Traditionally, efforts to address access gaps were directed at deployment and improvement of telecommunication infrastructure – but only within access networks. Today, a more integrated, multi-sectoral approach is needed. Networks still have to be expanded to include broadband capabilities, but a broader approach will stimulate the development of content that is relevant in context and language. This is the way to foster the development of m-services and apps.26 National broadband plans can no longer call for deliverables within just the telecommunication sector. The roll-out of mobile networks and broadband capacity needs to be seen in a holistic way, looking beyond the ICT sector’s horizon, in order to include other actors in the broadband ecosystem and allow them to contribute to universal access.27 This will avoid vertical, “silo” interventions and enable the identification of where m-services and apps can plug in, in an integrated and interoperable manner, with existing systems and solutions. This holistic approach would include financing mechanisms to accommodate local content development, application development, development of assistive technologies, incubation, scaling and monetization. It would also prompt a radical re-thinking around the nature of universal service obligations imposed on service providers.28 The Broadband Commission has set ambitious goals to make broadband access universal, in order to drive prices down and make services affordable.29 International commitments such as this prompt regulators to adopt urgency in articulating an integrated, national approach. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each country must quantify the unique hurdles to be overcome and the resources and investment required to overcome them. Each country must develop a comprehensive plan at the national level to address its universal access gaps.In the health sector, for example, different countries have adopted varied focus points in the development of m-health applications, in response to the health needs of their populations. In some cases, the m-services and applications are accessed through the Internet while in others, it is through SMS. There are different categories of m-health services and apps, including data collection; disease surveillance; treatment adherence reminders; emergency medical response systems; support to health care professionals or rural health workers; supply chain management; health financing; disease prevention and health promotion.30 The continual review of universal access policies and mechanisms is necessary in order to establish and maintain a universal service framework that will achieve public policy objectives of availability, affordability and accessibility of services in a fast-converging sector. Strategies to embed diverse innovative mechanisms, such as public-private partnerships and multi-stakeholder projects, in the design of universal access policies will be crucial for them to remain agile and responsive to ever-changing demands.31 5.3.5 Pressure for resources Meanwhile, regulators must contend with growing demand for the resources that underpin mobile Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2016 133 Chapter 5 Box 5.4: “m-cessation” (m-health for smoking cessation)A project was launched in Costa Rica in April 2013 to prevent smoking-related diseases such as cancer and other lung diseases. Tobacco smoking had been recognized as a big problem in Costa Rica, and many health costs were considered preventable if individuals would quit smoking. The project included building and maintaining a database of mobile numbers based on a registration process, creating tailor-made short messages and developing two-way communication with smokers. A mechanism for feedback and reporting management was established at the Ministry of Health to support the project.Source: M-Powering Development Initiative