Monday, 21 June 2021

13:00 - 14:30
GMT+2
Heads of Regulators Executive Roundtable

Adoption of the GSR best practice guidelines

Panel discussion: Collaborative regulation for digital transformation

  • A whole of governance approach - the voice and role of sectoral regulators (energy, competition, broadcasting, digital content, data protection, financing)
  • Empowering stakeholders - from consultation to co-regulation – every voice counts!
  • Moving the regulatory cursor to adapt to a changing ecosystem
  • Impact of regulatory tools - evidence based regulation

      Speaker
      Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin
      Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
      International Telecommunication Union

      Biography
      Ms Mercy Wanjau
      Chair (21) and Acting Director General
      Communications Authority of Kenya (CA)
      Kenya

      Biography

      Intervener
      Ms Gisa Fuatai Purcell
      Regulator
      Office of the Regulator
      Samoa (Independent State of)

      Biography
      Mr Michel Van Bellinghen
      Chairman of the Council
      Belgian Institute for Postal services and Telecommunications (BIPT) and BEREC Chair 2021
      Belgium

      Biography
      Dr Mohammed Al Tamimi
      Governor
      Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC)
      Saudi Arabia

      Biography
      Dr P D Vaghela
      Chairman
      Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
      India

      Biography
      Mr Amir Azeem Bajwa
      Chairman
      Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)
      Pakistan

      Biography
      Mr Serge Abiteboul
      Board Member
      Autorité de Régulation des Communications électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP)
      France

      Biography
      Ms Jessica Rosenworcel
      Acting Chair
      Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
      United States

      Biography
      Mr Ramiro Camacho Castillo
      Commissioner
      Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT)
      Mexico

      Biography
      Professor Konstantinos Masselos
      President
      Hellenic Telecommunications & Post Commission (EETT)
      Greece

      Biography
      Mr Belal Hafnawi
      Commissioner
      Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC)
      Jordan

      Biography
      Mr Rafael Eduardo Muente Schwarz
      Presidente del Consejo Directivo
      Organismo Supervisor de Inversión Privada en Telecomunicaciones (OSIPTEL)
      Peru

      Biography
      Mr Carlos Lugo
      Commissioner
      Comisión de Regulación de Comunicaciones (CRC)
      Colombia

      Biography
      Mrs Hana Tovarkova
      Council Chair
      Czech Telecommunication Office (CTU)
      Czech Rep.

      Biography
      H.E Chenda Thong
      Chairman
      Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC)
      Cambodia

      Biography
      Professor Américo Muchanga
      Chairman of the Board
      Autoridade Reguladora das Comunicações de Moçambique (ARECOM)
      Mozambique

      Biography

14:40 - 16:00
GMT+2
ITU-USTTI Emerging Technologies Accelerating the Digital Transformation Process

This joint ITU-USTTI event provided regulatory officials with information and insights on how emerging technologies can accelerate the digital transformation process, and how such smart technologies and innovation have strengthened digital resilience. This training session saw subject matter experts further discuss how these emerging technologies interact with key policy and regulatory trends.

This webinar came at a time when COVID-19 has highlighted the strategic importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) networks and services for society and economies around the globe.

Moderator
Mr Jim O’Connor
Chairman & CEO
USTTI

Speaker
Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin
BDT Director
International Telecommunication Union

Biography

Intervener
Ms Aminata Amadou Garba
Senior Coordinator, DNS, BDT
International Telecommunication Union

Statement | Biography

Panelist
Ms Ruth Pritchard Kelly
Vice President Regulatory Affairs
OneWeb

Presentation : Presentation
Mr Michael Fitzpatrick
Head of Global Regulatory Affairs
Google
Dr Robert Pepper
Head of Global Connectivity Policy and Planning
Facebook

Presentation : Presentation
Mr Ron Repasi
Acting Chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Presentation : Presentation

Tuesday, 22 June 2021

13:00 - 14:30
GMT+2
The Road2Addis series - Lead2Connect event

This session of the Road to Addis series focused on Leadership as a driving force to achieve digital transformation and universal connectivity.

