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© International Telecommunication Union INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION No. 2 March 2009

www.itu.int/itunews

The networked car, the environment and climate change TH OCTOBERÆ5 TO TH Æ9 Æ2009 COULDÆBE THEÆMOSTÆ PRODUCTIVE WEEK...

...OF ÆÆÆÆÆÆÆYOURÆÆÆÆÆ PROFESSIONALÆ LIFEÆ!

But only if you spend that week at ITU T   W . Because no other event o ers such a wide range of ideas, knowledge and experience. No other event gives you direct access to the full cross-section of ICT decision-makers from government and industry. And no other event will be more essential in helping you plot a strategic course in the rapidly-evolving ICT industry. In a world where knowledge is currency and meeting the right people is gold, this global summit is sure to provide you with the best return on investment. Geneva, 5-9 October 2009 – don’t miss it.

www.itu.int/world2009

5_9_october_2009_210X297mm.indd 1 4.12.2008 17:43:40 Editorial

A new ITU index measures the information society Dr Hamadoun I. Touré

ITU Secretary-General Ferré ITU/ J.M.

At a time when the global economy is facing one of advantage of a myriad of new applications, including its greatest challenges in decades, it is more crucial those related to commerce, health or banking (see than ever to monitor what is happening in the sector pages 4–11). The index shows how mobile communi- of information and communication technologies (ICT) cations are one of the strongest areas of the ICT sec- — a sector which will be of great importance in lead- tor, and so could be of great importance in carrying it ing the economic recovery. ITU is at the centre of such beyond the current economic crisis. monitoring work, and at the beginning of March, we The need to develop an ICT index was emphasized published the latest edition of the report Measuring in the outcome documents of the World Summit on the Information Society. This report features a new the Information Society, which called for a realistic sys- ICT Development Index, which compares trends in tem for benchmarking performance in ICT internation- 154 countries around the world and progress made ally. And monitoring was a key word for the ITU TELECOM between 2002 and 2007. It is an important tool for Board of Directors, at their meeting in February this policy-makers, service providers and market analysts. year. Recognizing ICT as a catalyst for economic recov- Sweden is ranked fi rst in the ICT Development ery, the Board agreed that this should be a major focus Index, followed in the top ten by the Republic of the Forum at ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009 in Geneva in of Korea, Denmark, the Netherlands, Iceland, October. Before then, the topic will be considered at Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Finland and the the World Telecommunication Policy Forum, in Lisbon, United Kingdom. Generally, all countries made good Portugal, on 22–24 April (see pages 23–24). At both progress during the fi ve-year period, but major differ- events, world leaders and industry chiefs will assess the ences remain in ICT levels between regions, and be- situation for ICT, and how we can move forward. tween the developed and developing economies. The The next issue of ITU News will carry an in-depth digital divide persists. article on the index, which will serve as a benchmark- The index also reveals a clear shift from fi xed to ing tool globally, regionally and at the country level. mobile communications. is opening The making of effective policy requires clear informa- up new and exciting possibilities, thanks to the rapid tion on measurable facts and comparable indicators. spread of IMT-2000/3G mobile networks that have the In support of this task, the ICT Development Index potential to help more and more people communi- provides a comprehensive picture of where countries cate. And as well as having conversations or sending stand in their evolution towards an inclusive informa- text messages by , users are able to take tion society.

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 1 Mobile beyond voice

Main Cover photo: © vario images GmbH & Co.KG / Alamy, ITU/V. Martin

A new ITU index measures the information society ISSN 1020–4148 Editorial by Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU Secretary-General www.itu.int/itunews 10 issues per year Copyright: © ITU 2009 Mobile beyond voice Managing Editor: Patricia Lusweti 4 How mobile phones are delivering more and more services Production Editor: Janet Burgess Art Editor: Christine Vanoli Circulation Assistant: Ricarda Brouard Printed in Geneva by the ITU Printing 10 A boost for mobile banking and Dispatch Division. Material from this Bringing fi nancial services to the “unbanked” publication may be reproduced in full or in part, provided that it is accompanied by the acknowledgement: ITU News. Promoting mobile phones to support health Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this 11 A new alliance will support health services via phone publication are those of the authors and do not engage ITU. The designations in developing countries employed and presentation of material in this publication, including maps, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of 12 ITU TELECOM Board ITU concerning the legal status of Board decides on global leaders’ summit for TELECOM WORLD 2009 any country, territory, city or area, or concerning the delimitations of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specifi c companies or of certain products The networked car, the environment and climate change does not imply that they are endorsed 13 or recommended by ITU in preference ITU workshop convenes at the Geneva International Motor Show to others of a similar nature that are not  Innovation for greener motoring (page 14) mentioned.  Communication, entertainment and access (page 18)  Voice and noise (page 19) Editorial offi ce/Advertising information:  Greener cars and the economic crisis (page 21) Tel.: +41 22 730 5234/6303 Fax: +41 22 730 5935 E-mail: [email protected] Preparing for the World Telecommunication Policy Forum Mailing address: 23 What is on the agenda? International Telecommunication Union Place des Nations CH–1211 Geneva 20 (Switzerland)

Subscriptions: Tel.: +41 22 730 6303 Fax: +41 22 730 5935 E-mail: [email protected]

2 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Contents Mobile beyond voice

25 ITU Secretary-General attends the African Union summit

Space procedures 26 A closer look at the framework for satellite networks John Lewis, Consultant in International Spectrum Management, Added Value Applications Limited

Connecting the Pacifi c islands 30 New projects announced at a Ministerial Forum

32 ITU Internet Training Centre inaugurated in Tonga

33 Connecting schools to the Internet across the Russian Federation Vitaly Slizen, General Director of Synterra

Internet access for the blind 37 A pilot project for a school in Romania

39 Offi cial announcements

Meeting with the Secretary-General 40 Offi cial visits to ITU

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 3 © vario images GmbH & Co.KG / Alamy © vario images GmbH & Co.KG

Mobile beyond voice

In tough economic times, the mobile phone industry Apple Inc, which has recorded more than 500 million is coping better than most sectors. People around the downloads since it opened in July 2008. From these world now regard being able to make mobile phone websites users can download to their phones, or other calls as one of life’s essentials, while texting, or the mobile devices, applications that are created by any short message service (SMS), remains very popular. developers (who may share revenues with the store There is still tremendous potential for growth in these owner). The applications include games, business tools basic services in developing countries in particular. and education such as language learning. Providing an However, in other places where the market is near sat- easy way to download an attractive array of such pro- uration — and increasingly in developing countries too grams is one way in which mobile phone companies — mobile phone manufacturers need to create new can attempt to stand out from the crowd in a highly “” with advanced features and Internet competitive marketplace. capabilities. And operators need to fi nd new revenue In October 2008, opened its “Android streams from services beyond voice that will attract Market” for users to download applications and con- new customers and retain existing ones. tent for mobiles based on the open-source Android operating system, developed by Google and then by Applications and their platforms the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). This is an indus- One of the most striking trends recently has been try group that comprises equipment manufacturers the launching of “application stores” by more and such as Motorola Inc and Samsung Electronics, as more mobile operators, following the success of the well as such mobile operators as NTT DoCoMo and “App Store” created by the producers of the iPhone, China Mobile, and chip makers and software fi rms

4 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Mobile beyond voice

including Corporation. Two of OHA’s members, system will appear towards the end of 2009, including Vodafone and Huawei Technologies, announced their links to a “Windows Marketplace for Mobile” accessed fi rst Android phones in February 2009. China Mobile, from both smartphones and . There will also the provider with the world’s largest number of sub- be a complete overhaul of the platform with the intro- scribers, has said it will launch its own application store duction of Mobile 7 in 2010, according to ’s and that it is heading the development of an Android- Chief Executive Offi cer (CEO) Steve Ballmer. In a speech based “Open Mobile System” which supports China’s at Barcelona he emphasized how “people want to be standard for third-generation (3G) networks known as able to access all kinds of information and experienc- TD-SDCMA (time division synchronous code division es from their mobile devices that they might take for multiple access). granted on their computers — bringing together the Android competes as a best of what each of these two form factors has to with those from Apple Inc, Palm, Nokia and Symbian, offer… More than anything, consumers want experi- as well as Research In Motion which makes BlackBerry ences that extend seamlessly across their home and devices. Spring 2009 should see the launch of an appli- work lives.” cation store for a new “BlackBerry Storm” , while Nokia has said it will launch its “Ovi Store” early Convergence of computing and mobility in the year. Before summer, Palm Inc is expected to Mr Ballmer foresees that the ubiquity of Internet launch the “Palm Pre” handset, using the new palm access and increasing power of microchips will lead webOS. to the creation of a single platform covering comput- At the GSMA Mobile World Congress, held on ers, mobile phones and other devices, and extending 16–19 February 2009 in Barcelona, Spain, Microsoft to “the massive data-centre storage and computing announced that a new Microsoft Mobile 6.5 operating capacity that lives in the Internet.” This will bring “in- credible opportunities to deliver sophisticated, power- ful mobile devices and valuable new services,” he said. Although reportedly not planning to make its own phone, Microsoft is moving further into the world of mobile communications, and manufactur- ers are doing so too. The world’s third-largest ven- dor of personal computers, Acer Inc, announced on 16 February 2009 that it will begin producing a new range of smartphones. Already, it makes “netbooks” — small computers that give portable Internet access alongside their other functions. Both fi rms (like many others) regard mobile con- nectivity as the most likely source of profi ts in future, as well as during the diffi cult economic times being

