March 2026

APT Hosts the 30th IAWG Meeting on ICT

The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) hosted the 30th Meeting of the Interagency Working Group (IAWG) on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), which was held on 16 February 2026 at the APT Headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting brought together seven international organizations (APT, ITU, UNESCAP, ICAO, WMO, WFP, UNU) to discuss ICT initiatives and collaboration opportunities. Dr. Masanori Kondo, Secretary General of the APT, delivered remarks highlighting the Tokyo Statement, which was adopted in the APT Ministerial Meeting held in Tokyo, and ongoing efforts to advance ICT development in the Asia-Pacific region.

All organizations shared updates on their 2026 plans, regional cooperation and capacity-building initiatives, Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a common priority area across agencies. The meeting confirmed that the organizations will continue to discuss the potential areas of collaboration identified during the meeting. Next year, IAWG-31 will be hosted by UNESCAP.

Upcoming Events:

· The 1st Meeting of the Correspondence Group for the Strategic Plan of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity for 2027 – 2029 (CGSP-1)

· APT Symposium on Digital Transformation and the Universal Service Fund (Postponed)

· The 3rd Meeting of the APT Preparatory Group for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 (APT PP26-3)

· The 36th Meeting of the APT Wireless Group (AWG-36)

· The 38th APT Standardization Program Forum (ASTAP-38)

· The Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council Working Group on Spectrum

Upcoming Events

The 1st Meeting of the Correspondence Group for the Strategic Plan of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity for 2027 – 2029 (CGSP-1)

16 - 18 March 2026, Fully Virtual Meeting

The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) will organize a virtual meeting of the 1st Meeting of the Correspondence Group for the Strategic Plan of the APT for 2027-2029 (CGSP-1) from 16 to 18 March 2026. The meeting will be organized through the Zoom meeting.

The objectives of the CGSP-1 will be to discuss the initial draft of the Strategic Plan of the APT for 2027-2029, including the inputs from the Members, and develop the first draft of the Strategic Plan of the APT for 2027-2029, which will be circulated to APT members for their comments and suggestions further.

APT Symposium on Digital Transformation and the Universal Service Fund

25 - 27 March 2026, Islamabad, Pakistan (Postponed)

Due to the evolving security situation in the region and recent developments that may affect travel and participation, the APT Symposium on Digital Transformation and the Universal Service Fund, originally scheduled to take place from 25 to 27 March 2026 in Islamabad, Pakistan, has been postponed until further notice.

This decision has been made with careful consideration for the safety and well-being of all participants. APT Secretariat will continue to monitor the situation and consult with relevant stakeholders.

A revised schedule for the Symposium will be announced in due course. We appreciate your understanding and continued interest in the event.

The 3rd Meeting of the APT Preparatory Group for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 (APT PP26-3)

30 March - 2 April 2026, Bangkok, Thailand

The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) will organize the 3rd Meeting of the APT Preparatory Group for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 (APT PP26-3) from 30 March to 2 April 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand via physical meeting with remote participation modality. The Meeting will be hosted by the Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) of the Kingdom of Thailand.

The APT PP26-3 is expected to conduct the following activities:

· To consider the Input contributions of the APT members;

· To consider the Issue Papers prepared by the Working Groups of APT PP-26;

· To review the outcomes of the Council WGs and Expert Groups;

· To review the outcomes of the preparatory process of ITU and other regional organizations for PP-26;

· To develop the Preliminary APT Common Proposals, if any; and

· To develop the APT Views, if any.

The 36th Meeting of the APT Wireless Group (AWG-36)

6 - 10 April 2026, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) will organize the 36th Meeting of the APT Wireless Group (AWG-36) from 6 to 10 April 2026 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The meeting will be hosted by the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI) of Brunei Darussalam. The Plenary Sessions will be conducted as physical meeting with remote participation and the Non-Plenary Sessions will be conducted as fully virtual modality.

AWG covers various aspects of wireless systems to meet the emerging digital convergence era in the Asia-Pacific region. It also assists in providing effective radiocommunication solutions and facilitating the transfer of technology and knowledge. In its 36th meeting, the AWG will continue to study the existing work items, report on the progress of studies and discuss the proposal of new work items as well as other relevant issues.

The 38th APT Standardization Program Forum (ASTAP-38)

20 - 24 April 2026, Bangkok, Thailand

The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) will organize the 38th APT Standardization Program Forum (ASTAP-38) from 20 to 24 April 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand via physical meeting with remote participation modality.

The objective of ASTAP is to promote, coordinate and harmonize telecommunication standardization activities across the Asia-Pacific region through regional cooperation. It is expected that participants will strengthen their expertise on standardization and contribute to expanding the scope of standardization activities through practical solutions on the ICT issues in this region. ASTAP-38 will elect the Chair and Vice-Chairs of ASTAP and appoint the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of ASTAP Working Groups. The ASTAP-38 includes a one-day Industry Workshop scheduled for 20 April 2026.

The Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council Working Group on Spectrum

20 - 21 May 2026, Thimphu, Bhutan

The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) will organize the Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council (SATRC) Working Group on Spectrum from 20 to 21 May 2026 in Thimphu, Kingdom of Bhutan. The meeting will be hosted by the Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority (BICMA) as a physical meeting with remote participation modality.

This meeting forms part of the activities of SATRC Action Plan Phase X which was adopted by the 26th Meeting of the SATRC (SATRC-26) held from 5 to 7 November 2025 in Islamabad, Pakistan. The objective of the meeting is to conduct the activities of the Working Group on Spectrum in line with the Work Items mandated by the Council. This meeting is expected to discuss and finalize the draft Questionnaires and Work Plan of the Work Items assigned to the Working Group.

Other Upcoming Events in 2026
Title	Date	Venue
1. The 4th Meeting of the APT Preparatory Group for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 (APT PP26-4)	15-19 June	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2. The Meeting of SATRC Working Group on Policy, Regulation and Service	1-2 July	Islamabad, Pakistan
3. The 23rd APT Telecommunication/ICT Development Forum (ADF-23)	14-15 July	Bangkok, Thailand
4. The 3rd Meeting of the APT Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-27 (APG27-3)	27-31 July	Sapporo, Japan