The session was part of the Global Symposium of Regulators (GSR) 2021 core sessions programme. It featured leaders from different disciplines who can share valuable lessons about their own experience accomplishing the unimaginable, providing insight and inspiration to Symposium delegates around the world.

The session aimed to answer the following questions:

  • What constitutes a great leader today and what skills will be required for the leaders of the future?
  • What kind of leadership is needed to enable the digital transformation of an entire planet?
  • What leadership lessons can be applied to solving the universal and inclusive connectivity challenge by 2030?
  • What does it take to help people accomplish the unimaginable?

Session Objectives:

  • Identify the leadership principles that are required to achieve universal and inclusive connectivity and the accomplishment of the SDGs.
  • Inspire attendees of the GSR and the global online community with real life examples of global leaders from different spheres that have accomplished the unimaginable.
  • Share leadership lessons from different sectors and assess how they can be applied to connectivity for sustainable development.



Learn more about the event agenda and speakers Here

14:45 - 16:00
GMT+2
Regulatory Associations’ (RA) Meeting

The Regional Regulatory Association Meeting (RA) focused on the role of regional and international organizations in promoting Broadband mapping tools to foster investment and competition for inclusive and sustainable connectivity.

The Regional Regulatory Associations Meeting provides a unique platform for Regulatory Associations to share experiences and knowledge, to discuss how they can collaborate, and to identify means to bring affordable, safe, secure and trusted connectivity and online access and use to people in their respective regions.


RA Website and Final Report

Opening Remarks
Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
International Telecommunication Union

Biography
Ms Bridget Mphatso Linzie
Chair RA and Executive Secretary
Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA)

Biography

Interactive Discussion: Broadband Mapping tools to foster investment and Competition for Inclusive and Sustainable Connectivity
Mr Vladimir Daigele
Telecommunication Network & spectrum Management Division, BDT
International Telecommunication Union

Presentation : Presentation on the ITU Broadband Maps
Biography
Mr Francisco Chate
Executive Secretary
Association of Communications and Telecommunications Regulators of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (ARCTEL-CPLP)

Biography
Mr Mohamed Chemani
Permanent Secretariat
Arab Regulators Network of telecommunications and information technologies (AREGNET)

Biography
Ms Bernice Otye Edande
Secrétaire Permanent
Assemblée des Régulateurs des Télécommunications de l'Afrique Centrale (ARTAC)

Presentation : Le projet de la dorsale à fibre optique d’Afrique Centrale/Projet CAB
Biography
Mr John Omo
Secretary General
African Telecommunication Union (ATU)

Biography
Ms Annemarie Sipkes
Incoming BEREC Chair 2022
Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC)

Biography
Mr Oscar Leon
Executive Secretary
Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL)

Biography
Mr Selby Wilson
Caribbean Telecommunication Union (CTU)

Presentation : Presentation on the CTU’s Handbook and Workshop on the Implementation of Digital ID Systems
Ms Nataliia Lado
Representative
Eastern Partnership Electronic Communications Regulators Network (EaPeReg)

Biography
Mr Abdoul Ly
Chair 2021
Réseau Francophone de la Régulation des Télécommunications (FRATEL)

Biography
Mr Almazbek Apandievich Kadyrkulov
Deputy Director General
Executive Committee, Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (RCC)

Biography
Ms Paola Andrea Bonilla Castaño
Representative
Foro Latinoamericano de Entes Reguladores de Telecomunicaciones (REGULATEL)

Presentation : Regulación y Conectividad Innovadora
Biography
Mr Jigme Wangdi
Chairman
South Asian Telecommunication Regulators' Council (SATRC)

Closing, Recommendations and Ways Forward
Ms Bridget Mphatso Linzie
Chair RA and Executive Secretary
Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA)

Biography

14:45 - 16:30
GMT+2
Industry Advisory Group on Development Issues and Private Sector Chief Regulatory Officers (IAGDI-CRO) meeting

The pandemic has showed how important it is for governments to proactively and timely shape the development and deployment of ICT policies and regulatory approaches in times of crisis. COVID-19 has inevitably affected individuals, families, and organizations across industries, geographies, and demographics. As we prepare for the post- pandemic era, it will require enormous investments and efforts and a shared vision amongst stakeholders to forge the right kind of partnerships that may lead to resilient sustainable development.

