Month: October 2020

Opening the third Ministerial Roundtable on the role of digital technologies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, moderator Mario Maniewicz, Director, of the ITU Radicommunication Bureau, welcomed industry experts, regulators and ministers to explore how the global community can use the momentum of the pandemic to accelerate efforts to connect people, industries and homes everywhere.

Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communication, Viet Nam, highlighted a common theme of ITU Virtual Digital World, the first such high-level meeting to be held online by ITU: the global crisis is a big challenge, but also a tremendous opportunity – for the ICT industry, for digital transformation, and for global collaboration on an unprecedented scale.

Digital has become the new infrastructure, not just for communication, but for all our economic, social and personal activities. The technological capacity for digital transformation is already with us, and what is called for now is innovation and cooperation on a global scale. “To build the digital world is more about institutional reforms than technology,” he said, “We have to encourage people to try more – and to make a global effort.”

ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao echoed this appeal to those leaders joining the virtual roundtable from around the world, focusing in particular on the need to foster broadband deployment, emerging technologies and tech entrepreneurs through the right government and regulatory support. “I am confident that what we have learned over the last three days will help us build a better future – a future where public and private sectors work together alongside the international community to advance ICT deployment so that no one is left behind”, he said.

 

Speaking from the perspective of a small island developing state, Deepak Balgobin, Minister, Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mauritius, stressed just how reliant his country is on air, maritime and internet connectivity for all its economic activities. The ICT sector has proved resilient in the face of the global economic downturn, as governments, corporations, SMEs and individuals have increasingly come to depend on technology to continue operating despite the pandemic. This new way of business is here to stay, he said, and should be viewed as the new normal, supported by suitable investment, policies and skills development for all sectors. The pandemic has proved “an eye opener” in terms of the importance of accelerating existing digitization strategies. “It is clear today that digital transformation in full accordance with sustainability and the preservation of the environment is the way forward,” he added.

Administrations which had already developed and deployed digital strategies were at a huge advantage when the pandemic struck, agreed Mustafa Jabbar, Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Bangladesh, praising the vision of his country’s Prime Minister in this regard. “We could not have imagined facing the COVID situation if there was no digitization,” he said, pointing out that everything from financial services to healthcare, business and education moved online for government and citizens alike. But the crisis has also identified some of the key challenges in closing the digital divide, in particular making sure the phenomenal opportunities of digital technologies reach poorer rural communities as well as well-connected urban centres.

“The crisis caused by COVID-19 is a turning point for digital transformation,” said Nguyen Huy Dung, Director General, Authority of Information Technology Application, Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), Vietnam. “The adoption of new technology requires people to change habits, which can be slow,” he continued, but the pandemic has forced us to very quickly change the way we work, learn and are entertained, “driving adoption faster than would otherwise have been the case and turning a big challenge into a big opportunity.” He outlined how Vietnam’s national digital transformation programme is working to develop a new digital normal for government, the economy and society, built on safe and sustainable online platforms for work, education, commerce and events.

Enhanced connectivity, increased financial inclusion, and increased access to trade and public services have dramatically transformed how we live and work, explained Mercy Wanjau, Acting Director General, Communications Authority of Kenya. “Digital technology is the great equalizer of our time,” she continued, but it is what technology enables that is the true game-changer – and never more so than in time of the pandemic. Frontline workers have been able to continue working, and citizens to access health services, online education and relevant information throughout the crisis. The regulatory body ensured the timely delivery of public service information through toll-free numbers and mandated platforms, as well as reducing the impact of cyber attacks and fake news accompanying the increase in online activity through awareness creation and compliance exercises. “The role played by digital technology throughout the pandemic cannot be overemphasized – and it will be at the core of a safe and orderly return to normal, allowing the smooth provision of services through collaboration and partnerships,” she concluded.

Just how important digital connectivity became during the crisis is evident in the numbers alone – with traffic rocketing by up to 60% across the networks, according to Alioune Ndiaye, CEO, Orange Middle East and Africa. Making the digital world available to all is more critical than ever in the face of the global economic downturn, with the collapse of tourism hitting many countries in Africa particularly hard. Energy, education and mobile banking are major potential areas of impact; and equipping young people with digital skills is essential to enable them to bypass the obstacles of lack of transport and infrastructure and contribute to economic and social growth. But, the operator stressed, “We need support from governments and regulators to maintain investment and growth for a brighter future.”

Gift Kallisto Machengete, Director General, POTRAZ, Zimbabwe, emphasized how digital technologies were not just critical for ensuring continuity in government, business, trade and education during the pandemic, but also as tool to combat the virus through information dissemination, debunking fake news, forecasting, planning and contact tracing. AI in particular will play an important role in predicting the spread and impact of future pandemics, and allowing for the planning and implementation of appropriate mitigation measures. Demand for high speed broadband will continue to increase after the crisis, given the convenience and ease of doing business it offers; trade, education and healthcare platforms popularized during the pandemic will remain relevant. To this end, Zimbabwe is rolling out centres in marginalized areas to ensure access for all to e-learning and e-commerce.

