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www.itu.int/itunews World Telecommunication

Policy Forum 2009 Lisbon, Portugal

 The future of the Internet  Next-generation networks…

Country rankings in ICT development 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 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 Editorial

World Telecommunication Policy Forum 2009 Shaping our common future Dr Hamadoun I. Touré ITU Secretary-General Ferré ITU/ J.M.

World Telecommunication Policy Forums (WTPF) high on the agenda. One draft opinion proposes that are convened at the request of ITU Member States the Council Working Group on implementing the out- to consider new and diffi cult challenges posed to come of the World Summit on the Information Society governments and industry by rapid technological should look for more ways in which ITU can support change. WTPF-09 will be hosted by the Portuguese the development of public policy by governments, in Administration in Lisbon on 22–24 April 2009. We are consultation with all relevant stakeholders. Another deeply grateful for the goodwill and enthusiasm that draft opinion emphasizes the importance of adopting Portugal has shown us throughout the preparations version 6 of the Internet protocol (IPv6), in order to for this event. address the rapidly diminishing address space of the The Forum will discuss the future of the Internet current IPv4. It calls on ITU, in collaboration with in- and information and communication technologies terested parties, to promote awareness of the impor- (ICT). The main topics cover convergence, including tance of IPv6 deployment, including capacity building Internet-related public policy matters; next-generation in this area. networks (NGN); emerging telecommunication policy There is also a draft opinion that examines the im- and regulatory issues, and the role of the International plications of next-generation networks (NGN) and ad- Telecommunication Regulations that govern the pro- vanced broadband access. NGN promise seamless glo- vision and operation of international communications bal connectivity over any network and any device, at (see article on pages 31–32). any time, from anywhere. But this also poses questions As part of the preparations for WTPF-09, I have for regulators, who need to reassess how they deal produced a report as the Forum’s working document, with the once-separate realms of telecommunications, which contains draft outputs on these key themes. We broadcasting and the Internet (see article on pages expect that government representatives, regulators 24–28). The draft opinion calls on ITU Member States and industry leaders will share views in an open way to consider the growing “broadband divide” as a chal- and agree upon opinions to publish at the end of the lenge that will need bold and innovative measures to Forum that will encourage all players to move forward encourage investment in NGN. These measures could together. Let me highlight some of the actions being include appropriate regulatory regimes and the shar- proposed on the topics that we will consider. ing of infrastructure, especially the essential national The Internet supports so much of our modern so- backbones and international gateways. cial, economic and industrial infrastructure that it is

2 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Stockxpert

Climate change is an emerging issue of enormous Strategic Dialogue on “Confronting the Crisis” to hear global concern. A draft opinion on ICT and the envi- industry’s experiences and to examine how we can ronment calls on Member States and Sector Members best respond to the challenges we face in these hard to support ITU’s work to incorporate energy-effi ciency times. In particular, we will look at the effects of the measures into standards for technology and networks. economic downturn on the development of promis- It says that the use of ICT should be encouraged in ing technologies that could do so much to bridge the international efforts to improve food distribution. It digital divide. also recognizes — and asks for continuing support of For example, are investment plans being post- — ITU’s efforts in promoting ICT for monitoring the poned and scaled back, or will new sources of fi nance environment and responding to natural disasters. emerge, especially for next-generation networks? The growing threats to cybersecurity are the topic Should governments become more involved, such as of a draft opinion on creating confi dence and security by offering incentives to help operators upgrade their in the use of ICT. It invites ITU to pursue more initia- networks? And should investment in broadband net- tives in this area, in close partnership with national, re- works form an integral part of any government eco- gional and international bodies. In particular, it says, nomic rescue plan or stimulus package? These are developing countries should be helped to establish some of the vital questions that we will consider. I laws against spam, identity theft, and coordinated at- trust that the business and policy leaders at this event tacks against the operation of critical information in- will help ensure that the ICT industry is resilient and frastructure. The opinion adds that service providers, can emerge from the crisis as a strong foundation of equipment suppliers and others need to address such growth in all sectors. cross-border problems, and it invites Member States to I thank all the eminent contributors to this Special share the understanding that distribution of illegal and Edition of ITU News for their very valuable insights harmful content on the Internet is a global issue that on the issues at stake. Lisbon will certainly provide a must be tackled through global cooperation. pleasant and encouraging backdrop to the Strategic Dialogue on ICT and to the World Telecommunication Strategic dialogue on the fi nancial crisis Policy Forum as a whole. I look forward to a stimulat- The fi nancial crisis that currently faces the world ing event. also calls for our attention in the ICT industry. I have therefore convened, in Lisbon on 21 April, a high-level

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 3 World Telecommunication Policy Forum 2009

Cover photo: © circotasu/Alamy

2 Shaping our common future ISSN 1020–4148 Editorial by Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU Secretary-General www.itu.int/itunews 10 issues per year Copyright: © ITU 2009 Welcome messages Managing Editor: Patricia Lusweti 6  Message from the Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, Production Editor: Janet Burgess Art Editor: Christine Vanoli José Sócrates (page 6) Circulation Assistant: Ricarda Brouard  Message from the Minister for Public Works, Transport and Communications, Mário Lino (page 7) Printed in Geneva by the ITU Printing and Dispatch Division. Material from this publication may be reproduced in full or in part, provided that it is accompanied by the acknowledgement: ITU News. The future of the Internet Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not engage ITU. The designations employed and presentation of material 8 The future Internet must be truly global in this publication, including maps, Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of ITU concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or The scope of Internet governance concerning the delimitations of its 13 Vinton G. Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google Inc frontiers or boundaries. The mention of speciﬁ c companies or of certain products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by ITU in preference to others of a similar nature that are not 18 Internet Governance in Brazil mentioned. A multistakeholder approach Professor Hartmut Richard Glaser, CEO of the Brazilian Internet Steering Editorial ofﬁ ce/Advertising information: Committee (CGI.br) Tel.: +41 22 730 5234/6303 Fax: +41 22 730 5935 E-mail: [email protected] Protect the Internet’s future in Africa Mailing address: 21 International Telecommunication Union Planning ahead for IPv6 Place des Nations Adiel A. Akplogan, CEO of the African Regional Internet Registry (AfriNIC) CH–1211 Geneva 20 (Switzerland)

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

4 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Contents Special Edition World Telecommunication Policy Forum 2009

Next-generation networks 24  Driven by convergence (pages 24–28)  Fibre rolls on (pages 29–30)

31 International Telecommunication Regulations

33 Distributed computing

36 New ITU index measures ICT development in 154 countries

ITU at a glance 43  ITU software package helps with national spectrum management  IMPACT opened in Malaysia and houses ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Agenda  ICT industry offered standard method for calculating greenhouse-gas emissions (pages 44–45)

46 Offi cial announcements

Obituary 47 Remembering Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, South Africa's Minister of Communications

Meeting with the Secretary-General 48 Ofﬁ cial visits to ITU

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 5 Welcome messages Portuguese Government Portuguese

Message from the Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic

On behalf of the Portuguese Government, I wish the top three countries in Europe in availability of on- to welcome participants to the fourth World line public services. Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF). What was planned is becoming a reality today, and Portugal is honoured to host such an important it represents an enormous leap forward in the wide- event, which is an opportunity to further reinforce spread use of information and communication tech- the Portuguese Government’s commitment to closely nologies in Portugal. cooperate with the International Telecommunication Finally, I am certain Union, following the signing of the Memorandum of that WTPF-09 will be Understanding on Information and Communication an excellent opportu- Technologies Cooperation in December 2007, and a nity to exchange views, number of other common initiatives developed since. best practice, and ex- For Portugal, hosting WTPF-09 is also an oppor- perience, and to agree tunity to share with participants the experience of upon global strategies our “Technological Plan” — a broad action agenda which may signifi cant- launched in 2005 to reposition Portugal’s competitive- ly contribute to the ness in this global and networked world. To achieve worldwide devel- this, it became apparent that we should promote equi- opment of telecom- table, sustainable and affordable access to information munications and the and communication technologies. information society. The “Technological Plan” comprises a set of initiatives, which range from making available a laptop Welcome to computer to every school student, to furnishing every Portugal! public school with a broadband Internet connection; or from allowing most new businesses in Portugal to José Sócrates be created in less than an hour, to becoming one of Prime Minister

6 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Welcome messages Portuguese Government Portuguese

Message from the Minister for Public Works, Transport and Communications

It is with great pleasure that I welcome to Portugal par- Two projects have contributed to these results. One ticipants in the fourth World Telecommunication Policy is the “e-escola” (or “e-school”) project, a revolutionary Forum. This important ITU event has to deal with some programme providing access to information and knowl- complex challenges. It is therefore crucial that we all edge technologies in Portugal, contributing in a decisive work together, commit to reaching consensual solu- way to the international acknowledgment of our coun- tions and come to a successful result. try as a success story in this domain. It provides Internet Although WTPF is not a decision-making forum, connectivity to pupils and students aged between 10 it has proved to be an important venue for debating and 18 and their teachers. The other is the “e-escolin- global and inter-sectoral matters among high-level ha” (or “e-elementary school”) project, an initiative to participants, contributing to the development of tel- bring children aged between 6 and 10 in contact with ecommunications worldwide. I am thus confi dent that information technologies at the beginning of their edu- it will be once again the stage for an open and inno- cation, providing them with professionally useful tools vative debate, bringing us all a step closer towards a from the early stages of their development. These two shared vision among policy-makers worldwide on mat- projects will provide more than a million Portuguese ters such as convergence, Internet-related public policy schoolchildren with access (at reduced prices) to a lap- matters, next-generation networks, the International top with a broadband Internet connection. Telecommunication Regulations and other relevant We believe the measures taken in Portugal may emerging policy and regulatory issues. be expanded to help bridge the digital divide in other We further trust that the results of WTPF-09 will countries, and we are pleased to share our experience help to reduce the gap in access to digital technol- with all who are interested. I am looking forward to ogy around the world, this being an area on which working with participants in Lisbon and I wish every- Portugal has been particularly focused in recent years. one a very successful and fruitful WTPF-09. In fact, increased access to the information and knowledge society has been one of the most important pol- Mário Lino icy goals of the Portuguese Government since 2005, Minister for Public Works, Transport and with very encouraging progress already achieved. Communications

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 7 The future Internet must be truly global Viviane Reding European Commissioner for Information Society and Media

It is now well recognized that the Internet as we know it today defies traditional regulatory theories and gov- veldemanphoto ernance practices. The main reasons are linked to the blurring of the concepts of national territory and sec- Viviane Reding was born in Luxembourg. She holds a doctorate in human sciences from the Sorbonne, tors. But as we consider the future of the Internet, we Paris, as well as a number of honorary degrees and see even greater challenges ahead, with many ques- awards. Ms Reding was elected to the Luxembourg tions related to privacy, security and governance. Now Parliament in 1979, and in 1989 became a member is the moment to initiate a global reflection on achiev- of the European Parliament. She was European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and ing an improved, more effective and inclusive Internet. Sport from 1999 to 2004, when she took up her All these dimensions of the future of the Internet present post in the Commission. Ms Reding is a well- are of crucial interest for Europe — and I believe for known advocate of an open and competitive single ICT market in the EU, as well as a champion of an the rest of the world. For this reason, the European inclusive information society. Commission will step up, from 2009, its efforts and its involvement in all these dimensions. We will increase research and development; actively participate in dis- innovation. The ensuing changes to our economy, as cussions on the regulatory approach to applications well as to the lives of our citizens, have been remark- and services; make proposals on governance issues, able. The diversity and sheer number of applications and actively promote IPv6 roll-out. With more than and business models supported by the Internet have 3 million “.eu” domain names registered to date, the also greatly affected its nature and structure – Internet European Union has an even stronger legitimacy to be traffic increases by 60 per cent every year! a key player in the future of the Internet. Could one say that the Internet has become mature infrastructure which has exhausted its innovation The Internet economy is changing and growth potential? I am deeply convinced that this The Internet underpins the entire economy in an is not the case. increasing part of the world. Information and com- Let me share with you not only why I believe that munication technologies (ICT) contributed 40 per cent we are at the start of a new phase of Internet-driven of overall productivity growth in the economy for innovation and growth, but also what we have to do the ten years up to 2004. The networking effect has to unleash this potential, which is even more necessary made possible an accelerated and global diffusion of in times of economic trouble. Indeed, to get out of the

8 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 The Internet The future Internet must be truly global

economic downturn we need to stimulate solid and sustainable business growth in high-value goods and services that respond to real market needs. For example, we in Europe need to make full use of the economic potential of the single market that is still locked up in our fragmented national markets. This should ap- ply primarily to services based on the Internet, which has, by its nature, a cross-border dimension.