Within this perspective, the voice of industry and private sector in sharing challenges and lessons learned brings an important perspective to policy and regulatory debate. IAGDI-CRO met, debated and shared views and lessons learned from the prevailing COVID-19 situation and how this has impacted business. Thought leaders used this opportunity to propose policy and regulatory adjustments that could help business to recover and thrive under new collaborative and partnership approaches.

Opening Remarks
Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
International Telecommunication Union

Biography

Chairman
Mr Bocar Ba
CEO
Samena Telecommunications Council and Broadband Commission Commissioner

Biography

Speaker
Mr Gil Santaliz
Founder and CEO
New Jersey Fiber Exchange (NJFX)

Biography
Mr David Kirkpatrick
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Techonomy

Biography
Mr John Giusti
Chief Regulatory Officer
GSMA

Biography
Ms Kui Kinyanjui
Head of Regulatory and Public Policy
Safaricom

Biography
Ms Maria Alexandra Velez
Senior Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs
SBA Communications

Biography
Ms Aarti Holla-Maini
Secretary-General
ESOA

Biography
Mr Maxim Naidoo
Executive Head of Technical Regulation
Vodacom

Biography
Mr Rahul Vatts
Chief Regulatory Officer
Bharti Airtel

Biography
Mr Khaled Hegazy
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
Etisalat

Biography

Wednesday, 23 June 2021

14:15 - 14:30
GMT+2
GSR sessions opening
Mr Houlin Zhao
Secretary-General
International Telecommunication Union

Biography
Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
International Telecommunication Union

Biography
Ms Mercy Wanjau
Chair GSR-21 and Acting Director-General
Communications Authority
Kenya

Biography
14:30 - 16:00
GMT+2
Session 1: Connectivity4digital transformation: regulatory enablers

  • The importance of sharing: spectrum, networks, infrastructure co-deployment, etc
  • How to balance affordability, RoI and technologies innovation? Why regulation matters
  • Fair competition in a globalized digital world: a dream? lifting the remaining regulatory, commercial and business anticompetitive practices
  • Building digital resilience: Lessons learned from the pandemic and addressing urgent challenges (climate change, emergency, etc)

      Moderator
      Mr Michel Van Bellinghen
      Chairman of the Council
      Belgian Institute for Postal services and Telecommunications (BIPT) and BEREC Chair 2021
      Belgium

      Biography

      Introductory Remarks
      Mr Mario Maniewicz
      Director, Radiocommunication Bureau
      International Telecommunication Union

      Biography

      Panelist
      Ms Ekaterine Imedadze
      Commissioner
      Georgian National Communications Commission
      Georgia

      Biography
      Mr Serge Abiteboul
      Board Member
      Autorité de Régulation des Communications électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP)
      France

      Biography
      Ms Bridget Mphatso Linzie
      Executive Secretary
      Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA)

      Biography
      Mr Geoffrey Starks
      Commissioner
      Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
      United States

      Biography
      Ms Jayne Stancavage
      Global Executive Director of Product and Digital Infrastructure Policy
      Intel Corporation

      Biography

16:15 - 17:00
GMT+2
GenerationConnect@GSR: building a digital future

A Conversation between youth and regulators/industry

Moderator
Mrs Celia Pellet
Biography
Mrs Emma Randall
Biography

Panelist
Ms Hannia Vega
Superintendency of Telecommunications (SUTEL)
Costa Rica

Biography
Ms Helena Fernandes
Instituto Nacional das Comunicações de Moçambique (INCM)
Mozambique

Biography
Ms Belinda Exelby
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA)

Biography
Ms Vigneswara Ihita Gangavarapu
Board Member
Generation Connect Visionaries

Biography
Ms Valarie Waswa
Representative
Generation Connect Africa Youth Group

Biography
Mr Daniel Kalemi
Representative
Generation Connect Europe Youth Group

Biography

Thursday, 24 June 2021

13:00 - 13:05
GMT+2
Spotlight Session on ITU's Financing universal access to digital technologies and services paper and ITU-World Bank Digital Regulation Platform

