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EDITORIAL



Asia leading change

Two years ago, important goals were set at ITU TELECOM ASIA 2000. Key messages were delivered by top dignitaries and echoed throughout the event. Let us reflect for a moment on those goals and messages as the world’s telecommunication leaders gather at ITU TELECOM ASIA 2002, to be hosted by the Government of the People’s Republic of China at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from 2 to 7 December.

At the opening ceremony of ASIA 2000, Tung Chee Hwa, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China said: “Harnessing the opportunities of the IT revolution to bring a better quality of life to all is a global effort. No country nor economy can do it alone.” ITU Secretary-General, Yoshio Utsumi, set this goal: “Our new goal should be that by the end of this decade, virtually the whole of humankind should be brought within easy reach of modern means of telecommunications, including the Internet.” Wu Bangguo, Vice Premier of the State Council of China, called on world leaders to join hands in reducing the telecommunication gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots”. Richard Li, Executive Chairman of Pacific Century CyberWorks stated: “True progress will be measured by our ability to provide all sectors of society with the skills and knowledge they need in the 21st century.” Two years down the road, and in the current global telecommunications crisis, how is the region doing?

According to a major ITU report prepared specially for ITU TELECOM Asia 2002, the Asia-Pacific region “emerged as the largest telecommunication market in the world in 2001. Today, the region is home to one-third of the world’s telephone subscribers, heralding the arrival of the Pacific Century. Asia-Pacific Telecommunication Indicators 2002, the fifth report in a series, examines “the promising markets of next-generation wireless and broadband Internet access”. According to the report: “These are markets where the region is setting the pace, with the global leaders in both areas.” The report also looks at the steps the region’s economies are taking to connect schools and to prepare a new generation of knowledge workers in the emerging information society. It goes on to review the region’s changing role in the world economy as it takes on leadership in telecommunication markets and indicates that “the world crisis has encouraged quicker acceptance of inter-regional investment”.

China itself is the world’s largest telecommunication market, having added over 300 million new telephone subscribers (half the regional total) between 1991 and 2001. China ranks first in the size of its mobile market and second in fixed lines (after the United States).

Hong Kong, China has one of the highest mobile penetration rates worldwide, with some 84 per cent at year-end 2001, compared with just 58 per cent fixed-line penetration for the same period. It has broadband coverage to virtually all commercial buildings and over 90 per cent of households.

It is against this backdrop that ITU TELECOM ASIA 2002 will take place. The week-long Exhibition will feature an array of telecommunication-related products and services, while the associated Forum will serve as a platform for telecommunication leaders to share their ideas on future trends and development strategies for the region.

This issue of ITU News puts the spotlight on telecommunications in South Asia and on international Internet bandwidth in the Asia-Pacific region, an article complemented by the ITU TELECOMMUNICATION INDICATORS UPDATE. More stories will be written after ITU TELECOM ASIA 2002.

The Editor  

 

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Updated : 2002-12-02