Internet drivers What are the current drivers and future perspec- tives of the Internet? I see at least three main drivers: social networks, the Internet of things and the mobile argus Internet.

Social networks the Internet, which today connects computers, servers A fi rst driver clearly emerging is a shift from and web pages, will start connecting myriads of ob- “Web 2.0 for fun” to Web 2.0 for productivity and jects and devices of all kinds. services. “Web 2.0 for fun”, is all about social network- What will be the implications of such an extended ing. It is today one of the fastest developments of the nervous system? Surely, new classes of application will Internet and also has the potential to connect minds come to life, combining information from the virtual and creativity for business on a scale never before at- world with perception of the physical world. The eco- tained or even imagined. The sheer power of network- nomic prospects are very signifi cant, with an estimated ing that the Internet offers makes it possible to reach global market of EUR 30 billion by 2016 just for the unprecedented levels of information regarding the col- segment of applications enabled by radio-frequency lective behaviour and needs of entire populations. identifi cation (RFID). The increased intelligence and Web 2.0 networking in the business world holds connectivity of objects and devices will be of prime rel- the prospect of interoperability across different busi- evance to our citizens, as it opens up new prospects for ness segments. This is an important opportunity, espe- greater accessibility and gives them more control over cially for small-and medium-sized enterprises, because their lives. Tremendous pay-offs can also be realized in more and more sophisticated and high-added-value terms of better energy distribution and consumption, products and services will be delivered through oppor- environmental controls, urban transport, health and tune collaboration of a multiplicity of business actors. care services, and so on. But to achieve the promise of the Internet of things, The Internet of things both policy-makers and industry need to work inten- A second important driver of the Internet of the fu- sively, be it in terms of architecture, of standards, of ture is the emergence of an “Internet of things”. Soon security or of governance. We cannot just ignore the

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 9 The Internet The future Internet must be truly global

privacy and governance issues related to the Internet options — and there are more than 220 such net- of things. So, my intention for 2009 is to set certain works in 100 countries — have seen their data traf- principles for the European Union in order to give legal fic skyrocket in no time. And you can imagine how certainty to the industry, and to have a sound dialogue it would be with more affordable prices, notably for with our main trading partners on the public interest roaming across borders. issues at stake. Today, the volume of data traffic in high-speed mobile networks is, on average, three to four times larger Open service infrastructure than that of voice traffic. It will therefore be crucial Reaping the benefits of these promising applica- to release the necessary radio-frequency spectrum for tions will not be possible without a powerful open high-speed wireless Internet access, to ensure an ad- service infrastructure. The trend towards deployment equate level of competition and to foster coordinated of server farms with distributed “cloud” computing ca- allocation to generate economies of scale. To make pability is leading in that direction. An interesting char- the mobile Internet become an economic reality for acteristic of “cloud” infrastructure is that it lowers the Europeans, for example, we must also devote great at- barriers to market entry and enables small companies tention to ensuring that the “roaming borders” that — even micro ones — to develop their own online still exist in Europe are progressively brought down. commercial offers with zero infrastructure investment. A second aspect regarding these “cloud” services, Other key issues at stake which needs careful consideration, is associated with operational business risks as well as the potential for Openness of the Internet serious data storage risks. To what extent will busi- We will only be able to reap the full social and eco- nesses accept moving truly mission-critical applications nomic benefits of a fast-changing technological land- outside their firewalls? How should the governance of scape if we manage to safeguard the openness of the data migration be handled? Again, these are questions Internet. Openness is one of the key ingredients that about which industry and public authorities need to has made the Internet so successful as a place of in- speak to each other. novation, and we have to make sure that it is not com- promised. In its Communication on future networks Mobile Internet and the Internet, adopted at the end of 2008, the A third key trend is the Internet going mobile. The European Commission outlined three key areas where emergence of a wireless web is becoming a reality, un- we have to ensure that openness remains preserved. der the combined influence of two factors. The availability of smartphones, whose penetration is increasing Net neutrality very fast, is boosting the mobile Internet, with usage In the first place, “Net neutrality” has to be guar- more than ten times higher than that through less so- anteed. New network management techniques allow phisticated terminals. This is enabled by the advent of traffic prioritization. These tools may be used to guar- true broadband mobile networks. Operators that have antee good quality of service, but could also be used implemented third-generation (3G) mobile high-speed for anti-competitive practices. The Commission has

10 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 JUPITERIMAGES/Brand X/Alamy JUPITERIMAGES/Brand

taken additional steps, through measures proposed But a lot remains to be done before these platforms to reform the EU’s telecommunication package, to can be integrated into complete enterprise systems, better prevent such unfair abuse to the detriment of because use of proprietary solutions hampers inter- consumers. operability. In this field, governments have a key role to play as “interoperability and openness pathfinders”. Open standards This is what we are doing in the Commission under Another important issue relates to open standards. our IDABC (Interoperable Delivery of European eGov- We need to take advantage of the win-win scenario of ernment Services to public Administrations, Businesses open interfaces and standards so that the market can and Citizens) initiative. This proposes an interoperabil- grow for all. Dominant players may try to use propri- ity and openness framework for pan-European govern- etary standards to lock consumers into their products mental services. or to extract very high royalties, ultimately stifling innovation and forestalling market entry by new players. Globalization The European Commission’s competition rules have an There is no doubt that the future Internet will be important role to play in tackling such practices. truly global, and reach populations that have so far not Openness is also key for the Internet of things. If no been connected. China is already the largest country in coordinated action is taken, we can expect multiple ar- terms of Internet users. This trend can only accelerate, chitectures, standards, and intellectual property mod- with a clear consequence: the demand for a certain els to proliferate. The RFID domain already gives us an shift of Internet “power” from the developed regions example where, due to a lack of openness, standards to the developing ones. are being produced with significant intellectual prop- This has far-reaching consequences and it is erty access costs. And if we want these systems to be not certain that we can understand them all today. integrated with all sorts of business or entertainment Multilingualism is one of them. Seventy per cent of processes, market entry barriers need to be lowered in Internet users do not have English as their native lan- such a way that small and medium-sized enterprises guage. We need to prepare for a future Internet that can play their role as economy boosters. takes languages and local cultures into account in a

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 11 The Internet The future Internet must be truly global

much better way. This is another form of openness, sum of EUR one billion has been earmarked to sup- and a crucial one in my view. port high-speed broadband deployment. In order to Globalization may bring about a “Balkanization” maximize the reach of the Internet in Europe, we have of the Internet, for such reasons as attempts to pre- proposed that this money should be used to support serve national security, cultures, or economic systems. high-speed broadband in rural and remote areas that Again, this possibility must reinforce our commitment tend to be ignored in commercial deployment plans. to work in global partnerships to defend the open model that we want. Conclusion Many European States have already taken initiatives Economic recovery concerning the future of the Internet, such as the “IKT In these times of economic trouble, we must con- 2020” initiative in Germany, or the “Plan numérique” tinue investing in areas that are essential for our short- in France. Sweden is launching the “Ambient Sweden” to medium-term recovery and our long-term future. initiative, with the objective of becoming a “leading Let’s look at the longer term fi rst. The current debate Internet nation” by 2015. And in the United Kingdom, is about how the Internet will evolve to support an ev- the “Digital Britain” campaign has been launched. er-larger number of applications, business models, us- What all these national initiatives have in common is ers and environments. There is, however, no guarantee that they seek to capitalize on future development of that today’s Internet architecture, which was designed the Internet. It is our responsibility now to make sure more than thirty years ago, is going to support these that a common vision and approach emerges from changes. In Europe, we are moving forward with the these multiple initiatives. Governments need to be able 7th Framework Programme and our ICT research ini- to cooperate with each other in Europe and at the glo- tiative. Under this umbrella, European industrialists and bal level to fulfi l this responsibility. academic researchers have together launched a large- scale coordinated effort, worth some EUR 400 million, addressing the future of the Internet. At its meeting in November 2008, the European Council welcomed the Commission’s intention to move towards an industry- driven public-private partnership in this domain. High-speed fi xed and mobile broadband networks are the arteries of the emerging economy. But they require huge investments, which need to be optimized to maximize returns. In these times of economic downturn, we must invest in promising technologies that provide the competitive edge that will accelerate the economic recovery. The Commission proposed a “Recovery Package” in November 2008. Infrastructure

investment is clearly identifi ed as a priority and the Norebbo

12 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 The scope of Internet governance Vinton G. Cerf Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google Inc Google Inc

Vinton Gray Cerf has been called the “father of the The Internet has now existed for a quarter of a cen- Internet” in recognition of his work in co-designing in the 1970s (with Robert E. Kahn) its basic architecture tury. It has become a major, global infrastructure on and TCP/IP protocols — the software code for which a remarkable range of applications is supported. transmitting data that forms the language the There is no question that these applications are be- Internet uses to communicate. From 2000 to 2007 coming increasingly important economically, socially, he was chairman of ICANN, and was the founding President of the Internet Society. Dr Cerf has received scientifically and politically. But what is under debate is numerous honorary degrees and awards, including how this global infrastructure should be governed. The the ITU silver medal in 1995. range of interested stakeholders in the governance of the Internet seems to include every government, many businesses and institutions — and maybe eventually, every person on the planet. The Domain Name System is absorbing non-Latin The term “governance” can be interpreted in many character domain names and is making use of digital different ways. In this article, I intend it to be broad- signatures to protect its integrity. Vulnerabilities in the ly understood to include all the means by which the network, and in the computers attached to it, are be- Internet is operated; the rules governing its provisioning addressed in part through technical means. ing and use; the ways in which its technology evolves; As well as these technical developments, gov- methods for enforcing local, national or international ernance issues are being raised by the abuses of the agreements regarding the Internet, and the process by Internet that are emerging, such as identity and credit which governance practices are established. It is as- card theft, fraud, denial of service attacks, injection sumed that “governance” does not mean solely “the and propagation of viruses, worms and Trojan hors- role of governments” in this field. es, invasion of privacy, imposition of censorship, and We are at a significant point in the history of the many illegal acts ranging from copyright violations to Internet. Technical changes to its fundamental fea- child pornography. There is much discussion of the tures are under way and these will raise governance principles, methods and means that are needed to issues. The new, expanded Internet protocol ver- counteract these abuses. Finally, there is also debate sion 6 (IPv6) is being introduced. The Regional Internet about the basic organizational structures of the bodies Registries are exploring the use of digital signatures that have a role to play in various aspects of Internet to validate the assignment of address space to par- Governance. ties authorized to advertise their assigned addresses.

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 13 The Internet The scope of Internet governance

Internet address space dress hijacking, in which address space is advertised The Internet is running out of address space. that has not been officially assigned. Currently, the dominant format is version 4 of the And there are technical issues concerning the move Internet protocol (IPv4). Recent analysis suggests to IPv6. Operating the protocol in parallel with IPv4 strongly that, by approximately mid-2010, the Internet will place additional stress on the size of routing and Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers forwarding information bases, or “tables”, that are (ICANN) will have exhausted the IPv4 address space used to find the correct address to which data should that it assigns to the Regional Internet Registries, who be sent and the route to be used. This will, in turn, will probably exhaust this resource by mid-2011. This increase pressure to maintain a hierarchical address seems finally to have awakened many of the Internet assignment policy, in order to limit the resources de- operational players to the need to introduce IPv6 in voted to periodically updating these bases. However, parallel with the existing IPv4 system. hierarchical assignment will conflict with mobile opera- The two protocols are not directly interoperable tions, and with the practice of multi-homing, in which and the idea is to run both until all systems have IPv6 a single computer host uses several IP addresses so as capability, at which point IPv4 would become redun- to improve the reliability of connections. Although it dant. Private use of IPv4 might continue, however, can overcome the exhaustion of IPv4 address space, especially in networks that are not connected to the IPv6 does not solve the problem of global routing in public Internet. Meanwhile, the exhaustion of IPv4 will an increasingly large-scale Internet. Serious research is lead to markets for the address space that remains, required into large-scale routing algorithms and net- as well as to its potential fragmentation. The growing work structure. Eventually, the need to support mo- scarcity has already caused a certain amount of ad- bility and multi-homing will almost certainly lead to a new protocol. Meanwhile, connectivity of the IPv6 universe is a major concern. Originally, any new network joining the Internet had access to the global routing tables and everything was connected to everything else. A complex regime evolved of peering and transit connection policies, in which parties made economic decisions about the means by which they maintained full connectivity to the global Internet. As IPv6 is being introduced sporadically, there is, as yet, no central, IPv6-connected core and thus no guaranteed connection among the portions of the Internet that use the new protocol. While various forms of tunneling may be employed to achieve desired connectivity, the result is a brittle and fragile construction. Efforts Andrea Danti Andrea will be needed to adopt liberal policies for IPv6

