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Global regulators and industry leaders meet in Beirut
Hands-on or hands-off?
Stimulating growth through effective
ICT regulation
Early November 2009 saw regulators and industry leaders from around the world gather in Beirut, Lebanon,
to forge common approaches on such critical issues
as revenue sharing in a converged environment, keeping pace with a fast-changing mix of information and
communication technologies (ICT), and maintaining
regulatory effectiveness in today’s markets.
More than 750 participants took part in ITU’s
9th annual Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR)
on 10–12 November 2009, preceded (at the same
venue) by the 2nd Global Industry Leaders’ Forum
on 9 November. Both events were held under the
patronage of President of Lebanon Michel Sleiman.
They were organized by ITU and hosted by Lebanon’s
Ministry of Telecommunications, and the Lebanese
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA)
ITU/V. Martin
Joint opening of ITU Global Symposium for Regulators
and the Global Industry Leaders’ Forum
The joint opening ceremony was addressed by
Lebanon’s then Minister of
Telecommunications Gebran
Gebran Bassil, Lebanon’s then Minister
Bassil; ITU Secretary-General
of Telecommunications addresssing
Hamadoun I. Touré; Sami Al
the joint opening ceremony
Basheer Al Morshid, Director
of ITU’s Telecommunication
Development Bureau (BDT); the Chief Executive
Officer of the Zain Group Saad Al Barrak, who was
also chaired the Global Industry Leaders’ Forum; and
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lebanon’s
TRA, Kamal Shehadi, who chaired the GSR.
Dr Touré underlined that the event’s theme
—“Hands on or hands off? Stimulating growth
through effective ICT regulation” — was particularly
ITU News  10 | 2009  December 2009
23
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appropriate in the current global economic climate.
“Effective regulation is absolutely crucial. For the ICT
industry, it delivers predictability and stability, and it
reduces risk. It encourages investment in ICT infrastructure and rewards competition and innovative
new business models. At the same time, effective
regulation protects consumers by delivering a transparent marketplace and a fair system for resolving
disputes,” Dr Touré said.
“Regulators must now also consider issues of
cybersecurity, along with their ever-broadening
mandate in a converged world,” Dr Touré added.
He then drew attention to the Regional Regulatory
Associations, stressing that their role is essential in
harmonizing regulatory frameworks to facilitate the
development of ICT.
Mr Al Basheer said he was delighted to see so
many representatives of regulators and the private
sector. “I am proud that ITU’s BDT can offer this platform for the main actors of our industry to imagine,
design, build and administrate the markets, networks
and services that our citizens, businesses and governments require for their further development,” he
said. “Today, every country, no matter what its level
of development, relies on ICT for its economic and
social development. The environment that enables
new technologies to be used and shared by all can
only be created through regulatory reform,” Mr Al
Basheer added.
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ITU News  10 | 2009  December 2009
From left to right: Sami Al
Basheer Al Morshid, Director
of ITU’s Telecommunication
Development Bureau;
Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU
Secretary-General; and
Saad Al Barrak, Chairman
of the 2009 Global Industry
Leaders’ Forum and Chief
Executive Officer of the Zain
Group
Lowering taxes and freeing more spectrum
Speaking on behalf of industry, Mr Al Barrak highlighted the need for continuing dialogue among all
parties. “Today, we are at a crucial juncture in the evolution of the ICT sector: a place where regulators and
policy-makers must join the operators on the same
journey because quite simply, our goals cannot be
achieved as long as there exists a ‘them and us’,” he
said. Addressing administrations, he said “all we ask
is that you let us drive the business; you can do your
bit by providing a fertile and transparent business
environment, one in which operators can grow, and
intervene only when our self-regulation falls short”.
Mr Al Barrak stressed the need to promote the
roll-out of broadband and to find practical ways to
share infrastructure, as well as to solve what he described as the “contentious universal service obligations” issue. Industry could do more through publicprivate partnerships, but first, policy-makers need “to
reassess the traditional attitude towards taxing ICT,”
as evidence shows that lowering taxes on handsets
and airtime can increase overall tax revenues.
Governments should also free up more radio-frequency spectrum so that mobile operators can satisfy
the mass demand for broadband. “Only then can we
truly realize our vast potential to give the people of
the developing world new lives through freedom of
mobility and prosperity. It really is that simple,” Mr Al
Barrak said.
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The regulatory environment in Lebanon
ITU/TRA
planned to assign the spectrum necessary for a third
Mr Shehadi emphasized that regulators should lis- operator and has defined a regulatory framework
ten to the views of the private sector. “I cannot stress that favours competition, including the significant
enough the importance of the private sector as a regulation of market power, a national numbering
partner in constantly improving and
plan and number portability, and
fine-tuning ICT regulations through
infrastructure-sharing,” Mr Shehadi
an open and transparent process
explained.
of public consultations,” he said.
He added that TRA plans to issue
Underscoring TRA’s commitment to
two new national broadband and
inject new energy into Lebanon’s
carrier licences. However, regulaICT markets, Mr Shehadi said it “is
tions alone are not enough and the
now ready to move ahead and libsuccess of broadband liberalization
eralize mobile, international, and
will depend on the commitment of
remaining bottlenecks to broadthe Lebanese Government to:
band telecommunication services in
 stimulating public demand for
2010”.
broadband through e-education,
On the mobile front, “TRA is
e-health and e-government;
committed to the licensing and pri removing limitations on the
vatization of mobile in a manner
reasonable uses of technology,
that unequivocally establishes the
such as authorizing mobility for
Kamal Shehadi , Chairman of
fundamental structure of a combroadband service providers;
the 2009 Global Symposium for
petitive market and which allows
 issuing secondary legislation reRegulators and Chairman and
the expected new competitor, Liban
lated to rights-of-way and access
Chief Executive Officer of the
Telecom, to compete on a level
to public property, as well as fees
Lebanon’s Telecommunications
Regulatory
Authority
playing field. To this end, TRA has
for the right to use spectrum.
ITU News  10 | 2009  December 2009
25