Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2010-11 FOREWORD of broadband, its management and the setting of sound policies and regulations. Consequently, an understanding of the complex broadband ecosystem and the relationship between ICTs and various dimen-sions We are pleased to present the 11th annual edition of Trends in Telecommunication Reform. Each year, this publication aims to take stock of telecommunications and information technology developments around the world and to draw particular attention to a key theme in the regulation of information and communications technologies (ICTs). As with past editions, the theme of this year’s Trends “Enabling Tomorrow’s Digital World” derives from an important meeting, the Global Sympo-sium of society is essential, and a critical assessment of the role of ICT regulators is now warranted. Given that ICTs touch all aspects of society, it is necessary to con-sider the appropriate scope of the ICT regulator’s mandate to create an enabling digital world. for Regulators, held in November 2010 in Dakar, This report considers the link between ICTs and ma-jor social issues like climate change and economic Senegal. This report centres on the changing nature of ICT regulation in the 21st century. We examine ICT regulation against the backdrop of the diffusion of ICTs into virtually all aspects of society and the importance of ICTs for social, political, and economic development. growth and development. It also examines key chal-lenges and opportunities for regulators in the digital age, such as the digital dividend and broadband rollout, managing the transition from analog to digital transmis-sion, and cybersecurity. A key theme throughout the We stand at the threshold of the fully integrated report is the evolving role of the ICT regulator in preparing the foundations for the emergence of the fully integrated and interconnected, digital society. and interconnected, digital society. Tremendous changes have swept the sector over the last decade led by the emergence of IP-based networks and broadband technologies offering greater efficiency gains, ever in-creasing We release this edition of Trends as part of our speeds, ubiquity, instantaneity and always-on commitment to encourage countries to embrace broadband development, and build their future on broadband to help drive growth and deliver benefits across society. We hope that the discussion contained in this edition helps regulators and policy-makers to chart their way forward into the digital era in an in-formed connectivity. More powerful information technologies are changing business practices and cloud computing is just one example. The advent of converged handheld devices, such as smartphones, netbooks and tablets, offers not only access to online content but also allows users to produce and share their own content from anywhere and at anytime. Together with the increase of web-based applications, and in particular m-applica-tions manner. We have sought to create a framework for discussing how to navigate the complex issues re-lated to ICTs and digital lifestyles so that together we and services, they illustrate how building on might set a course for regulators and policy-makers as they lead us into tomorrow’s digital world. We invite you to continue to engage in dialogue with us about these issues so that we work together to ensure that the benefits of an integrated and interconnected digital world are shared by everyone. broadband is transforming the way we communicate, do business and contribute to social and economic development. ICTs no longer just connect us to the stories in our society; ICTs have become the story. We live in the age of information, social networking and the digital econ-omy, where no citizen should feel excluded. We believe that access to affordable and equitable ICT services, in particular broadband, and the right to communicate, should be considered as one of our basic human rights. ICTs are the backbone of the knowledge economy and therefore ubiquitous broadband networks should be considered a basic national infrastructure. The health of today’s society is tied to the ICT sector, the deployment Brahima Sanou Director Telecommunication Develoment Bureau Foreword iii