14 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Norebbo

connectivity, at least until a strongly IPv6-connected considered suitable for use in domain names. However, core emerges. these technical limitations will have to be augmented by additional restrictions applied by domain name reg- The Domain Name System istries and server operators at lower levels. Such poli- The Domain Name System (DNS) is what assigns cies have been developed, for example, by users of names to Internet addresses, in a way that people can Chinese, Korean and Japanese characters. read as well as machines. It has been evolving at a The important policy point arising from the intro- rapid pace since 2000, when the first new top-level duction of internationalized domain names is that domains were introduced, including “.biz” and “.info”. restrictions on use will have to be implemented not In 2003, the first internationalized, non-Latin charac- only through protocol constraints, but also by policy ters were allowed in second-level (or lower) labels of at registration time. There will be a strong need for domain names. Now, we are poised to introduce in- cooperation among parties who share a common or ternationalized domain names (IDN) at the top level overlapping use of a script. Registration rules should for both country code and generic top-level domains. be coordinated so as to reduce the risk of ambiguous domain names. Internationalized names The introduction of a massive number of new char- New top-level domains acters from hundreds of scripts reflects cultural diver- There is an understandable desire among Internet sity, but also creates opportunities for many forms of users to see an increased choice of top-level domains confusion — or even fraud. Domain names written in (TLD). There is risk, however, in allowing unconstrained Latin, Greek and Cyrillic characters, for example, might expansion, because the processes governing top-level use letters that are identical in appearance, but are en- domain authorization are much more complex and coded as distinct in the Unicode system. To reduce the cumbersome than those governing second- or lower- chance of this kind of problem arising, technical efforts level registration. Under the present system of domain- are under way in the Internet Engineering Task Force name management, it would not be possible to handle (IETF), aimed at limiting the set of characters that are hundreds of thousands of TLD.

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 15 The Internet The scope of Internet governance

Security could be improved with the Domain Name This means that “malware,” which can capture control System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) standard. Under of a computer, is increasingly common. this system, domain names would be digitally signed The openness of the browsers and the operating so as to authenticate information associated with systems on which they run has led to an increasing per- them. While introduction of DNSSEC would not solve centage of computers on the Internet that are infected all potential vulnerabilities, it would be an important with viruses, worms or other malware. Such machines step towards raising the integrity of the DNS. But im- are often controllable by the infecting party, who cre- plementation of the standard depends upon decisions ates “botnets” of “zombies” that can be commanded over who is in charge of the global DNS root zone of to send spam e-mails, to launch denial of service at- the Internet. tacks, or carry out other cyberattacks under the control The current DNS is supported by 12 organizations of the botnet general. These armies are rented out by (including ICANN and Verisign Inc), that operate 13 dis- their controllers, garnering huge amounts of money. tinct root name servers. The introduction of DNSSEC The scale of the epidemic is impressive. Estimates and IPv6 could, in theory, allow for more than 13 root have been made that there are more than 200 million server operators. But on what basis should additional infected machines, out of about a billion devices on root server operators be chosen, and where should the the Internet. Steps are needed to increase browsers’ servers be placed? Selecting who should serve as a root defences against the ingestion and execution of bad operator is a complex question that remains largely un- software. Operating systems may need to be aug- answered. Today’s situation stems from the voluntary mented to limit the damage that may be done to other nature of the early Internet. Even within the limited set programs or the operating system itself. Without an of 13 root servers, it is not clear how a replacement adequate response to this problem, the utility and rich- operator would be chosen if one ceases to function. ness of the Internet may fade as users conclude that

Marauding malware The World Wide Web (WWW) has produced a cor- nucopia of new applications for the Internet. The in- corporation of executable programs in the WWW context, such as JavaScript, has created enormous richness — but also substantial risk. Internet browser software is remarkably complex and also remarkably tolerant of executing programs whose functionality is not known ahead of time. Just going to a web page can create an “infection” because browsers work by downloading the files associated with the web page and then interpreting the contents, including the execution of high-level programs. © Richard Warburton/Alamy © Richard

16 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 The Internet The scope of Internet governance

it is not safe to use it for anything important, such as policy affects, and is of interest to, a very rich mix of health care or financial transactions. stakeholders. It is in the context of these discussions that useful and commonly agreed policies may emerge. National policies for a global Internet Each stakeholder community has a role to play in The Internet was designed to be largely insensitive the overall governance of the Internet. The techni- to national boundaries. Unlike the telephone system, cal community has responsibility for developing and the IP address structure is not oriented around coun- adopting voluntary standards that ensure reliable op- tries. It was designed to support connectivity among eration of the Internet. The infrastructure providers all computers on all networks. (Internet service providers, domain name registries and As the Internet has evolved, a need has arisen to registrars, root server operators, or Regional Internet limit access to specific resources on the Net. Enterprises Registries) necessarily must coordinate their policies to have found it necessary to protect their internal re- create as uniform an Internet as possible. Governments sources through the use of firewalls, cryptography, vir- have the critical responsibility of protecting the public tual networking and other methods. To the extent that interest with regard to the Internet, and must seek to anyone can reach many computers on the Internet and do so on a globally coordinated basis. The developers obtain or deliver information through them, there is of applications have an interest in a stable and grow- the potential for actions taken in one country to affect ing infrastructure and a business environment that is Internet users who live under a different legal system conducive to global operations and that offers com- or have different cultural preferences. petitive opportunities. Individual users want to enjoy For example, personal privacy may have varying the free flow of information and a maximum choice of interpretations from one country to another. While it means to access the Internet. They are equally inter- is probably too much to expect that a global defini- ested in the protection of privacy and the assurance of tion of privacy can be crafted, it might be possible to safety when they go online. establish a minimum set of privacy guidelines that can That the scope of Internet governance is extraordi- be agreed on a multilateral basis. The legal significance narily broad and complex can hardly be disputed. The of a digital signature, and the process by which dig- utility of common agreements on Internet policy can ital public key certificates are issued, might be another hardly be overestimated — agreements that lead to a area ripe for consideration. It is also reasonable to as- more reliable, stable, expandable Internet in which on- sume that multilateral agreements can be achieved for line commerce can thrive, information exchange can the prosecution of commonly agreed abuses, such as flourish and individual users can feel safe and secure in the distribution of child pornography. their use of this global resource.

Global stakeholders It is in the area of globally agreed legal frameworks that the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) can contribute to a useful dialogue. It is significant that the IGF is organized around a multi-stakeholder model. Internet

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 17 Internet Governance in Brazil A multistakeholder approach

Professor Hartmut Richard Glaser CEO of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) CGI

Brazil is pioneering a model of Internet governance and training of human resources. The Committee also that encourages the effective participation of society has many other responsibilities. These include propos- in decisions about implementation, administration and ing policies and procedures related to the regulation use of the network. of Internet activities, and recommending standards Based on multilateral, transparent and democratic for technical and operational procedures. CGI.br also principles, the country’s Internet services are coordi- establishes strategic directives on the use and develop- nated, and activities integrated, through the Comit� ment of the Internet in Brazil. Gestor da Internet no Brasil (CGI.br), or the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee. Originally created in NIC.br 1995, this is a multistakeholder organization com- To help carry out its diverse activities, CGI.br cre- posed of representatives of government ministries and ated, in 2005, a not-for-profi t civil organization named agencies, businesses, civil society and the scientifi c the Núcleo de Informaç�o e Coordenaç�o do Ponto community. There are 21 members in all, 12 from the BR (NIC.br) or the Brazilian Network Information private sector and 9 from government. Centre. It has units that work on several specifi c areas: CGI.br is responsible for promoting innovation and high technical quality in Internet services, and their Registro.br dissemination across Brazil. Since July 2004, the rep- Since 1995, this arm of the Committee has been re- resentatives of civil society have been elected demo- sponsible for registering domain names that use “.br” cratically to participate directly in the committee’s de- and the administration of that top-level domain. As of liberations and to debate the priorities for the Internet. 31 March 2009, there were more than 1.6 million do- The Committee has three working groups to pro- main names registered under “.br”. NIC.br also offers vide technical, administrative and operational input the services of engineering and hosting for the Latin for the decisions and recommendations of CGI.br. The American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Register groups cover network engineering, computer security, (LACNIC).

18 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 © GraficallyMinded/Alamy

CERT.br in metropolitan areas, and a network time protocol by Internet security is one of the major concerns of which a group of computers or a network can set their CGI.br, which, since 1997, has maintained the Brazilian time references. Computer Emergency Response Team, or CERT.br. Besides dealing with incidents, CERT.br offers support CETIC.br to network administrators and Internet users in Brazil, The Centro de Estudos sobre as Tecnologias da publishes documents in Portuguese about network Informaç�o e da Comunicaç�o (CETIC.br) is respon- security, and produces statistics on security incidents sible for producing indicators and statistics about the and spam. It also maintains an early warning project availability and usage of the Internet in Brazil. These with the goal of identifying new trends and alerting data are critical for monitoring the social and econom- Brazilian networks about malicious activities. CERT.br ic impact of information and communication technol- works to increase awareness of security issues and ogies (ICT) and comparing Brazil with other countries. helps to establish new Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) in Brazil. The challenge of connecting everyone Brazil, with a population of 194.2 million, has CEPTRO.br 60 million Internet users. But this represents only The Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas em Tecnologia 30 per cent of the population. The good news is that de Redes e Operaç�es (CEPTRO.br), or Centre of efforts are under way to connect people everywhere Study and Research for Network and Operational in this vast country. For example, in the Amazon, a Technologies, looks at innovation and how the wireless, high-speed Internet network has been estab- Internet’s technical quality can be improved. It also lished in the town of Parintins through a public-private researches network technologies designed to spread partnership to improve the health care and education Internet access in Brazil. Among its projects are a struc- of its residents. Working with the Brazilian govern- ture of traffic exchange points that offers connections ment and business and education officials, Intel and

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 19 Boats on the Amazon carry telecommunication equipment that local people can use © Nigel Hicks/Alamy

its collaborators installed a state-of-the-art WiMAX are reduced for computers that are priced at around network for a primary healthcare centre, two public USD 1750. These initiatives contributed greatly to the schools, a community centre and Amazon University. sale of more than 10 million computers in Brazil in 2007. And a market study shows that 12 million more The computer market is growing, following were sold in 2008. government incentives In April 2008, the Ministry of Access to computers and the Education began a programme to Internet is now a key focus of public “ The government has provide broadband Internet connec- ICT policy. This includes offering sub- introduced the “Computers tivity to all 56 000 federal schools sidies for buying desktop and laptop for All” programme that by 2010. In addition, the “Portal for computers. At the very beginning of aims to offer every Brazilian the Teacher” initiative was launched President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s the possibility of buying a in June 2008 to provide multime- government in 2003, most makers high-end computer with dia material (with digital content) of personal computers in Brazil did access to the Internet. to all schools and students in the not consider it possible to reduce Through this programme, country and to train all teachers the price of a machine to around credit lines are given to through a special capacity building USD 650. But today, one can buy a low-income families to buy programme. computer for less than USD 450. computers that cost about The government has introduced USD 450 — and government the “Computers for All” programme taxes are reduced for that aims to offer every Brazilian the computers that are priced possibility of buying a high-end com- at around USD 1750. ” puter with access to the Internet. Through this programme, credit lines are given to low-income families to buy computers that cost about USD 450 — and government taxes

20 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Protect the Internet’s future in Africa Planning ahead for IPv6

Adiel A. Akplogan CEO of the African Regional Internet Registry (AfriNIC) AfriNIC

“ Because of the rapid expansion of the mobile Internet in Africa, the future of the Internet growth in Africa is currently facing a serious Internet in the region lies in immediate threat. In fact, a great deal of the continent’s eco- IPv6 planning by all stakeholders in both nomic development relies on addressing this threat as the private and public sectors. ” quickly and effectively as possible. The threat exists for most of the world’s countries and continents, but it is particularly acute for Africa. When the Internet was designed, allowance was Overall, AfriNIC has allocated 20 million IP ad- made globally for some four billion Internet proto- dresses thus far. Alongside relatively low broadband col (IP) addresses. Known as IPv4 addresses (for ver- access and uptake, there has been a rapid rise in the sion 4 of the protocol), these are numerical identifi - use of mobile technologies on the continent, which cations that are assigned to devices participating in a has accelerated the use of the Internet protocol and computer network utilizing the Internet protocol for IPv4 addresses, and in turn will hasten the depletion communication. of its pool. Fast forward to today, and 85 per cent of these ad- Predictions by AfriNIC, and the four other regional dresses have already been allocated or reserved, which Internet registries across the globe, now show that means that around 2011, the world will run out of IPv4 addresses allocated for Africa are likely to run out unallocated addresses altogether. In the absence of far earlier than the global 2011 estimate, and failure further alternative addresses, the Internet would ef- to tackle this issue will undoubtedly hamper Internet fectively “hit a wall,” whereby further growth would development and innovation, as well as economic be restricted. growth, for African nations. IPv4 fi gures for Africa highlight that the economic

