Results of ITU Telecom Asia 2008
Outline of Telecom Asia
“Telecom” is a series of events that have developed out of an ICT related forum and exhibition that has been held regularly since 1975 by ITU. “World Telecom” is held every 3 years, with “Regional Telecom” being held every 2 to 4 years. This year’s “Telecom Asia” marked the 8th time that a Regional Telecom event has been held.
Telecom Asia was held from September 2 to 5, 2008, in Bangkok (Thailand). The overall theme was “New Generation, New Values,” and it focused on new services and technologies in the Asian ICT field, as well as the businesses that these will make possible.
The Forum
A total of 85 speakers, including Ministers of Information Communications as well as heads of telecommunications regulatory agencies from various countries, and high level corporate executives, participated in the forum, and there was a lively exchange of ideas on a framework for policy and regulations in conjunction with advances in ICT, as well as social changes and frameworks for new businesses.
From MIC, Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination Akira Terasaki was a keynote speaker at the opening session, and Mr. Shigeo Tani, Director-General for International Affairs, Global ICT Strategy Bureau, was a panelist in session N on “security, privacy and trust.”
Mr. Terasaki made a keynote address on Japan’s approach for the penetration of next-generation technologies in the ICT field (next-generation mobile phones, wide area mobile wireless access systems) as well a global issues on the use of ICT (global environment, the problem of climate change). (Other participants in the opening session were His Excellency Dr. Mun Patanotai, Minister of Information and Communication Technology (Thailand), His Excellency Dr. Hamadoun I. Toure, Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union, ITU and Mr. Jianzhou Wang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, China Mobile Communications Corp. (China), etc.) More than 200 people attended the opening session.
Mr. Tani introduced Japan’s approach to maintaining reliability in information communication networks. Also, in the question and answer session, he replied to a question concerning Japan’s handling of cyber attacks and countermeasures for information leakage, and introduced Japan’s “bot” measures. (Other participants in that session included Mr. Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Executive Manager, ITU TELECOM, International Telecommunication Union, Mr. Mohd Noor Amin, Chairman, Management Board, International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber-Terrorism - IMPACT (Malaysia) and Mr. Priyantha Kariyapperuma, Director General and CEO, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka), etc.)
MIC Vice Minister for Policy Coordination Akira Terasaki was present at the forum’s opening session
The Exhibition
There were 200 companies and others, from 25 countries, that participated in the exhibition, with a focus on Thai companies. On show were services equipment related to mobile telephones and broadband, keeping the Asian market in mind.
Companies and organizations from Japan included (not in any order) Fujitsu Limited, Tokai University, NHK, Sharp Corporation, KDDI Corporation, NTT Corporation, Hitachi, Ltd., IIga Co., Ltd., the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology all of which exhibited a joint pavilion. NEC Corporation and Wilcom, Inc (ARIB next-generation PHS standard task force) each exhibited independently.
The exhibition space used by Japanese companies and organizations totaled about 380 square meters, and was the third largest after host country Thailand and the United States. The joint Japan pavilion had “Telecom Revolution” as its theme and introduced technology and products in areas where Japan is a world leader in ICT, such as terrestrial digital broadcasting formats, mobile communications, NGNs, etc.
At the opening ceremony on September 1, Thai dignitaries, including Princess Sirindhorn and then Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, visited the Japanese pavilion. The Japanese pavilion was rich in both appearance and contents, compared to those of other countries, and received a large number of appreciative visitors each day.
Exhibition (the joint Japan pavilion)
Spreading Japan’s Mobile Technology Globally!
---FY2008 APT Training Course on “Mobile Communications Technologies and Services”---
Taking into consideration the focus on high-end services using mobile communications and the availability of mobile communications in the Asia-Pacific region, APT (Asia-Pacific Telecommunity) training course on “Mobile Technologies and Services” was held (from September 2 to 12, 2008), with 13 people from 7 countries in the Asia-Pacific region invited to Japan, to introduce Japan’s leading edge case example and technologies, as part of the human resources training activities of the APT. Presentations were made on the current approach relating to third generation (3G) mobile telephones, in which Japan is a leader, as well as visits to related sites, and the attitude of the trainees, who were eager to learn in terms of direct connections to their business after returning home, made an impression.
As can be seen in the evolution of the Internet and mobile communications in recent years, ICT (Information Communications Technology) has become increasingly sophisticated and complex while simultaneously, installations related to telecommunications have expanded rapidly across the Asia-Pacific region. It is vital to train the people who can respond speedily to these conditions, and in order to be able to respond appropriately within an ICT field that is developing more and more, there is a need to improve human resources training even further.
It is, however, a fact that the number of people in various Asia-Pacific countries who can offer appropriate responses to ICT development is insufficient at the moment. In order to rectify this situation in the future, there is a need, in addition to existing technological cooperation, to work towards the training of people related to the installation and operation of information communications networks within the region, through the transfer of basic technologies and know-how concerning systems and policies related to the utilization and introduction of ICT from multiple facets.
Japan has made special fund contributions to the APT, and is implementing cooperation in various areas. This recent training course was one such example. In the past, MIC has welcomed many trainees from both governments and private sector companies of APT member countries, making a positive contribution to human resources training within the region.
By educating people so that they are able to respond to the changes in environment, such as the rapid development of information and communications networks within APT member countries, we can promote the development of information and communications networks across the entire Asia-Pacific countries. Also, the fact that Japan continues to make its own special fund contributions to APT activities is extremely important from the point of view of international contribution to the Asia-Pacific region which is politically significant, and for the international development of Japan’s technology.
Technology and know-how that are being cultivated in these APT trainings will be developed internationally in the future, and are expected to help in resolving the various problems that are being faced by APT member countries, and MIC will continue to contribute to the development of the Asia-Pacific region through human resources training activities such as APT trainings.
APT (Asia Pacific Telecommunity)
Established in 1979 as regional international organization specializing in telecommunications for the Asia-Pacific region. Its aim is the balanced development of telecommunications in the Asia-Pacific region and it carries out human resources training as well as standardization and regional policy adjustments of wireless communications. The office is located in Thailand (Bangkok).