World telecommunications regulators have cited competition as being a key driver in promoting universal access to ICT services - a key issue in the World Summit on Information Society now underway in Geneva.
Speaking on the eve of the WSIS, they called upon countries to open their information and communications technology (ICT) sectors to greater competition. They further identified the kinds of regulations and practices needed to promote universal access to ICT services.
The regulators from more than 80 countries met in Geneva during the past two days to participate in the fourth annual Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Participants included international organizations such as the European Commission, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization, as well as academic and non-governmental organizations. They prepared a blueprint of what should be done to ensure that global access to the tools of communication is extended to all of humanity.
The GSR Universal Access Best Practice Guidelines will be delivered to the first World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva from today.
"Bridging the digital divide can be achieved," Hamadoun I. Tour'e, Director of ITU`s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) says. "Developing countries have all the tools at their disposal now to make the universal access dream a reality," the BDT Director added. "The measures identified by the world`s regulators are entirely feasible. But they need the full support of governments at the highest level. I have do doubt that this support will come from the heads of state and governments participating in the World Summit on the Information Society."
Muna Nijem, Chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) of Jordan, and also chairperson of the 2003 GSR, says: "The central focus of our GSR meeting is Universal Service and Universal Access. A modern vision that we intend to articulate is the key role broadband deployment can play in meeting the Universal Service/Access goals. Here, we cannot stress enough the need for the proper enabling environment, which includes the establishment of an independent regulator and the recognition of the key role that the regulator plays in the implementation of Universal Service/Access policies."
The GSR agreed on a list of best practice regulatory guidelines for achieving universal access. The guidelines call for support for regulatory reform at the highest level of government. This means treating ICTs as a tool for development rather than a source of government revenue.
Some of the key measures backed by national regulatory authorities include technologically neutral licenses (authorizations to provide services that do not distinguish on the basis of technology used) that enable service providers to use the most cost-effective technology to provide services, and reducing regulatory burdens to lower the costs of providing services.
The regulators agreed that the lessons learned from developing countries` initial experiences with mobile cellular services should now be applied to a broader range of ICT services to foster universal access.
These lessons include providing services in a competitive framework, using new technologies that offer both innovative services and affordable pricing options to a wide range of end users.
The blueprint identified by regulators would lead to greater competition, more open markets, and spark investment.
Ernest Ndukwe, CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission, says that his country has witnessed "a remarkable rise in the use of ICT services following the introduction of competition. The number of telephone lines has grown by over 500% within two years of opening our market to competition," Ndukwe says. "This could only have been achieved through regulatory reform."
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