This article originally appeared in the magazine possibilities of effective Internet adoption should not “eStrategies Africa”, a quarterly publication focusing on be underestimated for the region. In terms of IP ad- technology development on that continent. To view the dress distribution, Africa currently holds only 2 per cent latest digital copy,visit http://viewer.zmags.com/publication of the global IPv4 address space, whilst over the last /777598a8#/777598a8/1

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 21 The Internet Protect the Internet’s future in Africa

two years, the region has seen more than 100-per-cent infrastructure. One way to achieve this is by ensuring growth in requests for IPv4 addresses. Several African that imported telecommunication equipment and ap- countries have experienced triple-digit growth rates in plications are IPv6-compliant. Many older pieces of Internet usage over the past few years. Reliance on equipment cannot address the IPv6 standards, and de- mobile devices for Internet access, combined with a pend on using the older IPv4 protocol. In response, a vast latent demand for the mobile Internet, means number of organizations have imposed a rule that all that the future of the Internet in Africa now relies on new equipment must be IPv6-ready. quick adoption of the next generation of IP addresses, Training for Internet stakeholders is also needed to known as IPv6. raise awareness of IPv6. Free access to training cours- In contrast to IPv4, the pool of available IPv6 ad- es will help organizations migrate to IPv6 effectively. dresses exceeds an unimaginable 340 trillion, trillion, AfriNIC has already provided free training to network trillion. With such a large percentage of IPv4 addresses operators in more than 30 African countries, and this already allocated or reserved, AfriNIC recently urged has contributed to a 400-per-cent increase in the national governments across the continent to get in- quantity of IPv6 allocation in the region. volved in tackling the issue, whilst urging telecommunication operators to set up a dedicated task force to Planning is needed now start planning IPv6 implementation. The key to a timely and seamless conversion lies in successful planning, with evaluation starting from Mobile uptake and IPv6 the core infrastructure areas and finally through to the A significant proportion of recently allocated IPv4 edge of the network. By examining the operational addresses arose from mobile operators moving from chain, it is possible to identify where IP is involved, and private to public IPv4 addresses to meet data-service demand. Reliance on mobile devices for Internet access in the region should be at the forefront of government AfriNIC is a non-governmental, not-for-profit, and business leaders' thinking and the deployment of membership-based organization, with headquar- IPv6 will be a vital factor in these developments. ters in Mauritius. It is the Regional Registry for In- Much of Africa’s economic development will rely ternet Number Resources for Africa, alongside the on getting this right as quickly and effectively as pos- four other regional Internet registries (RIR) across sible. Uptake of IPv6 is predicted to be more rapid the world: RIPE NCC, ARIN, APNIC and LACNIC. The than its IPv4 sibling; however, governments and tel- mission of AfriNIC is “to serve the African commu- ecommunication operators must play a key role in this. nity by providing professional and efficient man- Africa’s Internet growth depends on the deployment agement of Internet number resources, supporting of IPv6, so government and telecommunication opera- Internet technology usage and development, and tors must lead by example in making content available promoting Internet self-governance.” in IPv6. The AfriNIC organisational structure encourages a For effective IPv6 deployment, policy-makers bottom-up self-governance management model. must insist on IPv6 compliance for public and private Policies and other organizational functions are de- termined by the community in general and members who elect representatives to the Board of Di- rectors. Further information is available at www. afrinic.net

22 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 The Internet Protect the Internet’s future in Africa

where the adoption of new, IPv6-ready hardware or software is required. Additionally, by evaluating equipment compatibility early on, the upgrade process can begin and stakeholders will gain a sound overview of the needs and adaptability of the supply chain. Ultimately, Africa needs to learn the lessons from other regions such as Asia, and adapt specific best practices for its own region. RIPE NCC, the Regional Internet Registry for Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia, has also recently urged business and government leaders to ease the path for wider deployment of IPv6 addresses in their service region. IPv6 will bring a host of important benefits to © InFocus-Alamy African mobile Internet use. The protocol builds on experience with IPv4 and it now contains features that allow much easier access. As an example, security is IPv6 deployment, policy-makers must take action now embedded in IPv6 and it is possible to natively secure to make IPv6 compliance a requirement for public and IPv6 data. This means that there is a vast scope for private infrastructure. The need to ensure imported tel- the development of applications around it, as it will ecommunication equipment and applications are IPv6- be possible to safely encrypt data whilst on the move. compliant is another critical factor. Radical thinking is The fact that IPv6 also has mobility embedded within needed by telecommunication operators. Because of it means that the point will come where IP addresses the rapid expansion of the mobile Internet in Africa, will become part of users’ identities and it will be pos- the future of the Internet in the region lies in immedi- sible to reach someone on any device on the same IP ate IPv6 planning by all stakeholders in both the pri- address. vate and public sectors. It is imperative that they start Although Africa holds a small proportion of the to plan a continent-wide IPv6 implementation. world’s IP addresses, it is encouraging to see progres- Although AfriNIC has increased the quantity of IPv6 sive momentum towards the new protocol. The re- allocation in the region four-fold, this still represents gion is, in fact, showing the widest adoption of the only about 26 per cent of the networks using IPv4 in new protocol globally and this is encouraging news. the AfriNIC service region. Daily statistics show that However, more work is required to ensure timely and less than 30 per cent of IPv6 allocations are visible on continent-wide IPv6 adoption. the Internet. Strong steps are being taken in the right In addition to managing and distributing Internet direction, but the path is still long and requires collec- number resources, AfriNIC supports Internet develop- tive responsibility. ment across the continent, with the aim of strengthening Internet self-governance and encouraging a participative policy development process. For effective

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 23 © Blend Images/Alamy

Next-generation networks Driven by convergence

Convergence between broadcasting, computing and could dramatically improve access to telecommunica- telecommunications is here, and it is changing the nations in their remote and rural areas. ture of communication services and the networks over ITU plays a key role in regulating the radio-frequen- which they are delivered. Convergence is largely being cy spectrum to help make this happen. It is leading one driven by the migration to next-generation networks of the largest technical standards development initia- (NGN), which form a new architecture, based on the tives ever undertaken, known as the “Next-Generation Internet protocol (IP), that can unify fixed and mobile Network Global Standards Initiative” (NGN-GSI). This networks, as well as broadcasting. focuses on building a global road map of the tech- NGN can be developed using various technologies, nologies and services that will define tomorrow’s dig- including optical fibre (see article on pages 29–30), ital environment. In addition, ITU’s Telecommunication satellite, cable, fixed wireless and mobile wireless, or Development Bureau is studying the status of NGN de- by upgrades to existing copper lines. A number of ployment in different regions of the world and exam- companies are already rolling out NGN in developed ining how the transition to these networks is affecting countries, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, regulation. and parts of the United States and Western Europe. NGN promise seamless global connectivity over any ITU predicts that, by 2012, a number of developed network and any device, at any time, from anywhere. countries will have full implementation of NGN in This has led to new players (including cable television fixed-line networks, and in mobile networks by 2020. providers, broadband Internet service providers and Developing countries are also seeking to deploy NGN, virtual network operators) to begin moving into ter- mainly through wireless broadband technologies. This ritory traditionally dominated by telecommunication

24 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Next-generation networks

Figure 1 — VoIP and IPTV as drivers for NGN companies and State- licensed broadcasters. Retail VoIP subscribers (in millions, 2008) — Top 10 countries Companies are increasingly offering “triple-play” pack- United States ages of voice, Internet ac- 18.1 Japan cess and entertainment over 16.8 France a single connection. 11.5 Germany 5 United Kingdom 4 Italy New IPTV standard 3.6 Netherlands supports global 2.4 Canada roll-out 2.2 Republic of Korea In many countries, voice 0.9 Sweden over the Internet protocol 0.7 20 15 10 (VoIP) and Internet proto- 5 0 col television (IPTV) have become important driv- Source: ILOCUS. ers for NGN (see Figure 1). Global IPTV (by subscribers, in thousands) — Top 10 carriers IPTV viewers can determine their own viewing sched- ules, receiving programmes Iliad (France) France Telecom (France) at a time and place of their 2170 975 PCCW Hong Kong (China) choice and over a range of 818 Neuf Cegetel (France) devices, from an ordinary 600 Telefonica (Spain) television set to a laptop 469 Chunghwa Telecom Taiwan (China) computer, or a third-gen- 358 China Telecom (China) eration (3G) mobile phone. 310 Belgacom (Belgium) Telia Sonera (Sweden) Users can also share files 249 216 Fastweb (Italy) with friends and family, and 170 2500 2000 post them on the Internet 1500 500 1000 for others to download. In 0 a sense, they are becoming Source: Lightreading. broadcasters themselves. An important milestone for IPTV was reached in February 2009 with the approv- Protocol Television Global Standards Initiative (IPTV- al of a new ITU standard known as Recommendation GSI), with the active participation of service providers ITU–T Y.1901. It was developed through a wide inter- and equipment vendors from many countries. national effort under the umbrella of ITU’s Internet

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 25 Next-generation networks

Standards are essential for the roll-out of global unlawful) downloads of music can be made from the IPTV. A second generation of IPTV services could face Internet. a change in regulations or market demand that will The clearly defined regulations that have tradition- require interoperation between providers of services ally characterized the telecommunication and broad- and/or networks. One result of this might be that a casting spheres are coming into conflict with the customer would be able to buy an IPTV box, sign up Internet community’s values of self-regulation, where with a network operator, and then access services from content and applications are judged on their own mer- a range of third-party service providers. A standardized it and utility to users. IPTV environment could mean an end to “walled gar- The World Telecommunication Policy Forum in den” approaches that limit subscribers to content from Lisbon, Portugal, on 22–24 April 2009, will bring to- a particular service provider. gether delegates from across the ICT sector to debate the policy and regulatory issues raised by the deploy- Regulation ment of NGN. While NGN are streamlining the delivery of content and services, they are also posing complex challenges Investing in super-fast broadband for regulators. Before convergence transformed the An essential aspect of NGN is that they can carry landscape for information and communication tech- one of the most significant developments in ICT in nologies (ICT), individual services ran on separate net- recent years: broadband Internet access. The move works optimized for the services they carried. Now, as from dial-up access to broadband services has had they move onto IP-based networks, the digital bits and a phenomenal impact on consumers and businesses bytes “co-mingle” and one service becomes indistin- alike. And now we are on the cusp of a new develop- guishable from another as they travel across networks. ment — the move to “super-fast” or very high-speed The prioritization of traffic to ensure quality of serv- broadband. ices becomes an urgent and complex issue. In an NGN world, should different bit streams be regulated differ- ently — and if so, how? With individuals in the driving seat as both consumers and (increasingly) generators of content, can governments exercise any degree of control to ensure that offensive or dangerous material is not distributed widely? Issues such as copyright, advertising and consumer protection can also prove controversial in the online world, where content can be disseminated in- stantaneously. This can have major commercial consequences. For example, the music industry is seeing its former model of content distribution being rewrit-

ten by the ease with which cheap (and sometimes Diego Cervo

26 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Next-generation networks

In the home, super fast broadband will allow different members of a household to access a variety of high-bandwidth services simultaneously. These could include watching high-definition television (HDTV), playing interactive online games and streaming or downloading music, television programmes and films over the Internet. For businesses, it will enable simultaneous services such as two-way video calls and improved data retrieval. In order to stimulate the provision of the super-fast broadband that can transform economies, some governments are helping to finance NGN that are being built or planned, even amid the current financial crisis. LG For example, the Australian government announced on 7 April 2009 a project worth AUS 43 billion to build Fibre-optic networks are expected to support a new generation of devices — from television sets to DVD players — which are and operate a new super-fast National Broadband starting to arrive on the market. IPTV operators will be able to Network. It is expected to be the single largest nation- offer interactive services, such as gaming, as well as movies in building infrastructure project in Australian history, and 3D that can be downloaded straight to the living room. it will:  Connect 90 per cent of all Australian homes, schools and workplaces with broadband services Country case studies at speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s — 100 times faster There is no single migration path to NGN. The di- than those currently used by many households and versity of operators’ plans and activities is leading to businesses. different regulatory responses. In some countries, reg-  Connect the remaining 10 per cent of premises with ulators and governments are leaving it to market play- next-generation wireless and satellite technologies ers to decide when and how much to invest; in others, that will deliver broadband speeds of 12 Mbit/s. such as Portugal, governments are offering credit lines  Directly support up to 25 000 local jobs every for the roll-out of next-generation broadband net- year, on average, over the eight-year period of the works. The following case studies illustrate the variety project. of circumstances to be found. The new investment is also described as Australia’s biggest reform in telecommunications in two decades Austria because it delivers separation between the infrastruc- Telekom Austria, the country’s incumbent operator, ture provider and retail service providers. This means began its first installation of NGN core infrastructure better and fairer infrastructure access for service pro- in 2004. By the end of that year, the company had viders, greater retail competition, and better services invested EUR 780 million, with plans to invest a similar for families and businesses. amount over a five-year period.

