PP-10 Highlights

Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón opens
ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara

Opening ceremony

It was a moment of pride for ITU as Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa opened the Union’s 18th Plenipotentiary Conference on Monday, 4 October 2010. Some 2400 participants from 190 Member States, Sector Members and observer organizations, including over 80 ministers, 40 deputy ministers, and 40 ambassadors attended the opening ceremony at the Guadalajara EXPO Center. The conference kicked off with a video entitled “Mexico in your Senses”, taking participants on a fascinating virtual tour of a fabulous country.

The Mexican authorities were flanked by ITU elected officials: Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary-General; Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary-General; Valery Timofeev, Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau; Malcolm Johnson, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau; and Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau.

Participants were addressed by Mr Molinar Horcasitas; followed by a message from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon read by Mr Zhao; then speeches from Dr Touré; Governor González Márquez, and President Felipe Calderón (in that order). The ceremony ended with President Calderón franking a commemorative stamp for PP-10.

The digital divide… still a major cause of inequality

President Calderón

The year 2010 is particularly significant for Mexico, which is celebrating 200 years of independence, President Calderón said. During the last two centuries, the country had built a democracy, with free and fair elections, which has also helped to put the country on a path of solid economic growth.

Mexico is also celebrating a centenary of the revolution for social rights and equality, and telecommunications, President Calderón stated, are an indispensable tool to achieve that justice and equality.

Telecommunications are being expanded in the country to ensure that all Mexicans participate in the information revolution. Mexico is working very hard to bridge this gap. The President then went on to highlight growth in the ICT sector in the last five years, underlining that mobile telephony had grown rapidly. In terms of broadband, he said that this had grown, albeit slowly.

Mexico to launch three new satellites

The good news is that the government has taken major steps to encourage rapid development of the telecommunications market and offer high-quality services to as large a number of users as possible and at low prices. One of the steps is the strategy of the three Cs: coverage, competitiveness and convergence. Outlining this strategy, the President told participants that he had brought forward the date of the transition from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting by six years from 2021 to 2015 through a decree published last week. He also described the 20 000 km fibre-optic project of the Federal Commission for Electricity that would allow, among other things, the creation of a new backbone network that would provide broadband nationwide, increasing competition between data and voice. The network would be ready in the second half of 2011.

Three new satellites will also be launched, mainly to improve security, but they would also be used to connect the most remote communities, providing them with telecommunication services, the President said.

Inhabitants of a global village

Juan Francisco Molinar Horcasitas

After describing the historic development of telecommunications in Mexico, which date back to the 19th century, the Minister outlined how undersea cables have allowed the country to communicate with its more distant neighbours. “The world has communicated so effectively that we are now inhabitants of a global village.” Mexico has been a part of ITU since 1953 and has chaired the Council on three occasions. The Minister called on participants to concentrate on the fundamental issues on the agenda with a commitment to respect and understanding. He said that the issue of broadband was one of the most important challenges before the conference. He stressed that broadband is the best possible way to communicate, particularly in the less developed countries. On related issues he said: “We must work to use spectrum more efficiently and increase the penetration and quality of services and better exercise freedom of expression and cultural rights. We must find formulas for better coordination of satellite networks so that we can use our global communications more efficiently. In general terms, we must promote the efficient use of telecommunications and ICT.”

A minute of silence

ITU Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun I. Touré

Sir Donald Maitland, who passed away in August 2010, chaired the Independent Commission for World-Wide Telecommunications Development, which was established in May 1983 following a resolution of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, held in 1982 in Nairobi, Kenya. The Commission’s report, which was published at the end of 1984, was officially entitled “The Missing Link”, but it has always been known as the “Maitland Report”. This report drew international attention to the huge imbalance in telephone access between developed and developing countries. The Commission unanimously concluded that the gross and growing imbalance in the distribution of telecommunications throughout the world was not tolerable. At that time, three-quarters of the 600 million telephones in the world were concentrated in just nine industrialized countries.

“The Maitland Report effectively provided the blueprint for the creation of ITU-D and the Telecommunication Development Bureau. Thanks in no small part to Sir Donald's work we have now largely achieved his dream of bringing most of the world’s people within reach of a telephone,” said Dr Touré.