Access to all is an urgent priority, agreed Rupert Pearce, CEO, Inmarsat. The crisis has served to highlight how paramount broadband connectivity is to the well-being and advancement of society, and how satellite is at the forefront of providing seamless mobile broadband to those who need it most or are most difficult to reach – including the maritime and aviation industries. “Satellite operators have mission-critical services and infrastructure for the whole world,” he continued, so are well placed to weather the COVID storm, adapt to de-globalization and exploit the inherent long-term nature of investment activities in the satellite industry to continue innovating, “which bodes well for the future contribution of the industry to bridging the digital divide and providing broadband for all.”

Sattar Hashemi, Deputy Minister of ICT, Iran, joined earlier speakers in underscoring how much digital technologies have become an essential part of our daily lives – and how earlier investment in the sector has paid off in the difficult times of the pandemic, in particular in health, education and business. During the crisis, technology was used to detect the spread of the virus, provide health care and online schooling, and provide a sense of business as usual through socially-distanced working from home. Many such solutions and platforms have offered high performance, cost effectiveness and efficiency, and will be established in legal and structural frameworks after the pandemic. Above all, “this pandemic has shown us that our dependency on data gathering and analytics is more important than ever,” he stated.

For Ramin Guluzade, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, innovative technology was a great help in minimizing the impact of COVID’s threat to humanity, bringing telecom and transport infrastructure and services in line with demand following the shift to online working. Special websites and mobile applications provided secure public health information, as well as notification and tracking services for those affected; and schools, companies and government agencies were able to connect and continue operations through video conferencing facilities. To avoid deepening the digital divide, “the new national digital strategy will focus on broadband infrastructure and capacity development, especially in rural areas,” announced the minister.

“As a regional leader in technology startups, we understand advanced communications infrastructure and how technology can act as a bridge between people and nations,” said Yoaz Hendel, Minister of Communications, Israel. COVID-19 has affected every aspect of our lives, with computers and smartphones becoming lifelines for citizens in lockdown needing to access crucial services such as medicine and education. “COVID has changed the world in many ways, including providing the understanding and will to move rapidly ahead in technological life,” he continued, announcing Israel’s determination to bring all its people the most advanced technologies – including three new 5G networks enabling cutting-edge solutions and fibre optics to create incentives for investment and employment outside of major urban areas. Advanced technologies provide employment, growth and opportunities for knowledge sharing, he said, to better prepare for potential challenges caused by pandemics and other disasters and to build a better world where we “make technology, not wars.”

Regulation has a significant part to play in accelerating digitization, claimed Konstantinos Masselos, President, Hellenic Telecommunications & Post Commission (EETT), Greece, highlighting how regulatory actions must keep one step ahead of market needs to maximize potential without losing sight of market realities. “The outbreak forced digitization at scale on society, so everything related to ICT took year-long leaps in a matter of months,” he said. The networks may have coped well in the short term, but we need to rethink what is actually good enough to allow for efficient working and studying from home in the longer term, from devices and video conferencing platforms to network capabilities. Pre-COVID regulatory frameworks may need to be adjusted to support network resilience and quality of service, especially given the demands of doing business online across countries and continents.  “We need deregulation to make sure that pre-COVID regulations don’t hinder the potential of technology and communication in real time,” he continued. This is a paradigm shift for regulators, but we will advance on digitization through hard work, he concluded.

In Lithuania, one of Europe’s most connected countries, as elsewhere in the world many activities shifted immediately online during quarantine, explained Lina Rainiene, Deputy Director, Communications Regulatory Authority, Lithuania, with network traffic up by 70% and call minutes by 30% within the first few days. This was accompanied by a shift of throughput from major urban centres to remoter, rural areas where people worked from home, presenting major challenges for network operators in ensuring connectivity and accessibility for all – network resilience challenges which operators managed smoothly by increasing capacity. “Our role was to monitor the market and support consumers by monitoring service and service quality, respond with ad hoc measures such as the timely allocation of spectrum, and provide guidance to consumers on how to use services efficiently and stay safe online,” said the regulator. Regulators must prepare for future demand for connectivity, and ensure resilience in the face of any similar upcoming crises.

Jay Carney, Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs, Amazon, reminded participants of the unprecedented reliance on technology, data services and the cloud during the pandemic, with the elasticity of the cloud enabling service distribution in accordance with demand, saving resources and capacity. This degree of scalability, cost efficiency and agility will be critical to embedding digital transformation post-Covid to deliver efficient telehealth, mobile banking, remote working and e-education solutions at scale. But the private sector cannot do it alone: “Governments must catalyze development with policies supporting workforce development and change, championing cloud-first, emerging technologies and digital skilling to accelerate and harness the benefits of digital technology,” he said, looking to the panel to understand better how industry and government can work together.