digitalife experienced at present. As yet, only a small fraction of

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 5 Mobile beyond voice

the world’s 4 billion mobile phone subscribers have a smartphone. Acer says that the global growth in sales of such devices is expected to rise by up to 15 per cent a year over the coming three-to-five years. Mobile phone firms are reported to be consider- fantasista ing moving into the netbook market, while computer manufacturers are looking at opportunities in smart- phones. In fact, the devices that people carry about by the launch of handsets with microchips that need with them in future are likely to combine both sets of comparatively little power to receive standard, free-to- functions — and more. air television channels. Echoing the popularity of the YouTube model of Music, movies and television video content, some 250 entries from over 100 coun- Using pre-installed or downloaded applications, an tries were put forward for a prize at the first-ever advanced mobile phone can act as a diary, a games MOFILM Film Festival, which took place in February machine, a radio, a camera, or a newspaper. In particu- 2009 during the GSMA Mobile World Congress. All lar, though, the industry sees promise in promoting the films were no more than 5 minutes long and specially phone as a video and music player. Mobile music rev- made for viewing on a mobile phone. Speaking at the enues (including ringtones as well as complete tracks) event, Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey described how will reach USD 14.6 billion globally by 2013, according this new medium would give people everywhere a to a report by Juniper Research Ltd, a firm of analysts chance to share their work, and at the same time allow based in the United Kingdom. others to a film — maybe, in some countries, Users can transfer music files from their computers for the first time. to the phone, or download songs directly from sites that are operated by mobile firms, such as T-Mobile’s Location, location, location “Mobile Jukebox” or Vodafone’s “Music Station”. NTT More and more mobile phones are equipped to DoCoMo, for example, has various music packages as double as navigation devices that use such satellite well as a site from which videos up to 30 minutes long technology as the global positioning system (GPS). can be obtained. Knowing where a phone is means that location-based However, when it comes to video, the general services can be delivered to the user, ranging from trend worldwide seems to be for phone subscribers to emergency response, to details of nearby tourist fa- download short clips from such websites as YouTube. cilities, to advertising. By sending information to driv- These are free of charge, unlike serv- ers, and assisting the management of traffic, mobile ices which (although growing slowly) are used only phones can also be incorporated into an intelligent by a small minority of subscribers around the world. transport system (see article on pages 13–22). Juniper Research estimates that, by 2013, global an- Social networking online, through such websites nual revenues from mobile broadcast television will as MySpace, is, potentially, a major growth area as a be USD 2.7 billion, but are likely to be held in check location-based function of mobile phones. Companies

6 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Mobile beyond voice

including Pelago, based in the United States, and The third most popular reason to connect to the GyPSii, based in the Netherlands, offer services that Internet was to seek information such as news and allow people to find where their friends are at any weather reports. The survey also asked what new particular moment, exchange messages and arrange functions users would like their phones to have (see to meet. Another important aspect of sharing data Figure 2 on page 8). Overall, more than a third of re- through networks in this way is the ability to transmit spondents wanted the ability to transfer airtime and content that has been created by users themselves. to buy groceries and other items, and to pay bills. This could mean, for example, sending a photo to a Financial services, including loans and remittances, group of friends on a social network. Or, it could be were sought by 13 per cent of users. the growing trend for users of navigation applications to send information through the network to update Figure 1 — Why do you use the mobile Internet? maps — for the benefit of everyone. User-generated content is seen as becoming increasingly important on 100% mobile platforms. Mobile social networks are especially popular in 80% China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and are gain- ing ground in Europe and North America. In develop- 60% ing countries, where Internet access is achieved mostly via mobile phones, social networking is being provided 40% by such services as MyGamma, owned by Singapore- based company BuzzCity, which also provides a net- 20% work for mobile advertising — another sector that is growing fast. 0% India Libya Egypt Kenya Brunei

Developing countries too Nigeria Pakistan Thailand Tanzania Romania Indonesia Philippines

In December 2008, BuzzCity conducted a survey* Darussalam South Africa United States of some 3400 customers in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, as well as Transactions (payments for tickets, etc) the United States (see Figure 1). It revealed how peo- Education ple use their mobile phones for Internet access, with (dictionary, learning materials, etc) 60 per cent communicating with friends through on- E-mail Surfing for information line tools such as chat rooms and blogs, and 16 per (news, weather, sports) cent seeking entertainment, including music, video Entertainment and game downloads. (games, music, video, etc) Communicate with my friends (chat, blog, discussion groups, etc)

* “Who uses the mobile Internet?” BuzzCity, Source: BuzzCity/December 2008. 30 December 2008.

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 7 Mobile beyond voice

Figure 2 — What mobile service would you like?

100%

Nevertheless, as well as sophisticated handsets, many 80% of the new functions for mobile telephony depend upon 3G networks, which must have the capacity 60% needed for the increased use of data-rich applications. This is being added with enhancements through high- 40% speed packet access (HSPA) technologies, and HSPA+ is on the horizon. 20% The next step is towards WiMAX or long-term evolution (LTE) networks with even more capacity. 0% The worldwide subscriber base for WiMAX is already around 3 million, according to analysts Research and India Libya Egypt Kenya Brunei Nigeria Pakistan Thailand Tanzania Romania Markets, based in Ireland, and substantial growth is Indonesia Philippines Darussalam South Africa United States predicted. LTE could arrive soon. At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Verizon Wireless, a joint ven- Parking fees Loans ture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone, an- Bill payments nounced that it would build the United States’ first LTE Tickets (movie, transport) network, planned to open in 2010. LTE trials have also Groceries been conducted in Europe. Money transfers/remittances Café/restaurant bills The provision of broadband connectivity through Items for use in online games any technology requires more of the radio-frequency Airtime transfers spectrum. Around the world, mobile phone companies

Source: BuzzCity/December 2008. are calling for such allocations, including the spectrum that becomes available as a result of switching from analogue to digital television broadcasting. They also Mobile banking could have a significant impact in want the chunks of spectrum to be harmonized across developing countries, where many people have little regions, so that interoperability and economies of access to traditional facilities (see article on page 10). scale can be achieved, thus helping advanced mobile Another service that could be very important is the use services to enter the mass market. of mobile phones in the monitoring of medical treat- Already it is clear that, for huge numbers of peo- ment (see article on page 11). ple, mobile phones are no longer considered a luxury, but rather a necessity. And increasingly, the perceived Preparing for the next generation necessity is not only for simple voice or text commu- China and India are set to roll out 3G networks this nications, but also for access to the Internet. Whether year, but currently some 90 per cent of the world’s mo- by phone, netbook or other device, such connectivity bile phone subscribers do not have access to 3G. Not seems certain to be the wave of the future. all new services need this technology; mobile bank- ing, for instance, is being carried out with 2G phones.

8 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Mobile beyond voice

What is a smartphone?

There is no standard defi nition of a smartphone, but, as well as high- speed Internet access, a buyer might expect the (maybe expandable) storage capacity that only a computer had not long ago.

Apple’s iPhone, launched in 2007, stimulated the growth of the smartphone market, especially with the release of the 3G model in July 2008.

A smartphone should be able to play music at good quality and have an easy-to-use keyboard for inputting data, such as the new Nokia E75, or a sophisticated touchscreen that responds to arm movements as well as fi nger-tapping.

It needs a camera too. For example, the next offering from Sony Ericsson, due out in 2009 and temporarily named the “Idou”, will have a 12-megapixel camera.

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 9 A boost for mobile banking

The use of mobile phones to transmit and receive money is having a growing impact in the developing world. There are limited traditional banking facilities in these countries (especially in rural areas), but nowa- days, many people have access to a mobile phone. A mobile banking Making use of this resource, the Bill and Melinda Gates customer in Kenya GSMA/Decisive Media Foundation announced on 17 February 2009 that it has donated USD 12.5 million to expand the availa- bility of mobile fi nancial services, through the Mobile Money for the Unbanked (MMU) programme, initiated M-PESA was originally created as a pilot project by the GSM Association (GSMA) Development Fund. funded jointly by the Vodafone Group and the United In total, a fund of USD 25 million will be available Kingdom’s Department for International Development. over two years to support commercially viable and sus- The service has been extended to Tanzania, operated tainable projects by mobile operators. The MMU pro- by Vodacom, a joint venture of Vodafone and Telkom gramme will also work with banks, microfi nance insti- South Africa. In Afghanistan, Vodafone works with tutions, governments and development organizations mobile network operator Roshan to provide what is to encourage the expansion of reliable, affordable mo- known there as the “M-Paisa” service. bile fi nancial services to people with no access to bank- In February 2009, the Kuwait-based mobile com- ing — “the unbanked”. Approximately 20 projects will munications company Zain, which serves both the be supported in developing countries, with the goal of Middle East and Africa, announced that it too will reaching 20 million new customers by 2012. launch a mobile banking service (called “Zap”) in Kenya and Tanzania. It plans to later expand the service to The African example Uganda and eventually reach 100 million customers. In Africa, a service called M-PESA, launched in Kenya The demand for these services is clear. As well as in 2007, enables people to transfer money through offering a good business opportunity for mobile op- mobile phone networks (“pesa” is the Swahili word for erators, they also have clear social benefi ts. Phone us- money). Customers can put money into their accounts ers are likely to use their “mobile wallets” in a way that by depositing cash with a local agent of the mobile benefi ts the economy as a whole. operator Safaricom. They can also withdraw cash, or buy airtime for their (or other people’s) phones. Many agents are Safaricom dealers, but there are also su- permarkets, Internet cafés and other retail outlets. The agents earn a commission for each transaction.

