Your Excellencies,
Mr Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure
Mr Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, President of the
Information and Communication Technologies Authority
Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General
All the Ministers and Vice-Ministers here present, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Heads of Regulatory Authorities, Excellencies, distinguished guests, colleagues and friends.
Welcome to GSR-26. For over a quarter of a century, this Symposium has stood as the ITU’s flagship event, uniquely bringing together the entire digital ecosystem. Some have been inspired to call it the Regulators’ Olympics!
We are deeply grateful to the Government of Türkiye and our host, BTK for their warm hospitality and providing us with an excellent venue.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
This year’s theme: "Navigating the Digital Frontier: Regulatory Pathways towards a Resilient and Inclusive Future"
signifies a fundamental shift in our role
from merely reacting to technological disruption,
to proactively designing the pathways that lead to resilience and inclusion.
We meet today as we navigate an unprecedented moment of technological advancement,
driven heavily by artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, and the Internet of Things.
The pace of adoption is staggering.
For example, leading generative AI applications reached 100 million users in just two months,
marking the fastest technology adoption in history.
This, brings immense economic potential. Broad industry estimates suggest AI could contribute $4.8 trillion to the global economy.
The backbone of AI is cloud infrastructure,
and this is expanding by over 30 percent every year.
While this reflects strong momentum,
we face the urgent reality of quantum technologies, which are already creating immediate regulatory and data security questions.
Against this backdrop, let’s not forget that nearly one-third of the global population remains offline,
which means we must act now to ensure the digital divide doesn’t transform into an AI divide.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As we experience an exceptional period of technological advancement, this also brings a heightened responsibility,
presenting an opportunity for regulators to address emerging challenges calling for an approach that is constructive,
forward-looking,
and collaborative.
That’s why, this week we are here to navigate the digital frontier.
We do not have the luxury of being passive observers, we must actively chart the course.
Now that technology evolves over months, we urgently need to close the ‘speed gap’.
Here is our shared task at GSR-26: We are not here to stop the frontier. We are here to navigate it well. Navigation requires three things.
First: A reliable compass.
Technology changes. Principles do not. I propose we anchor every regulatory decision in three fixed points:
- Protect human dignity,
- Preserve fair competition and,
- Prioritize the most vulnerable.
When in doubt, those three bearings will point true.
Second: Shared signals.
No single country can see the entire digital horizon. We need real-time, trusted information sharing on emerging risks from deepfake driven fraud to algorithmic bias.
We cannot navigate without data, nor can we bridge the digital divide without sustainable investment.
In response to this, I am pleased to launch later this week two flagship tools:
The Connectivity Planning Platform (CPP) developed with our Development Sector Member, Ericsson, to serve as our engineering blueprint; and the Global Economic Model Study (GEMS), developed with CST of Saudi Arabia, to provide the financial clarity needed to unlock public-private co-investment.
Today, I announced the release of our enhanced Digital Readiness Framework, a unified benchmark to assess the readiness of national policy, legal and governance frameworks for digital transformation to help countries identify strengths, gaps, and reform priorities.
Third: Willingness to move.
Perfection is the enemy of protection. We will not have complete data. We may not have global consensus. But we cannot afford not to start. Start with pilots and regulatory sandboxes. Learn from failure. Adapt at speed.
Let me be clear: Navigation does not mean surrendering sovereignty. It means recognizing that our choices echo far beyond our borders. Through international cooperation, the ITU is here to ensure you do not face these challenges alone.
The digital frontier will not wait for us to agree on every comma. But if we navigate it together – with courage and clarity – we will go far.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Once again, welcome to GSR-26! I look forward to the adoption of the GSR-26 Best Practice Guidelines on Friday as we conclude this event which promises to be memorable.
These guidelines represent a powerful, consensus-driven voice of regulators worldwide. They will be an invaluable resource when you take them back to your respective countries. In this regard, I thank you all for your invaluable inputs during the consultation process.
With this, I wish you yet another successful GSR!
Thank you!
