The plenary meeting of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) passed, within the Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) in Bucharest, Resolution No.138 which strengthens the importance of the Global Symposium for Regulators event, dedicated to the national regulatory authorities, but also the place where the next year’s edition is to be held, namely Egypt, in Sharm-el-Sheikh, according to Agerpres.

„On 6 October, the Plenary passed Resolution 138, which considers the importance of maintaining the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) for regulatory bodies to continue to share and exchange experiences. The updated resolution notes new challenges for regulators over programmes to finance network deployment, particularly through universal service funds – a method of assessing long-distance telecom carriers to subsidize services to low-income households or high-cost areas,” an official release of the PP-22 organisers informs.

The 2023 edition of the Global Symposium for Regulators will be held in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, over 5-8 June.

The annual GSR has brought together heads of national telecom/ICT regulatory authorities from around the world since 2000.

„The updated Res. 138 calls for holding future GSRs in different regions of the world in rotation, while ensuring balanced regional representation among participants, speakers and stakeholders,” reads the release.

In this regard, „the Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is instructed to consult Member States and stakeholders in advance on GSR topics and annual best practice guidelines to ensure GSR outcomes reflect the interests of stakeholders and attract participation from all countries. In addition, the BDT Director should promote the participation of regional and subregional regulatory organizations and associations in preparing GSR meetings and best practice guidelines,” the organisers’ release notes.

Also in Bucharest, it has been decided within these two weeks of PP-22, that the next Plenipotentiary Conference of the ITU, in 2026 (PP-26) be held in Quatar, in Doha. Previously, Qatar hosted the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference – in 2006, the Connect Arab Summit (2012) and ITU Telecom World (2014).

Moreover, the delegation attending the PP-22 also voted for the United Arab Emirates to host the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) in 2023, between 20 November and 15 December. The conference is organized every four years, for a period of four weeks, and has the authority to update the Radio Regulations, the only international Treaty which regulates the use of the radio frequency spectrum and the orbits of geostationary and non-geostationary satellites.

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the ITU is taking place in Romania, in Bucharest, between 26 September and 14 October 2022.

Partners of the event, alongside the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) and the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MAT), are the following Romanian institutions: the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the General Secretariat of the Government, the Finance Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, the Health Ministry, the Ministry of Culture, the Bucharest City Hall, the Special Telecommunications Service (STS), the Protection and Guard Service (SPP) and the Romanian Television Society. The National News Agency AGERPRES is a media partner of the event.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), driving innovation in ICTs together with 193 Member States and a membership of over 900 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations.

Established over 150 years ago, ITU is the intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoting international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, improving communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishing the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems.

Agerpres