The changing nature of the ITU Plenipotentiary

The Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme organ of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Since the Nairobi Plenipotentiary in 1982, there has been much debate about the role of the Plenipotentiary and even the future of the ITU in the continuing telecommunications revolution. This article explores the major attributes of the Plenipotentiary by comparing the Nairobi Conference with the five post-second world war Plenipotentiaries that preceded it. Criticisms are evaluated and suggestions for improvement are made.     

ITU Plenipotentiary Conference and beyond : A case for serious foreign policy

The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference held in Nairobi in the Fall of 1982 was a significant international instrument for the conduct of telecommunication foreign policy. Growing demand for telecommunication services and products coupled with the economic and sociocultural impact of new technologies have resulted in greater global interest in the problems, issues and technical complexities of maintaining order in global telecommunication. A major theme of this article is that ITU deliberations and decisions are all part of the growing telecommunication foreign policy agenda and that the benefits of successful diplomancy are usually worth the costs of effective and coordinated domestic and international policy development.     

ITU conference in Nairobi: Confrontation or mutual understanding?

This article discusses decisions taken at the Nairobi Plenipotentiary Conference on the technical cooperation activities of the International Telecommunication Union, and relates them to other important ITU activities. Proposals for a new regulatory framework for telecommunication services to be considered at the forthcoming World Administrative Telegraph and Telephone Conference are also examined.     

Open doors and open questions: interpreting the results of the 1998 ITU Minneapolis Plenipotentiary Conference

The 1998 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-98 in ITU jargon) took place in Minneapolis from 12 October to 6 November. As well as electing a new team of officials to lead the organization and establishing a financial envelope for the next four years, PP-98 faced two main issues. The first was to conclude the work begun at the 1992 Geneva Additional Plenipotentiary Conference by amending the ITU Constitution to give greater rights and responsibilities to the ITU’s private sector members. The second was to adopt strategic policies and plans to guide the Union into the 21st century. After first situating the Minneapolis conference in the context of the ITU’s unique organizational structure, culture and working methods, the paper describes the main results of the Minneapolis conference with respect to these two issues. It highlights constitutional amendments made which open the ITU to greater participation by the private sector, as well as to give non-governmental actors a greater role in providing advice and making decisions on technical issues. The paper then outlines the five strategies adopted by the conference to guide the activities of the Union in the next four years. In conclusion, it attempts to assess the principal challenges facing the ITU in terms of policy and organizational development.     

The missing link: a political hot potato

The Maitland Commission's report, The Missing Link, contains a cascade of recommendations - political, financial, institutional and operational. But, by setting a timetable for implementation of its recommendations before the next ITU Plenipotentiary the Commission has ensured that The Missing Link will be a political hot potato for the rest of the decade.     

The ITU and development assistance: North,South and the dynamics of the CCIs

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), like other UN agencies, has been called upon to assist the developing countries in establishing a telecommunications infrastructure. This article charts the change of the ITU from being an organization concerned solely with matters of technical coordination to one which is involved in development assistance. The development of its various International Consultative Committees is also explained. The author argues that the developed countries have had to accept the change in the ITU's purpose demanded by its Third World members because of an imperative to consolidate the worldwide operation of telecommunications networks. As the industrialized nations' stake in those networks increases, the higher is the cost of breaking up the collective arrangements which make their operation possible.     

Telecommunications for development: findings of the ITU-OECD project

This article presents the main findings of a major research project jointly sponsored by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Development Centre of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The purpose of the project was to shed some light on the ways in which telecommunications contribute to economic and social development. The author also describes one approach to rural telecommunications explored by the project — the GLODOM concept.     

Regulatory institutions and processes in telecommunications : An international study of alternatives

This article reviews national regulatory institutions and processes for telecommunications, and assesses some advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives. It is based on a report commissioned by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in connection with its Regulatory Colloquium programme. The report was prepared by an independent team, and represents their views, not an ITU view. It summarizes experience in numerous countries, and includes detailed case studies.     