10 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Promoting mobile phones to support health

A new alliance has been created to promote the use of mobile phones in bringing health services to peo- ple in developing countries. The launch of the Mobile Health Alliance (mHealth), formed by the Rockefeller Foundation, the United Nations Foundation and the A health worker collects Vodafone Foundation, was announced on 17 February information from a patient UN Foundation/Datadyne 2009 at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Terry Kramer, Vodafone Foundation Trustee, commented that “when you consider that there are be sent, for example, text messages reminding them to 2.2 billion mobile phones in the developing world, take medicine at a certain time. 305 million computers but only 11 million hospital The public can use such systems to obtain informa- beds, you can instantly see how mobiles can create tion themselves. This is a feature of the “Integrated effective solutions to address healthcare challeng- Healthcare Information Service” being developed in es. Mobile technology is providing new hope in the Botswana by Microsoft Research and the University provision and promotion of quality healthcare in a of Botswana. Mobile phone-based software allows number of ways, such as accelerating the collection health workers to capture, store, process, transmit and and storage of patient data, training rural profession- access patient records. And anyone can send a ques- als and personalizing the way patients receive medical tion about health via a text message and receive a re- treatment.” ply straight to their mobile phone. The mHealth alliance will focus on global advocacy A further development in mobile health services is and cooperation in policy, regulation, interoperability the use of sensors worn by the patient which trans- and support of relevant standards. Partnerships to im- mit data directly to a clinic where it is monitored. plement projects are envisaged, including encourage- One of the entities developing this type of system is ment of collaboration between public and private enti- Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, ties, as well as regional initiatives. which has forged a partnership with experts in Indian Mobile phones can be used by health workers to academic institutions. Their system, fi rst unveiled in gather and store information from patients in remote 2005, uses a phone to transmit a person’s vital signs, areas, and then transmit it to hospitals in the city. In including complex electrocardiograms. addition, they can access health records or other data The value of such projects is likely to be felt not that are stored centrally. This not only makes adminis- only in developing countries, but around the world. tration more effi cient, it also helps in making remote Mobile phones are becoming a ubiquitous tool with diagnoses. And patients who own mobile phones can increasing capabilities that can help to sustain health.

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 11 ITU/L. Ciavalino

ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009 will feature a global leaders’ summit

ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009, which will take place in Geneva on 5–9 October, will include a global leader- ship summit to address the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in recovering from the worldwide fi nancial crisis. This was decided by the ITU TELECOM Board of Directors at its meeting in Barcelona, Spain in February 2009. The Board, which includes key industry leaders, emphasized the role of the digital economy in stimulating investment and growth as a whole. They gave their full support to ITU “Investment in ICT makes as much sense now as did playing a catalysing role in shaping the agenda for ICT investing in building the physical infrastructure of in support of economic revival and development. roads and railways during the great depression of the Commenting on the Board’s decision, ITU 1930s,” Dr Touré noted. Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré said that TELECOM ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009 will bring together Heads WORLD 2009 will be the right time to bring together all of State and Government, ministers, industry leaders the key players in government and the ICT industry. In and regulators for the high-level summit. There will October, he said, “we will be in a better position to as- also be a cutting-edge exhibition and Forum where sess the effects on industry of the senior representatives of the public and private sectors fi nancial crisis, and establish will be able to network and brainstorm strategies for both how to resuscitate growth. those sectors that need Looking ahead, the Board of Directors also agreed it, as well as to focus on that ITU TELECOM WORLD should be held in Geneva in how ICT can be a cata- 2011 to mark the event’s 40th anniversary. lyst for recovery”. He The ITU TELECOM Board of Directors includes chair- added that the ICT men and chief executive offi cers from entities such as sector has been the Bharti Enterprises, China Mobile, CNBC Europe, GSMA powerhouse of the Association, Hutchison Telecommunications, Novare global economy in Technologies, NTT DoCoMo, Orange UK, Orascom, terms of gross do- QTel, the South African Development Bank, Swisscom, mestic product (GDP), and the Telecommunications Industry Association. and it will be a cor- nerstone of growth.

12 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 The “Lightning GT” prototype electric sports car from the Lightning Car Company of the United Kingdom was a special feature of the workshop ITU/R. Paladin

The networked car, the environment and climate change

The environment and climate change were major themes at the annual “Fully Networked Car” workshop that took place on 4–5 March 2009 at the Geneva International Motor Show. ITU organized this World Standards Cooperation (WSC) workshop with the help of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). These two organizations are ITU’s partners in WSC. The event was sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Freescale Semiconductor and Telemobility. ITU/V. Martin ITU/V. Martin ITU/V. Martin ITU/V.

Malcolm Johnson, Kevin McKinley, Jack Sheldon, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Deputy Secretary-General of ISO IEC Standardization Strategy Standardization Bureau Manager

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 13 The Fully Networked Car workshop Innovation for greener motoring

Despite the current economic downturn, it is esti- (you don’t have to be an ITU member) can participate,” mated that by 2020 the number of cars on the road Mr Johnson added. will have nearly doubled to 1.5 billion. However, the ex- Key objectives for the auto industry are to address pected impact of this growth on greenhouse-gas emis- climate change, security, safety, innovation and ad- sions can be reduced with the help of information and vanced communications, commented Kevin McKinley, communication technologies (ICT). “We need to look Deputy Secretary-General of ISO. He stressed that at how ICT can help the motor industry address the “standards have an undeniable contribution to eco- challenge of climate change,” said Malcolm Johnson, nomic growth”, and the challenge is for the world Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization standards-development organizations to set priorities Bureau, upon opening the workshop. He outlined and coordinate their efforts. the work of the ITU Focus Group on ICT and Climate Speaking of electric and hybrid cars, Jack Sheldon, Change, set up in July 2008, and reported that good IEC Standardization Strategy Manager, underlined that progress is being made towards a standardized meth- developing better batteries is essential, and new de- odology that will allow ICT companies to measure their velopments in lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are carbon footprints. Mr Johnson encouraged an interac- promising. He added that the development of smart tive discussion, especially to identify new areas of work power grids will be vital to support the adoption of for the WSC organizations on international standards. electric cars and IEC is working closely with ITU and He pointed out that as a result of last year's event, ISO to provide seamless standards that will benefit ITU started new work on a vehicle gateway platform governments, manufacturers and drivers. for telecommunication and intelligent transport serv- ices and applications. “This work takes place in an ITU Innovation for greener motoring Focus Group, which means that any interested party An executive session of the workshop produced insights into how engineers around the world are de- veloping technologies that will improve fuel economy, reduce emissions and lessen transport’s environmental impact, all while delivering the comfort, convenience and performance that drivers demand.

Racing cars Developments in Formula 1 racing cars can help introduce energy-efficient technologies on our roads, said Burkhard Göschel, CTO of the Vehicles and Powertrain Group at Magna International, Chairman of the Grand Prix Manufacturers Association and the Formula 1 Manufacturers Advisory Committee. Telemetry systems that are used in racing cars can also improve the safety of ordinary cars and reduce green- ITU/L. Ciavalino house-gas emissions. Mr Göschel added that 90 per

14 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 The Fully Networked Car workshop Innovation for greener motoring

cent of innovation will be in electronics and software and this will add a lot of complexity to a car. Thus, the number of electronic control units (ECU) in a car needs to be reduced, and better hardware and software inte- gration is required. The possibility of racing-car technology contribut- ing to improvements in normal cars was also described by Gianluigi Ferri, CEO of Wireless & Monza Research Institute, speaking on behalf of former Formula 1 driver Ivan Capelli. He said that the famous Italian rac- ing circuit at Monza launched a new event in 2008 called “Aria Nuova” that brings together engineers and businesses from the two fields. The second event will ITU/V. Martin ITU/V. take place on 11–14 June 2009 with sessions on en- ergy, climate change, and communications, and will finish with a competition for environmentally-friendly Better Place, a firm based in California, United States, vehicles. promotes the adoption of electric vehicles and deploy- ment of supporting infrastructure, and is working with Electric cars Renault-Nissan on making these vehicles. Better Place A special feature of the workshop was the “Lightning Vice President (International Standardization) Ziva Patir GT” prototype electric sports car, presented by Chris outlined the benefits of electric cars, but emphasized , Managing Director, Lightning Car Company, how “standards can either create a project or kill it”. United Kingdom. It uses the latest engine and battery A comprehensive approach is needed by major stand- technology, can accelerate from 0 to nearly 97 km/h in ards-development organizations such as ITU, ISO and less than five seconds, and has a top speed of more than IEC, she said. 209 km/h. It can be charged in 10 minutes. T. Russell Shields, Chairman of Ygomi, said that Intelligent transport systems vehicle communication technologies could help to Another area of focus was intelligent transport sys- make electric vehicles more attractive to consumers, tems (ITS) that are used to improve traffic flow and by addressing such issues as the limited driving range road safety, increase the efficiency of freight and public of such vehicles, time and cost of recharging them, transport and cut fuel consumption — thereby reduc- sparse recharging infrastructure and high battery costs. ing the environmental impact. He said that all the technology needed for these solu- Tadao Saito, Chief Technology Officer at Toyota tions already exists, and the in-vehicle technology has InfoTechnology Center, underlined the key role been tested extensively. The remaining steps are for played by ITS in traffic management (see Figure 1 on governments to allocate the radio bandwidth for data page 16). “ICT can lead to safer and greener trans- transmission, and for operators to build the necessary port,” he said, but global standards for platforms and networks, Mr Shields explained. applications are necessary to achieve this. Computers

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 15 The Fully Networked Car workshop Innovation for greener motoring

Figure 1 — ITS as a new market for telecommunication in ubiquitous ICT

Travellers Centres

Remote Traffic Emergency Toll Commercial Maintenance traveller management management administration vehicle and construction support administration management

Personal Information Emissions Transit Fleet and freight Archived data information service provider management management management management access

Wide area wireless (mobile) communications Fixed point-to-fixed point communications

Vehicle Roadway

Emergency vehicle Security monitoring

Commercial vehicle Toll collection

Transit vehicle Parking management communications communications Vehicle-to-vehicle Vehicle-to-vehicle Dedicated short range Dedicated short range Maintenance and construction vehicle Commercial vehicle check

Vehicles Field

Source: Taido Saito, Toyota InfoTechnology Center.

and communication terminals are likely to be ubiqui- improve accessibility, enhance safety and lead to tous in cars by 2030, Mr Saito predicted, but there emission reductions. are barriers to be overcome, such as finding sufficient Denis Griot, Senior Vice President and Chairman of radio-frequency spectrum. Freescale Semiconductor Inc (Europe, Middle East and Hermann Meyer, CEO of ERTICO ITS Europe, ex- Africa), emphasized that networked cars and the full plained that his organization is a public-private part- implementation of ITS are critical in addressing climate nership that promotes the development and deploy- change, as part of the European Union’s overall goal of

ment of ITS across Europe. It is working to promote reducing CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. Also “intelligent mobility”, involving cars, people and from Freescale, Marc Osajda talked about the “auto- goods, he said. The vision behind the project is to motive megatrends” illustrated in Figure 3 on page 18. achieve zero road accidents, zero traffic delays and Cars are gaining more embedded computing power, a reduced impact on the environment. Mr Meyer with reduced power consumption, he said. Mr Osajda gave examples of the ITS services shown in Figure 2 also noted that, by standardizing the many protocols on page 17, noting how it can lessen traffic jams, in this field, ITU could facilitate the deployment of ITS.