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 27 © RayArt Graphics/Alamy

Telekom Austria has been carrying domestic long- South Africa distance voice traffic using asynchronous transfer In South Africa, mobile operators Vodacom and mode (ATM) and IP technology for several years. It MTN, along with Neotel (the country’s second national plans to roll out fibre-to-the-curb infrastructure in co- operator), have decided to build together a 5000-km operation with various municipalities and utilities, and national long-distance fibre-optic network that is es- has chosen the “wait and see” strategy for its NGN timated to cost some USD 197 million. The compa- access deployment. nies have agreed to share the costs of trenching and Meanwhile, Wienstrom, Austria’s largest electricity project management, but are expected to provide their supplier, is offering fibre-optic broadband access as a own optical fibre and transmission equipment. wholesale service to other operators. It has connected As the host nation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 10 000 premises with fibre-to-the-home, and plans to South Africa is capitalizing on advances in 3G mobile reach 50 000 more by the end of 2009. The eventual communications to ensure that every mobile phone target is 960 000 homes, at an estimated investment in the country can receive mobile television, and that of EUR 10 million. visitors from around the world can use mobile multi- The Austrian national regulatory authority initiated media services to send images and video footage of a discussion process in June 2007 by launching three the action at South African stadiums. Meanwhile, the papers for public consultation. In February 2008, the “National Broadband Forum” is drafting a framework NGA-NGN industry working group was established for the country’s broadband strategy. to continue discussions on migrating the incumbent’s public-switched telephone network to NGN.

28 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 © Fredrik Skold/Alamy © Fredrik

Fibre rolls on The next generation of broadband infrastructure

For most wireline network operators, migrating to in some Asia-Pacific markets, such as Japan and Hong next-generation, fibre-optic infrastructure is no longer Kong (China), services with speeds of 1Gbit/s are now a matter of if, but when, says Pyramid Research*. This common. involves rolling out fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) which can As broadband markets in developed economies reach an individual household; to the building (FTTB); mature and demand for broadband in emerging mar- to the curb (FTTC), or to the node (FTTN) or cabinet kets grows, the deployment of fibre-optic networks (FTTCab), where fibre stops at a cabinet with telecom- accelerates. At the same time, asymmetric digital munication equipment that serves a neighbourhood. subscriber line (ADSL) and hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) Collectively, these variants are called FTTx. networks, over which most broadband services are In Europe, Spain’s Telefónica recently launched its delivered today, are becoming obsolete. Competition pre-commercial fibre-optic network in that country, is fierce, and more bandwidth is needed to support and BT has said it will invest GBP 1.5 billion to install fi- simultaneous delivery of such applications as high- bre cabling to its street cabinets and provide super-fast definition television (HDTV), and peer-to-peer content broadband to 10 million homes in the United Kingdom exchange (see Table). by 2012. In the United States, Comcast has announced However, the current economic downturn is cre- its introduction of 50 Mbit/s high-speed offerings. And ating uncertainty. For example, questions are being raised in some markets about the need for short-term deployment of FTTH, which requires heavy investment * “Fiber in the Last Mile: Best Practices, Adoption Trends but is slow to deliver returns. There is also regula- and the Impact of the Economic Downturn”, a report tory uncertainty with regard to competitive access to published by Pyramid Research, Inc. in December 2008.

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 29 Next-generation networks Fibre rolls on

Table 1 — Household bandwidth requirements of various game to mobile players in the early 2000s, fixed-line applications operators can hardly allow the same to happen with Application Required bandwidth the broadband business, which has kept them afloat (peak rates) when voice revenue tanked,” Pyramid notes. VoIP 0.032 Mbit/s The launch of the first fibre-optic networks has had Video-on-demand 8 Mbit/s (4 Mbit/s per programme) a big impact on markets. Pyramid comments that every IP digital television 16–24 Mbit/s FTTx roll-out it reviewed was followed by competitors (8–12 Mbit/s per channel) upgrading their networks and launching faster com- High-definition television 16–20 Mbit/s mercial services. In the United States, for example, (8–10 Mbit/s per channel) Verizon Communications’ deployment of its “FiOS” 3D standard-definition television 20 Mbit/s fibre-optic service prompted Comcast to upgrade to Gaming 4 Mbit/s the data-over-cable service interface specification File downloading 4 Mbit/s 3.0 (DOCSIS 3.0) and to introduce new services with Web surfing 2 Mbit/s speeds of 50 Mbit/s. In turn, Verizon is now preparing Video conferencing 2 Mbit/s to introduce 100 Mbit/s. Total per household 72–80 Mbit/s In its study, Pyramid Research found that some Source: Cisco Systems, Athens Information Technology. 98 million homes — or 6 per cent of households worldwide — are now passed by FTTB or FTTH net- fibre-optic networks. The report by Pyramid Research works and another 74 million by the second genera- looks into the deployments of FTTx networks in the tion of very high bitrate DSL (VDSL2) networks. Of the Asia-Pacific, North America and Western Europe. It 98 million homes passed, 70 per cent are in the Asia- says that “incumbent operators, whose margins on Pacific region, where Japan’s telecommunications pro- wholesale ADSL are thin, are reluctant to commit to vider NTT was among the first to pioneer large-scale investing in fibre, if there is a threat that their whole- FTTH upgrades in 2000. The company plans to connect sale prices will be set too low or that reciprocal access 90 per cent of all Japanese households to ultra-high- to competitive networks will not be provided.” speed broadband by 2010. It is focusing on launching But the research firm adds that “despite the diffi- new, value-added services that it expects will contrib- cult financial climate, the progression of fibre upgrades ute towards growth in average revenue per subscriber, is now unstoppable.” It notes that telecommunication or ARPS. These include a partnership with Nintendo companies’ need for FTTH remains strong, especially to provide gaming and home security services. NTT is in developed economies where deployments are driv- also conducting tests of remote video monitoring and en by the maturity of the broadband markets and a related services to help care for an aging population proliferation of Internet protocol-based video, televi- in Japan. sion and interactive applications. And with mobile op- Pyramid Research concludes that even though opti- erators now offering broadband at speeds and prices cal fibre’s share of home broadband subscriptions glo- equivalent to entry-level ADSL subscriptions, competi- bally will grow from 9 per cent in 2008 to 17 per cent tors cannot afford to wait. “After losing the voice in 2013, copper wire networks will not disappear.

30 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Kinetic Imagery

International Telecommunication Regulations

The International Telecommunication Regulations international accounting rates and how to settle (ITR) form a binding treaty, administered by ITU, that accounts. governs how countries link together all kinds of in- Replacing two agreements dealing with telegra- formation and communication phy and telephony, the ITR were networks, from copper wire to adopted as a single treaty at ITU’s satellite uplinks and wireless data “ The International World Administrative Telegraphy technologies. They facilitate glo- Telecommunication Regulations and Telephone Conference, held bal interoperability and promote (ITR) form a binding treaty that in Melbourne, Australia in 1988. harmonized development. The governs how countries link They came into force in 1990 and ITR are the framework that sup- together all kinds of information have not been amended since ports international phone calls, and communication networks, from then, despite far-reaching tech- and without them, the world- copper wire to satellite uplinks and nological change and the wide- wide Internet would not operate wireless data technologies. ” spread liberalization of telecom- with such effi ciency. munication markets. However, a The ITR comprise ten articles process of review has been un- dealing with such matters as the defi nition of interna- dertaken since 1999 by a Group of Experts on Reform tional services, cooperation among national adminis- of the ITR, coordinated by ITU’s Telecommunication trations, emergency telecommunications, and what to Standardization Sector (ITU–T). do if a network of a country affects that of another. It has been diffi cult to establish consensus on These regulations are also important in determining whether (and how) to update the ITR. In general,

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 31 International Telecommunication Regulations

developing countries wish the ITR to continue as a  Requirement to comply with ITU–T Recommen- treaty-level agreement, with amendments to take ac- dations relating to naming, numbering, addressing count of changes in the market. On the other hand, and identification of telecommunications. some developed countries have seen little need to alter  Measures against the misuse of facilities and/or (or even retain) the ITR, given the rapidly changing en- numbering resources. vironment. Eventually, however, the ITU Plenipotentiary  Protecting the security of data, including signalling, Conference in Antalya, Turkey, in 2006 agreed (in traffic, and billing information. Resolution 146) that the ITR will be updated at a World  Measures against malware, spam and other threats Conference on International Telecommunications to cybersecurity and the quality of service. (WCIT) to be held in Geneva in 2012.  In arrangements for specialized telecommunica- While recognizing the complexity of discussions tions within and/or between countries, technical or that have taken place on the ITR over the last decade, financial harm should not be caused to the opera- Resolution 146 underlines that treaty-level provisions tion of facilities in third countries. are needed for international telecommunication net-  Issues raised by new practices such as “hubbing”, works and services. It says that, as technology evolves in which traffic is routed via a transit centre, with and converges, countries are looking to establish regu- payment being made solely to this hub rather than latory frameworks that encourage development of the to the final call destination. information society. This makes it important that the  In relation to accounting, administrations deal- ITR are reviewed “and, if deemed appropriate, revised ing with transit traffic must identify the origin of a and updated in a timely manner.” communication they receive and pass this informa- The Resolution also says that the World tion to the destination country. Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF) in 2009  Adding a method for settling disputes, in particular should consider emerging policy and regulatory issues to address problems raised by unequal bargaining with respect to international telecommunication net- power between operators at the international level. works and services, and possibly submit an opinion to the preparatory process for WCIT 2012. Updating the ITR to include such items could make for regulations that are better suited to the telecom- Draft opinion munication landscape of the 21st century. A draft opinion to be considered by WTPF-09 says that revision of the ITR might cover standardization and cybersecurity, as well as these:  Requirement to comply with ITU–T Recommen- dations relating to safety-of-life, priority and emergency telecommunications.

