments of Australia and China,and from Ericsson, and Rohde & Schwarz. It was attended by 135 participants from the public and private sectors. They concludedthat a formalized international cooperative mechanism for managing emergency com-munications could help all stakeholders inthis area, including national and regional or-ganizations. It was hoped that ITU, ESCAP, and others could help to establish such amechanism, including support for a virtualworking environment. Participants also rec-ognized that many countries would benefi t from help in organizing their national plans for emergency communications, and the new platform could offer tools to help inthis task. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacifi c countries were urged to ratify the Tampere Conven-tion, the treaty that governs cross-border emergency telecommunications.

Emergency telecommunications aid typhoon-hit Philippines

The need to provide an effective re-sponse to disasters had been demonstrateda few days before the workshop was held. On 30 November, Typhoon Durian hit the Philippines and lashed the Bicol Region ofLuzon. As well as powerful wind and rain, torrents of mud swept across homes. The Philippines’ National Disaster Coordination Centre (NDCC) said that, as of 16 Decem-ber, the typhoon had killed 734 people with 762 still missing. Over 2000 people were injured, and over half a million homes were either partially or totally destroyed.

To help disaster victims, and support relief agencies, an emergency communica-tions centre was set up by Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF), which is a partner in ITU’s Connect the World initiative. Using Inmarsat dMini M terminals and satellite links, the cen-tre was established in Virac, capital of the island province of Catanduanes, where elec-tricity and communication links had been cut by the storm.

TSF also offered free phone calls to victims of the typhoon, so that they could contact relatives. During its mission at Virac, the centre helped more than 800 families in this way, with many people calling abroad. Also, 13 relief organizations benefi ted from the communication facilities and from TSF’stechnical assistance.

Disaster response

Preparing for WRC 2007

Market Mechanisms for Spectrum Management(Geneva,

22–23 January 2007)

Topics to be covered at the

ITU workshop are:

Regulatory models and

markets

New technology and

changing spectrum require-

ments

Convergence and spectrum

management

Country case studies.

Two panel discussions will

also take place, as well as

an Executive Round Table

on the theme “Challenges

and opportunities: what lies

ahead for radio spectrum

management.”

Further information, includ-

ing background resources, is

available at:

www.itu.int/spectrum

37


The boom in wireless communicationtechnologies means ever-growing demandby service providers for slots in the radio-fre-quency spectrum. This presents technical,commercial and policy challenges for spec-trum management. Market mechanismasare replacing traditional techniques, whileservices operating in unplanned spectrumbands are becoming as economically signifi -cant as those in planned ones.

Is spectrum a public resource, or something to be traded?

Centralized spectrum managementagencies must adapt to this new environ-ment, but a fundamental question remains:is the radio-frequency spectrum to be re-garded as property that can be traded, or asa public resource that can only be leased forparticular purposes? Another issue is wheth-er the goal of effi ciency in spectrum use bereconciled with the aim of equitable allo-cation. Also, can techniques for rationingspectrum (such as licences or auctions) existalongside unlicensed use of the spectrum?And is it possible to have different manage-ment systems in neighboring countries andmaintain a harmonized approach at regionaland international levels?

The need for change in spectrummanagement is clear. ITU is examining anumber of issues, including the allocationof frequencies for electronic news gathering

(see pages 38–39). And a major meeting issoon to be held on spectrum policy.

ITU spectrum workshopITU and the Ugo Bordoni Foundation, of

Italy, are joint hosts of a workshop — Mar-ket Mechanisms for Spectrum Manage-ment — on 22–23 January 2007 in Geneva.It is expected to attract industry leaders,academic experts and senior governmentministers.

As part of ITU’s Shaping Tomorrow’sNetworks Programme, the workshop aimsto further an objective of the World Sum-mit on the Information Society: that ITUshould work to ensure efficient use of ra-dio-frequency spectrum, as well as equita-ble access to it by all countries. The eventis free and is aimed at all sections of ITU’smembership, as well as regulators and ex-perts. It will be held in the same week asthe meeting in Geneva on 24–26 January ofthe Radiocommunication Advisory Group ofITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau.