Government policies and actions have been key in accelerating the digital agenda as a direct consequence of the pandemic. In Trinidad and Tobago, for example, a range of measures were adopted to support increased demand and expand connectivity, explained Allyson West, Minister of Public Administration. These included assigning spectrum at no cost to mobile operators in exchange for service provision in rural areas, free internet access and devices to enable distance learning in underprivileged households, and free wifi in public health care facilities, libraries and community areas. Financial instruments included the use of universal service funds, removing taxes on mobile phones, computers and peripherals to reduce costs to the end user, and partnerships with ISPs to provide affordable connections. The government’s digital transformation agency has developed a digital ID solution allowing secure access to a wide range of public services, which are increasingly digitized. The aim is to counteract the double hit of the collapse in energy prices and the global pandemic by diversifying into digital sectors, fostering SME growth and reducing reliance on imported food.

Gloria Carvalho, Vice-minister, Ministry of the People’s Power for Science and Technology, and Marco Castillo, Director General of the Office for Integration and International Affairs, shared Venezuela’s experience in tackling COVID-19 with digital technologies. “Communications technology is a basic need to combat the pandemic,” said Castillo. Government programmes focused on using big data and public online platforms to track and counteract the spread of the virus – and this reliance on technology exposed once more the dangers of the digital divide. Closing that divide by ensuring access for all to technology and the benefits it brings is key for social inclusion and development.

Julio Munoz, Viceminister, Ministry of Telecommunications and the Information Society, Ecuador, outlined some of his government’s policies and actions taken to boost the positive impact of digital technologies in tackling the pandemic. These included an agreement to stop suspension of cellular service due to non-payment, free data for emergency and healthcare apps and platforms, a large-scale municipal programme to enable wifi hotspots in public locations such as squares and community centres, expanding connectivity in rural areas and working with Internet Service Providers to deploy in the poorest regions.  Collaboration is key, both in terms of sharing best practice throughout Latin America, partnering with the private sector and working with other ministers to reduce taxation on digital devices or build a national strategy for e commerce to boost the digital economy. “We are working to reduce the cost of connectivity as we consider the internet a necessity, especially in times of pandemic where most of us are working from home,” he concluded.

In neighbouring Peru, telecommunication was declared an essential service at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, with voice and data traffic growing by more than 30% as the country entered lockdown, explained Rosa Nakagawa, Vice Minister of Communications, Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications. Supportive regulatory measures included simplifying the process of infrastructure deployment, allocating temporary spectrum without cost in exchange for internet service obligations in underserved regions, and infrastructure sharing to guarantee the provision of service. Spectrum efficiency is key to increasing connectivity and reducing the digital divide, as well as advancing fibre optic deployment in rural areas and providing access in rainforest zones where the rollout of traditional infrastructure is problematic. “The most important lesson from COVID-19 is that the best resource we can retain is public private partnerships working together,” she said, calling for ministries to provide clear legal frameworks to promote investment and infrastructure deployment from the private sector.

Establishing and sharing good practice is critical to stop the spread of the virus, according to Mario Fromow Rangel, Senior Commissioner, Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, Mexico. Good pratice includes priortising strategic institutions in response to the pandemic to ensure connectivity for hospitals, healthcre centres, food centres and key infrastructure points such as ports, power plants and airports. A rational internet usage strategy enables monitoring of traffic use and guarantees the correct provision of services to all stakeholders. Given the importance of communications in faciliating the fight against COVID-19, he said, it is essential to “continue working with industry, academia and civil society to collaborate and foster efficient development.”

Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA, underlined how mobile operators are unlocking the power of connectivity to let people, industry and society thrive, creating a new awareness of the potential for a digital enabled world. During the pandemic, mobile operator networks saw increases in traffic of between 20% and 100% – which operators were able to manage through a raft of measures such as increasing capacity and extending data caps. Mobile payments, digital health care, telemedicine and mobile education platforms all took on new importance during the crisis; and operators also provided aggregated data to inform mathematical modelling to predict patterns of contagion in countries as diverse as Spain and India. The mobile industry is aiming “to continue to invest in mobile networks to facilitate innovation and build the post-pandemic society”, with 5G networks the biggest spend – and growth driver – of the near future. Granryd called for favourable investment environments, including a reduction in sector-specific taxation, increased spectrum allocation and more public private partnerships, to support the industry’s commitment and power fintech, digital services and big data. “The mobile industry has the resources and ambition, and looks forward to working with you all in the new digital age,” he announced.

“As Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau, I am looking forward to working closely with all of you to build a more resilient and inclusive future,” said moderator Maniewicz.

Concluding the final ministerial roundtable of ITU Virtual Digital World 2020, Secretary-General Zhao congratulated all participants on the excellent exchange of views on the power of ICTs to tackle COVID-19, and urged ministers and industry leaders to continue to work together to move forward further, faster. He joined Minister Hung in welcoming all speakers and attendees to meet up again in person at the physical version of the event, ITU Digital World 2021, to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in October 2020.

 

ITU Virtual Digital World 2020’s host takes centre stage in the virtual exhibition with an impressive 3D stand, with full details on the National Digital Strategy, entrepreneurship in Vietnam and the success of the country’s ICT COVID-19 platform.

