BEREC-EaPeReg-EMERG-Regulatel Summit
Keynote Address
Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
29 September 2021
Distinguished colleagues,
It is a pleasure to be here with you today from Geneva, though I wish I was with you in Dubrovnik physically.
I am sure that many of you, like me, would find it difficult to imagine navigating the world during this pandemic without the internet.
Now that the critical role of connectivity in our daily lives has captured global attention, we have a unique window of opportunity to fast-track digital development.
The spirit of collaboration that brings together the regulatory fraternity at this Summit is encouraging, and sets the example for the direction we need to move forward in.
In preparing for this meeting, I was remembering one of the most memorable missions I have ever had. It was attending a joint meeting between the then IRG and REGULATEL back in 2004 in Cusco, Peru, 17 years ago.
Back then we were looking at a world where 14% of the world was online. 27% had mobile subscriptions. And our focus at the time was independence of regulators, the need to update regulatory frameworks to consider convergence of ICTs, the importance of the enabling framework as a foundation to develop the Information Society, contributing to improve welfare and economic growth and avoiding the risk of the digital divide.
I think we have come a long way in 17 years, but many of the issues of 2004 still remain.
In particular the digital divide.
Today I want to focus on cooperation and share with you three vectors for our common action:
- The need to adapt policy and regulatory frameworks for the 'new normal'.
- For regulators and policy makers to work hand-in-hand, across economic sectors and across borders (back in 2004 the focus of cooperation was on competition authorities).
- And reimagining the tools, benchmarks and initiatives necessary to support decision-making and policy implementation.
In our first action area, we need to create fit-for-purpose policy and regulatory frameworks in a digital world forever shaped by the COVID pandemic.
Our sector has certainly experienced significant changes.
Internet traffic surged in a short time.
In developed countries, sector capital investment accelerated, even as it declined by up to 7 percent in developing countries, all in a single year.
However, in developing countries, capital expenditures (CAPEX) per capita have been declining, with the ripple effect being a slow down in growth of 4G coverage and deployment of 5G.
On the bright side, fixed broadband adoption has continued to grow with prices falling, signaling increased affordability.
This is critical with pandemic-induced lockdowns heightening the intensity of internet use.
However the pandemic has also exacerbated gaps, leaving those who lack connectivity who are often, women, youth, marginalized and vulnerable groups even further behind.
This is true not only for individuals and communities, but also for economies, as countries with better broadband infrastructure have been able to better mitigate socio-economic impact.
With all eyes now on digital, this is the time to leverage the power of digital across the board. We have to seize this opportunity now.
More than ever, we need to come together to share and learn from each other.
Policy-makers and regulators have had the herculean task of having to cope with massive demand spikes and keeping vital lines of communication up and running, when and where they are most needed.
Through ITU's REG4COVID platform, countries have shared strategies put in place to do just that.
By analyzing the measures shared, ITU was able to support regulators and policy makers across regions with guidance for forward-looking action.
Everyone here today – in your capacity as regulators and as members of regulatory associations – are the architects of vital enabling environments.
However, we also acknowledge that no one group or entity can do this alone.
This brings me to my second point – and we have heard it many times over the past week at the UN General Assembly already – that collaboration will be key.
The UN Secretary-General recognized the digital divide as one the great divides that we must work collaboratively to bridge, and stated ''Interdependence is the logic of the 21st century.''
To play our part in connecting the world by 2030, we need to work over and across traditional siloes, and make sure that the foundations for connectivity are in place.
Towards this, ITU continues to host the Global Symposium for Regulators.
We believe that the fruits of collaboration from this platform, such as the GSR Best Practice Guidelines, will help countries optimize their regulatory strategies to drive faster and more inclusive connectivity.
Collaborative digital regulation – otherwise known as 5th generation regulation (G5) has the potential to unlock digitally transformed, inclusive economies.
Working across sectors can pave the way for innovative financial instruments and targeted incentives for traditional and new players in infrastructure deployment, especially in underserved areas.
Partnerships can spur dedicated national funding instruments – such as infrastructure and innovation funds, alongside universal service funds – and can enable regulatory sandboxes.
We at ITU look forward to strengthening our ties with European Commission, including to support developing countries with digital transformation.
Now to my third and last point, that regulators and policy makers require sound tools in their role as architects.
Policy makers and regulators have been improvising on traditional tools and innovating new ones to cope with today, and for the future.
Through our ICT Regulatory Tracker and the new Benchmark of Fifth Generation Collaborative Digital Regulation, ITU aims to support decision-makers to tackle challenges, set priorities and follow through digital transformation.
Our 2021 G5 Benchmark measures the state of collaborative digital regulation worldwide.
It recognizes that there is no single approach to digital regulation, and can be used to establish tailored roadmaps for policy and regulatory uplift.
A multi-stakeholder Review Board helped validate the G5 Benchmark framework and I am particularly grateful to EaPeReg and EMERG – among other distinguished members from academia, think-tanks, international organizations and industry associations – for joining the Review Board and for sharing their experience to make the new tool more powerful and more practical.
ITU World Bank Digital Regulation Handbook serves as a toolbox for regulators to leverage evolving market dynamics and seize new digital opportunities.
Our Broadband mapping is a critical tool to pinpoint where connectivity is lacking.
Based on European expertise in this field, ITU is developing Guidelines to establish and strengthen broadband mapping systems. We use this work in our Connect2Recover initiative as well as our GIGA school connectivity project.
We recently conducted a gap analysis at the global level, and found that only 1 in 15 National Regulatory Authorities are making use of digitalized information for evidence-based decision-making and regulation.
As the gap is wider particularly in Africa, we are ramping up our support in this domain.
We will continue co-creating solutions with all of you for a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient digital future.
Our initiatives that I just mentioned such as Conect2Recover, which supports countries to ''build back better with broadband'', and Giga, which connects schools to the internet, are open for partnership.
I am particularly excited to inform you that we launched our Partner2Connect Digital Coalition, a multi-stakeholder alliance to foster meaningful connectivity in the hardest-to-connect communities across the world. It is based on four tracks and targets specific pledges or commitments from partners.
As I conclude, I would like sincerely thank BEREC for your trust and collaboration. This has been amplified through the Memorandum of Understanding in 2020.
Special thanks to EaPeReg too, with whom we are working closely on the basis of our MoU.
We hope to pursue the same path with EMERG and Regulatel soon.
We look forward to your active participation in the World Telecommunication Development Conference.
This will be a pivotal moment for all of us who are responsible to connect the unconnected. The UNSG has stated that it is time to change course in regards to climate.
Well, I think it's also time to change course on digital. 3.7 billion people are counting on us.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As the President of the UN General Assembly said in his address to the Broadband Commission, we can do better.
Only with the catalysing force of digital can we step up our pace and get over the finish line to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
So let us join forces, redouble efforts, and make sure we leave no one behind.
Thank you.
