08:00-09:00 | Registration
09:00-09:30 | Opening Session
Welcome Remarks by
Mr. Ioane Koroivuki, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
[Speech]
Welcome Remarks by Asian Development Bank (ADB)
[Speech]
Opening Remarks by
General Sukit Khamasundara, Commissioner, National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission of Thailand (NBTC)
[Speech]
09:30-10:00 | Group photo & Coffee break
09:50 | Opening of the Exhibition
10:00-12:00| Session 1 - MODERN UNIVERSAL ACCESS AND SERVICE FRAMEWORK
The underlying concept of universal access and service is to ensure that telecommunications services are accessible to the wides number of people (and communities) at affordable prices. The concept of universal access and service is underpinned by the three principles namely: Availability, Affordability, and Accessibility.
An old concept of universal access and service which seeks to narrow the telecommunications gap especially voice has unfortunately not been enough to tackle the today’s high demand for data i.e. access to information and knowledge through the Internet. Thanks to the rapid development of technologies, the scope of universal access and service has been widened to include Internet and even broadband in many countries; however, it is still much restricted in scope in some other countries.
A periodic review and adjustment of the universal access and service framework (including the universal service fund), vision, policy and administrative mechanisms need to be put in place. A modern concept of universal access and service addresses both supply and demand sides.
This session will examine the new approach and principle of modern universal access and service scheme and look into country practices. It will also focus on topics such as:
Universal access and service policy and legislative framework
Market reform, market gap analysis, market incentives and enabling environment
Infrastructure sharing, interconnection rates, taxes, spectrum and reasonable fees
Modelled universal access and service programmes and projects
12:00-13:00 | Lunch Break
13:00-15:00 | Session 2 - universal access and service from the supply side: infrastructure and broadband deployment
With the ever-escalating global demand for rapid and easy access to information and the growing evidence of the economic and social benefits generated by
ICTs and broadband in particular, there has been a substantial increase in government participation and intervention within the telecom/ICT sector with an
aim to lay down nation-wide broadband network. These include utilisation of the universal access and service fund. With these regards, the restriction of
many universal access and service framework and fund as regards financing of broadband should be revisited and preferably removed.
Global trends also show that wireless broadband is the most suitable approach for achieving the governments’ goal due to its relatively lower shared costs
and coverage of geographically separated areas which do not necessarily have high population density; its ease of penetration, and its ability to deploy
and rollout rapidly. Therefore, making spectrum available for affordable wireless broadband services, in frequency spectrum bands designated for
mobile/wireless services, is a prerequisite for a good quality wireless broadband plan.
This session will address the role of universal access and service particular the fund in national broadband deployment. Topics also include:
Innovative approaches for promoting national broadband rollout through the universal access and service framework
Technology options for network rollouts in rural/remote areas
Efficient spectrum management for wireless broadband deployment
National broadband policy/plan and multi-stakeholders approaches
15:00-15:15 | Coffee break
15:15-17:15 | (cont'd) Session 2 - universal access and service from the supply side: infrastructure and broadband deployment