16 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 The Fully Networked Car workshop Innovation for greener motoring

Figure 2 — Ubiquitous connectivity will improve urban mobility

Satellite broadcast Terrestrial broadcast GPS/Galileo

WiMAX 2G/3G WiMAX 2G/3G

Hot spot (WiFi) 5.8 GHz DSRC

CALM infrared CALM M5 WAVE Vehicle-to-vehicle

Mobile-to-vehicle

. Sensing . Computing/networking . Transmitting/communicating . Positioning . Mapping

Source: Hermann Meyer, ERTICO (ITS Europe).

Adam Brzozowski of Avanti Communications, de- Effi cient parking scribed the SISTER project that promotes the integra- Effi cient parking can have a positive effect on cli- tion of satellite and terrestrial communications in ITS. mate change, according to Bruno Verplancken of Satellite broadcasts can provide information to driv- Neopark, because it leads to less driving around, and so ers, while two-way satellite communications can be a cut in greenhouse-gas emissions. Neopark is a French used for ITS services that need wide coverage (for ex- service that helps drivers fi nd places to park. During the ample fl eet management), or high reliability, such as workshop, Cyril Zeller, Business Development Director emergency response. Mr Brzozowski said that the fi rst at Mobile Devices, demonstrated a platform developed S-band satellite for Europe will be available in 2009 for Neopark. Mobile Devices is a French company that and will offer, for example, direct broadcasts to the provides technology for telematics (navigation, driver vehicle of television and radio, map updates and loca- information and fl eet management). tion-based services.

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 17 The Fully Networked Car workshop Communication, entertainment and Internet access

Figure 3 — Outstanding innovation in automotive networking

Vehicle stability Telematics/eCall system Infotainment FlexRay™

Hybrid engine control Radar

Night vision Intelligent distributed Camera-based collision control avoidance

Automotive megatrends

Going green Safety The affordable Connectivity/ vehicle Infotainment

Source: Marc Osajda, Freescale, Semiconductor, Inc.

Communication, entertainment Continuing growth in traffi c makes it vital to use and Internet access ICT and telematics to improve safety and support all New technologies are bringing greater comfort and road users, while at the same time enhancing the en- entertainment to cars. Software-defi ned radio, for exam- tertainment and information that people can access in ple, was described by Asier Alonso Muñoz of TECNALIA- a car, said Herbert Scheitler of Wavecom. But he noted TELE, while a new initiative called “.car” was outlined that the interests of various stakeholders have to be by Arnaud de Meulemeester, Managing Director of ATX aligned and critical business issues resolved in order to Europe. The company advocates the creation of a top- introduce the systems successfully in the market. level domain “.car”. Mr de Meulemeester explained that The workshop also examined how wireless access “while the primary focus is to give motorists the ability networks can be used in cars, as well as increasingly to surf the web in their vehicles, there are other key is- sophisticated mobile devices, such as smartphones. sues”. These include ensuring fl exibility of the interface Jean-Marie Bonnin, Institut TELECOM and TELECOM for the lifetime of the vehicle, and customization ac- Bretagne, highlighted the advantages of using Internet cording to vehicle model and country. protocol (IP) networks. Because many billions of cars

18 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 The Fully Networked Car workshop Voice and noise

are expected by 2050, migration to IPv6 will be essen- To overcome problems of signal shadowing and lim- tial to provide enough addresses for using IP networks. ited range, a network of nearby vehicles can be cre- Mr Bonnin described the CALM (Communication ated through Local Peer Group Communication (LPG). Access for Land Mobiles) system, which uses multiple access networks to provide continuous communica- Security tions for vehicles. But gaps in standards are hindering The complexity of modern vehicles includes differ- the deployment of such systems, he said. ent types of network and device, as well as multiple ac- FlexRay, a communications protocol for vehi- cess points. This increases the threats to confidentiality, cle networks developed by a consortium founded in integrity and availability of data sent to and from cars, 2000, was described by Rainer Makowitz, Freescale with serious consequences, explained Michael Müter, Semiconductor, who said its Version 3.0 is due to be Daimler AG. For example, tampering with functions launched in 2009. He commented that the number of such as braking could greatly affect safety. Mr Müter nodes has increased with each generation of FlexRay, said that both proactive and reactive security functions and Version 3.0 should be more energy efficient. are needed, such as digital signatures and detection of Yunpeng Zang of Aachen University, Germany, de- intrusions. As vehicle architecture changes to a more scribed a project to improve vehicle communications. open and exposed system, new threats to security and There are two different approaches, he said: car-to-car safety may emerge. and cellular communications. He proposed a hybrid of The deployment of secure vehicular communica- the two, so as to gain the benefits of both technolo- tion systems was the topic of a presentation by Panos gies. A “multihop” solution was described by Wai Chen, Papadimitratos, Senior Researcher, EPFL, SeVeCom. He of Telcordia Technologies and Toyota InfoTechnology described progress in the SeVeCom research project, Center, who spoke about his research on improv- which is reaching conclusion this spring. Elements ing road safety and reducing traffic congestion. of a secure vehicle include a unique identity and the same level of privacy for car communications as for other modes. Meanwhile, TeMa.Mobility Consortium is focusing on ways to connect all drivers to the single European emergency phone number, 112, according to Francesco Di Corpo, its representative at the work- ITU/L. Ciavalino shop. The single number comes into effect in 2010.

Voice and noise In ITU, Study Group 16 of the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU–T) is working on vehicle gateway platform (VGP) and system coordination for improving speech quality in car communications. Yushi Naito, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and Chairman of Study Group 16, described plans (including target

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 19 The Fully Networked Car workshop Voice and noise

dates for recommendations) for study of the new Jean-Pierre Jallet, NXP Semiconductors pointed out Question 27 on VGP for telecommunication and ITS that cars can be a very noisy environment. Currently, services and applications, as well as Question 18 on noise is reduced by such passive countermeasures as interaction aspects of signal processing network damping material, which can lead to heavier cars. equipment. This is important, as energy concerns require moves Progress has been made in the audio field in - re to lighter vehicles. However, active noise cancellation cent years, notably in the Focus Group FITCAR, whose (ANC) reduces the noise perceived by passengers by work led to a new ITU standard for hands-free termi- superimposing the same noise signal but in anti-phase. nals in narrowband speech communication. In 2008, ANC can also be beneficial for listening to music in cars the new group on vehicle communications, ITU Focus and for hands-free communication. Group CarCom, began studying wideband speech. Speech communication in a car is often difficult Highlighting these developments, Jean-Yves Monfort, because of interference with the signal, explained Tim Senior Standardization Manager at France Telecom Haulick, Harman/Becker Automotive Systems GmbH. and Vice-Chairman of ITU–T FG CarCom, said the time This problem affects the uplink and downlink signal is right for wideband, which offers good quality for in- in a hands-free phone call, as well as communication car communication. between passengers in the vehicle itself. For this rea- This view was echoed by Hans Gierlich, HEAD son efficient speech enhancement technologies are re- Acoustics GmbH, who chairs the CarCom Focus Group. quired to ensure reasonable speech quality, Mr Haulick He explained that the goal of wideband in cars is to said. improve overall sound and communication quality. As Innovative strategies are being used to improve well as making it more pleasant to listen to music, this the delivery of telematic voice services that give infor- increases the intelligibility of speech and so lessens mation to drivers, said Julien Masson, Director French driver distractions. Mr Gierlich said the Focus Group is Operations, Connexis LLC. A compromise is needed be- developing a standard for testing and optimization of tween embedded voice recognition systems (which are the communication quality of a range of services and expensive, have high computing demands and do not devices. It expects to finish its work by autumn 2009. fully accommodate natural language), and assistance Scott Pennock of QNX Software Systems from a live operator (which means running expensive (Wavemakers) Inc underlined that although deploy- call centres). Mr Masson said the Connexis innovation ment of wideband (50–7000Hz) has already started, is a “People-Assisted Computer System” (PACS) which a long transition period can be expected while hy- cuts the cost of traditional call centres. It processes a brid wideband/narrowband connections persist. customer’s voice using a hybrid of -based speech Meanwhile, vehicle platforms for wideband will re- recognition, with people standing by to assist if some- quire good electro-acoustic design, as well as high- thing is unclear. performance acoustic echo cancellation and noise re- duction algorithms. A full report of “The Fully Networked Car” workshop can be found on the ITU website at www.itu.int/ITU-T/worksem/ict- auto/200903/programme..

20 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 The Fully Networked Car workshop

Greener cars and the economic crisis

Asked by ITU News about their companies’ strategies for building greener cars (and whether the current financial crisis would affect those plans), here is what some keynote speakers at the workshop had to say.

