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‘Smart’ Regulation to promote worldwide broadband roll out
ITU Regulators’ symposium responds to changing
market environment
Armenia City, Colombia, 23 September 2011 – The ITU Global Symposium for Regulators closed today with the adoption
of Best Practice Guidelines aimed at advancing the deployment of broadband
connectivity worldwide.
In an era in which broadband is increasingly considered the right of every
citizen, “smart” regulation was advocated to encourage greater openness and use
of incentive dynamics to mitigate the challenges and threats posed by a rapidly
changing ICT landscape.
Addressing the Symposium in Armenia City, President of the Republic of Colombia
Juan Manuel Santos said that the theme, ‘Smart Regulation for a Broadband
World’ was very appropriate. “Smart
regulation is precisely what we need,” President Santos affirmed while noting
that
ICTs contribute to the productive infrastructure of a nation.
“Taking advantage of
broadband as a source of productivity and growth, we can identify the most
appropriate solutions to reduce our productivity gap as efficiently as
possible.”
“Increased access to the Internet – and broadband in particular – will allow us
to more effectively deliver services to meet the Millennium Development Goals,
as e-applications such as e-health, e-education, and e-governance are able to
reach even the remotest corners of the world,” ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun
Touré explained to the Press in Armenia City. “But this will only change when
broadband becomes more affordable – and the world’s regulators meeting here in
Colombia can facilitate this by advocating a combination of increased capacity
and competition.”
Mr Cristhian Lizcano Ortíz, Executive Director of the Communications Regulatory
Commission of Colombia (CRC) steered the discussions as Chairman of the Global
Symposium for Regulators.
ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré and Minister of Information and
Communication Technology of Colombia Diego Molano participated in discussions
along with the Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau Brahima
Sanou and Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau François Rancy.
The Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR), held annually in different regions
worldwide, aims at fostering constructive exchange of information among national
regulatory authorities and is a unique forum to share regulatory best practices
at the global level. Held for the first time in Latin America, the eleventh GSR
focused on innovative regulatory measures to promote the roll out of broadband
globally.
As many as 504 participants attended, including 243 representatives from 72
countries and Palestine. In addition, 261 representatives from 42 public and
private sector companies as well as regional and international organizations
participated.
Examining the complexities of the broadband ecosystem, GSR participants focused
their attention on:
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M-banking services and the role of regulators
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Wireless broadband spectrum pricing
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Satellite regulation
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Open access regulation
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Setting national broadband policies, strategies and
plans
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Financing universal access/service
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E-waste and recycling and the role of regulators
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Protecting rights, such as intellectual property, of
all stakeholders in a digital ecosystem
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Regional initiatives to foster broadband
connectivity
GSR discussion papers on these issues are posted on the GSR-11 website and will be published
in the next edition of Trends in Telecommunication Reform.
“We have seen over the years how regulatory reform plays an essential role in
creating an environment where new technologies can flourish and be shared by
all,” ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Director Brahima Sanou said. “The
development of robust and flexible regulatory frameworks can help developing
countries leapfrog technologies and make the best use of new developments in
ICTs”.
In Colombia, mobile subscriptions have increased rapidly, growing from 3.2
million in 2001 to 43.4 million in 2010, corresponding to some 8 per cent of the
population in 2001 and 93.7 per cent in 2010. In the Americas, mobile cellular
penetration reached 95 per cent of the population at the end of 2010, with more
than half of the countries (60%) showing penetration levels above 100 per cent.
In addition, 50 per cent of the population was using the Internet by the end of
2010.
Between 2008 and 2010, the international Internet bandwidth almost doubled in
the Americas region. And mobile broadband subscriptions penetration increased
from 10 per cent at the end of 2008 to 24 per cent at the end of 2010. The
Internet also reached almost 45 per cent of households in the region at the end
of 2010 in comparison with 39 per cent of the population with Internet at home
in 2008.
Note: For more ITU statistics, please visit the ICT Eye at:
www.itu.int/ITU-D/icteye/Default.aspx.
For more information, please visit
www.itu.int/net/newsroom/GSR/2011/index.aspx
and
www.itu.int/GSR11
or contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU
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