The workshop will look at recent trendsin ITU Member States, the increasing de-mand for spectrum, and challenges in de-veloping policy. In preparation for the event,ITU is gathering information on the most im-portant issues related to spectrum manage-ment around the world, including details ofinitiatives by the relevant authorities in eachcountry.

Spectrum management

Spectrum management

A Preparatory Meeting for the

2007 World Radiocommuni-

cation Conference (WRC–07)

will take place in Geneva from

19 February to 2 March. One

of the agenda items will be

the question of how radio-fre-

quency spectrum can best be

allocated and used by news-

gathering organizations.

Contributed by Roger Bunch, ITU–R Rapporteur for Electronic News Gathering

ITU

/R. B

unch


ITU News 1 | 2007

38


Sharing out spectrum for news gatheringAn ITU Study Group calls for action by WRC–07

What is ENG?For most of the 20th century, report-

ers would cover news events using a note-book and pencil, assisted by a camera tak-ing images on fi lm. When these materials were taken back to the newspaper offi ce or television production suite, they neededto be processed before an audience could see them. This time-honoured tradition be-gan to change, however, with the advent of new technologies. Instead of fi lm, forinstance, video tape took over. This meant new methods of working in the fi eld, as well as ways of dealing with material afterwards. The new type of reporting became known as electronic news gathering, or ENG.

It is the television industry that mostlyuses ENG — which dramatically increases the speed at which news can be gathered and broadcast. Unlike fi lm, video tape does not need to be processed before editing,and digital technology makes things eveneasier. It is possible to relay footage directlyto a television station for live broadcasting, and/or to edit material on the spot. Usually,ENG involves a vehicle for transmitting the material to the studio, through terrestrialmicrowave signals, telecommunication links or through satellite — referred to as satellite news gathering (SNG).

All of these techniques are included in television and audio outside broadcast-ing (OB), which, together with ENG, is de-

fi ned by the industry as services ancillary to broadcasting (SAB). The creation of the content that is viewed (or heard) by the con-sumer is supported by services ancillary to programme making (SAP).

The problemNational governments allocate areas of

the radio-frequency spectrum for such uses as emergency communications. ENG has been one of these uses, with video and au-dio channels set aside for outside broadcast-ing. Live coverage of news needs reliable, interference-free means of transmission.The problem is that demand for channels is outstripping supply.

Television audiences have increased con-siderably since spectrum was fi rst allocated for terrestrial ENG. There is growing de-mand for quantity and quality in the cover-age of outside news events. And broadcast-ers have embraced technologies that were not even anticipated when spectrum-usageregulations were created.

The irregular usage patterns of news gathering pose another diffi culty. When broadcasters cover predictable, scheduledevents, they can arrange to “borrow” trans-mission channels. But for breaking news and emergencies, competing broadcasters are likely to be present, meaning that sever-al channels need to operate simultaneouslyover almost the same path. Spiky patterns

Electronic news gathering

A vehicle equipped for outside broadcasting, using dedicated radio-frequency spectrum

ITU

/R. B

unch

ITU

/R. B

unch

Breaking news can be reported live through ENG


Spectrum usage and opera-tional characteristics of terres-trial electronic news gathering(ENG), television outside broad-cast (TVOB) and electronic fi eld production (EFP) systems

*

39


ITU

/R. B

unch

Electronic news gathering

of spectrum usage have been managed bythe broadcasting industry through volun-tary, frequency coordination systems. Buteven the best management schemes arelikely to be ineffective as spectrum becomesmore and more scarce.

It is estimated that, within 10 years, aterrestrial ENG operator providing news cov-erage for a large city might need to be allo-cated as many as 50 talkback narrowbandchannels, 30 wideband channels for radiomicrophones, and 10 channels for variousvideo links. For an audio broadcaster, pre-dictions indicate that the number of chan-nels could double, reaching 20 audio linkand 10 radio microphone channels.