“ We are working on many telematics products for vehicle manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions. One important area is connectivity to support the management of batteries for electric vehicles. The world financial crisis has forced us to reduce work on some products for future years. We have not had to reduce our work on telematics efforts to support reduction of CO2, ”

T. Russell Shields, Chairman of Ygomi ITU/V. Martin ITU/V.

“ Magna International is dealing with technologies to optimize the efficiency of vehicles, for example in the fields of lightweight construction with new materials, structural design, electrification of the powertrain, energy storage systems (hydrogen for example) and the development of battery systems and appropriate technologies. Driver assistance systems are not only part of safety optimization, but also part of emission reduction. Magna relies on innovation for the future and does not cut costs in this area, because innovations create the growth potential for the future. ”

Burkhard Göschel, CTO of the Vehicles and Powertrain Group at Magna ITU/V. Martin ITU/V. International, Chairman of the Grand Prix Manufacturers Association and the Formula 1 Manufacturers Advisory Committee

“ We have many possibilities to make cars greener. Toyota-ITC is mainly interested in using communication technology for this purpose. Maintaining appropriate acceleration and deceleration by minimizing unexpected situations for drivers (and by allowing drivers travelling in parallel to have a constant understanding of the other’s intention) will be helpful in reducing emissions. We must continue to study these topics for the sake of the Earth’s future — even in times of financial difficulty.”

Tadao Saito, Chief Technology Officer at Toyota InfoTechnology Center ITU/V. Martin ITU/V.

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 21 The Fully Networked Car workshop

Halving fuel consumption

The Geneva Motor Show also saw the launch of a report by the Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI), which is formed by the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Energy Agency, the International Transport Forum and the FIA Foundation. The “50 by 50” report sets out a strategy for halving cars’ fuel consumption by 2050, as part of efforts to combat climate change.

Energy-efficient cars at the Geneva International Motor Show

AIRPod by MDI Mazda Kiyora Rinspeed's iChange electric concept car

Italdesign Giugiaro Namir FordTourneo Connect BEV concept Protoscar's LAMPO electric sportscar

Volkswagen's Polo BlueMotion Renault Z.E. concept Nissan's Nuvu electric concept car

All photographs on this page are by L. Ciavalino/ITU and V. Martin/ITU

22 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Preparing for the World Telecommunication Policy Forum

Preparations have been under way at ITU for the Today, with the growing use of wireless technologies World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF) that and networks based on the Internet protocol (IP), the will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, on 22–24 April 2009. old distinctions are increasingly blurred. Services are In late January, the third meeting took place of the not only becoming independent of networks, but of Informal Experts Group, which the ITU Council asked devices too. This is having an impact on the market. the Secretary-General to convene to help in the pre- Faced with increased competition, service providers paratory process. The job of the group is to coordi- and network operators are diversifying and offering, for nate contributions from ITU Member States and Sector example, packages that combine broadband Internet Members and to develop draft opinions, all of which access with television and mobile phone services. will be considered by the WTPF in Lisbon. Next-generation networks What’s on the agenda One of the major drivers of convergence is the cre- The contributions and opinions are incorporated ation of next-generation networks (NGN). These have into the ITU Secretary-General’s Report that serves as a new, packet-switched architecture capable of deliv- the sole working document of the Forum. The report, ering a host of services over a single, high-capacity, which was fi nalized at the beginning of March this centrally-managed platform. NGN promise seamless year, outlines the issues that will be on the agenda of global connectivity over any network and any device, the WTPF. The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2006 at any time, from anywhere. But this also poses ques- at Antalya, Turkey, decided several themes that would tions for regulators, who need to reassess how they be discussed at the Forum. These refl ect the massive deal with the once-separate realms of telecommunica- changes that have taken place in recent years in the tions, broadcasting and the Internet. landscape for information and communication tech- nologies (ICT): convergence, the rise of the Internet, Internet policy and the creation of new types of network. The Forum Convergence also throws up new challenges in the will also look at the policy issues that result from these area of Internet governance, since IP networks under- changes, including possible reform of international pin so much of modern communications. There is much rules for telecommunications. debate about the management of critical Internet re- sources, in particular top-level domains, allocation of Convergence IP addresses, and safeguarding security. With some Traditionally, audio, video, data or voice services developing countries saying they are under-represent- were available over separate systems, and subscrib- ed in current governance mechanisms, discussions ers used distinct types of equipment to receive them. are needed on improved global frameworks for the

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 23 management of this increasingly vital resource. WTPF Martin ITU/V. will also consider how the costs of connectivity might Chairman of the third meeting of the Informal be reduced, as well as ways to promote a multilingual Experts Group was Mario Franco, of Portugal’s Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Internet that refl ects cultural diversity. Communications

Emerging policy and regulatory issues The spread of the Internet and convergence are raising important issues in areas such as cybersecurity Strategic dialogue on the fi nancial crisis and child protection. Identity management systems are In the midst of the global economic crisis that is also essential in maintaining control over access to in- affecting all industry sectors, including ICT, the WTPF formation, while data protection features need to be in Lisbon will incorporate a special High-Level Strategic built into technologies from their inception. Another Dialogue, to be held on 21 April just before the open- emerging area of policy concerns the role that ICT can ing of the Forum. Under the theme “Confronting the play in tackling climate change. The WTPF will also Crisis”, it will bring together leaders from government examine the collaboration needed to ensure that ef- and industry to address the problems facing vendors, fective emergency response systems become available operators and governments. The event seeks to formu- worldwide. late proactive strategies to help the ICT sector weather the storm, as well as to identify ways in which the The International Telecommunication power of ICT can be used to accelerate economic re- Regulations (ITR) covery in other sectors. The ITR are an international treaty-level instrument Participants will examine the origins of the fi nan- managed by ITU. They facilitate the global interconnec- cial crisis, and consider any lessons that might have tion and interoperability of telecommunication infra- been learned from previous situations such as the structure, underpin the harmonious development and the bursting of the “dot.com bubble” in 2001–2002. effi cient operation of technical facilities, and promote The outlook for investment will be considered (par- the effi ciency and availability of international telecom- ticularly in NGN, broadband Internet access and other munication services. However, the ITR have remained ICT that could bridge the digital divide), and whether unchanged since coming into force on 1 July 1990. new sources of fi nance are emerging. Another topic Since then, there has been rapid and far-reaching tech- will be how changes in consumer demand are driving nological change and the widespread liberalization new business strategies, and the possible regulatory of telecommunication markets. The Plenipotentiary responses. In a fi nal session, leading industry play- Conference in Antalya resolved that the ITR should be ers will explain how they see the future for various reviewed and that the fourth WTPF should consider technologies. the issues involved.

24 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 ITU

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) met ITU Secretary-General Dr Touré at the summit attends the African Union summit

On 1–3 February 2009, ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré attended the 12th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Assembly was held under the theme of “Infrastructure Development in ITU Africa”, with a particular focus on the transport and Dr Touré meets Chairman of the African Union Commission Jean Ping (right) energy sectors. The global fi nancial crisis was another major topic of discussion. Also attending the summit was United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who called on all African countries to unite to face the continent’s many challenges and help it to attain the Millennium Development Goals. Dr Touré held talks with the leaders of African Union member countries as well as government ministers. These included Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza, Ghana’s Vice-President John Mahama, Malawi’s President Bingu Wa Mutharika, Rwanda’s Prime Minister ITU Bernard Makuza and Ethiopia’s Minister of Transport Ethiopia’s Minister of Transport and Communications and Communications Deriba Kuma. The talks focused Deriba Kuma with Dr Touré on issues of common interest and participation in the High-Level Summit at ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009. Dr Touré welcomed the decision taken by the Dr Touré also met Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Assembly to dedicate the January 2010 African Union Chairman of the Economic Community of West African summit to the theme of “Information and communica- States (ECOWAS). They discussed ITU’s continuing tion technologies in Africa: challenges and prospects work with ECOWAS on infrastructure and policy har- for development”. The Chairman of the African Union monization, following the successful completion of the Commission Jean Ping welcomed ITU’s promise to as- INTELCOM-I and INTELCOM-II projects and ITU’s regu- sist the Commission in preparing this summit. Abdoulie latory reform initiatives in Africa. Janneh, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said UNECA will work with ITU on the preparation of the 2010 summit and other projects.

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 25 Neo Edmund

Space procedures A closer look at the international framework for satellite networks

John Lewis, have developed a staged regulatory procedure that, if Consultant in followed successfully, leads to a high degree of regula- International tory certainty that interference will be acceptable and Spectrum the satellite links reliable. A process of coordination Management, for the use of the relevant frequencies is undertaken Added Value during these procedures, along with the appropriate Applications choice of a satellite’s location in the geostationary- Limited satellite orbit.

