APT Newsletter

Asia-Pacific Telecommunity

August 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recent Event

 

 

 

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE

All members are requested to inform APT Secretariat of any changes in the contact details to ensure effective communication.

 

CONTACT US

APT Publication
Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT)
12/49 Soi 5, Chaeng Watthana Road,
Bangkok 10210, THAILAND 
Tel.: + 66 2 573 0044
Fax: + 66 2 573 7479
E-mail: 
[email protected]
Website: 
http://www.apt.int/Publications

The 5th Meeting of APT Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-19 (APG19-5)

31 July – 6 August 2019, Tokyo, Japan

The 5th Meeting of the APT Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-19 (APG19-5) was held from 31 July to 6 August 2019, Tokyo, Japan.  It was the final preparatory meeting of APT for RA-19 and WRC-19. APG19-5 was hosted by Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan.

 

The meeting was inaugurated by H.E. Ms. Makiko Yamada, Vice Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan.

 

APG19-5 was attended by 529 participants from APT Members, Associate Members, Affiliate Members, International Organizations, other organizations and the APT Secretariat. Experts from APT Members were engaged extensively during the meeting to develop Preliminary APT Common Proposals (PACPs) on WRC-19 Agenda Items based on 133 input documents and 32 information documents. During the 6 days of APG19-5, a total of 124 meeting sessions of the Plenary, Working Parties, and Drafting Groups were held. Besides, there were also several informal meetings and bilateral negotiation meetings.

 

After considerable discussion and multilateral negotiations, APG19-5 approved 200 Preliminary APT Common Proposals (PACPs) on various WRC-19 Agenda Items to be circulated to APT Members for endorsement to become the ACPs. The ACPs would be submitted to WRC-19 as the coordinated regional common proposals from the Asia-Pacific.

 

Besides developing PACPs on WRC-19 Agenda Items, APG19-5 also considered the preparation of RA-19, which included the review of the current ITU-R Resolutions and the activities of RAG for revising certain ITU-R Resolutions. APG19-5 also discussed the arrangements of APT coordination activities during RA-19 and WRC-19.

 

APG19-5 noted the nomination of candidates from APT Members for various positions of WRC-19. Furthermore, APG19-5 also noted the nomination of candidates from APT Members for office bearers of RA-19, and chairman and vice-chairmen of ITU-R Study Groups, CCV, RAG, and CPM.  APG19-5 further decided that the 1st Meeting of the APT Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-23 would be held in People’s Republic of China during the second or third quarter of 2020.

 

The ITU Radiocommunication Assembly 2019 (RA-19) will be held from 21 to 25 October 2019 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) will be held from 28 October to 22 November 2019 at the same venue.

 

From left: Ms. Zhu Keer,Acting Vice-Chairman of APG; Mr. Mario Maniewicz, Director, Radiocommunication Bureau, ITU; Ms. Areewan Haorangsi, Secretary General, APT; H. E. Ms. Makiko Yamada, Vice Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan; Dr. Kyu-Jin Wee, Chairman of APG; Mr. Christopher Hose, Acting Vice-Chairman of APG, and Mr. Kavouss Arasteh, Special Senior Adviser to APG.

 

 

 

 

 

QUICK LINKS

APG

ASTAP

AWG

GA

MC

HRD

ICT

PRF

PRF-P

SATRC

APT Ministerial Meetings

AFIS

 

 

Interview with Ms. Aileen Chia
Deputy Chief Executive, Policy, Regulation & Competition Development and Director General, Telecoms & Post of the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), Singapore

 

The 19th APT Policy and Regulatory Forum (PRF-19)

14 - 16 August 2019, Thimphu, Bhutan

The 19th APT Policy and Regulatory Forum (PRF-19) was held from 14 to 16 August 2019 in Thimphu, Bhutan. The Forum was hosted by Department of IT and Telecom, Ministry of Information and Communications, Bhutan. The PRF-19 was attended by 100 participants from APT Members, Affiliate Members, other organizations and the APT Secretariat.

 

The Forum was inaugurated by His Excellency Karma Donnen Wangdi, Minister for Information and Communications, Royal Government of Bhutan.

 

Mr. Wangay Dorji, Chief, Market and Competition, Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority, was elected the new Chairman of PRF.