Meanwhile, many administrations areconsidering a reduction in the spectrumavailable for ENG, because of growing de-mands from competing technologies. Andwhile moving to digital systems could im-prove broadcasters’ effi ciency in usingbandwidth, these gains are likely to be off-set by rising demand for the higher qualitymaterial required for such digital services ashigh defi nition television (HDTV).

ITU’s workRecognizing the importance of electronic

news gathering, the 2003 World Radiocom-munication Conference (WRC–03) passedRecommendation 723 saying that ITU’sRadiocommunication Sector (ITU–R) shouldcontinue studying, “as a matter of urgency,”technical, operational and frequency issuesof ENG “on a global basis.”

In response, ITU–R has been conductingvarious activities. In March 2006, for exam-ple, its Study Group 6 organized a seminarin Geneva for Sector Members, regionalbodies, broadcasting unions, national regu-latory agencies and broadcasting equip-ment manufacturers. The focus was terres-trial ENG, and experts spoke on a range oftopics, including regulatory aspects of ENGand OB; and harmonization of spectrum us-age and users’ requirements of ENG and OBsystems.

Overall responsibility for coordinatingITU–R’s studies in this fi eld lies with WorkingParty 6J of Study Group 6. Its recent report(ITU–R BT.2069)* expresses serious concernsregarding the unregulated use of indoor,mobile, and hand-held systems that causeinterference to radiocommunication serv-ices supporting broadcast systems. It addsthat the impact of digital technologies onthe future of SAP and SAB is still unclear.Meanwhile, although the demand for spec-trum varies signifi cantly among countriesand type of event covered, the overall trendis a steady increase, according to the report.It says that countries can usefully learn fromeach other regarding spectrum planningand the use of various technologies.

As a result of these studies, the WorkingParty’s report says that it is of great impor-tance for WRC–07 to approve a Resolutionto establish whether (and how far) world-wide harmonization of user requirementsand spectrum usage for ENG might beachieved.

Offi cial Visits to the ITU Secretary-General

40


Official Visits

Latvia’s Ambassador Janis Karklins

Pakistan’s Ambassador Masood Khan

Bulgaria’s Ambassador Petko Draganov

India’s Ambassador Swashpawan Singh

ITU

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ITU

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During January 2007, courtesy visits were made to ITU by the following ministers, and by ambassadors and permanent representatives to the United Nations Offi ce and other international organizations in Geneva.

Republic of Korea’s Ambassador Hyuk Choi and Mr Jun-Hyong Rho

Republic of Korea’s Minister of Information and Communications Jun-Hyong Rho

Italy’s Ambassador Giovanni Caracciolo di Vietri

Italy’s Minister of Communications Paolo Gentiloni

ITU

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ITU

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ITU

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ITU

/M. L

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Morocco’s Ambassador Mohammed Loulichki

Japan’s Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki

Portugal’s Ambassador Francisco Manuel da Fonseca Xavier Esteves

Côte d’Ivoire’s Ambassador Guy Alain Emmanuel Gauze

ITU

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ITU

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France’s Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert

Turkey’s Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu

Thailand’s Ambassador Chaiyong Satjipanon

More info: itu.int/ITU-T/worksem/ict-auto/200703/

AN EVENT EXPLORING POSSIBILITIES IN THE CONVERGING ICT & AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES

WORKSHOP AND EXHIBITIONON ICT* IN MOTOR VEHICLES

Supported by: Organized by:

*Information and Communication Technologies

MAKE THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS

Multiplying ideas, transferring knowledge and making the right connections are what

ITU TELECOM EUROPE 2007 is all about. It’s the crucial ICT networking platform for the

European region. Join leaders of industry, governments, regulators, innovators and

visionaries to explore, discuss and shape the future of Europe’s ICT sector. Organized

by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Visit www.itu.int/europe2007

Sofia, Bulgaria3-6 December

itu news issue 1 2007 - sharing out spectrum for eng

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