Innovative uses A little history of satellite systems Under the first legislation concerning use of the ra- for communication are continually being developed. dio-frequency spectrum, international frequency man- One recent example is the use of satellites to pro- agement was based on the concept of national sover- vide high-speed data and telephone links to aircraft, eignty. National administrations regulated the use of ships and high-speed trains, which allow passengers radio frequencies and access to communication serv- to communicate while on the move using their own ices. In a large part of the terrestrial radiocommunica- mobile phones. tions domain (microwave radio relay links, land mobile, As the scale of investment in a satellite network is most of broadcasting, and so on) administrations were substantial — several hundreds of millions of US dollars (almost) master of their national frequency manage- — ITU Member administrations and satellite operators ment, with interference and coordination problems

26 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Space procedures

normally remaining limited to their close neighbour- can use this common resource if international regula- hoods. National authorities were thus effectively able tions and procedures are applied. Another important to assign frequencies to users, with some exceptions, element of the UN regulations is that States retain in particular in the high frequency bands. jurisdiction and control over objects that they have This largely national management regime changed launched into outer space and they are responsible for with the advent of satellite communications. In 1957, space activities carried out by any of their public or the Space Age was inaugurated with the launch of the private entities (even if the State does not exercise any first artificial satellite, SPUTNIK 1. The first geostation- direct or indirect control over such activities). States are ary satellite was put into orbit in 1963. Now, together thus obliged to establish appropriate control and su- with radio-relay systems and fibre-optic cables (includ- pervision mechanisms, normally in the form of licences. ing undersea cables), satellites constitute the main means of long-distance communication. In order to The role of ITU meet the challenges of the Space Age, ITU set up a ITU is the specialized agency of the United Nations study group in 1959 responsible for studying space responsible for the international regulation and man- radiocommunications. ITU also held an Extraordinary agement of the radio-frequency spectrum and orbit- Administrative Conference on space communications al resources. For more than 40 years between 1963 in 1963 in Geneva, to allocate frequencies to the vari- and 2007, many ITU world administrative radio con- ous space radiocommunication services. ferences (succeeded in 1995 by world radiocommu- These services cover applications where the Earth nication conferences) have dealt with the regulation stations communicating with the satellite(s) are in fixed of spectrum and orbit use by stations of space radio- locations (the fixed-satellite service), in mobile - loca communication services. ITU Member States have es- tions such as vehicles, ships and aircraft (the mobile- tablished a legal regime which is codified through the satellite service), or are intended for the reception of ITU Constitution and Convention and the ITU Radio broadcasting content by the general public (the broad- Regulations. These legal instruments contain the main casting-satellite service). Radiocommunication services principles as well as specific detailed regulations for: also cover a number of more specialized satellite ap-  frequency spectrum allocations to various radio- plications, such as radiodetermination, science services communication services; including Earth exploration and meteorology, space  rights and obligations of Member administrations operations and links between satellites. in obtaining access to spectrum/orbital resources; The advent of the Space Age also led to the de-  international recognition of these rights by record- velopment of various declarations and treaties by the ing frequency assignments and orbital positions United Nations (most importantly the 1967 Outer (used or intended to be used) in the ITU Master Space Treaty), which stipulate that outer space, in con- International Frequency Register. trast to air space which is under national sovereignty, The above regulations are based on the main is not subject to national appropriation by claim or by principles of efficient use of, and equitable access occupation, but is free for exploitation and use by all to, the spectrum and orbital resources. These princi- States through their governmental or non-governmen- ples are laid down in No. 196 of the ITU Constitution tal entities in conformity with international regulations. (Article 44) and stipulate that: Thus, nobody owns any orbital position, but everybody

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 27 Space procedures

“In using frequency bands for radio services, assume continuing regulatory responsibility for these Member States shall bear in mind that radio frequen- networks. cies and any associated orbits, including the geosta- The progressive exploitation of finite orbital and tionary-satellite orbit, are limited natural resources radio-frequency resources, and the resulting likeli- and that they must be used rationally, efficiently and hood of congestion in the geostationary-satellite orbit, economically, in conformity with the provisions of prompted ITU Member countries to consider the ques- the Radio Regulations, so that countries or groups tion of equitable access. This resulted in the establish- of countries may have equitable access to those or- ment (and introduction into the ITU regulatory regime) bits and frequencies, taking into account the special of frequency and orbital position plans, in which a cer- needs of the developing countries and the geographi- tain amount of spectrum is set aside for future use by cal situation of particular countries.” all countries, particularly those which are not in a posi- tion to make use of these resources at the time such The procedures plans are drawn up. Under these plans, each country has a predetermined orbital position associated with Coordination, planning, notification and registration the free use, at any time, of a certain amount of spec- In the process of establishing ITU's space-related trum. Together with the associated procedures, the regulations, from the outset emphasis was placed plans guarantee equitable access to spectrum and or- on efficient and rational use of spectrum and orbital bital resources for each country, thereby safeguarding resources. This concept was implemented through a their basic rights. They govern a considerable part of "first-come, first-served" approach. The procedure the frequency usage of the space radiocommunication ("coordination before use") is based on the principle services most in demand; namely, the fixed-satellite that the right to use a satellite position is acquired and broadcasting-satellite services. through negotiations with the administrations that In order to put the principles of efficiency and eq- are using the same portion of the orbital arc. If ap- uitable access into effect, the two major mechanisms plied correctly (i.e. to cover actual requirements), the for the sharing of orbital and spectrum resources are: procedure offers a means of achieving efficient spec-  Coordination procedures, which cover: trum and orbital management; it serves to fill the gaps ƒ geostationary-satellite networks (in all services in the orbit as needs arise, and it results, in principle, and frequency bands) and non-geostationary- in a homogeneous orbital distribution of satellites. In satellite networks in certain frequency bands, the frequency bands where this concept is applied, which are subject to the advance publication ITU Member administrations designate the volume of and coordination procedures of Article 9 of the orbital or spectrum resources that is needed to sat- Radio Regulations; isfy their actual requirements. It then falls to admin- ƒ other non-geostationary-satellite networks istrations to assign frequencies and orbital positions, (all pertinent services and certain frequency to apply the appropriate procedures from the Radio bands), for which only the advance publica- Regulations (international coordination and record- tion procedure from Article 9 is required before ing) for the space segment and Earth stations of their notification. (governmental, public and private) networks, and to

28 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Space procedures

 A priori planning procedures to guarantee equita- ble access, which include: ƒ the Allotment Plan for the fixed-satellite serv- ice using part of the 4/6 and 10–11/12–13 GHz frequency bands contained in Appendix 30B of the Radio Regulations; ƒ the Plan for the broadcasting-satellite service in the frequency band 11.7–12.7 GHz (Appendix 30 of the Radio Regulations) and the associated Plan for feeder links in the 14 GHz and 17 GHz Massimo Petranzan frequency bands (Appendix 30A of the Radio Regulations); ƒ implementation procedures in the Plans of have seven years from the start of the process (the sub- Appendices 30, 30A and 30B to allow for those mission of advance publication information) to bring modified requirements which were not foresee- into use the satellite(s) concerned. If this administrative able at the time of the establishment of the Plan time limit is not respected, the relevant advance pub- concerned. lication and coordination submissions lapse and the The application of these procedures requires an ad- administration concerned loses its processing priority ministration to submit the relevant information to the in the regulatory process. ITU Radiocommunication Bureau for examination and publication in its International Frequency Information Future developments Circular (IFIC), which is published every two weeks and Over the last 40 years, the ITU regulatory frame- which lists those administrations considered affected work has been constantly adapted to changing cir- by a submission for a new or modified system. All ad- cumstances and has achieved the necessary flexibility ministrations can thus become aware of all new pro- to satisfy the two major, but not always compatible, re- posed satellite systems through the IFIC and can react quirements of efficiency and equity. With the dramatic accordingly, entering into detailed coordination and/or advances in telecommunications, there is ever-increas- agreement discussions when necessary. ing demand for spectrum and orbital resources for vir- Successful coordination of space networks and tually all space radiocommunication services. This has Earth stations, as well as agreements to modify an en- given rise to more complex mechanisms to facilitate try in a Plan, leads to application of the notification frequency sharing, as well as revised (and again often procedures of Article 11 of the Radio Regulations. This more complex) associated regulatory procedures. paves the way to international recognition of the use The Radio Regulations are under constant review. of frequencies by these networks and stations and the The next World Radiocommunication Conference, to subsequent recording of the frequencies in the Master be held in 2011, could decide on further revisions to International Frequency Register. the frequency allocations and associated procedures An important aspect of the coordination and no- for space services, especially as new applications tification process, which relates to the need to cover of space radiocommunications will continue to be only the real use of resources, is that administrations developed.

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 29 Children in Gaire, a rural community in Papua New Guinea, enjoy exploring computers provided by One Per Child. Under a partnership with ITU, more of these will be distributed in the Pacifi c region OLPC

Connecting the Pacifi c islands New projects announced at a Ministerial Forum

The Pacifi c ICT Ministerial Forum: Connecting the The European Commission will launch a project Unconnected, organized by ITU and hosted by the with ITU to improve ICT policy and regulatory capac- Kingdom of Tonga, took place 19–20 February 2009 in ity in the Pacifi c region. It will offer comprehensive the capital Nuku’alofa. Participating in the Forum were training programmes, tailored to national and regional representatives of 16 Pacifi c island countries, including needs, focusing on such topics as universal service and two Prime Ministers and 11 ministers responsible for its funding mechanisms, competition policy, licensing, information and communication technologies (ICT). and frequency management. The goal is to enable The Director of the ITU Telecommunication regulators and policy-makers to create an environment Development Bureau Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid also that helps make telecommunications and ICT available attended the meeting, which agreed a set of priori- to the broadest possible range of people at affordable ties and actions to spur ICT development in the region. prices. “The Pacifi c island countries have clearly stated their (OLPC) will contribute to objectives and priorities,” he said, and “ITU is fully ITU’s new initiative, Connecting Children, which pro- committed to working with our partners in delivering motes public-private partnerships to provide laptops to results for the Pacifi c Island States”. children in least developed countries where traditional Mr Al Basheer added that the expertise and re- market mechanisms are not able to do so. As part of sources of all those involved will be used “to rein- a shared effort in the Asia-Pacifi c region, ITU will iden- force our collective impact on ICT development in the tify potential partner countries and coordinate with Pacifi c.” He joined with partners to launch the follow- governments and relevant agencies to identify require- ing new initiatives to achieve this goal: ments, as well as facilitate the shipping of equipment.