The National Digital Transformation Program sets ambitious targets for Vietnam by 2030: to be amongst the top 30 leading IT countries in the world, connect universities with fibre optic broadband internet services and the new 5G network, reach 100 000 digital tech businesses, and train a digitally-skilled workforce of 1.5 million.

People are firmly at the centre of the nation’s digital transformation, driving breakthrough solutions to reduce costs, increase efficiency and bring the benefits of digital to Vietnam and the region. A favourable environment for investors and enterprises forms the backbone to the Make in Vietnam initiative, on display online for the next few weeks following the event.

The latest development in neighbouring Laos’ digital strategy is the launch of the country’s first official 5G network, focusing initially on the capital and university, but moving to major regional centres in the second phase. 5G technology will enable cutting-edge applications and solutions in e-commerce, robotics and AI – and will play an important role in the development of agriculture, medicine and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

5G and AI are important features of Japan’s digital transformation, led by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, which is responsible for the country’s fundamental framework – the digital networks behind all economic and social activities. Companies showcasing in the virtual stand include ENISHIA, focused on developing AI software for the medical market, creating digital medical records; the Internet Academy, providing further training to professionals skilled in the latest technologies; NICT, the world-leading institution for ICT research and development; and Welltool, offering multlingual translation solution services in over 100 languages, a true service for age of coronavirus.

You can visit all the virtual National Pavilions plus over a 100 industry stands, discover strategies, projects and partnership potential and ask direct questions through the chat function until November – at https://digitalworld2020.vn/virtual-exhibition.

 

A huge proliferation of numbers of devices, increased use of technology and a change in our working patterns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic are just some of the factors behind increases in cyberattacks. Panelists debated these factors, the risks and challenges we face, how to counter threats and safeguard ourselves as well as the complex regulation governing cybersecurity, during an informative session, ably moderated by Jason Harle, Senior Manager, Cyber Risk, Deloitte.

 

What’s behind the increase in cyberattacks?

One key driver is the rapid increase in  numbers of devices. These are being deployed at speed, and without necessarily following a due thought process in terms of security, according to Martin Yates, Chief Technology Officer, Global Digital Cities, Dell Technologies, Singapore. With some 80bn connected devices expected by 2025, the potential for attack is growing, and the challenge going forward will be protecting this “diversity of devices.”

For Amanda Craig, Director, Cybersecurity Policy, Microsoft, it’s also a question of technology. Alongside a rapid growth in devices, is a widespread adoption of new data-generating technologies, such as IoT, being used together with existing legacy technology, which may not be prepared for today’s technology landscape. Critical functions are increasingly being carried out online, she explained, adding to potential attack targets. Nevertheless, despite an increased awareness amongst global governments of potential cyberthreats, plus more strategies to combat them, criminal groups are also rapidly evolving to harness the landscape around them, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, for targeting new attacks.

For Leonard Sim, Head of Presales APAC, Kaspersky, a mix of increasingly sophisticated threats, coupled with the shift in working patterns has helped increase number of attacks. As companies hastened to focus on the usability of technology in order to facilitate remote working, security was often overlooked, he explained. Increased phishing attacks have capitalized on the pandemic, providing false links to COVID-19 information or sending fake instructions for workers to share credentials.  In the workplace, most users work with a “perimeter built around the organization to safeguard its security” noted Americo Muchanga, Chairman, Communications Regulator Authority of Mozambique (INCM)Mozambique, which may not be there in a remote environment.  Mindsets towards security still need to be changed, however. In most cases, he explained, security is not seen as an investment, indeed most users only remember security issues when there is a problem. Security must be addressed in a proper way, if not “we could kill the advantage the digital space brings to all of us.” Security threat awareness also needs to be increased among users, he added.

 

Risks and challenges as we expand into cyberspace

As companies employ more and more digital tools and every device produces moredata, there is a risk of overload. Some companies still operate in a silo system, leaving them unable to deal with a threat in a systemic way, explained Edward Lim, MacAfee Enterprise Technology Specialist, MacAfee, Singapore. At the same time, as processes are put in place, staff must be correctly trained in order to help them respond to challenges.

Increasing quantities of data are being stored, for a host of different purposes, legitimate and malicious, and cannot always be officially checked. People must be more aware of risks, said Wojciech Wiewiórowski, The European Data Protection Supervisor, EDPS, rather than assuming someone is checking and certifying on their behalf.

“We are dealing with unprecedented levels of risk,” warned Tien Minh Hoang, Deputy Director General, Authority of Information Security, MIC, Viet Nam, with highly skilled criminals who have access to resources. Children and elderly people are particularly vulnerable targets for cybercriminals. “These users don’t have the knowledge or skills to protect themselves in cyberspace,” he added, noting that the digital transformation will expand cyberspace, and this hyperconnected cyberspace will bring cybersecurity to a new level, with new responsibilities and opportunities. “Only with a good cooperation between government and industry can we address the new landscape post COVID-19” he said.