Financing Universal Access to Digital Technologies and Services

The ITU World Bank Digital Regulation Platform

13:05 - 14:20
GMT+2
Session 2: Financing to achieve affordable connectivity, and meaningful access and use

  • Reviewing the USO concept to address the digital ecosystem
  • Innovative funding approaches and financial solutions, lessons from the other sectors
  • Do traditional financing models still apply? Reforming approaches to USF
  • Regulation as an enabler

      Moderator
      Ms Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo
      Acting Executive Director
      Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)
      Uganda

      Biography

      Setting the scene
      Mr Andile Ngcaba
      Founding Partner & Chairman
      Convergence Partners

      Presentation : Presentation
      Biography

      Panelist
      Mr Bocar Ba
      CEO
      Samena Telecommunications Council and Broadband Commission Commissioner

      Biography
      Ms Hannia Vega
      Commissioner
      Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (SUTEL)
      Costa Rica

      Biography
      Ms Boutheina Guermazi
      Director of Digital Development Infrastructure Practice Group
      World Bank

      Biography
      Ms Jane Coffin
      Senior Vice President Internet Growth
      ISOC

      Biography
      Mr Brian Winji
      CEO
      Telecommunications, Radiocommunications and Broadcasting Regulation (TRBR)
      Vanuatu

      Biography

14:30 - 14:35
GMT+2
Spotlight on ITU's REG4COVID tools and Econometric Modelling ReportFor more information please visit the following websites:

14:35 - 16:00
GMT+2
Session 3: Regulation4Innovation

  • Driving digital deepening across infrastructure and the platform value chain (from satellite to terrestrial, wireless services, cloud services and digital platforms)
  • Fostering emerging technologies uptakes: a case for regulatory sandboxes, co-regulation, self-regulation to enhance digital for economic and social development
  • Regulatory innovation driving local development and entrepreneurship
  • Cross sectoral regulatory incentives to foster local and young entrepreneurs to contribute and benefit from smart digital transformation

      Moderator
      Mr Oscar Leon
      Executive Secretary
      Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL)

      Biography

      Panelist
      Mr Carlos Lugo
      Commissioner
      Comisión de Regulación de Comunicaciones (CRC)
      Colombia

      Biography
      Mr João António Cadete de Matos
      Chairman
      Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM)
      Portugal

      Biography
      Mr Flavien Bachabi
      Chairman of the Board
      Autorité de Régulation des Communications Electroniques et de la Poste (ARCEP)
      Benin

      Biography
      Ms Jennifer Manner
      Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs
      EchoStar Corporation/Hughes

      Biography
      Mr Rahul Vatts
      Chief Regulatory Affairs
      Bharti Airtel

      Biography
      Ms Monica Desai
      Global Head Connectivity and Access
      Facebook

      Biography

16:00 - 17:00
GMT+2
Network of Women for WTDC (NoW4WTDC): ‘Promoting women leadership in the ICT regulatory and policy space’

The Network of Women for WTDC (NoW4WTDC) is a platform for collaboration and exchange of information to increase the number of women participating in ITU-D meetings . It is also a platform to encourage more women to take up leadership roles, such as committee chairs, working group chairs in the conference structures, and other management roles in the preparatory processes for the WTDC itself, and beyond. It provides the opportunity to share important lessons in a supportive community including mentorship.

The objective of the side event was to spark conversations that infuse diverse perspectives from experiences to help build capacity of potential women leaders in National Regulatory Agencies, ICT policy agencies and in the industry in general.

The topic of discussion at the side event during GSR 2021 were: “Promoting women leadership in the ICT regulatory and policy space.” The session featured three female leaders in a fireside chat. It allowed these leaders to share their perspectives and journey in leadership in the ICT industry, and also share experiences helpful in encouraging appropriate measures that will enable more women to ascend into executive roles.

In addition to the launch of the mentorship programme and the call for mentors in May 2021, the call for mentees was made at this 24 June side event. The ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) also released the results of the survey on the call for mentors, as well the survey carried out to seek views of members on preferred communication platforms.

