ITU and its Activities Related to Internet Protocol (IP) Networks |
Chapter Five:
Internet-Protocol (IP) Related Activities in the ITU Telecommunication
Development Sector
The mission of the
Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) aims at achieving the Sector's
objectives based on the right to communicate of all inhabitants of the planet
through access to infrastructure and information and communication services. In
this regard, the ITU-D’s mission is to:
- Assist developing countries in the
field of information and communication technologies (ICTs), in facilitating
the mobilization of technical, human and financial resources needed for
their implementation, as well as in promoting access to ICTs.
- Promote the extension of the benefits
of ICTs to all the world’s inhabitants.
- Promote and participate in actions that
contribute towards narrowing the digital divide.
- Develop and manage programmes that
facilitate information flow geared to the needs of developing countries,
with a focus on those with special needs, including the disabled and
disadvantaged.
- This mission should complement that of
other organizations and entities seeking to improve access to
communication technologies and services in the developing world.
- The mission encompasses ITU’s dual
responsibility as a United Nations specialized agency and an executing
agency for implementing projects under the United Nations development
system or other funding arrangements.
The
Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is the executive arm of the ITU
Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), and is headed by a Director
elected by ITU Member States. The current Director is Hamadoun Touré (Mali).
The BDT’s duties and responsibilities cover a variety of functions ranging from
programme supervision and technical advice to the collection, processing and
publication of information relevant to telecommunication development. It works closely with ITU’s 11 regional and area offices around the
world.
ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau has
well-established programmes of activities to facilitate connectivity and
access, foster policy, regulatory and network readiness, expand human capacity
through training programmes, formulate financing strategies and e-enable
enterprises in developing countries. The BDT’s current mandate is set forth in
the final report of the World Telecommunication Development Conference
(WTDC-02) held in Istanbul, Turkey, in March 2002 which was attended by 1152
delegates representing 152 ITU Member States.[1]
This conference resulted in what is called the Istanbul Action Plan (ISAP), of
which an overview is given below.
The cost of becoming an ITU-D Sector Member is currently
about USD 6 000 per year. A
limited membership (Associate) costs approximately USD 2 400 per year.[2]
ITU membership fees are waived under certain circumstances
subject to approval by the ITU Council, its annual governing body.
The Istanbul Action Plan charts a course for developing
countries to transform the digital divide into digital opportunities. Bridging
the digital divide means providing access to telecommunications and information
and communication technologies (ICTs) and promoting their use so that all
segments of society can harness the opportunities of the information society.
Digital opportunities not only serve as an engine for economic growth, they
enable social, educational and medical progress. These goals hinge upon the
rollout of ICT networks and services.
The Istanbul Action Plan is a comprehensive package that
will enable developing countries to promote the equitable and sustainable
deployment of affordable ICT networks and services. The core of the Istanbul
Action Plan is a series of six programmes to be implemented by the
Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) focusing on regulatory reform, new
technologies, e-strategies and e-services/applications, economics and finance,
human capacity building and special assistance to least developed countries.
The six programmes are as follows:
- The
Regulatory Reform programme focuses on practical tools and resources
for regulatory bodies to engage in reform the most effectively to meet
their national ICT development, access and use goals, creating safe
investment opportunities and ensuring universal access to ICTs;
- The
Technologies and Telecommunication Network Development programme assists
developing countries in the migration to new-generation technologies,
including mobile, broadcasting, spectrum management, Internet protocol and
multimedia to maximize utilization of appropriate new technologies in the
development of ICT networks;
- The
e-strategies and e-services/applications programme fosters the
implementation of value-added applications and Internet protocol (networks
and applications) in government, health, education, business, agriculture
and other sectors, extending the social and economic benefits of ICTs to
all segments of society;
- The
Economics and Finance including Cost and Tariff programme assists
developing countries to ready themselves in a competitive environment
where the focus has shifted from state funding of infrastructure and
services to private sector investment, developing guidelines on economic
analysis, financing policies and strategies that encourage lower costs for
end users;
- The
Human Capacity Building programme assists developing countries to
strengthen their human, institutional and organizational capacity through
human resource management and development, expanding its reach to include
the very policy-makers and regulators that are at the cutting edge of
designing and implementing policies to increase access and use of ICTs;
- The
Special Programme for the least developed countries (LDCs) aimed at
integrating LDCs into the world economy through telecommunication
development and its ability to positively impact the delivery of
assistance to LDCs.