Take time to dream, imagine, innovate, and create a bright, long-term future for the ICT sector

Turning to Guadalajara, the city often referred to as the “Pearl of the West” and one of the foremost cultural centres of Mexico, Dr Touré commented that he looked forward “not just to three weeks of hard work, but also to hearing Mariachi music in its traditional home, and to sampling the many local culinary specialities on offer.”

ITU Deputy Secretary-General Houlin Zhao read the following message from Mr Ban: “For 145 years the International Telecommunication Union has played a central role in the development of the global communications system – and for the past 60 years, the ITU has been an invaluable member of the United Nations family.  From the birth of telegraph to radio, television, satellite communication and the Internet, the ITU has been at the forefront of “Connecting the World”.

 

ITU Deputy-Secretary-General

Today there are five billion mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide, and almost two billion people online. The work of the ITU, its Member States, and its Sector Members continues to show how powerful a partnership for development can be when it is based on transparency, openness and cooperation.  But despite important headway in expanding the benefits of information and communication technology, there is much work ahead.  As was emphasized at last month’s Millennium Development Goals Summit in New York, while the digital divide has narrowed, it has far from disappeared. 

 

One focus as we move ahead must be to harness the power of broadband.  Experience has shown that greater access to broadband technologies has meant faster progress towards all the MDGs. The Internet drives trade, commerce and even education. Telemedicine is improving health care. Earth-monitoring satellites are being used to address climate change issues. And green technologies are promoting cleaner cities. Last month the Broadband Commission for Digital Development - a distinguished group of government officials, businesspeople and content developers, brought together under the leadership of ITU and UNESCO - offered a blueprint, and I look forward to working with all partners in bringing it to life.

 

Your work in developing the next generation of communications networks, ensuring cybersecurity, and putting the power of ICT networks to good use in disaster relief and mitigation is vitally important to us all.  With the opening of the first ITU liaison office to the United Nations, our cooperation has grown even closer.  I look forward to strengthening our partnership, and I wish you the very best in your efforts to realize the great potential of ICT to generate social and economic progress for all.”
 

Governor of the State of Jalisco welcomes participants

Governor of the State of Jalisco

Welcoming participants to his state, the Governor said he was proud that Guadalajara is the city where in the coming days, the future of telecommunications throughout the world will be determined , with tremendous repercussions on the future of all humankind. He underlined that telecommunications have an important role to play in this increasingly interconnected world to ensure that knowledge flows in all directions and reaches the most isolated areas. He noted that participants at PP-10 are responsible for taking decisions, which will encourage the proper development of telecommunications for the benefit of men and women of all nations.

Structure of the conference and terms of reference of its Committees and Working Group

At its first Pleary meeting, the conference elected Fernando Borjón Figueroa (Mexico) as its chairman and established the structure given below for its work. In addition the Secretary-General appointed Valery Timofeev, Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau to follow the work of Committees 1, 2 and 3 ; Malcolm Johnson, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, Committee 5; Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary-General, Committee 6; and Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, the Working Group of the Plenary.

Chairman of PP-10 Fernando Borjón Figueroa (Mexico)

Chairman of the Conference: Mr F. BORJÓN FIGUEROA (Mexico)
 
Vice-Chairmen of the Conference: 
Ambassador P. VERVEER (United States of America)
Mr A. JONSSON (Sweden)
H.E. I. SHCHEGOLEV (Russian Federation)
H.E. T.T. GOWELO (Malawi)
Mr J. ASHURST (Australia)
Mr T. AL AWADHI (United Arab Emirates)
 
 
Committee 1 – Steering Committee

This Committee is composed of the chairman and vice‑chairmen of the conference and of the chairmen and vice‑chairmen of the other committees and Working Groups of the Plenary. It will coordinate all matters connected with the smooth execution of work and plan the order and number of meetings, avoiding overlapping wherever possible in view of the limited number of members of some delegations.

