Yasmine Hammamet, 17 November 2005 —
The International
Telecommunication Union’s 6th annual Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR), held
in Yasmine Hammamet, Tunisia from 14-15 November 2005, gathered regulators,
policy makers and service providers from 110 countries to develop a new
regulatory framework to promote broadband deployment and access in developing
countries.
The advent of broadband has dramatically altered the ICT playing
field, creating new opportunities for an ever-growing spectrum of players. The
GSR’s new vision for enhanced broadband deployment, which encompasses reduced
regulatory burdens, innovative incentives and coordinated efforts, is designed
to rapidly unleash commercial broadband deployment opportunities.
"There is not a significant environment on the planet in which
broadband internet does not make sense, given the political will to foster an
enabling environment," said Hamadoun I. Touré, Director of ITU’s
Telecommunication Development Bureau, in his opening address to the symposium.
"However, the pace of broadband take-up largely hinges on the regulatory
framework."
This year’s GSR agreed to a set of ‘best practice guidelines’ for
spectrum management aimed at promoting broadband access. "The 2005 GSR best
practice guidelines, endorsed by 120 CEOs and board members of national
regulatory authorities are an important contribution to the World Summit on the
Information Society," said 2005 GSR Chairperson Mr Ali Ghodbani.
The guidelines identify ten main principles for action in
developing broadband capability: facilitate deployment of innovative broadband
technologies; promote transparency; embrace technology neutrality; adopt
flexible use measures; ensure affordability; optimize spectrum availability on a
timely basis; manage spectrum efficiently; ensure a level playing field;
harmonize international and regional practices and standards; and adopt a broad
approach to promote broadband access.
The four-page
vision statement produced by the 2005 GSR embraces the principles of "minimum
necessary" regulation, minimizing barriers to entry, allowing broadband
providers to begin operations on a small scale rather than requiring national
rollouts, allocating spectrum for community or non-commercial use, adopting
lighter regulatory approaches in rural and less congested areas, and recognizing
the role that both licensed and unlicensed spectrum can play. The guidelines are
available on TREG website
here.
Firmly established as the global venue for regulators from around
the world to share their views and experiences, this year’s GSR also showcased
promising broadband technologies for rural access in developing countries.
Presenters included representatives from Cisco Systems, the GSM Association,
Intel Corporation, the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization,
Qualcomm, Skype, TE DATA and Verizon.
A
series of GSR Discussion Papers on broadband provisioning, the role of
regulators in promoting broadband, Voice over IP (VoIP), spam and spectrum
management were also issued during the meeting.
For further information click
here or contact:
Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Head, Regulatory Reform Unit
Tel: +41 22 730 5643
E-mail
|
Ms Susan Schorr
Regulatory Officer
Tel: +41 22 730 5638
E-mail |
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