During last few years, and particularly since the Istanbul
Action Plan, the ITU-D has increased its activities related to IP networks and
the Internet. Some specific examples of ongoing or planned ITU-D activities
include:
- Regional
Internet Protocol Symposium for Americas Region (2005);
- Regional
Internet Protocol Symposium for Arab region (2004);
- Development of
IP Policy Manual in collaboration with TSB (2004);
- ICT Policy For
Cameroon (2004);
- Regional
Internet Protocol Symposium for Eastern Europe CIS and Baltic States
(Russian Federation, September 2003);
- Regional
Internet Protocol Symposium for Africa (Rwanda, July 2003);
- South-South
Cooperation and Cost-effective Access to the Internet in Africa (Cameroon,
15-17 July 2003);
- ICT Policy For
Congo Republic (2003);
- ITU
Symposium: African ICT Roadmap to Achieve NEPAD Objectives (Arusha, 1-3
April 2003);
- The Group of
Experts on IP Telephony has published The
Essential Report on IP Telephony (2003);[3]
- ICT Policy for
Mauritania (2002);
- BDT
projects using advanced security and trust technologies based on Public
Key Infrastructure (PKI) including biometric authentication, smart cards,
ITU-T X.509 digital certificates and digital signature techniques have
been deployed and are operational in Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cote
d’Ivoire, Cambodia, Georgia, Peru, Senegal, Paraguay and Turkey;
- IP
Networking and IPv6 for Engineers working in PTOs in the framework of the
Centre of Excellence (Mauritania, 19-23 May 2002);
- IP
Technologies and Applications for Arab region (Tunisia, 17-19 June 2002);
- Sub-regional seminar on Internet and IP telephony
Guatemala, (Nov. 2002);
- ITU/Pacific
Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) joint workshop on regional
Internet issues in the Pacific, Australia, (Oct. 2001);
- Sub-regional
workshop on Internet and IP telephony, Lima, Peru, (July 2001);
- Regulatory Reform Unit (RRU)[4] focuses on telecom sector regulatory
reform and publishes an annual report on “Trends in Telecommunication
Reform”;
- RRU organizes annual “Gobal Symposium
for Regulators (GSR)” allowing the world’s policy makers and regulators to
share their different experiences and how they have best fostered the
deployment of ICTs;
- Country case studies on effective regulation and
sharing
mechanisms between ITU Member States for information and models with
regard to independence and operation of regulatory agencies;
- Internet case
studies on how countries have fostered deployment of IP-based networks; [5]
- Several national workshops and seminars
addressing technology strategies for e-security organized in a number of
countries (e.g., Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Chile (for Mercusor States),
Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay and Uzbekistan);
- With collaboration of UNCITRAL, ITU has
provided assistance to the following countries in the elaboration of model
legislation covering areas such as electronic commerce, data protection,
online transactions, digital certification, authentication, and
encryption: ASETA Member States (Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and
Venezuela), Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Mauritania and Mongolia;
- Source of well-known telecommunication indicators
reports and databases (used by World Economic Forum, World Bank, others)[6]
and the creation of a new Digital Access Index (DAI) to measure
effectiveness of ICT adoption;
- Internet Training Centres Initiative for Developing
Countries (described in Chapter
Eight: Case Study—How ITU’s Internet Training Centre Initiatives Provide
Capacity Building in Developing Countries).
The ITU-D also has 2 Study Groups
considering “Questions” related to Internet Protocol networks:
- 19/1:
Implementation of IP telephony in developing countries;
- 12-1/2:
Examination of broadband communications over traditional copper wires,
taking into account certain aspects of technologies, systems and
applications;
- 19/2:
Strategy for migration from circuit-switched networks to packet-switched
networks;
- 20/2:
Examination of access technologies for broadband
communications.
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