Setting technical standards for improved communication flows

This article deals with telecommunications standardization in relation to world trade, needs of developing countries, and facilitating user access to worldwide communication. The author comments on the responsibility of ITU members to support standardization activities carried out in ITU forums.     

Improving development assistance for telecommunications

The stable development of telecommunications in the developing countries has been hindered by a variety of difficulties. Development assistance by the developed countries and a number of organizations has an important role in helping the developing countries overcome these difficulties and promote their telecommunications development. This paper examines different kinds of development assistance and suggests that the role of the ITU will be crucial to any improvement in coordination of assistance.     

The future role of international telecommunications institutions

The telecommunications world is being swept by technological and national regulatory changes. The international telecommunication institutions — the ITU, INTELSAT and CEPT — were founded in times when technological trends were more stable and national regulation was more homogeneous. How will they cope with these new changes? In an era of growing heterogeneity, the ITU may need to look increasingly beynd itself to maintain its centrality. Meanwhile, INTELSAT faces challenges from new market entrants and a more flexible approach to new technological and commercial imperatives in satellite and cable services. The EEC is awakening to the need for institutional change within Europe and this is already having an impact on CEPT. It is concluded that to survive and to maintain relevance the existing international institutions will need to initiate changes or face a loss of authority to other institutions such as OECD and EEC.     

Telecommunications in the land of the Thunder Dragon: recent developments in Bhutan

This paper charts the development of telecommunications in Bhutan. Since the introduction of telecommunications services in 1963 Bhutan has faced many challenges as it has sought to roll out a network that covers the whole population and country. A small population, a mountainous geography, a transitional economy and a unique approach to development—Gross National Happiness—present many challenges that need to be overcome if the telecommunications industry is to develop further. Added to this is the decision of Bhutan to join the outside world through membership of the ITU, APT and WTO that has added liberalisation and privatisation to the challenges faced by Bhutan. This paper identifies two broad policy options that Bhutan could adopt—network expansion nationally or investment concentration towards urban areas. The authors conclude that due to the limited resources available to Bhutan these policies are contradictory and will take the telecommunications industry in quite different directions if adopted.     

The evolving 5G case study in United States unilateral spectrum planning and policy

This paper tracks increasingly aggressive initiatives by the United States government to reallocate spectrum on an expedited and unilateral basis well before conclusion of inter-governmental coordination. Rather than embrace the customary commitment to achieve consensus on global spectrum allocations at the International Telecommunication Union (“ITU”), the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has auctioned off large blocks of frequencies for the next generation (“5G”) of wireless services.The FCC might have framed its first 5G auction, reassigning Ultra High Frequency (“UHF”) spectrum, as a one-time deviation from compliance with long standing, intergovernmental coordination procedures. These frequencies have ideal signal propagation characteristics and the Commission could use financial incentives—unavailable in most nations—to expedite “repacking” by incumbent broadcasters willing to move, share or abandon spectrum in exchange for ample financial compensation. However, the FCC has continued to auction off 5G spectrum on grounds that it must find ways to abate an acute shortage of wireless bandwidth and doing so will regain or maintain global leadership in wireless technologies. This paper offers a critical rebuke to unilateral spectrum management, because the short-term benefits expected by the U. S. government likely will be offset by countervailing harms to 5G manufacturers, carriers and consumers. The paper tracks fractious preparation for the ITU's 2019 World Radio Conference by the U.S. delegation and the mixed record achieved there. Additionally, the paper explains how injecting trade, industrial policy and national security issues at the ITU can trigger more delays and disputes, including possible retaliation by nations displeased with U.S. efforts to subvert traditional technology optimization goals.A worst case scenario has the ITU deadlocked and unable to reach closure on “mission critical” spectrum planning issues at World Radio Conferences, convened every four years. The paper concludes that costs and likely challenges to the efficacy and legitimacy of the ITU will reduce the benefits accruing from the FCC's unilateral, spectrum planning campaign.     

Does monopoly mean stagnation?

