Tuesday, 5 October Australia Part of Australia’s annual contribution to the ITU goes to the ITU Development sector to provide ‘direct coun-try that will result in high-speed connectivity for every Australian home, workplace and school. assistance’ to countries in need in our region. The NBN will connect 93 per cent of Australians with fibre-to-the-premises technology. The remaining seven [7] per cent will receive high-speed broadband using a combination of next-generation wireless and satellite. We are indeed fortunate to see the results that this contribution makes to a number of countries. The digital future, of course, is not without its challenges. This network is designed to deliver better services, bet-ter prices and new applications for every Australian, no The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference is a key event at which we can all help to secure the future role of the ITU, and its ability to support the development of tel-ecommunications matter where they live. Australia is a land of vast distances and a relatively small population that results in a population density of less than three people per square kilometre. worldwide. It is also an important event for us to reach agreement and build a consensus on the proper role of the ITU in responding to some of the emerging challenges. The great potential of broadband for Australia is there-fore to overcome this ‘tyranny of distance’. Australia welcomes the opportunity that this confer-ence I know that the same is true for many other countries represented at this conference. provides to plan for the future of the ITU for the next quadrennium and beyond. The promise of broadband is more than just that however. We are also grateful for the excellent opportunity it gives us to broaden our engagement with all the coun-tries ‘Broadband’ is a technology that will enable digital platforms to break down economic, geographic and social barriers, leading to improved economic devel-opment represented here, as together we look ahead to the realisation of our shared vision for a world trans-formed by access to technology for all its citizens. and the realisation of social benefits in our communities. Thank you. The digital economy promises to contribute to global transformation in every field and every sector. Australia shares the commitment of the ITU Development sector to realising the social and eco-nomic benefits promised by access to communications for all people on an equitable basis. And, importantly, in those critical times of disaster when telecommunications can help save lives. 101