The 2026 ITU Policy and Economics Colloquium (IPEC 26) for the Americas will take place physically in Guatemala City, Guatemala, from 7 to 11 December 2026. The event is organized by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in partnership with the
Superintendency of Telecommunications of Guatemala (SIT).
The colloquium will encompass the
ITU‑D Regional Economic Dialogue (RED),
capacity building on the Global Economic Model and Study (GEMS) tool, and
meetings of the ITU‑T Regional Groups (Study Groups 3, 12 and 2).
Registration Closing Date
All participants are invited to
register online for IPEC‑26 by 3 December 2026. The registration links and information on the ITU-T Study Groups activities are available on the Regional Group webpages:
ITU-D Regional Economic Dialogue (RED) and the
ITU-D capacity building on the Global Economic Model and Study (GEMS) tool
The Regional Economic Dialogue will be held on 7-8 December 2026, and will include a session on ITU‑D Study Group 1 Question 4/1: Economic aspects of national telecommunications/ICTs, as well as a capacity‑building session on the ITU strategic tool, the
Global Economic Model and Study (GEMS), to be
held on 9 December. Please refer to the programme
here.
This year, the Regional Economic Dialogue (RED‑AMS) will focus on the following themes:
-
Scaling regional solutions for global impact to be addressed in the framework of the
Digital Regulation Network (DRN) session on policy and regulation in the Americas region;
- Understanding the
regulatory and economic measures to facilitate resilient universal connectivity for new technologies and services
- The
innovative investment pathways for sustainable digital transformation
- Costing and tariff policies issues in the framework of the
ITU-D Question 4/1 Economic Aspects of national telecommunications/ICT
- Capacity building session on the ITU GEMS tool will provided an overview of digital economic regulation and introduced the GEMS tool, including its objectives, methodology, and outputs. Through country case studies and hands-on exercises, participants will explor practical applications of GEMS, assess policy and investment scenarios, and build consensus on evidence-based approaches to digital development.
ITU-T Meetings
- ITU-T Study Group 3 - Economic & policy issues
Regional Group for Latin America and the Caribbean (SG3RG-LAC)
10 December (morning) and 11 December (morning)
-
ITU-T Study Group 12 - Performance, QoS & QoE
Regional Group for the Americas (SG12RG-AMR)
10 December (afternoon)
-
ITU-T Study Group 2 - Operational aspects
Regional Group for the Americas (SG2RG-AMR)
11 December (afternoon)
Who should attend?
Telecommunication/ICT National Regulatory Authorities (NRA) of ITU Member States; ITU Sector Members, Associates and Academia; Regional Regulatory Associations in the Americas region (RA); International Organizations and ICT stakeholders, and other relevant regulatory agencies, ICT policymakers and staff from sector members dealing with policy, regulatory and economic matters.
All events are free of charge; however, participating entities must cover the transportation, lodging and per diem expenses of their delegates. It is important that participants consider in advance the
visa requirements to enter Guatemala prior to travel.
Fellowships
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To support participation from eligible countries, up to two partial fellowships per country may be awarded, subject to the availability of funds. A partial fellowship may cover either: One return economy-class air ticket by the most direct and economical route between the participant's country of origin and the meeting venue; or a daily subsistence allowance (DSA) to help cover accommodation, meals, and incidental expenses.
If two partial fellowships are requested for the same country, at least one must be allocated as an air ticket. Applicants' organizations are responsible for covering all remaining participation costs.
Preference will be given to applicants attending all the ITU events during the IPEC-26, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, 7-11 December 2026.
How to Apply
The Fellowships request form is also available on the ITU-T Regional Groups homepages. Fellowship requests must be received by 26 October 2026 at the latest. They are to be sent by e-mail to fellowships@itu.int or by fax to +41 22 730 57 78. Registration (approved by the focal point) is required before submitting a fellowship request, and it is strongly recommended to register for the event and to start the request process at least seven weeks before the meeting.
Language & interpretation
All the events will be conducted in English and Spanish with simultaneous interpretation. The presentations won't be translated, however all of them will be published on the
RED Agenda.