 
Committee 2 – Credentials Committee

Chairman: Mr N. KISRAWI (Syrian Arab Republic)
Vice-Chairmen:
 Mr V.F. TARLEV (Moldova)
 Ms P. DEMITION (Philippines)
 Mr J. ALBERNAZ (Brazil)
 Mr M. GHAZAL (Lebanon)
 
This Committee will verify the credentials of delegations and report on its conclusions to the Plenary Meeting within the time specified by the latter.

Committee 3 – Budget Control Committee

Chairman: Mr K.J. WEE (Korea (Rep. of))
Vice-Chairmen:
 Mr R. BOURNE (Barbados)
 Mr B. LIMBONDZI (Gabon)

Determine the organization and the facilities available to the delegates, examine and approve the accounts for expenditure incurred throughout the duration of the Conference and report to the Plenary Meeting on the estimated total expenditure of the Conference and on the estimated costs entailed by the execution of the decisions of the Conference.

Committee 4 – Editorial Committee

Chairman: Ms M.-T. ALAJOUANINE (France)
Vice-Chairmen:
 Ms B. GONZALEZ (Spain)
 Mr B. WALLIS (United Kingdom)
 Mr O.V. MIRONNIKOV (Russian Federation)
 Ms Z. NIE (China)
 Mr R. EL MOUTARAJJI (Morocco)
 
This Committee will perfect the form of the texts to be included in the Final Acts of the Conference, without altering the sense, and submit them to the Plenary Meeting.

Committee 5 – Policy and Legal Matters

Chairman: Mr F. RIEHL (Switzerland)
Vice-Chairmen:
 Mr K. ARASTEH (Iran (Islamic Rep. of))
 Mr H. AL SHANKITI (Saudi Arabia)
 Mr A. NALBANDIAN (Armenia)
 
This Committee will consider reports and proposals related to policy matters of the Union, including the reports submitted by the Council on the activities of the Union, recommend appropriate actions with respect to the activities of the General Secretariat and the three Sectors, and examine proposals for amending the Constitution, Convention, General Rules and Optional Protocol and, taking into account relevant reports and recommendations from Committee 6 and the Working Group of the Plenary, recommend all appropriate actions to the Plenary. Consider any other questions of a legal nature raised during the Conference and transmit to Committee 6 matters having financial implications.

Committee 6 – Administration and Management

Chairman: Mr B. GRACIE (Canada)
Vice-Chairmen:
 Ms N. BOLJOBEKOVA (Kyrgyzstan)
 Mr M. OUHADJ (Algeria)
 Mr R.N. JHA (India)
 
This Committee will consider the draft Strategic Plan and other reports and proposals relating to the Strategic Plan and examine relevant reports and proposals on the general management of the Union, in particular those relating to financial and human resources and including relevant parts of the reports submitted by other Committees and the Working Group of the Plenary; prepare draft financial policies and a draft financial plan for 2012-2015 and recommend to the Plenary all appropriate actions related to the management of the Union’s activities; and transmit to Committee 5 matters requiring amendments to the Constitution, Convention and the General Rules.

Working Group of the Plenary
 

Chairman: Mr C. NJOROGE (Kenya)
Vice-Chairmen:
Mr A. FAYZULLAEV (Uzbekistan)
Mr W.M. RULLENS (Netherlands)
Ms N. EL SAADANY (Egypt)
Mr T.Q. CUONG (Viet Nam)
 
The Working Group will consider reports and proposals and recommend appropriate actions with regard to issues related to public policies, including Internet, and other general matters; and transmit to Committee 5 matters requiring amendments to the Constitution, Convention and General Rules, and to Committee 6 matters having financial implications.

The Agenda

During the three-week conference, a wide range of global issues will be tackled, including: cybersecurity; strategies to reach the goal of “broadband inclusion for all”; IPv6 addressing; the scope of the review of the International Telecommunication Regulations (or ITRs), and the preparatory process for that review; and the enhanced use of ICT in mitigating climate change and emergency communications.

The full agenda of the conference, which was adopted in Plenary today, is set out in Document PP-10/1. It covers three main areas: ITU policy, elections, and legal housekeeping. PP-10 will also have to deal, as necessary, with other telecommunication questions.
 


Policy of the Union 

PP-10 has responsibility for establishing the general policies to be followed to fulfil the purposes of the Union set out in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution. The basis for determining the policies will be the various proposals put forward by Member States, as well as the reports by the Council.

