REGIONAL PRIORITIES – ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Diverse region, diverse needs

The Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting was held in Bali at the end of April 2001. Hosted at the invitation of the Government of Indonesia, the meeting provided a forum for ITU Member States and Sector Members in the region to establish their telecommunication development goals for the next four years and to highlight issues that need to be addressed to achieve those goals. This article looks at the key points of discussion at the Bali meeting: policy and regulation; infrastructure and new technologies; universal access and information and communication technologies (ICT); finance and investment; and human resources development.

Policy and regulatory issues

In the area of policy and regulation, the Asia-Pacific region places emphasis on receiving advice on ways of creating and strengthening regulatory bodies. Statistics from the ITU World Telecommunication Regulatory Database 2001 show that only 34 per cent of Asia-Pacific regulators are considered separate bodies, the lowest percentage of all regions. Countries in the region express the need to improve and update regulatory frameworks in the areas of interconnection, licensing, tariffs and dispute settlement. Those in the throes of transition seek timely advice in developing a roadmap to navigate their way from sector-specific to convergent ICT legislation. In particular, the region wishes to develop model laws or guidelines that take into account socio-economic concerns such as cybercrime, security, privacy, harmful content and taxation.

Infrastructure and new technologies

Like other regions, the general thrust in Asia and the Pacific is on establishing the necessary information infrastructure and improving interconnectivity within and between countries to bridge the digital divide. In particular, the region underscores the need to:

Assist small countries in their commercial negotiations with carriers for interconnection to the backbone or global networks. A better focus needs to be put on interconnectivity and quality of service (QoS) to cope with the increase of Internet traffic.
Include in ITU statistics data of markets not yet served, in particular, data of small markets in developing countries.
Promote industry cooperation so that new technologies and their standards can be applied harmoniously to enhance access to affordable services.
Extend the Internet to rural and remote areas in a cost-effective manner by promoting national and regional initiatives.
Provide assistance in digital broadcasting and in applying digital delivery systems to rural areas to meet the needs of converging networks.
Encourage countries to submit proposals to the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) within the scope of the wireless IP rural telecommunication project.

Universal access and ICT

The general concept of universal access pervades the specific needs of each region. However, similar priorities tend to come into play when establishing general guidelines and frameworks within which the development of each region and use of ICTs can take place. In view of the broad framework, it would be helpful for all regions to revisit the definition of universal access with a view to refining its measurement.

In the case of the Asia-Pacific region, some countries need assistance in QoS and advice on mechanisms or solutions for affordable access to basic communication and information services, especially in rural and remote areas. Other priorities include the need to:

Spread the message that ICT is as important as basic infrastructure.
Request ITU to provide a clear definition of universal access and ICTs, which could be incorporated into national plans and policies.
Develop digital laws and identify model legislation in areas such as e-commerce, privacy and cybercrime.
Promote investment and tariff policies on the provision of infrastructure and Internet access, especially in remote and rural areas.
Bring the issue of Internet charging to the attention of WTDC–02.
Develop skills to effectively use ICTs.
Bring to the attention of WTDC–02 the use of community teleservice centres as a way of providing access to rural areas.
Promote the development of relevant content as well as use of local languages.

Finance and investment

One very common priority in all five regions is the need to establish a framework that is conducive to investment. The Asia-Pacific region needs direct assistance to service providers and regulators in the areas of costing and pricing, interconnection charges and computation of universal service funds. Advice is also sought on techniques and models, for example, a licensing-fee structure to attract investment in wired and wireless technologies as well as in broadcasting services. ITU is requested to endorse country-specific telecommunication projects to international development agencies with a view to implementing them jointly.

Human resources development

There appears to be an overall consensus not just on building a truly integrated human resources system that is able to identify the changing needs of the telecommunication sector, but also on offering the necessary training programmes and expertise to respond to those needs. All regions consider ITU Centres of Excellence, and training centres in general, as focal points. These centres allow strategic alliances to be fostered among industry, educational institutions and the community. Besides, they promote regional cooperation. All regions tend to acknowledge the importance of supporting entrepreneurial spirit and customer/market-driven culture in capacity-building.

The Asia-Pacific region highlights the fast rate of technological change and sector expansion, which puts tremendous pressure on the upgrading of skills. There is recognition in the region for those strategic alliances to be encouraged in order to mainstream skills into vocational training schemes. The region has a shortage of ICT specialists, and places emphasis on assisting institutions to use more ICT-based tools such as distance learning. The Pacific island subregion has unique needs and characteristics that can be only met with the use of ICT. Proper indicators for ICT-literacy should be identified and quantified.