32 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Distributed computing

The spread of high-speed broadband networks and the continual increase in computing power have changed how we manage information and information services. Geographically distributed resources, such as data banks and supercomputers, are interconnected and can be exploited by users around the world as a single, Yellowj unified resource. To a growing extent, repetitive or resource-intensive information technology tasks can be outsourced to service providers, and a new paradigm is emerging in which computing is offered as a utility management and business intelligence, as well as oth- by third parties. It is no longer necessary for companies er applications, such as Internet search engines, maps, to contain their computer work in house, as not only and e-mail. In cloud computing, these are hosted in a data can be processed and software stored remotely data centre and offered commercially as “software as on a “cloud”, but large networks of remote computers a service” (SaaS). They no longer need to be installed can form a “grid” that amounts to considerable power. on the user’s system. This can save licence fees and the The goal of a distributed computing system is to costs of maintenance and software updates. connect users and resources in a transparent, open, For small and medium-sized enterprises, the ability cost-effective, reliable and scalable way. Physical re- to outsource can also lower the barriers to entry for sources can be shared, as well as virtual ones, such as many activities that need intensive processing, since it operating systems, tasks and applications. eliminates the need for capital investment. Even some large companies have adopted cloud solutions with Connecting to the cloud the growing capacity and capabilities of service provid- In general, the cloud can be likened to the electric- ers. Another approach is to outsource certain tasks to ity supply system, which is spread over large areas but the cloud, such as spam and virus filtering, and to keep forms a single entity, providing power to millions of de- others in the corporate data centre, such as storage of vices and customers. Parts are owned and operated by sensitive material. different organizations, and users rarely know about However, to take advantage of cloud computing, the operational details or the location of the resources one must have access to reliable broadband connec- they are using. tions to the Internet. This is not always possible in de- Technology and Internet companies, such as veloping countries, which face such problems as the Google, Amazon, Microsoft and others, have acquired high cost of software and hardware, poor electricity considerable expertise in operating large data cen- supplies and limited access to broadband. Although the tres. Their know-how extends to software for process number of broadband Internet subscribers has grown

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 33 Distributed computing

rapidly worldwide, wide gaps remain. Ubiquitous and users’ data (including information on clients), as well unmetered broadband is one of the most important as applications for manipulating that data. requirements for the success of cloud computing. Access and usage restrictions: The storing and sharing of data via a cloud could also raise concerns Cloud concerns about copyright, licences, and intellectual property. There are other challenges too. Issues of privacy, Clouds can be accessed at any time, by any user with security, liability, access, and regulation must be ad- an Internet connection, from any place. However, li- dressed for the new paradigm to succeed. censing, usage agreements and intellectual property Reliability and liability: As with any other tel- rights may vary in different countries. Governments ecommunication service, users expect the cloud to be will need to consider the appropriate polices and regu- a reliable resource (especially if it is used for “mission- lation needed to provide adequate safeguards. For ex- critical” applications), and will expect clear delineation ample, it could be mandated that service agreements of liability if serious problems occur. Data integrity and between users and providers must include provisions accuracy are other facets of reliability. Erroneous re- for such items as: sults, or lost or altered data can have a serious effect  Basic thresholds for reliability on the cloud user. Service agreements need to address  Assignment of liability for loss or violation of data these matters.  Expectations for data security Security, privacy, anonymity: Since the physical  Privacy protection infrastructure is shared, the levels of privacy and ano-  Expectations for anonymity nymity available to the user of a cloud might be lower  Access and usage rights. than those enjoyed by the user of desktop applica- Providers of distributed computing and policy- tions. To protect privacy, care must be taken to guard makers must address these issues in order to foster trust.

Joining a grid Grid computing is another way of exploiting distributed resources. Rather than using data centres, this method harnesses a huge “grid” of machines, each of which might only be as powerful as an ordinary home computer. Grid computing is well-suited to solving resource-intensive problems in science, engineering and commerce. For example, 80 000 central processing unit (CPU) cores are shared within Enabling Grids for E-sciencE (EGEE), one of the largest systems in the world. More than 10 000 users in 140 institutions in 50 countries together produce a reliable and Andrea Danti Andrea scalable computing resource that is available to the

34 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Distributed computing

European and global research community. The four Utility computing Large Hadron Collider experiments at CERN, Europe’s Another type of sharing comes with utility comput- central organization for nuclear research, send more ing, in which organizations subscribe to an external than 150 000 tasks a day to the EGEE infrastructure, service provider and pay only for the hardware and generating hundreds of terabytes of data per year. software resources they use. In-house data centres This grid was also used to help ITU’s Regional Radio may lie idle most of the time, except during times of Conference in 2006 to establish a new frequency plan peak demand. Either a company can switch to buying for introducing digital broadcasting in the VHF and capacity only when it needs it, or it can sell its excess UHF bands. The complex calculations required ma- capacity to other firms. One example is the online re- jor computing capability within a very tight schedule. tailer Amazon.com, which, in addition to managing its ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU–R) deployed a own services, uses its system to host multiple other distributed system of 100 high-speed computers ca- isolated computing environments for clients. pable of running 200 parallel jobs. To complement the local cluster and provide additional flexibility and reli- Standardization needed ability, it agreed with CERN to use resources from the Parallels can be drawn between the current state of EGEE grid infrastructure. distributed computing and the early days of computer Voluntary projects can also benefit from grid com- networking: at present, there are independent island puting. Individuals donate unused resources on their systems with little interoperability, and few standards home computers to projects such as SETI@home, or proprietary management interfaces. which searches for signals that might indicate extra- Standardized solutions for automation, monitor- terrestrial intelligence. And grid technology has ening, provisioning and configuration of cloud and grid tered the commercial world too. For instance, the applications would ensure interoperability. Portability is world’s largest banking group HSBC uses a grid with also a concern. Users may want to employ infrastruc- more than 3500 CPU operating in data centres in four ture and services from different providers at the same countries. By increasing the availability of computing time. Global standards and interfaces would allow resources and helping to integrate data, grid comput- them to do so. ing enables organizations to address problems that On the provider side, there could be an interest were previously too large or too complex for them to in standards for distributed network management, handle alone. memory management and load balancing, identity management and security, and standards that allow for scalability of infrastructure.

This article draws on “Distributed Computing: Utilities, grids and Clouds”, a Technology Watch report released in March 2009 by ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU–T). It can be downloaded at www.itu.int/oth/ T2301000009/en

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 35 © Ambient Images Inc.-Alamy

New ITU index measures ICT development in 154 countries

A report “Measuring the Information Society”, pub- mobile phone subscriptions, and 1.3 billion fixed tel- lished by ITU in March 2009*, presents important ephone lines. And almost a quarter of the world’s analysis of how the information society is growing glo- 6.7 billion people were using the Internet. However, bally, regionally, and by country. To do this, it uses the penetration levels of fixed and mobile broadband re- new ITU ICT Development Index (IDI), which captures mained relatively low at 6 and 5 per cent respectively the level of information and communication technolo- (see Figure 1, left chart). Major differences remain in gies (ICT) in 154 countries worldwide and compares ICT levels between regions, and between developed progress made between 2002 and 2007 to close the and developing economies. digital divide. The main objective of the IDI is to provide clear indicators that policy-makers and others can The global picture use to assess national development as part of the global picture. Mobile outpaces fixed telephony The report confirms earlier ITU estimates that, by The figures show that by the end of 2008, there the end of 2008, the world had reached unprecedent- were more than three times more mobile subscriptions ed levels of access to ICT: there were over 4 billion than fixed telephone lines worldwide, marking a clear shift in how people communicate (see Figure 1, right chart). Globally, fixed line penetration has stagnated at * The report can be read and downloaded at: around 20 per cent over recent years, with the number www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/2009/index. html. It was prepared by ITU's Market Information and of lines decreasing in many developed countries. In Statistics Division. contrast, the spread of mobile services has done much

36 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 New ITU index measures ICT development in 154 countries

to connect the unconnected. Growth has been most A decline in growth rates might occur, but a reduction significant in developing regions, where, by the end of in subscriber numbers seems unlikely. 2008, mobile penetration had reached nearly 50 per cent. Country rankings Table 1 on page 41 shows the results of the new Growth of Internet and broadband ICT Development Index for the years 2002 and 2007. While the number of Internet users worldwide con- Almost all of the 154 countries it covers improved their tinues to grow rapidly, there are big differences be- scores over the five-year period. With the exception of tween the figures for developed and developing coun- the Republic of Korea, all top ten countries are from tries. More than 40 per cent of people in Europe, for Europe (see Figure 2 on page 38), where broadband use, example, have Internet access, but only about 5 per in particular, increased significantly. Countries with low cent in Africa. At the same time, more and more peo- ICT levels are primarily from the developing world. ple have high-speed access. By the end of 2007, over The average changes in IDI level over the period 60 per cent of all Internet subscribers had broadband studied range from a rise of 20.8 per cent for North connections, and about 85 (mostly developed) coun- America, to rises of 48.5 per cent and 48.2 per cent tries had launched IMT-2000/3G networks. for North Africa and Eastern Europe respectively (see Despite the current economic downturn, global ICT Figure 3 on page 39). developments are unlikely to change drastically, given the pervasive nature of the technologies and services.

Figure 1 — Global ICT developments, 1998–2008

Fixed telephone lines Fixed line subscribers Mobile telephone subscriptions 70 Mobile subscriptions 4100 4500 Internet users 61.1 4000 Fixed broadband subscribers 60 Mobile broadband subscriptions 3500 50 3000 40 2500 2000 23.0 30 Millions 1500 20 Per 100 inhabitants 1000 18.9 6.1 1270 10 500 5.0 0 0 2008* 2008* 2004 2006 2004 2006 2000 2002 2000 2002 1998 1998

* Estimates. Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database.

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 37 New ITU index measures ICT development in 154 countries

There is a close relationship between ICT level and  High (IDI value above 5.29): The 33 economies gross national income (GNI) per capita. However, in in this group accounted for about 15 per cent 2007 several countries lay above or below the ex- of the world’s population in 2007 and include pected relationship curve. Outstanding among those 21 European countries, ten Asia-Pacific economies, with higher-than-expected ICT levels, given their eco- as well as Canada and the United States. nomic circumstances, is the Republic of Korea, where  Upper (IDI values between 3.41 and 5.25): This the government has pursued a strong policy of ICT group includes Mauritius, in Africa, nine countries development. Countries with lower-than-expected ICT in Eastern Europe, three in South-East Asia, two in levels include oil exporting countries, such as Kuwait, the Caribbean, four in Latin America and seven in Brunei Darussalam and Saudi Arabia, where there is West Asia. Together they had almost 780 million great potential for further growth in ICT. people, and combined with the “high” group, to- Eleven indicators were chosen to compile the in- taled some 27 per cent of the world population. dex, together measuring ICT infrastructure and access,  Medium (IDI values between 2.05 and 3.34): This ICT use and ICT skills (see Figure 4 on page 40). These group covers more than one-third of the world were weighted so that 40 per cent of a country’s score population and includes such countries as China came from the figures for ICT access, 40 per cent from and Indonesia. Several North African countries and ICT use, and 20 per cent from ICT skills. The results can four Sub-Saharan African countries are in this cat- be divided into four groups: egory, as well as the West Asian nations not in the “upper” group.

Figure 2 — Top ten IDI countries

IDI 2002 IDI 2007 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Finland Norway Iceland Switzerland Denmark Sweden Luxembourg United Kingdom Netherlands Korea (Rep. of)

Source: ITU digitalife

38 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 New ITU index measures ICT development in 154 countries

Figure 3 — IDI by geographic region (2002–2007)

Western Europe Northern Europe North America 34.7 Eastern Asia 33.6 Southern Europe 20.8 Eastern Europe 33.9 39.3 Oceania 48.2 Western Asia 31.3 South America 43.3 South-Eastern Asia 37.3 Caribbean % change 39.5 Central America 34.9 Northern Africa 2002 42.0 2007 Central Asia 48.5 Southern Asia 27.5 Sub-Saharan Africa 43.1 6 7 32.4 5 4 3 2 0 1 IDI value

Source: ITU.

 Low (IDI values between 0.82 and 2.03): The re- out, whereas less mature, but reasonably advanced, maining one-third or so of the world’s inhabitants information societies grow strongly, thereby leaving can be found in this group. Nicaragua and Haiti behind those at the lower end of the scale. and most South Asian countries are in this cate- gory, along with South-East Asian countries such What does it cost? as Myanmar, Cambodia and Lao P.D.R. Most Sub- Another new feature of ITU’s “Measuring the Saharan African countries are also included. Information Society” report is the ICT Price Basket, Clearly, the digital divide persists, although all which examines how much it costs people to use ICT. groups made progress. The gap between the “high” Absolute values are listed for the prices of fixed and group and others decreased slightly over the five-year mobile telephony and fixed broadband Internet serv- period, but it shrank most between the “high” and ices. In addition, countries are ranked according to the the “upper” and “medium” groups, compared with total cost of all three services, expressed as a percent- the “low” group. The divide actually widened slightly age of a country’s GNI (see Table 2 on page 42). between the “low” group and the “upper” and “medi- This showed that, on average, for the 150 coun- um” groups. This suggests that as countries’ informa- tries included, the 2008 ICT Price Basket corresponded tion societies become more mature ICT levels flatten to 15 per cent of GNI per capita. However, the figure

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 39 New ITU index measures ICT development in 154 countries

varied from 1.6 per cent in developed countries to lenges that need to be addressed in this sector in the 20 per cent in developing ones. It seems that people years to come.” in countries with higher income levels pay relatively lit- Mr Al Basheer said that ITU plans to publish the tle for ICT services, while those in low-income coun- results of the ICT Price Basket annually, thus allowing tries pay more. Also, the price of services is linked to global price developments to be monitored over time. a country’s ICT level: countries with high prices have lower access and usage levels. A valuable new tool “High tariffs are often a major barrier to ICT up- Continuous monitoring of ICT trends is crucial, take,” stresses the Director of ITU’s Telecommunication given the potential impact of ICT on social and eco- Development Bureau, Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, in nomic development in every country. But measurable his foreword to the report. Mr Al Basheer explains how facts and comparable indicators are required to make the figures revealed in the new ICT Price Basket “show effective decisions about policy, based on evidence. In that fixed and mobile telephony is becoming more and this regard, the ICT Development Index is a new tool more affordable worldwide; however, fixed broadband for benchmarking the information society that should Internet is still out of reach — in terms of affordabil- prove very valuable for policy-makers, service providers ity — for the majority of the world’s inhabitants.” He and market analysts. notes that “this is clearly one of the main policy chal-

