According to the10th edition of its annual report- Trends in Telecommunication Reform, compiled on the discussions held during the ITU’s annual Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) in Beirut, Lebanon, the organization pointed out that there’s a need for reform in the industry in order to drive investment, following the global crisis.
The report shows that mobile telephony and technologies, as well as broadband Internet, are still in high demand worldwide, however when it comes to new network rollouts and technology upgrades, the regulators and policymakers need to intervene to ensure the development of a “broadband economy”.
“With technological convergence now blurring the lines between telephony, broadcasting, and online services, ICT regulators play a key role in fostering ongoing innovation and competition, enabling operators to adopt the latest, most powerful technologies, and ensuring consumers enjoy the very best range of services at the lowest possible prices”, said ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré.
The ITU’s proposal refers to the enforcement of public-private partnership, ICT stimulus plans and funding programs that can be endorsed by strong regulatory institutions and transparent policies and procedures.
Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, argued that, despite the sector handling the crisis better than other markets, “the answers to many of the complex regulatory questions now facing the industry are still far from clear”. He also said, “Certain markets – namely mobile cellular and Internet – have been buoyant. And because of the business opportunities they represent, developing countries remain attractive – especially those that have embarked on regulatory reform initiatives. But the answers to many of the complex regulatory questions now facing the industry are still far from clear – which is why the GSR has become such a key global event.”
The report presented the latest trends in mobile markets, with global mobile subscriptions expected to reach 5 billion in 2010 and mobile broadband subscriptions overtaking fixed broadband subscriptions. In 2008, the number of mobile broadband subscriptions reached 600 million, while last year the Internet had 1.8 billion users worldwide, representing a steady grow.
Also, the number of separate telecom/ICT regulatory authorities in markets around the world increased from just 12 in 1990 to 153 at the end of 2009. This has resulted in more converged technologies like VoIP being implemented, with 65% of countries now having competitive markets for basic fixed-line services, 90% for mobile cellular services and 124 national fixed-line providers being privatized.
ITU is the United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services.
The full report in PDF can be seen by clicking here.
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