 
On a more detailed level, PP-10 will need to establish a strategic plan for the Union for the years 2012-2015, along with a financial plan that will serve as a basis for the Union’s budget for those four years. This includes establishing the total number of contributory units for the period up to the next plenipotentiary conference.



Elections for ITU’s leadership and governance 

PP-10 will elect ITU’s top management to serve until the next plenipotentiary conference. Member States will elect:

• a Secretary-General;
• a Deputy Secretary-General;
• a Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau;
• a Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau;
• a Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau.

PP-10 will also ensure continuity in the governance of the Union by electing:

• The Member States that will serve on the Council (which has responsibilities for governance matters between plenipotentiary conferences). Currently, there are  46 seats, but these are likely to be increased to 48 , following the results of a study requested by The Plenipotentiary Conference in 2006 and the joining of Timor-Leste as the 192nd  Member State of the Union in August 2010.
  
  
• Members of the Radio Regulations Board (which has responsibilities for radiocommunication matters between radiocommunication conferences).

 
Legal instruments of the Union

Member States may put forward proposals for amendments to the ITU Constitution and Convention. It is up to PP-10 to consider those proposals and, if appropriate, adopt them.

 
Other legal housekeeping that PP-10 must undertake covers agreements between the Union and other international organizations, as well as any necessary updating of the General Rules applicable to conferences, assemblies and meetings.
 

Delegation of the Russian Federation

• All policy statements

The Republic of Korea offers to host the next Plenipotentiary Conference in 2014 

Kicking off the policy statements, the Chairman of Korea Communications Commission, See Joong Choi, recalled that in the 1950s, when the Republic of Korea joined ITU, it was one of the poorest economies in the world. Describing the remarkable economic growth the country has known in recent decades, Mr Choi said it was thanks to the vigorous effort expended by the Korean people, along with government policies that sparked energy and creativity in the private sector, and cooperation and support from ITU and the international community, with ICT also playing a pivotal role. “ICT does not only facilitate information exchange and enhance work efficiency, but also contribute to emotional connection, leisure activities and more, improving the quality of life,” citing smartphones, smart televisions, and three-dimensional television (3D TV) among the trends impacting our lives. “In order for these recent market trends to become more than technological advancement to enrich life experiences and further the progress of humankind and advance culture, ITU will need to take initiative. The Republic of Korea will also actively participate alongside ITU,” he said. He added that “as part of this endeavour, the Republic of Korea hopes to become the host country for the 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference”. He asked delegates for their support in this regard.

Delegation of Japan

Mr Hiraoka then went on to describe the country’s national ICT Growth Strategy formulated by the Japanese government. Thanks to this strategy “ICT services have become a fundamental infrastructure in support of democracy by connecting people and future economic growth.” There are three key points in this strategy. First, to ensure that all households in Japan utilize broadband services by 2015. Second, to revitalize local communities and create jobs through extensive and widespread utilization of ICT in all sectors of society. And third, to tackle environmental issues and contribute to related activities as one of the leading countries in this field. In the area of broadcasting, the Japanese government had decided to complete the transition from analogue terrestrial broadcasting to digital terrestrial broadcasting by July 2011. Digital terrestrial broadcasting can be received without interference in remote and mountainous areas and by mobile phone without additional facilities and investment. Also, it creates new businesses and jobs and helps to stimulate the economy by enabling the government to provide interactive services such as e-government, e-health and e-education. It is also seen as the ideal solution for bridging the digital divide.

Ghana's Minister of Communications Haruna Iddrisu, said that substantial investment had been made by his country in broadband infrastructure to deliver e-government services and other ICT applications in education, health and commerce. “Ghana commends ITU for collaborating with UNESCO to set up the Broadband Commission to promote access and connectivity to all irrespective of geographic location,” he added.