Figure 4 — Indicators used to calculate the ICT Development Index

ICT access Fixed telephone lines per 100 inhabitants Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants International Internet bandwidth (bit/s) per Internet user Proportion of households with a computer Proportion of households with Internet access at home

ICT use Internet users per 100 inhabitants Fixed broadband Internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants Mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

ICT skills Adult literacy rate Secondary education, gross enrolment ratio ITU/V. Martin ITU/V. Tertiary education, gross enrolment ratio BDT Director Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid

40 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 New ITU index measures ICT development in 154 countries

Table 1 — ICT Development Index (IDI) (2002 and 2007)

Rank IDI Rank IDI Rank IDI Rank IDI Economy Economy 2007 2007 2002 2002 2007 2007 2002 2002 Sweden 1 7.50 1 6.05 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 78 2.94 92 1.93 Korea (Rep. of) 2 7.26 3 5.83 Palestine 79 2.92 67 2.20 Denmark 3 7.22 4 5.78 Georgia 80 2.91 75 2.13 Netherlands 4 7.14 6 5.43 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 81 2.84 78 2.08 Iceland 5 7.14 2 5.88 Ecuador 82 2.75 85 1.97 Norway 6 7.09 5 5.64 Tunisia 83 2.73 94 1.86 Luxembourg 7 7.03 21 4.62 Fiji 84 2.73 83 2.00 Switzerland 8 6.94 7 5.42 Albania 85 2.73 93 1.92 Finland 9 6.79 8 5.38 Azerbaijan 86 2.71 100 1.71 United Kingdom 10 6.78 10 5.27 South Africa 87 2.70 77 2.11 Hong Kong, China 11 6.70 12 5.10 Mongolia 88 2.67 84 1.97 Japan 12 6.64 18 4.82 Syrian Arab Republic 89 2.66 102 1.69 Germany 13 6.61 14 5.02 Dominican Rep. 90 2.65 87 1.97 Australia 14 6.58 13 5.02 Philippines 91 2.63 79 2.07 Singapore 15 6.57 16 4.83 Viet Nam 92 2.61 107 1.59 New Zealand 16 6.44 19 4.79 Kyrgyzstan 93 2.61 86 1.97 United States 17 6.44 11 5.25 Egypt 94 2.54 95 1.81 Ireland 18 6.37 26 4.36 Cuba 95 2.53 91 1.94 Canada 19 6.34 9 5.33 Paraguay 96 2.52 82 2.02 Austria 20 6.32 20 4.64 Algeria 97 2.51 105 1.61 Macao, China 21 6.25 23 4.41 Bolivia 98 2.45 80 2.03 Italy 22 6.18 24 4.38 El Salvador 99 2.43 99 1.74 France 23 6.16 25 4.37 Sri Lanka 100 2.38 97 1.75 Belgium 24 6.14 15 4.91 Morocco 101 2.34 111 1.37 Taiwan, China 25 6.04 17 4.82 Honduras 102 2.28 114 1.31 Estonia 26 5.97 31 3.93 Guatemala 103 2.28 106 1.60 Spain 27 5.91 28 4.10 Turkmenistan 104 2.23 89 1.96 Slovenia 28 5.88 22 4.47 Cape Verde 105 2.18 103 1.67 Israel 29 5.60 27 4.24 Tajikistan 106 2.14 96 1.76 Malta 30 5.54 29 4.04 Gabon 107 2.14 110 1.48 Portugal 31 5.47 32 3.87 Indonesia 108 2.13 109 1.54 United Arab Emirates 32 5.29 40 3.27 Botswana 109 2.10 101 1.70 Lithuania 33 5.29 43 3.17 Uzbekistan 110 2.05 98 1.75 Greece 34 5.25 30 3.94 Nicaragua 111 2.03 112 1.37 Hungary 35 5.19 36 3.49 Namibia 112 1.92 108 1.58 Latvia 36 5.01 39 3.30 Swaziland 113 1.73 113 1.32 Cyprus 37 4.97 33 3.78 Ghana 114 1.63 122 1.10 Slovak Republic 38 4.95 35 3.51 Bhutan 115 1.63 118 1.17 Poland 39 4.95 37 3.34 Kenya 116 1.62 116 1.21 Czech Republic 40 4.88 34 3.74 Lao P.D.R. 117 1.60 125 1.08 Brunei Darussalam 41 4.80 41 3.27 India 118 1.59 117 1.19 Bahrain 42 4.69 38 3.30 Myanmar 119 1.57 104 1.64 Croatia 43 4.68 42 3.19 Sudan 120 1.56 131 1.03 Qatar 44 4.44 47 2.84 Cambodia 121 1.53 126 1.07 Bulgaria 45 4.37 51 2.74 Gambia 122 1.49 139 0.96 Romania 46 4.16 60 2.48 Lesotho 123 1.48 119 1.15 Argentina 47 4.12 44 3.06 Yemen 124 1.47 129 1.04 Chile 48 4.00 45 2.97 Cameroon 125 1.46 120 1.12 Uruguay 49 3.88 46 2.90 Zimbabwe 126 1.46 115 1.29 Russian Federation 50 3.83 52 2.71 Pakistan 127 1.46 146 0.89 Ukraine 51 3.80 59 2.50 Côte d’Ivoire 128 1.41 134 1.01 Malaysia 52 3.79 50 2.74 Zambia 129 1.39 124 1.08 Jamaica 53 3.78 48 2.79 Nigeria 130 1.39 123 1.09 Belarus 54 3.76 57 2.53 Senegal 131 1.38 142 0.95 Saudi Arabia 55 3.62 73 2.13 Congo (Rep. of the) 132 1.37 121 1.10 Trinidad and Tobago 56 3.61 58 2.50 Madagascar 133 1.36 140 0.96 Kuwait 57 3.57 49 2.77 Mauritania 134 1.36 135 1.00 Bosnia and Herzegovina 58 3.54 66 2.33 Benin 135 1.28 149 0.76 Turkey 59 3.49 63 2.41 Haiti 136 1.27 127 1.05 Brazil 60 3.48 54 2.55 Togo 137 1.26 130 1.03 Panama 61 3.46 62 2.42 Bangladesh 138 1.26 132 1.02 Mauritius 62 3.45 61 2.45 Nepal (Republic of) 139 1.23 133 1.01 Thailand 63 3.44 70 2.17 Uganda 140 1.21 143 0.92 Lebanon 64 3.43 56 2.53 Malawi 141 1.17 141 0.95 The Former Yugoslav Rep. Comoros 142 1.17 145 0.91 of Macedonia 65 3.42 53 2.65 Rwanda 143 1.17 136 0.99 Costa Rica 66 3.41 55 2.54 Papua New Guinea 144 1.14 128 1.05 Venezuela 67 3.34 69 2.18 Tanzania 145 1.13 138 0.96 Moldova 68 3.31 74 2.13 Mali 146 1.12 150 0.75 Kazakhstan 69 3.25 68 2.18 Ethiopia 147 1.03 147 0.78 Colombia 70 3.25 72 2.13 Mozambique 148 1.02 148 0.77 Maldives 71 3.16 88 1.96 Eritrea 149 1.00 137 0.96 Armenia 72 3.12 81 2.03 Burkina Faso 150 0.97 151 0.68 China 73 3.11 90 1.95 Dem. Rep. of the Congo 151 0.95 144 0.92 Peru 74 3.11 71 2.15 Guinea-Bissau 152 0.90 153 0.56 Mexico 75 3.09 64 2.38 Chad 153 0.83 152 0.65 Jordan 76 3.06 65 2.36 Niger 154 0.82 154 0.51 Oman 77 3.00 76 2.12

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 41 New ITU index measures ICT development in 154 countries

Table 2 — ICT Price Basket 2008 ICT Price GNI per ICT Price GNI per Rank Economy Basket capita* Rank Economy Basket capita* Value** USD Value** USD 1 Singapore 0.4 32’470 76 Ukraine 5.2 2’550 2 United States 0.4 46’040 77 Fiji 5.2 3’800 3 Luxembourg 0.5 75’880 78 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 5.4 3’470 4 Denmark 0.5 54’910 79 El Salvador 5.5 2’850 5 Hong Kong, China 0.5 31’610 80 Santa Lucia 5.7 5’530 6 United Arab Emirates 0.5 23’950 81 Dominican Rep. 5.8 3’550 7 Taiwan, China 0.5 17’250 82 Jordan 6.1 2’850 8 Sweden 0.5 46’060 83 Ecuador 6.5 3’080 9 Norway 0.5 76’450 84 Dominica 6.6 4’250 10 Finland 0.6 45’820 85 Colombia 6.6 3’250 11 Macao, China 0.6 14’020 86 Peru 6.9 3’450 12 Switzerland 0.6 59’880 87 Albania 7.1 3’290 13 Iceland 0.7 54’100 88 Sri Lanka 7.3 1’540 14 United Kingdom 0.7 42’740 89 Santa Vincent and Grenadines 7.4 4’210 15 Canada 0.7 39’420 90 Indonesia 7.6 1’650 16 Netherlands 0.8 45’820 91 Brazil 7.7 5’910 17 Cyprus 0.8 24’940 92 Guatemala 7.7 2’440 18 Bahrain 0.8 19’350 93 Armenia 8.0 2’640 19 Germany 0.8 38’860 94 Micronesia 8.6 2’470 20 Kuwait 0.8 31’640 95 Namibia 8.6 3’360 21 Ireland 0.8 48’140 96 Suriname 9.0 4’730 22 Italy 0.8 33’540 97 Philippines 10.7 1’620 23 Korea (Rep. of) 0.8 19’690 98 Pakistan 11.0 870 24 Japan 0.9 37’670 99 Moldova 11.2 1’260 25 Belgium 0.9 40’710 100 Cape Verde 11.3 2’430 26 Australia 0.9 35’960 101 Paraguay 11.5 1’670 27 Greece 1.0 29’630 102 Viet Nam 11.9 790 28 Austria 1.1 42’700 103 Georgia 12.0 2’120 29 France 1.1 38’500 104 Morocco 12.4 2’250 30 Malta 1.1 15’310 105 Belize 13.2 3’800 31 Trinidad and Tobago 1.1 14’100 106 Syrian Arab Republic 14.0 1’760 32 Slovenia 1.2 20’960 107 Bhutan 15.2 1’770 33 New Zealand 1.2 28’780 108 Sudan 16.0 960 34 Spain 1.3 29’450 109 Azerbaijan 16.0 2’550 35 Saudi Arabia 1.5 15’440 110 Guyana 18.3 1’300 36 Serbia 1.5 4’730 111 Bolivia 19.7 1’260 37 Lithuania 1.6 9’920 112 Nicaragua 19.9 980 38 Portugal 1.7 18’950 113 Tonga 21.0 2’320 39 Russian Federation 1.8 7’560 114 Senegal 26.7 820 40 Latvia 1.8 9’930 115 Lesotho 29.6 1’000 41 Costa Rica 1.9 5’560 116 Angola 30.6 2’560 42 Malaysia 1.9 6’540 117 Samoa 31.0 2’430 43 Estonia 2.0 13’200 118 Nepal (Republic of) 34.3 340 44 Panama 2.1 5’510 119 Bangladesh 35.6 470 45 Maldives 2.1 3’200 120 Yemen 36.0 870 46 Croatia 2.1 10’460 121 Swaziland 36.0 2’580 47 Czech Republic 2.2 14’450 122 Côte d’Ivoire 37.0 910 48 Slovak Republic 2.4 11’730 123 Lao P.D.R. 38.1 580 49 Hungary 2.5 11’570 124 Guinea 40.2 400 50 Montenegro 2.5 5’180 125 Ghana 40.5 590 51 Oman 2.5 11’120 126 Mauritania 40.6 840 52 Poland 2.7 9’840 127 Papua New Guinea 41.2 850 53 Tunisia 2.9 3’200 128 Ethiopia 41.6 220 54 Romania 3.0 6’150 129 Sao Tomé and Principe 42.0 870 55 Uruguay 3.2 6’380 130 Vanuatu 42.1 1’840 56 Thailand 3.3 3’400 131 Nigeria 43.0 930 57 Seychelles 3.3 8’960 132 Cambodia 43.0 540 58 Algeria 3.3 3’620 133 Cuba 45.6 1170 59 Venezuela 3.4 7’320 134 Cameroon 45.8 1’050 60 Mexico 3.6 8’340 135 Gambia 45.9 320 61 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.6 3’790 136 Kenya 48.0 680 62 Argentina 3.7 6’050 137 Comoros 48.8 680 63 Botswana 3.8 5’840 138 Mali 49.3 500 64 Bulgaria 3.8 4’590 139 Benin 49.5 570 65 Lebanon 3.9 5’770 140 Zambia 53.4 800 66 Barbados 3.9 8’080 141 Rwanda 55.0 320 67 Egypt 4.1 1’580 142 Tanzania 55.4 400 68 Grenada 4.1 4’670 143 Central African Rep. 57.7 380 The Former Yougoslav Rep. 144 Malawi 57.8 250 69 of Macedonia 4.2 3’460 145 Burkina Faso 58.6 430 70 South Africa 4.2 5’760 146 Uganda 60.4 340 71 China 4.4 2’360 147 Togo 67.9 360 72 Mauritius 4.4 5’450 148 Mozambique 68.0 320 73 Chile 4.5 8’350 149 Madagascar 71.7 320 74 India 4.7 950 150 Niger 72.4 280 75 Jamaica 5.1 3’710 * The GNI per capita is based on the World Bank’s Atlas Method. ** The ICT Price Basket Value is the sum of prices for fixed telephony, mobile telephony, and fixed broadband Internet access, divided by three and expressed as a percentage of GNI. Source: ITU.

