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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