Opinion B
Actions to assist Member States and
Sector Members in adapting to the changes
in the telecommunication environment due to the emergence of IP Telephony,
including analysing the current situation (e.g. by case studies) and formulating
possible cooperative actions involving Member States and
Sector Members to facilitate adaptation to the new environment
The third World Telecommunication Policy Forum (Geneva, 2001),
considering
that, for several years, technology analysts have observed a tendency for
telephony services and other forms of communications to converge and that, in recent years, IP
appears to have emerged as one of the possible unifying platforms,
noting
- that some global telecommunications operators have announced that they are migrating
their traffic to IP-based platforms;
- that the introduction of competition within the telecommunication market benefits the
consumer;
- that ITU, in its service definitions, has been careful not to imply or specify any
particular implementation technology,
conscious
- that increasing access to the Internet is a policy goal in some Member States;
- that emerging IP technologies offer opportunities for the development of new
multimedia applications, including voice;
- that deployment of such technologies may offer particular benefits to small and
medium-sized enterprises,
encourages Member States
to share experiences in developing new methodologies and approaches that recognize the
market conditions of advanced technologies, such as IP Telephony, including, but not limited
to:
- approaches towards making any sector-specific regulation technology-neutral;
- the application of domestic competition laws as part of a pro-competitive policy
designed to establish a level playing field;
- establishing sustainable bases to generate financing for universal access/service,
invites the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux
- to promote understanding of the potential benefits of IP-based technologies and
IP applications and, within existing budgetary resources, to assist Member
States and Sector Members, particularly in developing countries:
- by updating previous IP Telephony case studies and carrying out further
country case studies, as required;
- by carrying out cost studies and establishing a process to assist members in
performing cost-benefit analyses in order to plan for investment in
converged telecommunication networks on IP platforms, on request;
- by helping to attract investment and promoting the use of international
lending, such as attractive, flexible, low-interest, long-term loan
arrangements, and donor organization resources,
- in the pursuit of the above, to conduct regional
workshops in partnership with Member States and Sector Members, and concerned regional
telecommunication organisations, complementing existing ITU activities, on the following
basis:
- The workshops should provide forums on:
- how telecommunication infrastructure build-out and the evolution of existing
networks can be facilitated by deployment of IP-based technologies;
- technologies that can support IP Telephony;
- how to create an environment that will attract investment in infrastructure
development;
- issues such as cost structures, pricing mechanisms, interconnection, numbering,
quality of service and market considerations, etc.
- ITU may call upon voluntary contributions from Member
States, Sector Members and other industry participants to support such activities.
- The workshops should bring together regulators,
government officials responsible for economic development and telecommunication issues,
incumbent and new entrant network operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs),
equipment suppliers, consumers and consumer organizations.n
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Last Modified: 2002-06-14