42 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 ITU at a glance PhotoDisc ITU software package helps with national spectrum management It is essential for a country to manage efficiently its use of the radio-frequency spectrum, if it is to take full advantage of the social and economic benefits of wireless communications. Recognizing this, ITU's IMPACT opened in Malaysia and houses Telecommunication Development Bureau offers ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Agenda various forms of assistance to developing countries. The global headquarters of the International The latest of these is Version 2.0 of a package of Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats computer software called Spectrum Management (IMPACT) has been officially opened in Cyberjaya System for Developing Countries (SMS4DC). It helps near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The new facilities, with the technical and regulatory procedures for which host ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Agenda, were managing the spectrum allocated to the land mobile, inaugurated on 20 March 2009 by Malaysia’s Prime fixed and broadcasting services, in compliance with Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi, and ITU Recommendations. by ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré. The user-friendly system is an advance upon “Cybersecurity is one of the most critical issues the previous WinBASMS product that dealt with of our time,” said Dr Touré. “It is a global issue frequency assignment functions in a more basic demanding a truly global approach, and it is therefore way. SMS4DC includes an open-source global map gratifying to see — and to be part of — this growing and a colour graphical/geographical interface. coalition against cyberthreats worldwide. The In addition, the platform is designed for easy collaboration with IMPACT complements our efforts updating to accommodate revised ITU procedures in strengthening cybersecurity and we look forward and regulations. A recent example is the inclusion to expanding the cooperation between governments, of the ITU procedures for introducing digital the private sector and educational institutions.” broadcasting. Further upgrades are planned, including At ITU in Geneva, the Telecommunication interfaces to proprietary monitoring systems and Development Bureau will facilitate the deployment databases, as well as to the Google Earth mapping of IMPACT services, such as the Global Response program. For more information visit www.itu.int/ Centre that provides cybersecurity capabilities for publ/D-STG-SPEC-2008-V2.0/en. ITU Member States. There will also be a “virtual showcase” at ITU of the systems for early warning of threats to cybersecurity, real-time analysis and crisis management. Further details are available at www. itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/impact/index.html.

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 43 milinz

ICT industry offered standard method for The meeting agreed to publish guidance on terms calculating greenhouse-gas emissions and definitions, including units of measurement, to Standardized methods for calculating the impact be used in making the calculations. The guidance of information and communication technologies (ICT) will draw on best practice from many organizations upon greenhouse-gas emissions have been proposed around the world. The next step will be to issue the by the Focus Group on ICT and Climate Change, Focus Group’s outcomes as ITU–T Recommendations, which was formed by ITU’s Telecommunication or standards. “This work has an important bearing on Standardization Sector (ITU–T). current and future global agreements under which The group, which includes some of the world’s countries undertake commitments to reduce their leading ICT players, held its final meeting in overall greenhouse-gas emissions,” said Malcolm Hiroshima, Japan, on 24–27 March 2009. It began its Johnson, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication work in 2008 following a proposal at the Symposium Standardization Bureau. on ICT and Climate Change, in Kyoto, Japan, and ICT have the potential to help all sectors of had the prime objective of creating an internationally industry to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. standardized methodology. The group has completed For example, a contribution to the Focus Group its work by developing methods for calculating two meeting showed that, compared with sending elements: communications on paper, using e-mail can cut  Energy usage and carbon impact from using ICT greenhouse-gas emissions by 98.5 per cent. “Even through the lifecycle of a device. conservative estimates show that a significant  Decrease in greenhouse-gas emissions possible contribution to addressing climate change can be through using ICT, such as by replacing travel made through the application of ICT. But we cannot with ICT services and devices, or through be content to sit and tell one another that ICT can “dematerialization” such as by downloading a mitigate climate change. We must demonstrate music file rather than buying a CD. our case with hard facts and figures,” Mr Johnson stressed. He added that the new, standardized methodology will give added credibility and

44 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 ITU at a glance

coherence to estimates of the positive impact of consciousness and belief in sustainable growth for the ICT. “A common methodology will help establish future,” Mr Hanazawa said. the business case to go green and can ultimately be Makoto Totsuka, Director-General for ICT Strategic beneficial to informed consumer choices and climate- Policy Planning in Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs friendly business procurement,” he said. and Communications, recalled that before the Dave Faulkner of BT Group plc, and Chairman Focus Group had been formed, there had been no of the Focus Group, said it had highlighted ways international forum for discussing common measures to minimize the ICT sector's carbon footprint. “But, to calculate the positive and negative aspect of ICT more importantly, the group has highlighted key with regard to greenhouse-gas emissions. “We were ways to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in other honoured to host the final meeting of the Focus sectors by the clever use of telecommunications and Group and we will continue to contribute to ITU ICT. We expect these measures will be taken up by activity on ICT and climate change and environmental telecommunication operators and vendors around the issues,” he said. world,” Mr Faulkner added. Accurate, standardized measurement is the first Jason Marcheck, a Principal Analyst with Current step towards effective reduction of ICT’s carbon Analysis, underlined that without a standardized footprint, noted Laura Ipsen, Senior Vice President methodology for measuring the carbon footprint of of Cisco Global Policy and Government Affairs and ICT, it is impossible to fully comprehend data that co-chair of the Cisco EcoBoard. She added that the are provided by well-meaning companies. The Focus guidelines offered by the Focus Group would provide Group’s initiative helps to provide a format that a valuable foundation for further global collaboration companies can follow to produce reliable data that by the ICT industry in helping to address the world’s can be compared on an international scale. “It shows environmental challenges. “Cisco is committed to the importance that the ICT industry attaches to this continuing its efforts in ITU, and with customers topic, and represents a necessary step forward in globally, for energy efficiency in an inclusive and standardizing the way that the industry approaches sustainable information society,” said Ms Ipsen. environmental sustainability,” Mr Marcheck said. As part of its ongoing work on this topic, ITU will All industry players have been waiting for the organize the third Symposium on ICT and Climate development and implementation of a standardized Change in Quito, Ecuador, on 8−10 July 2009, hosted methodology such as the one proposed by the by Centro Internacional de Investigación Científica en Focus Group, commented Takashi Hanazawa, Senior Telecomunicaciones, Tecnologías de la Información y Vice President of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone las Comunicaciones (CITIC). Corporation (NTT). “As an ITU member, NTT has supported this work from the beginning. Today’s announcement sends a strong message, underlining this industry’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. We applaud ITU’s efforts and join with ITU management in sending a message of environmental

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 45 From official sources

Instruments amending New Sector Members New Associates the Constitution and the Convention of ITU Radiocommunication Sector Telecommunication (Minneapolis, 1998; ViaSat, Inc. (Carlsbad, California, Standardization Sector Marrakesh, 2002 and United States) has been admitted to Clearwire, Inc. (Herndon, Virginia, Antalya, 2006) take part in the work of this Sector. United States) has been admitted The Government of the Principality to take part in the work of Study of Andorra has ratified the Group 5. above-mentioned instruments. Telecommunication The instruments of ratification Development Sector Xelic, Inc.(Pittsford, New York, were deposited with the Secretary- Allied Digital Infonet Berhad United States) has been admitted General on 20 February 2009. (Selangor, Malaysia), Nepal Telecom to take part in the work of Study (Nepal Doorsanchar Company Group 15. Limited) (Kathmandu, Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal) Little eArth Corporation Co Ltd and RailTel Corporation of India (LAC) (Tokyo, Japan) has been Ltd (New Delhi, India) have been admitted to take part in the work of admitted to take part in the work of Study Group 17. this Sector.

Diary of ITU events Up-to-date details of forthcoming ITU meetings and conferences can be viewed on the ITU website at www.itu.int/events/index.asp

46 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Remembering Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri South Africa’s Minister of Communications

South Africa’s Minister of Communications, Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, passed away on 6 April 2009 at the age of 71. She was born in Kroonstad in what was Ministry of Communications, South Africa then the Orange Free State, and became a Member of Parliament and Minister of Communications in 1999. President Kgalema Motlanthe said the minister was “an outstanding leader and servant of the people of South Africa,” and that “in her various leadership where the World Telecommunication Standardization capacities and responsibilities, she served the country Assembly took place for the fi rst time in Africa, the with distinction, honour and selfl essness.” Paying trib- minister was always a strong and guiding presence, ute to her legacy, President Motlanthe described how said Dr Touré. He recalled how, during the Assembly, Dr Matsepe-Casaburri “with her incisive intellect… Dr Matsepe-Casaburri had switched on South Africa’s made an invaluable contribution to the development digital broadcasting signal for the fi rst time. of policy in various fi elds, including information and The minister was committed to fi nding solutions communication technology.” to the standardization gap in developing countries. Dr Matsepe-Casaburri was the fi rst woman pre- Her views on cybersecurity were also well known. She mier of the Free State province, serving from 1997 to stressed that because of the “crucial importance of ICT 1999. She was also the fi rst woman to be appointed infrastructure to practically all forms of social and eco- to the Board of South Africa’s Council for Scientifi c nomic activity,” standards needed to be put in place and Industrial Research, and the fi rst black person and “to ensure maximum protection of ICT infrastructure woman to chair Sentech, and to chair the Board of the against attacks.” Dr Matsepe-Casaburri also believed in South African Broadcasting Corporation. the fundamental role of ICT in tackling climate change, Commenting on the minister’s passing, ITU which, she said, “impacts more severely on the poorer Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré said “my fel- sections of the population, especially those dependent low elected offi cials and colleagues in ITU all share the on agriculture,” and South Africa has a large portion of sense of loss. We have had the great pleasure of work- its population in this sector. ing alongside Ivy for many years. She was a strong sup- Dr Matsepe-Casaburri has made a great difference porter of ITU and was known and appreciated by so to her country, her region and the world. “What makes many of the staff at all levels.” me smile is the memory I have of Ivy and her team of Dr Matsepe-Casaburri will be remembered for her tough ladies, pushing forward the ICT agenda. Always contributions to many regional and world events, tough, but always gracious and very well informed,” including TELECOM AFRICA 2001 that was held under commented Dr Touré. her leadership. In October 2008 in Johannesburg,

ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 47 Meeting with the Secretary-General

Offi cial Visits

During March 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.

Luis Manuel Piantini, Miguel Alcaine, Hisham Badr, Ambassador of the Dominican Councillor to the Permanent Ambassador of Egypt Republic Mission of El Salvador

Kwabena Baah-Duodu, Ahmet Üzmücü, Peter Gooderham, Ghana's Ambassador, bidding Ambassador of Turkey Ambassador of the United Kingdom farewell to Dr Touré

From the African Development Bank, Salieu Jack, Chief Telecommunications Khadija Masri, Engineer (left); Ibrahima N’Diaye, Director of ICT for Development Coordination Permanent Observer from (ICT4D) (second left) and Egal Noor Roble, Chief ICT4D Ofﬁ cer (right) the African Union

All photos are by V. Martin/ITU

48 ITU News  3 | 2009  April 2009 Tells you what’s happening in telecommunications

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