Statement of Zimbabwe
by the Minister of Transport and Communications,
S.E. Dr. Witness P.M. Mangwende

The Chairman of the Conference, His Excellency Mr. Nasr Hajji;
Secretary General of the ITU, Mr. Yoshio Utsumi;
Honourable Ministers;
Distinguished Delegates and other Participants;
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Allow me, Mr. Chairman, to begin by joining my colleagues who have spoken before me in congratulating you sir for your election to chair this august Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the International Telecommunications Union. I would also like to extend, on behalf of my delegation, our gratitude on the reception we have received and the hospitality that has been extended to us by the ITU Secretariat and the friendly people of this historic city since our arrival.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we meet on the occasion of the 16th Plenipotentiary of the ITU at a time that the telecommunications sector, and indeed, the whole of the communications industry, is undergoing great changes. During the past decade, technological advances have turned this important sector on its head. We have had to deal with the wireless revolution, the Internet, liberalization and privatisation of service provision, the near collapse of global telecommunications stocks, and other phenomena, almost simultaneously. In most cases, we would have been caught unprepared had it not been for the invaluable advice provided by the ITU. For that reason, allow me, ladies and gentlemen, to salute the ITU Secretary General, Mr. Utsumi, and his staff in Geneva and in the regions for their support in these interesting but also difficult times for the sector.

Honourable Ministers and Distinguished Delegates, over the past decade, the Zimbabwean Government embarked on a sector reform program that culminated in the enactment of a new law for the sector. Effectively, the law provides for the restructuring of the former state monopoly into companies dealing with fixed telephony, mobile services, postal services and a bank, and the mobilization of private sector resources through the liberalization of services. Three mobile operators were licensed, and as has been the case in other countries, the number of subscribers exceeded the fixed network within 3 years. A regulatory authority was created by law to license and regulate the sector, as well as to manage the national frequency spectrum and numbering plan. Efforts to privatise some of the restructured companies of the former PTC are continuing, recognizing the changes in the global telecom industry.

As I have stated, Mr. Chairman, the sector that we meet to discuss has undergone immense changes over the past few years. It is natural for us, as member states to call for changes to the International Telecommunications Union in response to these changes. For instance, ways to facilitate better representation of the various regions have to be found. The private sector should have a pronounced role in the ITU but without derogating from the principle that the organization is primarily an inter-governmental one. Practical solutions have to be found in order to bridge the digital divide. For example, area offices have to be allocated more resources in order for them to be of greater assistance to the regions they serve. The development of the Internet would even increase in momentum if the key and often-repeated issues of content and security could be dealt with.

Distinguished delegates, part of the challenge we have in the developing world is to find the resources needed to make a dent on the demand for telecommunication services in our countries. This is not easy as the demands we have on our government budgets are many and some are much more urgent than telecommunication infrastructure. For instance, most countries in southern Africa are dealing with one of the worst droughts in years. Food has a more urgent call on resources than the requirements of our telecom companies.

What model can we develop to fund the expansion of infrastructure in the developing world given the current state of global telecommunications that makes the option of privatisation necessarily difficult? Even the liberalization of fixed services has lost its appeal, as the companies that would normally participate in such licenses are themselves reeling under debt. Do the economies of scale in the telecommunications industry necessarily point to natural monopolies? How can we avoid taking disastrous decisions similar to the policy and regulatory failures in Europe that have resulted in the 3G fiasco? In short, Mr. Chairman, I am asking how we can work together as member states of the ITU in order to develop workable solutions to the challenges in the telecom sector. To this end, Zimbabwe has joined other African member states in sponsoring a proposal that supports the recommendations of the Working Group on the ITU Reform, which specially calls on the ITU to concentrate on the needs of the ITU member states and Sector Members from developing countries. The ITU can be the driving force to bring about the sharing of information, experience and ideas on policy and regulatory matters, with the aim of fostering development. I am convinced that none of us in this room has any doubt about the central role that the communications sector plays in the socio-economic and political development of our countries.

Allow me, ladies and gentlemen, to end by extending my country's appreciation to the Kingdom of Morocco, which invited the ITU to host this conference in this beautiful country. We are proud that an African country is successfully hosting such an important global gathering and we hope that more and more meetings of this nature are held on the continent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Honourable Ministers, ladies and gentlemen.