 

The Forum noted the outcomes of the Asia-Pacific ICT Ministerial Meeting 2019 held in Singapore on 25-26 June 2019, the implementation status of the Strategic Plan of the APT for 2018-2020, updates on Sub-regional issues on policy and regulation and updates on ITU Global Symposium for Regulators 2019.

 

The Roundtable on Singapore Statement and its key takeaways chaired by Singapore further discussed the implications of Singapore Statement of the Asia-Pacific ICT Ministers on Co-creating a Connected Digital Future in the Asia-Pacific including its Strategic Goals and Priority Areas.  High-level government officials from Bhutan, Indonesia and Thailand had joined this session.

 

An APT Report on Best Practice of Connectivity – Village Broadband Internet Project (Net Pracharat) of Thailand – was launched and a special session was organized. There was a keynote presentation by Thailand on its connectivity initiatives “Net Pracharat” that provided broadband infrastructure to 75,000 villages nationwide to share the background, challenges, and recommendations for the initiatives as a reference model for APT Members as a best practice for the region. This session also included the panel discussion towards Thailand’s initiatives.

 

Business dialogue session discussed the fusion of 5G, AI, and Internet of Things (IoT) as well as industry perspective on the latest trends of telecom services and their plan in the coming years.

 

The thematic sessions of PRF-19 also covered innovation and trust topics as well as topics which were addressed in the Singapore Statement including: towards 5G deployment; shaping digital transformation in the Asia-Pacific; plans and lessons learnt for national digital ID; national digital inclusion for all citizens; cross-border transfer of personal data; and online safety and well-being of citizens.

 

The Forum elected four Vice-Chairmen representing East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific sub-regions.

 

PRF-19 ended successfully with active participations and contributions from all delegates. Cambodia proposed to be the host of the next PRF. The date and time of PRF-20 will be decided during the 43rd session of APT Management Committee to be held in December this year.

 

Ms. Areewan Haorangsi, Secretary General of the APT, presented an appreciation plaque to

H.E. Karma Donnen Wangdi, Minister for Information and Communications, Royal Government of Bhutan.

 

 

Click here for the Report on Best Practice of Connectivity – Village Broadband Internet Project (Net Pracharat) of Thailand –

 

 

 

The 20th Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators' Council (SATRC-20)

28 - 29 August 2019, Paro, Bhutan

The 20th Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council (SATRC-20) was held from 28 – 29 August 2019 in Paro, Bhutan. The meeting was hosted by Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority and attended by 54 participants from 9 APT Members from South Asia, Affiliate Members, other organization and the APT Secretariat. The meeting was inaugurated by Hon’ble Lyonpo Loknath Sharma, Minister of Economic Affairs.

 

The meeting elected Mr. Jigme Wangdi, Director, BICMA as the new Chairman of SATRC, and H.E. Mr. Hossein Fallah Joshaghani, Deputy Minister and President of Communication Regulatory Authority (CRA), Islamic Republic of Iran as the new Vice-chairman. The two-day meeting’s agenda included statements from Heads of the Regulators, Regulators’ Roundtable, Regulator-Industry Dialogue, experience sharing by regulators, and industry sessions.  

 

In the statements, the Head of the Regulators expressed their support and collaboration towards the activities of SATRC. They emphasized the on sub-regional cooperation through SATRC by sharing their recent update and future plans in their respective countries. At the Regulators’ Roundtable, the regulators discussed on sustainable investment for innovation, entrepreneurship, and employment generation. Furthermore, they focused on some regulatory aspects and challenges of digital financial services. The regulators shared their current situation regarding digital finance with the fast-increasing of mobile application developments.  The meeting also discussed new technologies, services, and quality of services from the regulators as well as from industrial perspective. The sharing of best practices was presented by five different regulators. Industry representatives also shared on challenges and opportunities in their sectors.

 

SATRC-20 reviewed the events in 2020 under SATRC Action Plan Phase VII and endorsed those as decided by SATRC-19. The 21st Meeting of the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council (SATRC-21) will be held in Islamic Republic of Iran during the fourth quarter of 2020.

 

From left:  Ms. Areewan Haorangsi, Secretary General of the APT; Hon’ble Lyonpo Loknath Sharma,

Minister of Economic Affairs, Bhutan; and Mr. Jigme Wangdi, newly-elected Chairman of SATRC.