 

Defense against cyberattack

Commenting on the results of an in-session poll on factors hindering the successful defence of cyberattacks and privacy breaches, Lim outlined his potential solutions. These included building an ecosystem into the solution, and crucially sharing intelligence with others. Organizations need to subscribe to good intelligence and use this to proactively enhance defence he said. In addition, they should utilize technology to block known, obvious threats. In this way, only complex attacks will require human intervention, he explained.

Echoing Sim’s earlier comments, Yates agreed that companies may take their eyes off security as they focus on business. Increasing awareness is also essential in defending against attacks. Security should not “be seen as someone else’s problem, it should be something we all take care of.” We should be ready to understand, respond, run through security drills like firedrills, to check how we will respond. This should become part of best practise, he explained.

Muchanga was not surprised by the poll results, which indicated a number of factors could hinder defences. For him it’s also a question of many factors; number of devices, lack of funding, information overload. To be successful, we must try and focus on all these issues, he explained. The more people trained to deal with issues, the more devices with security built in the better. The more we increase awareness, the more effective we will be.  For Wiewiórowski, raising risk awareness is also essential. One way to help with this is sharing of guidelines on managing risk, although for this to be effective, they need to be in clear, understandable language and circulated to all members of an organization, not only those in IT.

Panelists pondered how we -citizens, users, the private sector, government and regulators can counter cyberthreats. Having the right strategy is key, according to Muchanga, to protect critical assets, alongside properly resourced and trained people. Sharing an interesting parallel uncovered by Kaspersky labs between COVID-19 and cybercrime, Sim explained how organizations can adapt their cyber defences along similar lines to those used against COVID-19. Firstly, getting the right intelligence, as with the virus, we need reliable information on the threat we face. Secondly, they need to deploy an effective detection and trace system, tracking the cyberthreat, even if hidden. Thirdly, they need to increase awareness of cyberrisk management, which he likened to our own recent increased awareness of the importance of correct handwashing to protect against COVID. In this way, organisations and governments can get more information to end users to help contain the spread of threats.

Cyberrisk management can help us counter risk, explained Craig. Deployed correctly, it can help organizations understand and mitigate the nature of risks, threats, vulnerabilities and crucially, consequences of a data breach.  Organizations also need to stay ahead of the game, cautioned Yates, looking to what the threat will resemble in two years time, to try and roadmap out the next set of threats.

Assessing the results of cyberattacks and identifying how the attack was carried out is part of an organization’s social responsibility and accountability, according to Wiewiórowski. Only cooperation with those on the frontline of the attack can give us the knowledge of what has happened or could happen in future.

Forging trust is essential, according to Hoang, between governments, citizens and the industry, so that they can all work together, particularly in areas such as child online protection. Collaboration must be forged nationally and internationally at dialogues such as ITU Virtual Digital World 2020, he explained, in order to build a common ground. He called for more global and regional initiatives to enhance cybersecurity and trust building.

 

Navigating a myriad of rules and regulations

A range of different rules for cybersecurity and data protection, at regional and national levels can often overlap, explained Wiewiórowski. These can then be further complicated by different sectoral regulations for storing data. As a result, the same incident may trigger a raft of different responses according to each area or sector’s own regulations, he explained. Jurisdictions need to be less fragmented.

Amidst this complicated regulatory backdrop, there are two different regulatory approaches to cybersecurity and privacy, explained Muchanga, either topdown or horizontal. In sectors which are already mature in terms of cybersecurity awareness, a horizontal approach can be used, where government can put in place mechanisms and then each area can deal with its own implementation. But in less cybersecurity-mature areas, a top down approach is needed, overseeing each level in turn. Added to this, each organization needs its own policy, alongside national regulations. And in addition to the multitude of regulations, checks need to be made to check they are being followed.

Cutting through this regulatory jungle can prove complex. Not only can regulations directly impact organizations, explained Craig, but also indirectly through their cross sectoral supply chain, meaning approaches are sometimes duplicated.

 

Closing thoughts

In a more connected world, with more networks, and more risk, we need more security “or we are doomed” concluded Muchanga. “We need to learn from the pandemic, adapt our defences,” Said Sim. We need intelligence to know our threats, the ability to detect and trace them and to build awareness and educate end users to protect themselves. In a complex environment, technology can empower but also involve risks, said Craig. Implementing risk management is a foundation step to help support understanding.

Let’s help senior citizens to share the joys of modern applications but help them avoid pitfalls said Yates. In cyberspace, we need “cyberagility,” concluded Hoang. We need to adapt, be agile and respond quickly to cyberattacks.

Wrapping up the session, ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao explained his background in ITU beginning by working on X509, then X400 and X500 recommendations. From then on, he explained “ITU tried to make the best, most secure systems to offer the public.” Yet even for early internet pioneers, security was not “their first concern,” he told participants, echoing sentiments voiced by panelists earlier in the session. Outlining ITU’s commitment to security, he explained that ITU had “always put security high on the agenda,” including with special taskforces dedicated to the area. The question of security is a geopolitical debate, linked to national security. He commended the debate today, which allowed experts to put forward their views. He expressed hopes that all stakeholders will work together with ITU, so we can assure a safe cyberspace including for the 3.6bn who have yet to be connected.

