30 September 2004
Lagos — INTERNATIONAL Telecommunication Union (ITU) member states and sector members from both the developing and developed world, at the weekend, ended a nine-day meeting to approve studies that would better assist developing countries in their transition to an Information Society.
The studies would be made of new issues of analysis for consideration by the World Telecommunication Development Conference, which will take place in March 2006 in Doha, Qatar.
The meeting, which lasted between September 7 through 16, has two study groups that deliberated on some pertinent issues.
These included the issues of interconnection, universal access and service, strategy for migration of mobile networks to IMT-2000, application of telecommunication in health care, strategy for migration from existing networks to Next Generation Networks (NGN) and the examination of access technologies for broadband communications, among others.
Director of ITU Development Bureau, Mr. Hamadoun Toure, said "These studies will help developing and least developed countries to create strategic plans that will strengthen their telecommunication services and fulfil the Declaration of Principles signed by almost 50 Heads of State at the first phase of World Summit on the Information Society in 2003".
Outcome of the meeting, according to him, provides practical guidance to help developing countries in the management and extension of their telecommunication services and networks.
He also said that this positive result was only possible because of the excellent cooperation between member states and sector members, who were committed to the establishment of an equitable and accessible information society for all.
A press statement by Ms Fidelia Akpo, head ITU-D Study groups, said the work of study group 1 covered regulatory issues, and presented a number of reports for adoption, particularly on universal access and service, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony and satellite services..
On the universal access, the group had reported that innovative solutions for the management and financing of universal service and universal access policies were at the focus, in which universal service and access policies were developed, implemented and financed.
The annual report of the group also identified and defined consumer needs and rights in order to stimulate telecommunication usage; main stages of a universal telecommunication access and service policy; establishment of a framework conducive to investment and proposes innovations in funding and management.
The report further contributes to the Global Symposium for Regulators 2004 session due in Geneva this December and by promoting cost effective broadband and Internet services.
It also highlighted the fact that in order to gain the benefits of the IS, there must be political will and sector reform, public and private civil society partnerships and involvement of local groups and rural communities.
Further, the report on the implementation of IP telephony in developing countries explained how nations and their citizens could benefit from ICTs.
It also identified the potential challenges that developing countries experience in attempting to evolve to or implement IP-based networks and broadband access capabilities.
Ms Akpo said that ITU has published within the framework of this study, the 'Essential Report on IP Telephony'.
In the area of satellite services regulation, the report highlighted the increase in competition in satellite services and new applications, recommending that regulators and satellite service providers (SSPs) work together to expand access to services.
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