30 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Pacific ICT Forum

OLPC will provide laptops, with the support of donors, The statement acknowledged “the challenges and implement the projects, including capacity-build- faced by the Pacific region in improving telecommuni- ing and technical support. cation access, due to low population densities, isolated Nokia Siemens Networks will test low-cost and scattered centres of population, lack of infrastruc- ways to connect rural villages as part of ITU’s new ture, and high costs of connectivity”. But it also noted Connecting Villages global initiative. ITU will provide the “positive progress” that had been made through project management and technical expertise, while such initiatives as rural telecentres, and called on inter- Nokia Siemens will provide equipment, technical sup- national donors “to continue to support these projects port and experts. Both parties will work together to until they become sustainable.” secure support from local mobile operators, who will The Forum participants recognized that enhancing be needed to make available infrastructure and facili- domestic coverage and international connectivity will ties such as electricity, phone masts and connections require the implementation of appropriate policy and to their mobile networks, as well as locally relevant ap- regulatory frameworks, which calls for targeted capac- plications and services. ity building. They agreed to set up a shared regulatory The Pacific Islands Telecommunication resource centre and to explore the possibility of estab- Association (PITA) will collaborate in strengthening lishing a Pacific association of regulators. the ITU Centres of Excellence network in the Asia- Finally, the communiqué turned to emergency tel- Pacific region. Under the partnership, PITA will host ecommunications. It noted “the importance of ICT at least two training events each year, for which ITU infrastructure and applications for early-warning and will provide the expertise and resources. PITA will also mitigation systems and in the timely management of encourage its members to participate in, and help de- disaster response and relief”. It also encouraged Pacific velop, the training opportunities offered at the ITU countries “to make use of emerging ICT technologies Centres of Excellence, and share information with ITU that mitigate the impact of climate change”. on training needs and activities. The partnership was At the close of the Forum, the Prime Minister of launched in parallel with the inauguration of a new ITU Tonga Dr Feleti Vaka'uta Sevele said “we leave this Internet Training Centre on Tonga, sponsored by Cisco meeting with a renewed sense of optimism and soli- Systems (see page 32). darity, focused on tangible actions that we can imple- ment in the coming months and years for the better- Coordinated efforts ment of the Pacific region.” In a joint communiqué issued at the end of the Forum, participating governments welcomed the event as a means of bringing partners together to share their activities and coordinate efforts. They said this would help reflect the needs of the Pacific Island States in the regional preparatory process for the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2010.

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 31 The training centre was inaugurated by Prime Minister of Tonga and Minister responsible for Communications Dr Feleti Vaka'uta Sevele (left). Also present were (left to right) Alifeleti Atiola, Director of the Tupou Tertiary Institute; the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, and Helen Stig, Cisco Academy Area Manager for the region ITU/ TTI

ITU Internet Training Centre inaugurated in Tonga

On 16 February 2009, an ITU Internet Training Centre at home or abroad. Ten students from across Tonga was opened in the Kingdom of Tonga, based at the joined two from the National University of Samoa to Tupou Tertiary Institute (TTI) in the capital Nuku'alofa. form the fi rst group of many that are expected to be The centre is the result of a partnership between the trained at the new centre. institute, ITU, and Cisco Systems, and has the goal of The addition of the Cisco course and ITE curriculum providing new opportunities for young people in the will help TTI to move closer to its objective of offer- region and supporting its economic growth. ing a bachelor’s degree in information technology. The The new partnership will help to deliver results Director of TTI, Alifeleti Atiola, highlighted the support for one of the key themes debated at the Pacifi c ICT that the institute had received from international com- Ministerial Forum held on 19–20 February (see pages panies and organizations. “TTI has made new friends 29–30): how to increase opportunities in the region for with the right people, at the right time… and they are education that can underpin the development of ICT. such good friends indeed,” he said. As well as training in Information Technology ITU has worked with Cisco Systems to establish Essentials (ITE), the centre will offer the Cisco Certifi ed approximately 70 Internet training centres in the de- Networking Academy course, with the support of veloping world, with special emphasis on empowering Cisco and its regional academy located at the Northern young women to gain marketable ICT skills. The cen- Sydney Institute of Technical and Further Education, in tres are an initiative of the ITU Academy, which has the Meadowbank, Sydney, Australia. The course means goal of assisting developing countries to meet their hu- that young people can study for a qualifi cation that man resource requirements for skilled personnel who is in high demand, preparing them for employment can work in the digital economy.

32 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Francesco Bisignani Francesco

Connecting schools to the Internet across the Russian Federation State policy aims to overcome the digital divide

Vitaly Slizen, projects aimed at improving the quality of people’s General Director lives in the main social spheres of education, public of Synterra health care, affordable housing and agriculture. The main goal of the national education project The Russian was to create the conditions for ensuring that all citi- Federation covers zens of the Russian Federation are equally well served 17 075 400 square in terms of modern, high-quality education. One of the kilometres — the ways of achieving this lay in eliminating the digital di- largest country in vide between urban and rural schools, and between the world, with di- different types of educational institution, by connect- verse environments ing all of them to the Internet. and communities. But in the space of just over one This objective was consistent with programmes year, some 52 000 schools across the land were con- adopted under the framework of the World Summit nected to the Internet, as part of government efforts on the Information Society (and in particular the Tunis to close the digital divide. Commitment), aimed at identifying ways to reduce In 2006, the government of the Russian Federation digital inequality and foster information and commu- outlined the country’s main development goals for the nication technologies (ICT) and the Internet as a uni- short term and launched four high-priority national versally accessible means of communication. In the

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 33 Connecting schools

Russian Federation, such ubiquitous, equitable and together with technical support and content filtering affordable access has initially been made available to to ensure that pupils do not come into contact with young people and schoolchildren. That is, those mem- materials inappropriate to their studies. bers of the community who are currently most in need As is required under Russian law, an invitation to of the State’s assistance and support, but who in the tender was issued to select the company to implement very near future will be working towards full achieve- the project. The winning company was RTComm.RU, ment of the country’s economic, social and cultural de- an open joint-stock company (OJSC) and a member velopment and the welfare of its people. of the Synterra Group. RTComm.RU deployed a vir- The first priority in implementing the education tual private network to provide connectivity to over project was to put together the technical infrastruc- 52 000 schools nationwide. The network was con- ture to enable pupils and teachers to access the glo- structed on the backbone owned by the Synterra bal information resources of the Internet and modern Group, which was also engaged in managing the educational technologies. To this end, it was necessary project, involving dozens of companies throughout to provide all educational institutions with round-the- the country. As the project was fully financed by the clock, high-speed (at least 128 kbit/s) access to the government, the contractual works were jointly super- global information network. vised by the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Education The school connectivity project encompassed over and Science, Ministry of Information Technologies and 52 000 educational establishments which, at the start Communications, Federal Education Agency, and the of 2006, had no broadband connection. These in- Federal Service for Supervision of Communications. cluded not only conventional schools, but also evening Similar school connectivity projects have been schools, boarding schools, correctional and special implemented by a number of European countries in schools and schools attached to penal facilities. This is recent years; however, the Russian project is unique. particularly worthy of attention, since the programme First, it was entirely State financed. Second, it was to construct an information society in the Russian carried out within a very short timeframe: less than Federation included the requirement that everyone be provided with equal opportunities to use information VSAT terminals were delivered to remote parts of the technologies. country, using many different types of transport

Financed by government and implemented by industry The project was financed by the State to the tune of three billion roubles (approximately USD 100 mil- lion) from the national budget. Under the terms of the project, all schools were to be connected by mid- night on 31 December 2007 and provided with round- the-clock Internet access for a period of two years, Synterra

34 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 Connecting schools

14 months from launch to completion. Work began following signature of the contract on 13 September 2006 and was completed in a little over one year. On 26 October 2007, Dmitry Medvedev (at that time First Deputy Prime Minister) officially announced to the media that the connection of the Russian Federation’s educational institutions to the World Wide Web had been completed and that every pupil would hence- forth have access to the Internet. The crowning glory of the project was its pure scale: over 52 000 sites con- nected over a vast territory. The scale of the project required the involve- ment of virtually all the companies from the Russian Federation’s telecommunication sector, from infra- Synterra structure concerns installing the “last mile” to school Primary schoolchildren in Karanino village, premises, to companies handling the construction of Ulianovsk region communication facilities and supply of equipment. In all, the project engaged over 6000 people who had to travel to the most remote parts of the country. They Synterra, the core company of the Synterra Group, had to carry in equipment by all possible means, set up managed all aspects of this comprehensive telecom- very small aperture terminal (VSAT) satellite stations or munication project, during the course of which it had install wired asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) to overcome a considerable number of difficult situa- terminals in all weather conditions and bearing in mind tions. These included the absence of roads in many re- that a full 20 per cent of the sites in question were mote districts, of a telephone connection in 12 000 of located in remote and sometimes inaccessible areas. the schools, and even of electricity in several hundred Given the large number of project participants and educational facilities. In addition to these challenges, it complexity of the oversight arrangements, meticulous had to organize large-scale equipment deliveries that attention had to be paid to the whole question of sup- needed unusual means of transport, including helicop- port with information technology. The Synterra Group ters and heavy-duty tracked vehicles to deliver equip- set up a free telephone hotline to provide on-site us- ment to the most inaccessible corners of the country. ers with detailed technical support and information. At It was then necessary to train and coordinate the work the same time, all participants were given access to a of dozens of installation teams, implement a system unified Internet project management portal capable of for interacting with the relevant State entities and au- gathering information from them in real time and serv- thorities, and attend to the rapid upgrading and ex- ing as a central point of access to vital data. pansion of its own backbone network.

