World Radiocommunication Conference 2000
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Address by Mr Robert W. Jones
Director, Radiocommunication Bureau
to the World Radiocommunication Conference
8 May 2000

Mr. Chairman
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen
Dear Colleagues and Friends

I would like to welcome to you all to this World Radiocommunication Conference. It is very appropriate that such a significant event is taking place here in Istanbul, a city with such a fascinating history and situated at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. Istanbul today is also an appropriate reminder of the progress that can be made in terms of the incredible advances in technology many of which depend on the results of this Conference if they are to move forward from concept to reality.

Dear friends, the four weeks we have ahead of us will prove to be very brief given the huge workload that we face. Indeed, this Conference has already broken virtually all records that we thought were not possible to break and still be able to achieve a successful result. First of all, we now have over 2,600 registered delegates representing some 150 countries. This record number places incredible demands on the Conference resources and on your individual skills, patience and spirit of co-operation and compromise. Secondly, you begin this Conference with a record number of documents to consider. On the basis of the experience of WRC-97, this could result in some 29 million pages of documents being distributed by the end of the Conference. That would be a 16 % increase over WRC-97.

I mention these statistics because it is symptomatic of the environment in which the Radiocommunication Bureau finds itself. We have worked very hard in the last 2½ years to meet all the demands you placed on us from WRC-97, in addition to our ever increasing ongoing work. You are well aware of the significant tasks associated with the BSS replanning exercises, the implementation of Resolution 49, the studies associated with Resolutions 130, 131 and 538 and many other studies with which WRC-97 tasked the Bureau. The Conference has before it my comprehensive report on the activities of the Bureau so I shall not mention now matters that you will consider in more detail later. I do however, want to mention one significant issue that you will consider and, hopefully, take action on. This is the totally unacceptable situation we have now reached with respect to the processing of satellite network filings. The Bureau has done much to continue to streamline its work but the filings now awaiting processing represent close to 3 years work even if no further new filings were to be made. The kind of streamlining of work that we in the Bureau can undertake within the current Radio Regulations can lead to only marginal improvements. Regulatory changes are necessary to have a more significant and more immediate impact. I hope that you will all agree with me that this situation has to be corrected if the ITU is to maintain its credibility in this fundamental role. I sincerely hope that you will tackle the complexity of the current regulatory framework and provide the means for the required improvement. WRC-2000 is probably the last effective opportunity to do so.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have mentioned just one of the significant issues that face you. There are, of course, very many others that must be resolved if the benefits of new technologies are to be available to as many of the world’s population as possible.

I personally will do all that I can to assist you, as will all of the ITU staff. Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, may I wish you all the best of success with your endeavors over the next 4 weeks.

Thank you.