Resolution 137 (Antalya, 2006)

Next-generation network deployment in developing countries

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Antalya, 2006),

considering

a)      that, as stated in § 22 of the Geneva Declaration of Principles adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), a well-developed information and communication network infrastructure and applications, adapted to regional, national and local conditions, easily accessible and affordable, and making greater use of broadband and other innovative technologies, where possible, can accelerate the social and economic progress of countries, and the well-being of all individuals, communities and peoples;

b)       that the existence, at the national, regional, interregional and global levels, of coherent telecommunication networks and services for the development of national economies is a very important element in the improvement of the social, economic and financial situation of Member States,

welcoming

the efforts made by ITU in paying attention to the interests of developing countries
(cf. Resolution 17 (Rev. Florianópolis, 2004) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), and Resolution 17 (Rev. Doha, 2006) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC)),

noting

a)      that developing countries are being challenged by rapid change of technologies and convergence trends;

b)      ongoing shortages of resources, experience and capacity building within developing countries in planning and deploying networks, in particular next-generation networks (NGN),

recalling

a)      the efforts and collaboration of the three Bureaux to continue enhancing work aimed at providing information and advice on subjects of importance to developing countries for the planning, organization, development and operation of their telecommunication systems;

b)      that technical knowledge and experience of great value to the developing countries is also obtainable from or through the ITU Radiocommunication (ITU-R), Telecommunication Standardization (ITU-T) and Telecommunication Development (ITU-D) Sectors;

c)       that, in accordance with Resolution COM5/1 (Antalya, 2006) the provisions in all ITU documents relating to developing countries shall be extended to apply adequately to countries with economies in transition,

recognizing

a)      that the developing countries have limited human and financial resources to cope with the ever-increasing technology gap;

b)      that the existing digital divide is liable to be aggravated further with the emergence of new technologies, particularly NGNs, if developing countries do not implement them in a timely manner, especially in rural areas,

taking into account

a)      that, for countries, especially developing countries, that have already invested heavily in the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN), it is a pressing task for them to conduct a smooth migration from existing networks to NGNs;

b)      that NGNs are considered a potential tool to meet the new challenges facing the telecommunication industry, and NGN deployment and standards development activities are essential for developing countries, especially for their rural areas where the majority of the population live;

c)       that countries can benefit from NGNs, which can facilitate the delivery of a wide range of advanced ICT-based services for building the information society, resolving difficult issues such as the development and implementation of systems for public protection and disaster relief, especially telecommunications for early warning and the dissemination of emergency information;

d)      that the challenge, as perceived by WSIS, is to harness the potential of information and communication technologies for promoting the development goals of the Millennium Declaration, namely the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowerment of women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases,

resolves to instruct the Directors of the three Bureaux

1        to continue and consolidate their efforts on NGN deployment studies and standards development activities, particularly those designed for rural areas and for bridging the digital divide and the development divide;

2        to coordinate studies and programmes under the Next-Generation Network Global Standards Initiative (NGN-GSI) of ITU-T and of the Global Network Planning Initiatives (GNPi) of ITU-D; coordinate ongoing work being carried out by study groups as defined by WTDC (Doha, 2006) to assist members in deploying NGN effectively, especially in conducting a smooth migration from existing telecommunication infrastructures to NGNs; and seek appropriate solutions for affordable NGN deployment in rural areas,

instructs the Secretary‑General

1        to take appropriate action in order to seek support and financial provision sufficient for the implementation of this resolution, within available financial resources, including financial support through partnership agreements;

2        to highlight the importance and benefits of NGN development and deployment to other United Nations specialized agencies and financial institutions,

instructs the Council

to consider the reports and proposals made by the Secretary-General and the three Bureaux relating to the implementation of this resolution, making the appropriate linkage with the operative paragraphs of Resolution 44 (Florianópolis, 2004) of WTSA, and to take appropriate action so that the Union continues to pay attention to addressing the needs of developing countries,

invites all Member States and Sector Members

1        to undertake concrete actions, to support ITU’s actions and to develop their own initiatives in order to implement this resolution;

2        to strengthen cooperation between developed and developing countries, as well as among developing countries, in improving national capabilities in the implementation of NGNs, especially in regard to planning, deployment, operation and maintenance, and the development of applications and content, especially for rural areas.