Learn more about the Network of Women for WTDC (Now4WTDC)

Welcome and Opening
Ms Cristiana Flutur
Co-President of CEPT and Chairman of Com-ITU, Head of International Affairs Unit
National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications of Romania (ANCOM)
Romania

Biography
Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
International Telecommunication Union

Biography

Fireside Chat Moderator
Ms Sulyna Abdullah
Chief, a.i., Digital Knowledge Hub Department, Telecommunication Development Bureau
International Telecommunication Union

Biography

Fire Side chat Panelists
Ms Amy Alvarez
Vice Chair of IAGDI-CRO and AVP - International External & Regulatory Affairs
AT&T

Biography
Ms Sabine Holl
Vice President Technical Sales and CTO Middle East and Africa
IBM

Biography
Ms Aileen Chia
Deputy Chief Executive Connectivity Development & Regulation Director-General (Telecoms & Post)
Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)

Biography

Friday, 25 June 2021

13:00 - 14:20
GMT+2
Session 4: Safe digital inclusion - Child online protection

  • Achieving safe child digital inclusion – a coordinated policy response
  • Child empowerment - the role of the regulator
  • Fostering child online safety (COP): a regulatory and industry perspective
  • How to keep everyone safe during times of crisis

      Moderator
      Ms Mercy Wanjau
      GSR Chair and Acting Director General
      Communications Authority of Kenya
      Kenya

      Biography
      Sangophone
      COP Mascot

      Biography

      Panelist
      Mr Jacek Oko
      President
      Office of Electronic Communications (UKE)
      Poland

      Biography
      Mr Cornelius Williams
      Global Chief of Child Protection, UNICEF

      Biography
      Ms Rebecca Razavi
      Chief Operating Officer
      e-Safety Commission
      Australia

      Biography
      Ms Almudena Lara
      Senior Manager, Child Safety
      Google

      Biography
      Ms Alexandra Evans
      Head, Child Safety Public Policy Europe
      TikTok

      Biography

      Young Intervener
      Ms Nicole Damianidis
      Young student

      Biography
      Ms Lella Violet Halloum
      Young student

      Biography

14:30 - 14:35
GMT+2
Spotlight on ITU's Collaborative Regulation and G5 Benchmark Tools

Some of the highlighted tools will be:

14:35 - 15:50
GMT+2
Session 5: Partnerships4digital transformation

How can collaborative regulation help?

  • Moving the regulatory cursor to adapt to a changing ecosystem
  • Driving transformation: setting a platform for partnership fostering a whole of governance approach in the digital ecosystem
  • Extending partnerships to non-traditional stakeholders: the regulator as a cross sectoral, collaborative partner
  • Driving digital investment for sustainable development (linked to SDGs)

    (15h40-15h50) ITU-FCDO partnership for school connectivity and digital inclusion

    Moderator
    Professor Konstantinos Masselos
    President
    Hellenic Telecommunications & Post Commission (EETT)
    Greece

    Biography

    Panelist
    Ms Emilia Nghikembua
    CEO
    Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN)
    Namibia

    Biography
    Ms Aarti Holla-Maini
    Secretary General
    ESOA

    Biography
    Mr Andrew Reinsdorf
    Senior Vice President – Warner Bros. Government Relations & AT&T International Public Affairs
    AT&T

    Biography
    Ms Caroline Kamaitha
    Vice President Sales Africa
    SES
    Mr John Frank
    Vice President UN Affairs
    Microsoft

    Biography

    Special Announcement: ITU-FCDO partnership
    Ms Alessandra Lustrati
    Head of Digital Development
    Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)

    Biography
    H.E. Ambassador Simon Manley
    Permanent Representative
    WTO and the UN agencies in Geneva

    Biography
    Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin
    Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
    International Telecommunication Union

    Biography

15:50 - 16:00
GMT+2
Way forward and closing

Speaker
Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
International Telecommunication Union

Biography
Ms Mercy Wanjau
Chair (GSR-21) and Acting Director-General
General Communications Authority of Kenya (CA Kenya)
Kenya

Biography
Ms Bridget Mphatso Linzie
Chair RA and Executive Secretary
Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA)

Biography
Mr Bocar Ba
CEO
Samena Telecommunications Council and Broadband Commission Commissioner

Biography