BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

27/11/2009

ITU Connect CIS Summit calls for investment in ICT Broadband access, digital broadcasting aim to stimulate economic growth and development

Minsk, Belarus -- The ITU Connect CIS Summit wrapped up today with a declaration by Heads of State and Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) calling for an inclusive and development-oriented Information Society and recognizing "the important contribution of ICTs in stimulating economic growth, employment and broader sustainable development in the region." The leaders also recognized the "essential role of governments in devising national e-strategies and establishing an enabling policy and regulatory framework to foster ICT investment". They reached out to other partners to "achieve the vision and goals of the World Summit on the Information Society in the CIS region." The two-day Summit brought together some 350 participants, including 5 Heads of State and Government from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, as well as 7 Ministers and other leaders from the CIS Territories and neighbouring countries, the telecommunication/ICT industry, financial institutions, and international and regional organizations. The Summit was hosted by the President of the Republic of Belarus Mr Alexander Lukashenko.

In his message to the Summit, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "Unequal access to ICT impedes productivity and innovation." Asserting that this directly affects efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, he added, "We want to enhance digital opportunities for all, and find new ways for these remarkable technologies to advance economic and social development." As the specialized UN agency for information communication technologies (ICT), this landmark event was organized as part of ITU's Connect the World (www.itu.int/ITU-D/connect/)series, an ambitious multi-stakeholder effort aimed at connecting the unconnected by the year 2015. The overall objective of the Connect CIS is to mobilize the human, financial and technical resources required to support a rapid, region-wide transition to digital infrastructure and services, widely recognized as the engine of future employment, economic growth and social and economic development.

In his opening speech, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure noted, "It is now time to turn words into action, and that is why we are here together. This can only happen through a renewed commitment to partnership - in particular partnerships between the public and private sectors. It can only happen if policy and regulatory frameworks are conducive to doing business profitably. And it can only happen with the political will on the part of governments to make ICTs a key priority in their development agendas." Mr Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, focused his remarks on the increasingly important role of broadband Internet access for the overall economy. He said, "Broadband is no longer a luxury. It has become the core infrastructure of the modern economy, which is needed to support advanced applications and services for governments, businesses and consumers. If we take the right steps together now, broadband networks will serve as a platform in the coming years for innovation, growth and development across the CIS region." Mr Al Basheer also highlighted a number of "ITU Flagship Initiatives" (www.itu.int/ITU-D/connect/flagship_initiatives/)to connect the unconnected, which are designed to leverage the unique contributions of various global and regional partners, including governments, the telecommunication/ICT industry, development banks and international and regional organizations.

The Director of ITU's Radiocommunication Bureau Valery Timofeev focused on the transition to digital broadcasting in the CIS territories. "Moving from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting will revolutionize communication in the CIS region and set the stage for a rich digital dividend," Timofeev said. "Digital broadcasting media enables high quality delivery of different multimedia applications such as films, books and data while using less radio-frequency spectrum." He added that in countries where "on-air broadcasting is the main distribution media for delivery of television and sound programmes, it is very important to provide a smooth switchover to digital broadcasting." Among other initiatives (www.itu.int/ITU-D/CDS/gq/generic/search/search-compute.asp?ProjectID=171), the President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev, along with CIS leaders attending the Summit, focused on implementing the Transnational Eurasian Information Super Highway project.

Earlier in the week, ITU released a report: "Information Society Statistical Profiles 2009: Commonwealth of Independent States", which showed a striking difference in the CIS region between the uptake of mobile telephony and other ICT services. In the region as a whole, the number of cellular mobile subscriptions has surpassed the number of inhabitants, reaching 113 per cent at the end of 2008 and placing the region second globally after Europe. However, when it comes to Internet use and fixed and mobile broadband access, the region lags behind others. In particular, fixed and mobile broadband penetration stands at only 4.6 and 0.9 per cent respectively, which is below the world average of 6.0 per cent. A major challenge for the CIS territories is to bring the benefits of broadband Internet to a larger part of its population.

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, Mr Victor Burya, representing the host country of the Connect CIS Summit, said, "Information and communication technologies are one of the most important factors in the economic and social development of the state. Using the latest technology facilitates the growing information needs of the population, business and government. It eliminates disparities in access to services and information for urban and rural residents and creates conditions for improving the quality of life of citizens and for the free development of society." The Connect CIS Summit was organized by ITU in partnership with The Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications, The Commonwealth of Independent States Executive Committee, The World Bank, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, The European Investment Bank, The Islamic Development Bank, The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and The United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development.

As a key partner at the Summit, Mr Igor Shchegolev, Minister of Telecommunication and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Board of the Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (RCC) said, "Our society has the huge task of building a common information society, without which it would be impossible to increase productivity and generate economic growth." Noting that the creation of an information society would significantly increase the indicators for a better quality of life, Mr Shchegolev added, "These goals will be achieved collectively if public access to information services is provided in all CIS countries." The Connect CIS Summit was preceded 23-24 November 2009 by the CIS Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC). The next WTDC, which will take place in Hyderabad, India from 24 May to 4 June 2010, will set priorities, programmes and initiatives for the coming four year cycle. Proposals from the CIS RPM for consideration by the WTDC global conference included the development of broadband access and the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting with a focus on combating climate change through the use of alternative sources of energy in telecommunication infrastructure.

Note: Countries participating from the region include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

MEDIA INFORMATION Video highlights of the Connect CIS Summit will be broadcast on Eurovision www.itu.int/net/newsroom/CIS/2009/pdf/world_feed_CIS_summit.pdf.

Video News Reports and interviews produced by the Connect CIS Summit TV can be viewed at: www.itu.int/net/newsroom/CIS/2009/videos/index.aspx.

Broadcast quality copies of the videos are available on demand.

High-resolution photos from the event can be downloaded at: www.itu.int/net/newsroom/CIS/2009/photolibrary/index.aspx.

Webcast of the Summit is available at www.itu.int/ibs/ITU-D/200911minsk/index.phtml The Summit programme and related background papers are available at: www.itu.int/net/newsroom/CIS/2009/index.aspx For more information, please visit www.itu.int/ITU-D/connect/cis/programme.html or contact: Sanjay Acharya Chief, Media Relations and Public Information ITU Tel: +41 22 730 5046 Mobile: +41 79 249 4861 E-mail: sanjay.acharya@itu.int Christopher Clark Coordinator, Partnership Development ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Tel: +41 22 730 6310 Mobile: +41 79 2494873 E-mail: christopher.clark@itu.int About ITU ITU is the leading 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. For nearly 145 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems and addressed the global challenges of our times, such as mitigating climate change and strengthening cybersecurity.

ITU also organizes worldwide and regional exhibitions and forums, such as ITU TELECOM WORLD, bringing together the most influential representatives of government and the telecommunications and ICT industry to exchange ideas, knowledge and technology for the benefit of the global community, and in particular the developing world.

From broadband Internet to latest-generation wireless technologies, from aeronautical and maritime navigation to radio astronomy and satellite-based meteorology, from convergence in fixed-mobile phone, Internet access, data, voice and TV broadcasting to next-generation networks, ITU is committed to connecting the world.

Source:

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2009/11/27/4503734.htm

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