UNION INTERNATIONALE DES TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION UNIÓN INTERNACIONAL DE TELECOMUNICACIONES OPENING CEREMONY - ASIA TELECOM 93 Opening Address Singapore, 17 May 1993 Your Excellency, Mr. Wee Kim Wee, President of the Republic of Singapore Honourable Ministers Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Allow me, Your Excellency, Mr. Wee, to pay my respects to you, on behalf of the International Telecommunication Union. I am sure that all delegations present here would wish to join me in expressing our wholehearted thanks and gratitude for the honour you have shown us in presiding over this opening ceremony of the Third Asia International Telecommunication Exhibition and Special Session of the World Telecommunication Forum - "Asia TELECOM 93". Mr. President, We wish to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the continued development of Singapore. Today, Singapore is ranked among the world leaders in telecommunications, power supplies, port facilities, air transport and road networks. The rapid improvements that have taken place since Asia TELECOM 85 and Asia TELECOM 89 have greatly enhanced the infrastructure of the area, demonstrating that telecommunications today is a major strategic element for any nation's progress. We are equally grateful to the Government of the Republic of Singapore and its people for hosting this important event in the beautiful and cosmopolitan city of Singapore. We are certain that Asia TELECOM 93 will contribute towards broadening the thinking and awareness between countries and of the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. Allow me also to pay tribute to the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore and Singapore Telecom for having worked in close partnership with the Union towards the success of this prestigious event. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to Asia TELECOM 93. This is also a solemn occasion where statesmen like yourself, Mr. President, distinguished Ministers from many countries, Directors-General of telecommunications operating companies and chief executive officers of equipment suppliers join hands to create channels for the flow of information. The political and economic world we are living in is barely recognizable compared with a few years ago. At the end of one era we can glimpse the beginning of another, even though the way ahead is still evolving. During the last few years, two separate but complementary forces have accelerated the rapid changes taking place in the world of telecommunications. The first of these is the technology of telecommunications, where the "digital revolution", "broadband revolution" and "mobile revolution" have created new opportunities and solutions, with products such as fibre-optics, satellites and wireless evolving at a rapid pace. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than at Asia TELECOM 93 , which is not only a showcase of the latest in technological advancement and services in the telecommunications fields, including products and offerings that will be part of tomorrow's communications infrastructure, but is also a platform for the presentation of ideas. The second force is the change in the telecommunications environment with its now familiar language of - deregulation, liberalization, privatization, competition, globalization, regionalization. These new structures, accompanied by an ever changing geopolitical environment, are challenging Administrations. The four Symposia of the Asia TELECOM 93 Forum, Policy, Technical, Economic, and Regulatory, will undoubtedly provide a perfect arena and bring together the leading authorities from the telecommunications industry, government representatives as well as those from public and private enterprises, to discuss these very issues. The Asia-Pacific region is currently the most dynamic regional economy of the world with growth rates considerably higher than the average for other regions. The combination of an enormous market with considerable wealth and the most exciting telecom market in the world today, makes the region very attractive to suppliers and investors alike. The Asia-Pacific region is not just one market, but many. It is an area of great contrasts, contrasts in cultural values, business methods and stages of development. Nowhere are these contrasts more obvious than in telecommunications, however, there is one common factor to all these countries - that a modern and efficient telecom infrastructure is seen to be essential to economic wealth. In each country the emphasis is different. In the developed countries the emphasis is on high quality, leading edge services. In the less-developed countries more emphasis is placed on providing the basic infrastructure. But even then, basic services are not the only concern. New technology is such that even advanced services can be accommodated in lesser developed countries once a basic structure is in place. Overall, the Asia-Pacific region offers many opportunities for suppliers who are willing to take the trouble to identify market opportunities carefully, and who are sensitive to each country's individual business characteristics. Regional TELECOM events, always staged at the invitation of the Administration of an ITU Member Country, are organized to bring the potential benefits of telecommunications closer to the people of a specific continent or region. The issues affecting regions also affect the interaction with the global environment. While the importance of regional TELECOM events is clearly understood, its interactive effect with the rest of the world, should not be underestimated. Society's growing dependence on a telecommunications infrastructure emphasises strongly the utmost importance of development in all countries. What we are seeing evolve today is a global network of networks. The infrastructure of infrastructures. The world of tomorrow is one we will reach only with a great deal of co-operation. Every one of us can play a part in making progress. It is the progress of a global society, of men, women and children who are interdependent on a scale never possible before our networked society. It is therefore of the greatest importance to take advantage of the opportunities at Asia TELECOM 93 for learning and sharing and it is my hope that this event will play a catalytic role in the evolution of the Asia-Pacific region - as well as for the world as a whole. May I, in conclusion, respectfully request you, Sir, to honour the ITU and its Members by declaring open Asia TELECOM 93. Finally, Mr. President, on behalf of the 180 Member Countries of the ITU, I wish to reiterate my warmest thanks for your welcome and for the attention shown to us. Thank you.