Phan Tam, Deputy Minister of information and communications, Viet Nam then formally closed the session by thanking all delegates and ITU, inviting all to continue the debate in the physical event to be held in October 2021 in Viet Nam at ITU Digital World 2021.

Setting the scene for the second set of discussions on the role of digital technologies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic,  moderator Doreen Bogdan Martin, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU, reminded delegates of the essential nature of broadband, explaining how, in a world polarized by growing inequalities, broadband was “emerging as a rich-world commodity; plentiful in a tiny handful of wealthy nations, scarce and costly in most of the world, and quite simply non-existent for a full half of all humanity.”

Yet it is the countries which could most benefit from the transformational power of broadband that are the least likely to have access. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has injected a new urgency into the drive for connectivity, how can we harness that unprecedented tide of political will to put digital at the centre of our global recovery, and build back better with broadband? She asked.

Opening the debates, H.E. Phan Tam, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Information and Communications, Viet Nam, told delegates that “the pandemic has speeded up digital transformation in every area.” ICT has proven vital during the pandemic, helping countries adapt and respond to the many challenges posed. Now is the time to get our lives back to the new normal and focus on building the digital world together, he explained. “ITU has a bigger role to play, supporting the digital plans of its member states, and promoting global cooperation to build a digital world,” he told participants.

ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao spoke on the importance of cooperation between stakeholders. “The time for operating in silos is over, and the new digital world must be built on cooperation,” he said. COVID-19 has accelerated the digital transformation and caused a huge cultural change, opening up unprecedented opportunities, he explained.

Panelists from government, regulators and the ICT industry then shared views on these opportunities, the challenges they had faced, the acceleration of digital transformation and how the pandemic had underlined the vital importance of connectivity.

For Costa Rica, explained H.E. Paola Vega Castillo, Minister, Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Telecomunicaciones, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the essential role of connectivity and digital literacy. During the pandemic, a steering committee was convened, comprising network providers, regulators and governments, to cooperate in key areas such as ensuring networks were able to meet the growing demand from increased traffic, which has surged since the start of the pandemic, defining responses to changes and disseminating vital information. Work will continue on measures to increase digital literacy and boost connectivity, and also to enable students to continue studies online, she said.

Over the last 10 years, Fiji has embarked on major network upgrades, building telecentres, facilitating affordable smartphones and e-government and, fortuitously, as H.E. Mr. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Fiji’s Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Civil Service and Communications, Ministry of Communications put it “unwittingly adapting to the crisis long before we had heard of it.” A mere 10 years ago the consequences of a global pandemic would have been more serious, he explained. The pandemic has now accelerated the adoption of digital technology and the country has been able to build on these foundations and use digital technology to navigate the crisis, employing tools such as track and trace apps or m-payment to help promote a COVID safe economic recovery. Fiji’s digital transformation will continue, as it is essential for long term economic security and prosperity, he explained.

Regulatory priorities have been transformed by the pandemic, as “having quality access now has never been as important,” according to Uruguay’s Mercedes Aramendia, President, Unidad Reguladora de Servicios de Comunicaciones (URSEC). We must help enable access to services, promote innovation and entrepreneurship, support consumers and citizens’ rights and teach the right digital skills, she explained. But this work must encompass the whole ecosystem – one single regulatory action is not enough and we must all work together, she concluded.

Despite the demands placed on networks by so many people staying at home during the pandemic, “the networks are coping in spite of challenges in voice and data traffic” Ulf Pehrsson, Vice President and Head of Government & Industry Relations, Ericsson told participants. “Connectivity now needs to be at the front and centre of policy concerns,” he explained. The technology to support global connectivity is now available – and, echoing the words of Fiji’s Sayed-Khaiyum, better able to cope with the pandemic than it would have been 10 years ago. International organizations such as ITU have a key role to play with activities and events such as WRC and the Broadband Commission. Governments and regulators must make spectrum available and promote investments for 5G, although the focus should be on 4G in emerging markets, he noted.

COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of digital transformation, according to H.E. Johnny Gerard Plate, Minister, General Secretariat of Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Indonesia, and the country plans to capitalize on this momentum by rolling out last mile infrastructure, deploying 4G and satellite access to reach full coverage of public access points. Key priorities will be filling the digital skills gap, focussing on data privacy regulation to create an environment for mutually beneficial cross border data flow. “We need to seize this opportunity to seek solutions to our problems,” explained Plate.

H.E. Thansamay Kommasith, Minister, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, Lao PDR, shared valuable lessons learned from the pandemic, including how it had underlined the need for stable and affordable connectivity, and, crucially, for a cooperative, multi-stakeholder approach encompassing public and private sectors.  The country will “continue to work with stakeholders to harness ICT and digital technologies” he explained. So far, this cooperation has enabled progress in key areas such as accelerating mobile money usage as well as working with the postal sector to come up with innovative solutions to benefit citizens.

