ITU GSR Regional Regulatory Roundtable and Regional Economic Dialogue for Asia and the Pacific
Opening Remarks
Ms. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director
ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
8 June 2021
Ms Mercy Wanjau, Acting Director-General of the Communications Authority of Kenya,
Mr Masanori Kondo, Secretary General, Asia-Pacific Telecommunity,
Representatives of PITA, APT and other regional associations, Sector Members, Members and the heads of the National Regulatory Authorities and senior officials of the ICT Ministries,
Excellencies, distinguished colleagues,
Welcome to the ITU GSR-plus Regional Regulatory Roundtable and Regional Economic Dialogue for Asia and the Pacific.
Let me start by thanking our 2021 GSR chair Ms Mercy Wanjau, Acting Director-General of the Communications Authority of Kenya for also joining us. We stand to gain much from your extensive experience, including your role in the initial development of the ICT regulatory Toolkit. And it is great that you are joining us in these roundtables which foster regional specific discussions, and ultimately serve as inputs into the programme for the core sessions of GSR-21.
Today, I would like to focus on three areas: (i) challenges we face in our connectivity work and where regulation has potential to make breakthroughs (ii) our current work to help strengthen regulatory and institutional frameworks (iii) and the conversations we hope to have at a global level, as we advance towards our goal of bridging the digital divide.
First, starting with the challenges.
We cannot ignore that COVID-19 has hit Asia and the Pacific hard.
As we speak, another wave of the pandemic is raging across the region, with cases spiking from rugged mountainous areas in the Himalayas to remote islands in the Pacific.
COVID-19 has highlighted the shared challenges all Member States face, and the urgent need to work together to enhance resilience through connectivity.
Being one of the most diverse regions in the world, of course ICT uptake differs considerably amongst economies of Asia and the Pacific. Internet usage penetration rates range from more than 90% in the advanced economies to less than 15% in the region's least developed economies.
Over the last four years, the region has seen continued growth in most areas of ICT infrastructure, access, and use. Our data estimates that mobile cellular coverage in Asia and the Pacific – that is the percentage of the population that lives within reach of a mobile cellular signal – is close to 100% with 96% of the population now within reach of a 3G signal and 94% within reach of an LTE mobile-broadband signal.
But we also know that coverage does not equate to being connected. Beyond infrastructure, there are other challenges, including affordability (of services and devices), accessibility, availability of relevant content, online safety, and digital skills and literacy.
Vulnerable populations are being further left behind due to these challenges that hinder meaningful connectivity. This is why it's so important for us to ensure that digital inclusion is at the heart of our work, so that women, girls, youth, the elderly, indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and other groups are able to leverage the power of the internet.
According to ITU's “Connecting Humanity" study, the investment needed to bring an additional 3 billion people online by 2030 will exceed US$ 218 billion for Asia and the Pacific region. That enormous figure does not even factor in the cost of a fully-fledged roll-out of 5G across both regions, as and when this becomes necessary or possible.
The price tag is stark. The challenge is formidable. But the risks of failing to act are even more so.
And this is where the key role of regulators and the right regulations comes in to play.
Let me turn to my second point, on our work to help strengthen institutional and regulatory frameworks.
For the last 20+ years, ITU's Global Symposium for Regulators has focused on helping countries optimize their regulatory strategies to drive faster and more inclusive connectivity.
Fit-for-Purpose regulation plays a critical role in unlocking investment and contributing to overall economic growth.
In our forthcoming research to be published by ITU's office in Asia and the Pacific, we have seen how telecommunications business models have evolved over the years. Our research explored how the telco markets have been disrupted, and the evolution of the traditional telco business models. It also analyzed the opportunities for co-deployment between ICT and energy and transport sectors, and how enabling regulations can help achieve economic benefits and efficiencies.
One of the key recommendations is on the need for coordinated whole-of-government regulatory regimes in guiding development of the digital economy, in collaboration with all market players.
While some countries in Asia and the Pacific are on a steady path towards implementing fit-for-purpose regulations, many still face challenges, when it comes to creating enabling environments for digital deployment.
ITU has been tracking the evolution of collaborative ICT regulation, since 2007 across the four (now five) generations of regulation, and the ASP region has made much progress. Our concrete tracking of collaborative regulation has been instrumental as an evidence-based tool to help policymakers and regulators make sense of the rapid evolution of ICT regulation.
Over the past 13 years, we have seen how regulatory regimes have evolved with the number of Asia-Pacific countries at Generation 1 dropping from 17 to 3 as of 2019.
To further support this, we are now conducting a series of case studies to identify best practices to better frame the gold standard of fifth generation regulation – the so-called G-5 benchmark. The intention here is to create a point of reference for all regulatory agencies and bodies around the globe. And you will be hearing more on this important initiative later today.
Of course we will continue to actively promote fit-for-purpose regulation by: facilitating regional dialogue across regulators; mobilizing resources at the country level; fostering partnership-building within and across regions; and by building awareness and capacity at the global level.
The strong growth now exhibited in many Asian markets speaks to a quick transitioning continent, one that recognizes the powerful transformative potential of technology for development, and one that is ready to embrace bold new approaches to drive growth.
This brings me to my third and last point, which is about feeding this into global conversations.
The discussions held during this roundtable will not only feed into GSR-21, but into our next WTDC that will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During the recent Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC held in Asia and the Pacific, ITU members emphasized enabling policy and regulatory environment as an important regional priority.
With connectivity now at the top of the global agenda, we have an unprecedented opportunity to use WTDC to dramatically redraw the roadmap for digital development.
Today I've spoken on some of the challenges we face and the ways that regulation provides us a pathway to overcome them.
As you all play a vital role in this field, I sincerely hope you will be a part of a landmark WTDC– one in which we seek to harness the power of partnership and the catalyzing force of collaboration, to change the connectivity picture forever.
Thank you for your time.
I wish you very stimulating and fruitful discussions.