Through a case study of the telecommunications environment in France, the President of the European Conference of PTT Administrations sets out his views on monopoly and deregulation. He challenges the view that a telecommunications monopoly is an obstacle to progress, arguing that each country must evolve the system that is best suited to its economic, cultural and sociopoltical contexts.     

Preparing for the next revolution in telecommunications: implementing the WTO agreement

The forces of globalization and convergence are generating the need for a new international system of governance for telecommunication. This future system is in the process of being planned, shaped, and implemented and the ITU is facilitating its development. Key considerations include governance based on the principles of internationalism, universalism, regulatory symmetry and independence, and open access. The ITU’s expanding structure, which now involves the participation in global policy development by industry as well as government can take major steps toward achieving real universal service and bringing more people into the world community.     

Forecasting telecommunications data with linear models

For telecommunication companies to successfully manage their business, companies rely on mapping future trends and usage patterns. However, the evolution of telecommunications technology and systems in the provision of services renders imperfections in telecommunications data and impinges on a company's’ ability to properly evaluate and plan their business. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Recommendation E.507 provides a selection of econometric models for forecasting these trends. However, no specific guidance is given. This paper evaluates whether simple extrapolation techniques in Recommendation E.507 can generate accurate forecasts. Standard forecast error statistics—mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), median absolute percentage error and percentage better—show the ARIMA, Holt and Holt-D models provide better forecasts than a random walk and other linear extrapolation methods.     

The evolving 5G case study in spectrum management and industrial policy

Even before the International Telecommunication Union (“ITU”) reaches consensus on spectrum allocations for fifth generation wireless technologies (“5G”), commercial ventures scramble to offer new equipment and services. Expediting 5G wireless service can benefit consumers and businesses at the risk of stressing the traditional process of spectrum planning that combines study, dialogue and consensus building at ITU conferences.This paper explains why most nations refused to endorse key United States 5G spectrum allocation proposals at the ITU’s, 2015 World Radio Conference. U.S. representatives underestimated the time needed for consensus building, despite increasing demand for wireless video and the evolving Internet of Things. Other contributing factors include U.S. support for treating spectrum like property, use of “incentive auctions” to clear broadcast television spectrum with unprecedented speed and enough existing wireless spectrum allocations in most nations.The paper concludes that the U.S. cannot expect faster frequency reallocations, particularly when it and other nations pursue matters having little to do with spectrum optimization. The paper offers recommendations on best practices for improving the consensus building process.     

Walloon & Flemish videotex trials

This article focuses on the problems surrounding ‘compunication’, ie the growing imbrication between electronic computers and telecommunications. (The corresponding French term is télématique). More precisely, the specific problems of videotex systems thrown up by different experiments in Belgium are examined. The CCITT of the ITU uses the term videotex as the generic name referring to all systems that make it possible to gain information through telecommunication networks (Hertzian waves, cable TV distribution networks or telephone lines). Requested information appears on a TV screen (at home, in a place of work or in a public place).     

US telecommunications privacy policy : Socio-political responses to technological advances

Deciding on who should know about Americans' private telephone conversations and other forms of telecommunicating has always been an issue fraught with, on the one hand, fear of intrusive government or corporate agents and, on the other, a desire for government and corporations to control crime and vend services respectively. This article looks at how legal and legislative compromises have been reached in order to address differing goals, and what forms future privacy issues may take. The discussion focuses first on the political origins of the USA's current laws governing privacy and the telephone, then on novel privacy issues arising out of new telecommunications technologies.     

Regional structure and telecommunications planning

The general role of telecommunications in economic development has been recognized, but there remain some important specific issues in matching telecommunications planning to development goals. The author suggests a new approach, based on models relating regional structure to telecommunications demand. Data, which are readily available, on populations in places and rural areas within a region are used to derive a regional structure composed of places and the links between them. These links are found to be very closely related to telecommunications demand. This article suggests that telecommunications and development planners in the Third World should pay particular attention to ensuring that all the links between places in a region are served, and that the models presented here could form the basis for suitable planning criteria.