ITU/V. Martin
Global Industry Leaders’ Forum
More spectrum and light-touch regulation
More access to radio-frequency spectrum is required,
as well as light-touch regulation. That was one of
the messages from the Global Industry Leaders’
Forum, held in Beirut, Lebanon on 9 November
2009. Representatives of operators, manufacturers,
infrastructure specialists and consultancies took part
in three sessions of candid debate. These covered
regulatory and policy issues, with a focus on how
to stimulate investment in information and communication technologies (ICT) in hard economic times;
innovative approaches to connect the unconnected,
and the convergence of the Internet protocol (IP) and
telecommunications.
The Forum, the second of its kind, was chaired
by Zain Group’s Chief Executive Officer Saad Al
Barrak. Its conclusions were presented to the Global
Symposium for Regulators that took place on 10–12
November 2009 (see pages 26–27). Alongside more
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ITU News  10 | 2009  December 2009
efficient management of spectrum and a light touch
by regulators, the report stressed the need for predictable, stable and technology-neutral regulation, as
well as improved regional harmonization.
Impact of the financial crisis on ICT
investment
What can industry, governments and regulators
do together to face challenging economic conditions
and continue to develop ICT? What role can broadband play in stimulating economic growth? How can
regulators help? Participants noted that these issues
were also discussed at ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009 in
Geneva in October.
Among the Forum’s recommendations was that,
in order to promote investment, regulators need
to pursue simplified procedures with limited taxation. And more investment in infrastructure could be
Hands-on or hands-off? Stimulating growth through effective ICT regulation
Global Industry Leaders’ Forum
stimulated by releasing harmonized radio-frequency
spectrum and other spectrum re-farming opportunities. Regulators must be able to respond rapidly and
with greater flexibility to the demand for spectrum,
which has continued to grow steadily despite the financial crisis.
It was underlined that industry needs to invest
now to meet tomorrow’s demands for broadband
connectivity, and cannot base investment projections
on yesterday’s needs.
Universal access policies in the 21st century
A session on “Universal access policies in the 21st
century” looked at the role of universal service funds,
and what approaches should be adopted to stimulate broadband roll-out in underserved communities.
What factors are making near-universal access to
voice connectivity possible, and how can this experience be replicated for broadband?
One of the recommendations was that universal service funds can be used to extend coverage to remote and high-cost areas, where it is
not commercially viable to build networks. This
should be done in close collaboration with industry. Meanwhile, more accessible types of terminal
device need to be created, as well as content in
local languages.
Modern networks will be deployed rapidly, if
market players have the right incentives. But the
pace of roll-out and growth are heavily dependent
on national policies and regulations, participants
concluded.
Convergence of IP and telecommunications
The third session addressed the issue of how convergence between IP and telecommunications will
play out. What opportunities will lead to increased
revenues for telecommunication operators, Internet
service providers, software and content companies,
and others? Should all traffic be priced the same and
have the same priority? What should be the role of
regulators?
It was recommended that regulation should be
lighter, more flexible and more targeted, in order to
stimulate investment and enable demand to be met
more rapidly. In addition, regulators need to plan
for the long term and define clear goals based on
tomorrow’s needs. Regulators must also move rapidly to make more spectrum available (including the
“digital dividend” arising from the switch to digital
broadcasting).
The Forum also recommended that government agencies responsible for spectrum management should be encouraged to set aside significant
amounts of spectrum for wireless broadband access. Some participants added that cost-effective
access to “white space” in under-utilized spectrum below 1 GHz (suitable for low- and mediumpower applications) could enable consumers to
benefit from this capacity, without compromising
the rights of licensees and licensed services. The
Forum also recognized studies under way in the ITU
Radiocommunication Sector in preparation for the
World Radiocommunication Conference in 2012,
which will consider an agenda item on cognitive
radio.
ITU, which plays a critical role in global spectrum
allocation, was asked to continue to work actively to
help companies and governments alike create an enabling environment to support new services, cheaper
pricing, and faster network roll-out to underserved
areas.
ITU News  10 | 2009  December 2009
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