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Events

 

 

The 16th APT Telecommunication/ICT Development Forum (ADF-16)

10 - 12 September 2019, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The APT will organize the 16th APT Telecommunication/ICT Development Forum (ADF-16) from 10 to 12 September 2019 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The forum will be hosted by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPTC), Cambodia.

 

The overall objectives of ADF are to 1) focus on the telecommunications and ICT development issues for developing countries where policy makers, regulators and other relevant officials from the region come together on a common platform for a dialogue on issues of common concern with special attention on the rural areas; 2) provide opportunity for Members to share information on the best practices and experiences for the common issues on ICT development; and 3) promote sharing of expertise for addressing key issues of concern to the APT members on ICT development issues and facilitating intra-regional collaboration on telecommunication and ICT development issues as required.

 

 Click here for more details.

 

 

 

The 6th Meeting of the Working Group of Management Committee on APT Legal Instruments (WGMC-6)

17 - 19 September 2019, Bangkok, Thailand

The APT will organize the 6th Meeting of Working Group of Management Committee on APT Legal Instruments (WGMC-6) from 17 to 19 September 2019 at the APT Headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

WGMC-6 will consider issues relating to legal instruments and any other issues as instructed by the 42nd Session of the Management Committee of the APT (MC-42) held in October 2018 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The meeting are expected to review the drafts revision of Human Resource Management Plan, Document Framework and Affiliate Membership Guideline, etc. WGMC-6 will also discuss the pledging of contributions by Members, Associate Members and Affiliate Members for the next three years. The outcomes of the meeting will be submitted to the next session of the Management Committee for consideration.

 

 Click here for more details.

 

 

 

 

APT Symposium on Disaster Management 2019 (APT-SDM 2019)

 24-26 September 2019, Quezon City, The Philippines

The APT will organize the APT Symposium on Disaster Management from 24 to 26 September 2019 in Quezon City, The Philippines. The Symposium will be hosted by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Philippines.

 

The objectives of the Symposium is to address and facilitate an information exchange on use of ICT for disaster management and communications with special focus on preparedness, risk reduction, response and recovery phases for major natural disasters.

 

The specific objectives include:

·         To facilitate the implementation of Strategic Plan of APT for 2018-2020;

·         To provide information and techniques for disaster management activities including early warning systems and emergency communications, in disaster management ;

·         To bring the benefits of ICTs in the disaster prevention and management to member countries and develop their ICT skills to this field;

·         To discuss advance disaster communication and network development;

·         To promote the concept of Network Resiliency against Disaster focusing alleviation on congestion in emergency situations, minimizing disruption to communications in the event of damage to base and/or relay stations, implications of the recent disaster in regards to future network infrastructure, and implications of the recent disaster for Internet usage;

·         To promote policies and strategies for sustainable, reliable and resilient telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and services to secure their availability, including during disasters, and to support all phases of disaster management, including dissemination of information to assist public safety, health and disaster-relief efforts.

 

Click here for more details.

 

 

 

 

The 12th APT Policy and Regulation Forum for Pacific (PRFP-12)

1-3 October 2019, Nuku’alofa, Tonga

The APT will organize the 12th APT Policy and Regulation Forum for Pacific (PRFP-12) from 1 to 3 October 2019 in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. The Forum will be hosted by the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change, & Communications (MEIDECC), Government of Tonga and supported by the Extra Budgetary Contributions from Australia and Japan.

 

PRFP-12 will continue to focus its work within the five Strategic Pillars of the Strategic Plan of the APT for 2018-2020 in the context of Pacific countries, supplemented by issues indicated in the Strategic Goals and priority areas set out in the Singapore Statement adopted at the Asia-Pacific ICT Ministerial Meeting on “Co-creating a Connected Digital Future in the Asia-Pacific” (APT-MM 2019) held from 25 to 26 June 2019 in Singapore.

 

In addition, PRFP-12 will provide opportunity for members to get the updates on the outcomes of the discussion from the APT-MM 2019. PRFP-12 will also include Roundtable of high-level policy makers and regulators which is aimed to provide open conversation to enhance understanding on ICT and telecommunication issues. The Forum will address issues such as Digital Transformation, Digital Inclusion, Connectivity in the Pacific, Issues in Telecommunication Industry, Cybersecurity, E-Application and its role in the Pacific, and Disaster Management in the Pacific.

