Address by the Head of the delegation of the Russian Federation
Mr. Valery Timofeev, Deputy Head,
State Committee for Communications and Information,
Russian Federation
Issues to be addressed by the World Telecommunication
Development Conference: establishment of a broad
technical base for the global information infrastructure
Mr. Chairman,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Colleagues,
Allow me first of all to greet the World Telecommunication Development Conference on behalf of the Administration of Russia and to express our gratitude to the Maltese Administration for the excellent organization of the Conference and for its efforts in addressing major telecommunication development issues in the interests of the world community.
The Administration of Russia highly commends ITU's contribution to solving the problems of telecommunication development worldwide, using modern telecommunication technologies and taking account of the fast changing telecommunication environment, and the activities it is conducting in order to fulfil one of the Union's main missions, namely, promoting the extension of the benefits of new telecommunication technologies to all the world’s inhabitants.
In this perspective, we value highly the results of the first World Telecommunication Development Conference held in Buenos Aires in March 1994 (WTDC-94). It was there that, for the first time within ITU, the ideas of establishing the global information society (GIS) and, as the technical basis for constructing that society, the global information infrastructure (GII), were widely discussed. These two concepts now enjoy broad support worldwide and have been developed, in particular, in the results of the international Information Society and Development Conference organized by the Group of 7 in Midrand (South Africa) in May 1996, where the underlying principles for the establishment and development of the GIS and GII were formulated and approaches for their implementation were identified.
Russia attaches great importance to development of the global information infrastructure, which presupposes a uniform level of telecommunication development worldwide and mobilization of the necessary resources for this process within the world community. With this in mind, it submitted to WTDC-94 a key proposal on non-discriminatory access to modern telecommunication facilities and services which was supported by the Conference (WTDC-94, Resolution 5) and was subsequently reflected in the decisions of the Kyoto Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-94, Resolution 64).
This gave a significant boost to the development of national communication networks and their integration in the global information infrastructure. Russia alone, for instance, has increased the capacity of its international channels by a factor of 65, making a very significant contribution to the global telecommunication system by closing on its territory the last link in a round-the-world digital telecommunication ring using the latest technology, thus providing the developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region with a more rational traffic route to Europe. For the future, consideration is being given to the possibility of constructing an optical fibre artery over the North Pole as the shortest route for traffic with the American continent.
Following on from this, at the first World Telecommunication Policy Forum, Russia put forward proposals to organize global mobile personal communications by satellite (GMPCS), having regard to the respective national interests of countries participating in the process, including:
In our opinion, the decisions adopted by the first Forum on these issues as reflected in the Opinions and the text of the Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate the free circulation of GMPCS user terminals have paved the way for one of the most important communication systems which will take the world community into the 21st century. We consider that this Conference will also serve as a milestone for discussing this development and supporting it at the global level.
Russia is taking practical steps to establish global satellite communication systems by preparing the requisite legal instruments and initiating preliminary consideration of technical system aspects for the introduction of major global systems like Globalstar, Iridium, and such like. At the same time, Russia has itself taken the necessary preliminary decisions for establishment of the "Rostelesat" global satellite system, a universal global mobile and fixed communication system in which it invites the participation of the world community, and in particular European capital.
Solving the problems associated with the establishment of global telecommunication systems, to lay the foundations for the establishment of the GII, means first of all mobilizing all possible resources in the world community. In this respect, we consider that a key issue is open and transparent distribution of know-how in the field of new technologies throughout all regions of the world that have the necessary workforce. Accordingly, in our view, a task of this Conference should be to draw the attention of countries’ authorities to the need to introduce preferences and customs privileges that will facilitate to the maximum extent possible dynamic development of this process. For its part, the Administration of Russia is taking measures to provide the greatest possible incentive for the establishment of joint ventures and preferential conditions for the import of radio equipment components and technological equipment. If this principle is implemented at the global level, the next WTDC, which will take place in the 21st century, will be looking at a completely new world in terms of telecommunication manufacturing covering to a great extent the regions which have the labour resources, which will in turn permit the establishment of the global information infrastructure in a world transformed into a global village.
The International Telecommunication Union has a key role to play as the architect of this big new edifice - a global telecommunication network for communications built by the international telecommunication community. Our common aim is to make sure that each step taken by ITU is geared to accelerating the development of global telecommunication standards for the GII and to solving the problems which arise as a result of the rapid changes in the telecommunication environment. In this connection, the role of the Telecommunication Development Sector as a catalyst helping to bring together representatives of all countries, both developed and developing, to collaborate for the purpose of telecommunication development is an extremely important one. Without such collaborative efforts, with the aim of securing a uniform level of telecommunication development, it will not be possible to make the leap forward to the future which all mankind awaits.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, I should like to say that if the first precept of the Knights of the Maltese Order who founded this beautiful city was to care for the helpless, poor and sorrowful, then the first precept of those working in the telecommunication field on the eve of the new millenium must be equitable telecommunication development everywhere as a precondition for establishment of the GII, the technical foundation for a new scheme of relationships for mankind, designed ultimately to forge a better future for everyone. And so we see the duties of today's society and of the ancient Order of the Knights converge…
Thank you, Mr. Chairman