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 35 Connecting schools

VSAT technology reaches Figure 1 — VSAT distribution by federal district remote communities Owing to the vast size of the Russian Federation South Far East 28% 8% and to the differences in living standards it was not Central Volga 4% 12% possible to connect all schools using only wired solu- tions, particularly in rural areas. Instead, satellites pro- vided an answer, with access through VSAT. Of the Rene Andreescu, Polytechnic School Bucharest Association School Bucharest Polytechnic Rene Andreescu, 37 000 rural schools that were connected, many made use of VSAT technology. And in 80 per cent of those communities, VSAT offers the only means of broad- band access to the Internet. Using VSAT technology, the project connected 7284 schools in 53 regions (see Figure 1). This is a remarkable figure when compared with the 8000 or Ural Northwest 8% 7% so VSAT stations set up by the country’s fixed-satellite Siberia service operators by the end of 2006, during the ten 33% years or more of that technology’s development. Achieving such a high number of satellite connec- tions within the time-frame of the project necessitated But the Russian project’s main achievement has, the training and recruitment of over 400 installation of course, been to provide the general education teams. The operator of the resulting network is Global- system with an ICT infrastructure, thereby eliminat- Teleport, the Russian Federation’s leading VSAT opera- ing the digital divide affecting pupils in remote areas. tor and another Synterra daughter company. To man- Constituting, as it does, the first large-scale State expe- age the network the company uses its own hub Earth rience of giving effect to each citizen’s constitutional stations in Khabarovsk, Novosibirsk, Pavlovsky Posad right to have access to information, it has laid a solid and Moscow. Many of the communities in question foundation for an information society that cannot be are still without any kind of telecommunication infra- achieved without high-quality education and the as- structure, with the result that the “school Internet” is surance of equal and ubiquitous access to ICT. Last but used by all of the local inhabitants to access the out- not least, it has resulted in the establishment of a tel- side world. This explains why the traffic figures for such ecommunication infrastructure that enables the provi- schools are higher than average. Yet another positive sion of new services to the public, thereby paving the outcome of the project has been the development of a way for the development of a high-technology society Russian VSAT market, which has included the certifica- throughout the Russian Federation. tion of some 1400 experts in VSAT terminal installa- tion, commissioning and maintenance.

36 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 School student Petra Pintelei uses the new equipment Rene Andreescu, Polytechnic School Bucharest Association School Bucharest Polytechnic Rene Andreescu,

Internet access for the blind A pilot project for a school in Romania

The World Telecommunication homework, read books or send Development Conference, held in “ The Bucharest School for e-mail in a similar way to sighted Doha, Qatar in 2006, created a the Blind has begun to use children. special global initiative on “Access specialized software and The school is a State-run facil- to telecommunication services for equipment that can speak ity, founded in 1948, which caters people with disabilities.” Inspired aloud text on a computer for 300 children from kindergar- by this, a pilot project in Romania screen, or translate it onto ten to high-school age. It awards is using the power of computers to a Braille display that the standard and special diplomas bring the world of printed informa- user can read. Thanks to the and prepares students for a wide tion within easier reach of people technology, students with visual range of professions and trades. with little or no eyesight. It is also impairments can complete Each year, over 70 per cent of the giving them much easier access to homework, read books or graduates continue their educa- the Internet, and thus contact with send e-mail in a similar way to tion at colleges, universities, or the outside world. sighted children. ” technical training centres. The Bucharest School for the More opportunities for learn- Blind has begun to use specialized ing are being opened up through software and equipment that can speak aloud text on the donation by R & D Media of Switzerland in 2007 a computer screen, or translate it onto a Braille dis- of a computer, Braille display and keyboard, voice syn- play that the user can read. Thanks to the technol- thesizer and JAWS screen-reading software. The equip- ogy, students with visual impairments can complete ment was purchased from Freedom Scientifi c Inc, a

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 37 Internet access for the blind

Petra Pintelei, a student in her final year at the school, described how she learned to use the new equipment. “It is very interesting, because there are different nationalities of blind people who need a thing like this,” she commented, pointing out that many different languages can be translated into Braille or a synthesized voice. Ms Pintelei added that most of her fellow pupils in the Bucharest school would like to use the system, and she hoped that everyone could enjoy doing so. However, “only one unit is not enough for the whole school. If we could have more of these, we would be so glad because then we could commu- nicate and become better integrated into society,” she said. Freedom Scientific Inc Freedom The Bucharest School for the Blind hopes to create People with visual impairments can use a Braille display like this to read a computer screen and to input text a facility of 30 work stations equipped with the sys- tem, as well as coordinated online tools to help visually impaired students to learn. If more sets of equipment company based in Florida in the United States. A visu- can be made available, the next step will be to create a ally impaired student can write a text in Braille using database of educational materials from the general na- the keyboard, which the JAWS software then trans- tional curriculum (scanned by teachers and volunteers). forms into normal characters that appear on the com- This can be shared by visually impaired students at the puter screen. It can also perform the task in reverse, Bucharest school and further afield, allowing children changing text on the computer screen into Braille out- to study while remaining at mainstream schools close put that the student reads by touching the keyboard. to home, rather than having to travel to the capital. Alternatively (but less popular with the students), JAWS In addition, teachers from ordinary schools, as well as can be used with the voice synthesizer to read aloud specialized ones, will be able to offer courses. on-screen text. The importance of this type of assistive technology The system makes 36 languages available, and it is that it allows people with disabilities, and those with- allows blind and partially sighted children to read con- out, to meet together on an equal basis in the online tent on the Internet and to exchange e-mail with peo- world — and eventually in the community at large. As ple from far and wide. Significant results have been Ms Pintelei commented, “computers are the future”. achieved after only one year of operation. Students are not only able to receive a wider education, their par- ents are happy that their children feel more connected For additional information, contact: Roxana Dunnette, to the world at large. R&D Media, Switzerland ([email protected]), or Rene Andreescu, Polytechnic School Bucharest Association, Romania ([email protected])

38 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 From official sources

Instruments amending Regional Agreement relating New Associates the Constitution and the to the planning of the digital Convention of ITU (Kyoto, terrestrial broadcasting Telecommunication 1994; Minneapolis, 1998; service in Region 1 (parts of Standardization Sector and Marrakesh, 2002) Region 1 situated to the west Anue Systems (Austin, Texas, The Government of the Republic of meridian 170˚ E and to the United States) and Teknovus, Inc. of Paraguay has ratified the north of parallel 40˚ S, except (Petaluma, California, United States) above-mentioned instruments. the territory of Mongolia) and have been admitted to take part in The instruments of ratification in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the work of Study Group 15. were deposited with the Secretary- in the frequency bands 174– General on 9 January 2009. 230 MHz and 470–862 MHz CEVA DSP Ltd (Herzelia, State of (RRC 06) (Geneva, 2006) Israel) has been admitted to take The Government of Bosnia and part in the work of Study Group 16. Instruments amending Herzegovina has ratified the above- the Constitution and mentioned Regional Agreement. the Convention of ITU The instrument of ratification was Transfer of Sector Membership (Minneapolis, 1998; deposited with the Secretary- Siemens AG has transferred its ITU–T Marrakesh, 2002; and General on 16 January 2009. Membership to Siemens Enterprise Antalya, 2006) Communications GmbH & Co. KG The Government of the United The Government of the Republic of (Munich, Germany). States has ratified the above- Rwanda has approved the above- mentioned instruments and has mentioned Regional Agreement. confirmed the declarations and The instrument of approval was Change of denomination reservations made at the time deposited with the Secretary- The official denomination for of signature. The instruments of General on 7 January 2009. Montenegro is now Montenegro, ratification were deposited with the instead of “Montenegro (Republic Secretary-General on 16 January of)”. 2009. New Sector Members In the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Telecommunication the Ministry of New Technologies Partial Revision of the Standardization Sector and Telecommunications has Radio Regulations for Gigaset Communications GmbH been renamed Ministry of New dealing with frequency (Munich, Germany) has been Information and Communication allocations in certain parts admitted to take part in the work of Technologies. of the spectrum (WARC-92) this Sector. (Malaga-Torremolinos, 1992) In Romania, the Ministry of and (WRC-95) (Geneva, 1995) Communication and Information The Government of the United Telecommunication Technology has been renamed States has ratified the above- Development Sector Ministry of Communications and mentioned Partial Revision and Nepal Telecommunications Information Society. has confirmed the declarations Authority (NTA) (Kathmandu, and reservations made at the time Federal Democratic Republic of Western Telesystems (Ghana) of signature. The instruments of Nepal) has been admitted to take Limited, a Sector Member of ITU–D, ratification were deposited with the part in the work of this Sector. has changed its name to Zain Secretary-General on 16 January Communications (Ghana) Limited 2009. (Accra, Ghana).

ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 39 Meeting with the Secretary-General

Offi cial Visits

During February 2009, courtesy visits were made to ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré by the following ambassadors to the United Nations Offi ce and other international organizations in Geneva, and other important guests.

Pasquale D’Avino, Robert Hensler, George Anastassopoulos, Minister Counsellor, Deputy Chancellor of the State of Geneva President of the UNESCO General Permanent Representative of Italy Conference

Shigeo Tani, Director-General for Laura Thompson Chacón, Yeshey Dorji, International Affairs at Japan’s Ambassador of Costa Rica Ambassador of Bhutan Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

Luc-Joseph Okio, Ayaz Bayramov, Head of the Department of International Relations and Ambassador of Congo Cooperation with Non-Governmental Institutions, Azerbaijan (left); Houlin Zhao, ITU Deputy Secretary-General, and Rashad Novruzov, Representative, Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan (right)

All photos are by V. Martin/ITU

40 ITU News  2 | 2009  March 2009 World Telecommunication Policy Forum 2009

Lisbon, Portugal 21-24 April

Strategic dialogue on ICTs - Confronting the Crisis Future of the Internet & telecommunications

With the support of: Organized by: Help shape global policy for ICTs and telecommunications Ministry of Internal Affairs Register now! and Communications, Japan www.itu.int/wtpf2009