 

Click here for more details.

 

 

 

 

APT Symposium on Cybersecurity 2019 (APT-SC 2019)

8 -10 October 2019, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The APT will organize the APT Symposium on Cybersecurity 2019 (APT-SC 2019) from 8 to 10 October 2019 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The symposium will be hosted by the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia (KKMM), and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Malaysia.  

 

Last year, the APT Symposium on Cybersecurity 2018 was firstly held in Seoul, Republic of Korea with the active participation from APT members and stakeholders. Considering the interest and need of the members on cybersecurity issues, the 42nd Session of the Management Committee of the APT (MC-42) agreed to hold the APT Symposium on Cybersecurity in 2019.

 

The objective of the APT Symposium on Cybersecurity 2019 is to bring APT members to a common platform for a dialogue on cybersecurity issues and to provide them an opportunity to share and address key issues of concern, as well as to facilitate intra-regional collaboration as required. Industry leaders and other key stakeholders also share their views on various cybersecurity issues facing the sector.

 

The specific objectives are to:

·         Assist members to collaborate to build and strengthen trust and confidence in the use of ICT;

·         Provide a platform to exchange information on implementation of polices/regulations in cybersecurity measures, including best practice or guidelines. To share experiences and lessons learned in the field of cybersecurity;

·         Share information on the cybersecurity threat landscapes in the digital economy environment and suggest plausible solutions;

·         Discuss and share knowledge and experience in secure entity of digital identity and protect from identity theft;

·         Raise awareness and exchange knowledge in critical information infrastructure protection

·         Discuss and share knowledge and experience in managing cybersecurity in smart cities and use of blockchain technologies in cybersecurity.

·         Address data privacy issues while keeping free and secure flow of information including cross-border; and

·         Encourage initiatives through international collaboration towards the secured cyberspace in Asia-Pacific. 

 

 

Click here for more details.

 

 

 

 

Click here for Tentative Calendar of APT Events for the year 2019 (as of 31 August 2019)

No.

Title

Duration (day)

Tentative Schedule

Venue

Remarks

1

16th APT Telecommunication/ICT Development Forum (ADF-16)

3

10-12 Sep.

Cambodia

EBC-J

EBC-K

2

6th Meeting of the Working Group of MC on APT Legal Instrument (WGMC-6)

3

17-19 Sep.

APT Headquarters

 

3

APT Symposium on Disaster Management 2019 (APT-SDM 2019)

3

24-26 Sep.

The Philippines

EBC-A

EBC-J

4

12th Policy and Regulation Forum for Pacific (PRFP-12)

3

1-3 Oct.

Tonga

EBC-A

EBC-J

5

APT Symposium on Cybersecurity 2019

(APT-SC 2019)

3

8-10 Oct.

Malaysia

EBC-A

EBC-J

 

List of Normal Training Courses in 2019

 

No.

Training Course

Duration

Date

Training Center

China

1

Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analysis

10 days

20-29 Nov

E-CAICT, Shanghai

China

2

Security Measures for the Era of Artificial Intelligence

9 days

2-10 Dec

 

NJUPT, Nanjing

China

3

The Passive Optic Network Planning and Implement

(For Affiliate Members)

12 days

5-16 Aug

WRIPT, Wuhan

China

4

Sensing, Connection and Applications for Intelligent Internet of Things

11 days

21-31 Oct

XUPT, Xian

China

5

Future Network Technologies including 5G 

8 days

5-12 Nov

BUPT, Beijing

China

India

4

Spectrum Management and Monitoring

7 days

31 Jul.-

6 Aug.

RGMTTTC,

Chennai, India

5

Block Chain Technology

5 days

26-30 Aug.

RTTC,

Hyderabad, India

6

Satellite Communication

7 days

14-20 Nov.

ALTTC,

Ghaziabad, India

Thailand

7

State of Computing in 5G Network and IoT Analytics

5 days

7-11 Oct.

TOT Academy,

Thailand

8

Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data Technologies

Phase I: Online Training Course

5 weeks

19 Aug.-

21 Sep.

TOT Academy

Thailand

9

Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data Technologies

Phase II: Face-to-Face Training Course

5 days

25-29 Nov.

TOT Academy

Thailand