ITU’s top contributors: United Kingdom

The UK is among the leading contributors to the annual budget of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with a current commitment of 10 contributory units – equivalent to CHF 3.18 million (about GBP 2.7 million or USD 3.3 million) each year.

As part of this special blog series on ITU’s top contributing Member States, ITU News interviewed Chris Woolford, Director of Ofcom, the UK’s communications industry regulator, responsible for the TV, radio, and video-on-demand sectors, fixed-line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, and the airwaves over which wireless devices operate.

Ofcom – short for Office of Communications – aims to make communications work for everyone.

Why does the UK support ITU?  

ITU’s mission to “connect the world” has never been more important. Information and communications technologies (ICTs) are essential to every aspect of modern life and the development of the digital economy. 

Ofcom, which represents the UK at ITU, strongly supports the international leadership role played by the agency: coordinating radio spectrum, developing technical standards, and helping to bridge the digital divide. 

The UK therefore strives to help promote and strengthen ITU’s role.  

How does the work of ITU relate to your strategic initiatives in the broad field of ICTs? 

The work of ITU helps us to reach our objectives in developing global standards, which have played a significant role in enhancing the global economy and societies. 

We also see the pivotal role the ITU Radiocommunication Sector – ITU-R – plays in shaping the dramatic changes underway in the communications sector and wireless industries. Spectrum harmonisation and a global framework for spectrum management underpin the wireless services that consumers and businesses everywhere rely on.

The UK will continue to work closely with our international partners to ensure that these international frameworks remain fit for purpose and continue to deliver for citizens, consumers, and businesses all over the world. 

And the UK supports inclusive and sustainable digital transformation through affordable digital access and skills. We have been working with ITU in UK-sponsored development initiatives – particularly our Digital Access Partnership, which has brought tangible benefits across partner countries including Kenya, Brazil, Nigeria, and Indonesia. 

What specific benefits do you see from your work with ITU, and which ITU activities are most relevant to your country? 

The UK has been a committed ITU member for 150 years. The technical expertise that the agency brings together has helped to unlock the benefits of technical advances in the communications sector for citizens and societies, both across the globe and in the UK. 

In fact, ITU’s influence in relation to developments in the communications sector has never been more crucial. The agency continues playing a pivotal role in the dramatic changes currently underway, from supporting 5G for consumers and businesses to helping ensure that advances in satellite technologies will drive global connectivity. 

At the same time, ITU’s global convening power as well as expertise in promoting international best practices on telecoms development have strengthened sustainable digital transformation throughout the world, especially in developing and emerging economies. 

Can you provide some examples of how new and emerging ICTs are helping to drive sustainable development in your country, your region, or around the world? 

Technical innovation, and the development of policy and regulation associated with it, is of vital importance to the UK, as we seek to realise the benefits of fast-changing technologies for our society and for the consumers of communications services. 

The UK has launched a shared rural network to enable mobile connectivity for the under-served; we have innovated our licensing framework to facilitate satellite connectivity across the UK; and we are pursuing 5G tests and trials, as well as testing Open RAN (open radio access network) technologies through our SONIC (SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre) pilot. These are all areas where we hope to share our experience with other ITU countries. 

 We at Ofcom promote co-operation with telecoms regulators in other countries and welcome the partnership of the UK Government with ITU, which provides a positive platform for discussions on inclusive and sustainable telecoms approaches. 

What do you see as the main ICT industry trends in the UK? 

One major change we’ve seen in recent years is in the ways both mobile (including 3G, 4G and now 5G) and local area (Wi-Fi) networks are designed, deployed, owned, and used.

For example, new technology applications – such as higher frequencies and the use of large numbers of antennas to transmit and receive – have led to much faster connections and a better experience for people.

The changes have led to substantial increases in spectrum efficiency, coverage, and service consistency. 

Which issues should ITU address as its highest priorities in the coming years? 

There is broad governmental interest in, and support for, enhanced work at ITU on development issues. This will be something the UK aims to champion at the upcoming ITU Plenipotentiary and beyond. 

Just as importantly, the Radio Regulations must keep pace with modern developments in spectrum management. For example, increasing demand for spectrum, advances in technology, and the use of higher frequencies are offering new opportunities for spectrum sharing and other mechanisms to enable more efficient use of spectrum. 

We are keen to work with ITU and with other countries to ensure that the Radio Regulations remain up-to-date and fit for purpose. 

How should ITU evolve to meet the changing needs of the ICT industry?  

The World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs) convened every four years through ITU-R have proved a very successful forum for effective collaboration and particularly for agreeing among ITU Member States on a global framework that underpins how countries throughout the world use spectrum. 

As the spectrum resource becomes ever-more crowded and reliance on wireless services becomes greater, this task is becoming more complex. We should therefore consider how the WRCs could evolve to ensure that they continue to be successful for many years and decades to come. 

One area that may be appropriate for consideration is enhancing the way the agenda for upcoming WRCs is set. A more efficient process, with more extensive discussions among Member States in advance of the start of each conference, could result in time being used more constructively and effectively when delegates come together, as well as in delivering more coherent agendas for future conferences. 

Learn more in the backgrounder on how ITU is funded.

Header image: David Monaghan via Unsplash