For Kuwait the pandemic has “contributed to the acceleration of infrastructure deployment,” according to H.E Salim Al-Ozianah, Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA). Indeed, many measures have been undertaken to leverage the potential of digital technologies, from supporting virtual government agencies to enabling crucial work in areas such as ensuring food security, network capacity, and increasing capacity of land and sea cables. Moving forward, as part of its acceleration of digitalisation, the country will be studying future applications of technology such as AI or IoT, explained Al-Ozianah.

Like many others across the globe “our daily routines shifted into the digital sphere,” said Amir Azeem Bajwa, Chairman, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. Boosting telemedicine capacities, disseminating urgent information on the virus, enforcing lockdowns and tracking the disease were some immediate digital priorities brought about by the pandemic, and “hard lessons were learned” according to Azeem Badwa. But public and private sector players all rose to meet the challenges – including the impact on revenues- and supported the government’s work with services such as subsidised broadband, free access e-learning, free SMS or public service announcements. Moving forward, the focus will be on fiberisation, providing mobile broadband to the underserved. There will be gaps in the ecosystem, he told participants, but we are committed to closing the digital divide and ensuring emergency readiness of our networks in future.

The pandemic has “made apparent the urgency to bridge the digital divide,” according to Julie Welch, VP of Government Affairs APAC, Qualcomm. It has underscored the need for private sector and governments to enhance connectivity and broadband infrastructure. Boosting connectivity can help pave the road to recovery across all industries and nations, she explained. 5G technology will be a key driver for growth and innovation, bringing forth new business models, and yet-to-be imagined use cases. Using the platform provided by the Ministerial Roundtable, Welch called for policy makers to “release frequency spectrum so that it can be used by 5G. The full potential of 5G can only be realized with access to a range of frequency bands.”

In the Kyrgyz Republic, government, business and citizens all came together in the face of the pandemic. Operators stepped in to give special discounts for students and teachers, to help enable and encourage online learning. Moving forward, explained H.E. Altynbek Ismailov, Chairman, State Committee of Information Technologies and Communications, Kyrgyz Republic, the country will build on efforts of the government’s digital transformation strategy, including a focus on building digital resilience, deploying cloud based systems, particularly where traffic is high, strengthening cybersecurity and ensuring the population are equipped with the correct digital skills, such as in terms of distance learning provision, so that education will not be disrupted by any future pandemics.

Responding to the pandemic, Afghanistan moved to ensure its students in higher education were able to keep accessing the internet and learning programmes. The country also targeted telemedicine initiatives in remote areas, as well as boosting e-government capacity and helping its citizens take part in paperless society through digitalisation and removing bureaucracy. Moving forward, explained Ahmad Masood Latif Rai, Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Policy and Program, Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Science, the country has signed a number of agreements for trade with neighbouring countries including India, meaning it can work as a digital hub between Asia, Europe and other nations.

With the impact of COVID-19 felt across all sectors in Iraq, particularly health and education, government and regulators directed measures to support these sectors such as granting free hotspots in hospitals or helping facilitate online study, also in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. Ali Naser AI-Khwildi, Chief Executive Officer, Communications and Media Commission (CMC), Iraq, explained how vital measures were also put into place to show citizens how to protect themselves and their families, such as an enquiries hotline or key information being given out over mobile networks. An MoU has been signed with UNESCO to provide free internet in schools in Iraq. Al-Khwildi asked ITU to encourage all states to fully cooperate with all stakeholders to “help provide accessible and affordable digital services, most importantly to remote areas to make sure that no one is left behind.”

According to Mabito Yoshida, Vice-minister for policy coordination, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan, the “challenge now is to use the pandemic in order to change society for the better.” For Japan, this has meant providing connectivity for all to ensure there are no gaps in key areas such as education or health, harnessing technology such as remote diagnostic apps to diagnose COVID-19. Yoshida used the occasion to remind delegates of the recent Connect2Recover initiative, launched by ITU with support from Japan and Saudi Arabia, which reinforces affordable and reliable connectivity in beneficiary countries as they adjust to the “new normal.”

Working together with its digital community and infrastructure, Moldova has focussed on supporting programmes in areas such as simplifying mobile payments, ID systems and e-commerce to meet users changing needs and behaviour in the face of the crisis, as well as responding, like others, to changing traffic and usage patterns, explained H.E. Vitalie Tarlev, State Secretary for ICT, Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, Moldova. The COVID-19 pandemic has also provided the opportunity for policy makers to observe and plan their digital roadmap in the future and prepare the correct legislation- and has spurred the tracking of at least three new sets of digital legislation through parliament, to help the country return to the new normal, he explained.

Once the pandemic struck, according to Roberto Sanchez, Spain’s Secretary of State of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, the focus shifted toward keeping networks in operation, with measures deployed  to ensure this including agreements with operators to help people stay connected or reinforced customer service channels to respond to incidents. One key pandemic-driven element noted by Sanchez – and shared by a number of different countries and operators- was the increase in traffic levels and pattern in this traffic. Moving forward, “every crisis brings with it an opportunity” explained Sanchez. To seize this opportunity, the country’s digital agenda now includes finalising fibre to the home rollout, fostering 5G, strengthening digital competencies in schools and across the population, cybersecurity, and encouraging companies, including SMEs, to operate business digitally. It will also include using digital tools to mitigate sectors impacted by the pandemic, such as tourism or the automotive industry.

