September 2023

Recent Events:

·        The 6th Meeting of the APT Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-23 (APG23-6)

·        The 16th APT Policy and Regulation Forum for Pacific (PRFP-16)

·        APT Symposium on Inclusive Connectivity

Upcoming Events:

·        The Meeting of the SATRC Working Group on Spectrum

·        The 24th Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators' Council (SATRC-24)

·        The 20th APT Telecommunication/ICT Development Forum (ADF-20)

·        The Preparatory Meeting for the 16th Session of the General Assembly of the APT (GA-16 Prep)

·        The 16th Session of the General Assembly of the APT (GA-16)

·        The 47th Session of the Management Committee of the APT (MC-47)

Recent Events

The 6th Meeting of the APT Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-23 (APG23-6): 14 – 19 August 2023, Brisbane, Australia

APG23-6, held in hybrid format from 14 to 19 August 2023 in Brisbane, Australia, was the final preparatory meeting for WRC-23 and RA-23. There were 424 in-person delegates from 33 APT Members, 2 Associate Members, 40 Affiliate Members, 7 international/regional organizations, and 1 other organization out of the total 921 delegates who attended the Meeting. The Meeting was hosted by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, Australian Government.

The main objectives of APG23-6 were to develop Preliminary APT Common Proposals (PACPs) for WRC-23 and RA-23 and to make the arrangement of coordination during WRC-23 and RA-23.

Considering the outcomes of CPM23-2, APT preliminary views and input contributions by APT Members, APG23-6 developed 320 PACPs on various agenda items of WRC-23. APG23-6 also developed 2 PACPs for RA-23. The PACPs were subsequently circulated to APT Members for endorsements.

APG23-6 also discussed the issue of office bearers from Asia-Pacific Region for WRC-23, RA-23, ITU-R Study Groups, CPM-27 and other relevant groups of ITU-R. A list of the office bearers for WRC-23 from APT Members were finalized. Regarding the office bearers of various groups of ITU-R, it was noted that the issue needs to be taken into account based on the deadline of the submission of candidates to Radiocommunication Bureau as well as Resolution 208 of PP-22. In addition, the Meeting provisionally approved the list of agenda item coordinators to coordinate the work during WRC-23 and RA-23. The tentative schedule of the coordination meetings was also noted by the meeting.  

Approved PACPs are posted at webpage of APG.

Click here for more details. / Click here for Photo Gallery.

The 16th APT Policy and Regulation Forum for Pacific (PRFP-16):

30 August – 1 September 2023, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

APT organized the 16th APT Policy and Regulation Forum in Pacific (PRFP-16) from 30 August to 1 September 2023 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The Forum was hosted by the National Information Communications Technology Authority (NICTA), and attended by 152 participants from 14 APT Members, 15 Affiliate Members, and 5 international organizations.  

Since 2007, the PRFP has served as a platform for members in the Pacific and provided an opportunity to address ICT policy and regulatory topics that are common interests and issues in the Pacific region. This year, the PRFP-16 sought to synergize with the Pacific ICT Ministerial Dialogue, which preceded the PRFP-16 to support the development of ICT policies in the Pacific and enhance their capacity to address emerging opportunities and challenges. 

The PRFP-16 was organized based on the “Lagatoi Declarations” which adopted at the Pacific ICT Ministerial Dialogue on the theme “Smart Pacific, One Voice-Creating a Digital Future Together for the Pacific”; Digital Infrastructure, Digital Innovations, Security and Trust, Digital Capacity Building and Skills, and Disaster Management, which are also strategic pillars of the APT’s Strategic Plan for 2021-2023. Furthermore, it also included a Roundtable for Ministers and Head of Regulators to share their latest policy and regulation issues and experiences. In addition, it also allocated time for a Business Dialogue to provide an opportunity for those who are in ICT industry to discuss emerging challenges and opportunities for empowering the Digital Transformation.

Click here for more details. / Click here for Photo Gallery.

APT Symposium on Inclusive Connectivity:

11 – 12 September 2023, Bangkok, Thailand

The APT Symposium 2023 on Inclusive Connectivity was held in hybrid format from 11 to 12 September 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Symposium was hosted by the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). It was attended by 125 participants, of which 82 were present physically.

Over the two days, various sessions covered the issues related to inclusion and connectivity, and each session offered some new insights. From the keynote speech on the success story of inclusive connectivity in Thailand to universal connectivity, emerging technologies, relevant regulatory measures and financing aspects, these topics have provided a detailed analysis and knowledge of the issue from different angles. These aspects provided us with a holistic landscape and an indication of the next steps that could be applied to administrations or organisations.

The APT Symposium is a platform to pick up the ICT policy issues and trends that require stakeholders’ attention and coordination. This year we set the theme “Inclusive Connectivity”. Likewise, we would like to set a suitable theme for next year.

Click here for more details. / Click here for Photo Gallery.

Upcoming Events

The Meeting of the SATRC Working Group on Spectrum

19 - 21 September 2023, Colombo, Sri Lanka (Hybrid)

The meeting will be hosted by Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL). The meeting is a part of the activities of SATRC Action Plan Phase VIII (SAP-VIII) which was adopted by the 22nd Meeting of SATRC (SATRC-22). This will be the second meeting of the Working Group under SAP-VIII and it is expected to discuss and finalize the draft reports of the Work Items assigned to
the Working Group by the Council.

The 24th Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication
Regulators' Council (SATRC-24)

3 - 5 October 2023, Dhaka, Bangladesh (Hybrid)

The SATRC-24 will be held with physical attendance as well as virtual/online participation through Zoom meeting platform (hybrid meeting). The meeting will be hosted by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

The SATRC-24 will discuss the key policy and regulatory issues in the SATRC countries, approve the outcomes of SATRC Action Plan Phase VIII and adopt SATRC Action Plan Phase IX. SATRC-24 will include special sessions for Regulators’ Roundtable, Industry-Regulator Dialogue, Sharing Regulatory Experiences and Industry Sessions to facilitate the development of the telecom/ICT sector in South-Asia.

The 20th APT Telecommunication/ICT Development Forum (ADF-20)

9 - 10 October 2023, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Hybrid)

The ADF-20 will be hosted by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Malaysia (MCD), and
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

There will be also the Capacity Development Conference 2023 (CDC23) on 11 October 2023, organized by MCMC and APT, and the ADF-20 participants are kindly invited to join the CDC23.

The ADF-20 will consist of the following:

1.     Thematic Sessions: Information and Communication Technologies that are currently being used to close the digital gap in the Asia-Pacific region, various strategies and policies to accelerate the digital economy and artificial intelligence technology

2.     Sessions for EBCs: A platform to share the current status, outcomes, and achievements of the ICT Pilot Projects implemented by APT Members based on the Extra-Budgetary Contributions (EBCs) from People’s Republic of China, Japan, and Republic of Korea. The ADF-20 includes a poster-style exhibition presenting the contents of these projects.

 The Preparatory Meeting for the 16th Session of the General Assembly of the APT (GA-16 Prep)

5 November 2023, Bangkok, Thailand (Hybrid)

The 16th Session of the General Assembly of the APT (GA-16)

6 - 7 November 2023, Bangkok, Thailand (Hybrid)

The 47th Session of the Management Committee of the APT (MC-47)

8 - 11 November 2023, Bangkok, Thailand (Hybrid)

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