ITU’s World Telecom Development Conference, 10-day meeting that e...

called for study on “workable and enforceable” universal access funding mechanism. Plan approved at conference, which focused on digital divide issues, also cited need to encourage manufacturers to develop low-cost, scalable technology for broadband applications that would promote access in rural and other underserved areas. “If we all commit ourselves to the conclusions of this conference, the low teledensities in least and developing countries can be tripled or even quadrupled before our next World Telecommunication Development Conference, Internet penetration will reach at least 25% of the population and every school will be wired or unwired, making information accessible to every child in the world,” said Hamadoun Toure, dir.-ITU Telecom Development Bureau. Istanbul Action Plan includes 6 programs, including one on regulatory reform that will assist regulators in developing policies, legislation, rules. Point of program, ITU said, is to provide solutions for “effective regulation, particularly in response to convergence trends whereby similar services can be delivered over different types of networks.” Separate program will focus on technologies and telecom network development, including traffic and demand forecasting, interconnection, interoperability, quality of service standards for wireline and wireless networks, terrestrial mobile communications, broadcasting. “Priority will be given to spectrum management and radio monitoring, broadcasting, network planning, mobile terrestrial communications and innovative networks,” ITU said. In area of finance, another program is examining how to assist developing countries in creation of policies such as “cost-orientation pricing, with a view to fostering equitable and affordable access to innovative and sustainable services.” Program will center on “new financing schemes” for developing telecom and information networks, including broadcasting, universal access programs and “determining cost of retail services and cost-based interconnection rates.” Action plan created program for least-developed countries that proposed new funding mechanism. For next 4 years, biennial approach will be used to provide assistance to 12 countries for 2 years instead of 6 countries each year. Program will develop rural telecom services and center on “restructuring to bring about liberalization and competition and possibly privatization as applicable with the objective of inducing faster network growth and better management.” Action plan also lays out new studies ITU will undertake in next 4 years in areas such as domestic enforcement of telecom laws and regulations by national regulatory authorities and satellite regulation. Study areas include spectrum valuation that would let developing countries “elaborate a national frequency fee calculation model for the various changes and fees levied on spectrum users.”