The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Economic and Financial Forum of Telecommunication/ICT for Asia and Pacific (REFF-ASP) organized by the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) in collaboration with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) was held at the Millennium Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia the 28 September 2015. The Forum was followed by the meeting of ITU-T of the SG3RG-AO (29-30 September) and the ITU-T Focus Group on Digital Financial Services (1-2 October).
During the opening ceremony Mr Byoung Nam Lee, SG3RG-AO Chairman, welcomed all delegates to participate to these very important events which address topical and relevant issues for the Asia and Pacific region and expressed the importance to share points of view and experiences on ICTs regulatory, economic and financial issues, as well as for the works of the ITU-T Study Group 3 Regional Group for Asia and Oceania. The Representative of the International Telecommunication Union, Ms Carmen Prado-Wagner highlighted that an enabling environment with targeted policies and effective regulations remains key to address the emerging economic and social imperatives of the digital world. An enabling environment makes broadband roll-out more affordable by reducing the cost of deploying ICT networks while encouraging investment and growth. Ms Laila Hassan, on behalf of Ms Norizan Baharin Chief Officer of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), did a presentation of the content of the Forum and highlighted that this Forum will support national expertise in the Malaysia ICT environment as well as at regional level. She highlighted that these meetings will allow no only the exchange of experiences but also the communication between nations. She officially opened the Forum by encouraging Asia and Pacific regional collaboration. The Forum was chaired by Ms Laila Hassan, Senior Director Market Regulation Division, MCMC. A summary of the discussions from this Forum is available on the Forum Final Report.