Ghana's telephone service has reached 16.9 million subscriptions, representing nearly 74 per cent teledensity “and definitely very well ahead in meeting the targets of the World Summit on the Information Society”, Mr Iddrisu told participants. “There has also been a proliferation of other value-added services, such as those supporting financial transactions and mobile Internet services. Today, number portability infrastructure has been installed and the facility is to be introduced to provide greater choices to consumers while allowing competition to deliver improved quality of service and affordable pricing.” Ghana is now rolling out a national fibre-optic programme to cover all the local government district areas to support the deployment of high-speed Internet connectivity to all public offices, schools and teacher training colleges, hospitals, libraries and so on.

Ghana is also phasing out analogue diffusion of radio and television signals by the due date of 2015. It has commenced the migration from analogue to digital transmission of radio and television.

On climate change and the environment, the Minister said that “this is one area that the involvement of ITU would be required to help impress on the capacity of ICT to help minimize the emission of greenhouse gases, and help save our planet.”

Mr Iddrisu then went on to underline that “It is the responsibility of this conference to sustain the awakened hopes and aspirations of the peoples of the world. The time for the realization of the Millennium Development Goals is drawing near and the challenge of the Information Society remains to be accomplished. We dare not disappoint, and ITU demands our collective support.”

Delegation of Saudi Arabia

• “ITU should be a place where the development of the Internet is fostered.  The Internet has progressed and evolved in a remarkably successful way under the existing multi-stakeholder arrangements.  Changes, especially changes involving inter-governmental controls, are likely to impair the dynamism of the Internet—something we all have an interest in avoiding.
  
  
• ITU’s interest in cybersecurity should continue to focus on capacity building and the associated development and dissemination of best practices.  This is an area where an enormous amount remains to be done, and where improvements will prove very valuable to all ITU members, regardless of the state of their digital development.  We believe very strongly that the ITU should not be distracted from this important responsibility by straying into areas outside of its mandate and expertise such as cybercrime and cyberwar.”
  
  
• With regard to World Conference on International Telecommunications planned for 2012 (WCIT-12), Ambassador  Verveer  said “it would be a serious mistake to seek to extend the International Telecommunications Regulations to today’s world of broadband and the Internet.  There is a superficial similarity between the narrowband for which the ITRs were configured and the broadband of today, but it is only superficial.  Just as with the Internet, inter-governmental controls over broadband are likely to do much more harm than good.”
  
  
  

India's Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Department of Telecommunications, Sachin Pilot, recalling the recent global economic and financial meltdown stated that his country had “ducked the worst of the crisis, and grew at a rate of around 6 per cent even during the recession”. He added that by year-end 2010, India’s economy would be growing at a rate of 8 to 9 per cent. “Part of the reason is a 300 million strong middle class with a rapidly rising purchasing power.” He cited telecommunications as one of the most vibrant sectors of India’s economy. “Even as the total number of subscribers reaches the 700-million mark, we continue to add nearly 16-17 million connections monthly. In urban markets, providers are offering innovative value-added services, with the market for 3G in India expected to yield rich dividends for providers in the coming years,” Mr Pilot explained.

India's rural teledensity has shown remarkable progress, rising to 27 per cent from around 2 per cent just five years ago. And the country is well on its way to achieving a rural teledensity target of 40 per cent by 2012, Mr Pilot said, adding that the focus is not just on mobile phones for voice communication, but increasingly using mobile technology to deliver services. “India is now looking to combine the advantages of mobile phones, broadband, and identification cards to deliver services. Using mobile phones as authentication devices, businesses will be able to target rural customers without setting up shop everywhere. In particular, financial services to the poor will be critical. Right now, only about 15 per cent of Indians have bank accounts, “the Minister underlined. India, he said, is rapidly expanding its broadband infrastructure to maximize the combined potential of mobile phones, broadband, and identification cards.
 
He commented that “ITU has grown from strength to strength, and is one of the most active UN agencies. Its relevance continues to increase as the use of ICT becomes central to global economic progress and poverty alleviation.”

Week 2 of the conference will see four side events featuring debates between experts from government and industry as follows:

• 12 October, 16:30-18:30 — Roadblocks to “broadband inclusion for all”
  
  
• 13 October, 14:30-17:30 — Enabling a low-carbon future: the key role of ICT to address climate change
  
  
• 14 October, 16:30-18:00 — Accessible ICT for persons with disabilities
  
  
• 15 October, 14:30–16:30 — Cybersecurity