Digital is now a major priority, according to Frédéric Genta, Country Chief Digital Officer of the Principality of Monaco, who outlined the three point approach being deployed by the Principality to address this; accelerating infrastructure rollout, including 5G- which was launched a year ago; enabling every company wishing to become digital to do so, by equipping them with the right technology and support, including financial; and ensuring the population all possess the correct skillset to flourish in the digital economy. “We want every company to move to digital, and to make sure every person has the right opportunities to live in the digital world,” he explained.

Concluding the interventions, Bocar Ba, CEO, SAMENA Council, reminded participants of the outcomes of the high-level industry roundtable meeting ITU had recently held virtually. The private sector wishes to see more engaged government roles and policy on broadband deployment, he explained, including a review of current taxation models and regimes. These must include all players, he said, “those with and without their own infrastructure.” New approaches in funding need to be adopted. Our hyperconnected world needs a technology neutral culture, utilizing cloud and hybrid connectivity solutions, building trust and incentivising partnerships, he reminded participants. Regulators should ensure a level playing field in key areas including infrastructure sharing, flexible, affordable spectrum and licensing fees. We should also leverage other utility networks for broadband and anticipate now putting together a framework for digital development, he concluded.

Wrapping up the session, moderator Doreen Bogdan-Martin drew on some of the key elements discussed by panelists, including how they have and will use the crisis as an opportunity to accelerate digital transformation, particularly in areas such as e-health and online learning. Panelists have provided great examples of their efforts in connecting the last mile, tackling disinformation, raising awareness, pioneering new uses for digital technology such as remote diagnostics or forging new cooperation including with the postal service, she noted. We must connect and collaborate to help recover, and to ensure no one is left behind.

Summing up, ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao told participants that, thanks to work in the last decade and continued good development of broadband and applications of new technology, people are now much more connected, even during COVID-19. We must continue this work, together with our partners, so that people across the world can benefit from ICT, and so that the SDGs are achieved, he concluded.

The speed, reliability and capacity offered by 5G has the potential to change how we work and live in ways we cannot yet imagine. It is an essential part of the digital solution to post-COVID social and economic recovery, driving cost and energy efficiency at scale and bridging the digital divide. But 5G is only part of that solution. Much like the industry itself, 5G can only realize its full promise through collaboration – with different stakeholders, technologies, industries, and end-users.

This was one of the key findings from this highly-informative discussion on the edge of the 5G era, ably moderated by ITU’s Diana Tomimura.

 

Use cases: from consumer to industry, vertical sectors, private networks and beyond

In his opening contribution to the debate, Jeff Edlund, Chief Technology Officer, Communications Media & Solutions, Enterprise Services Hewlett-Packard, emphasized how 5G is revolutionising the way communications is delivered and to whom: “4G was technology designed to connect everyone. 5G is technology designed to connect everything.”  The goal is to connect everything, everywhere, all the time – and the convergence of IT and ICTs is at the heart of this revolution.

Current deployment is driven by consumer business, with end users enjoying enhanced speed and capacity as a largely premium-free add on to 4G, said Kai Sahala, Head of Global Sales Development, Mobile Networks, Nokia. Making good on the 5G promise of rich content requires investment, strategic orchestration and clear business cases. “Today the use is primarily for mobile broadband for consumers, but the big picture is the next phase which is industrial, IoT – and which is where 5G really fits,” he continued. Digital has replaced the physical in content and media; it cannot replace physical production in the same way, but it can enhance it, especially in combination with AI, machine learning, robotics and cloud. The recent Nokia 5G business readiness report anticipates a potential contribution to global GDP of some 8 trillion USD by 2030, an opportunity for enterprises, operators and vendors alike in industrial sites around the world.

Speaking on behalf of KT, an operator already advanced in its 5G deployment, Jemin Chung, Task Force Leader, Institute of Convergence Technology, saw two categories of use. Firstly, mobile broadband media streaming with multiple points of view broadcasting, high speed and lower delay, all of lends itself naturally to commercial use. User experience can be improved with head-mounted devices or smart glasses – likely to increase in relevance and uptake as so many conferences, meetings and educational events move online due to COVID-19.

The second main use case is in industrial and social infrastructure such as autonomous cars and smart factories, monitoring manufacturing processes and automating otherwise dangerous tasks. Here, network slicing and integrating public and private networks will enable new services attractive enterprise customers, Chung said, creating “a new approach to customers in building dedicated networks for enterprises.”

The move to enterprise use cases is already underway, pointed out Sanjay Kaul, President, Service Provider Business, Cisco Asia Pacific and Japan, with proof of concept and field trials underway in many companies. Network slicing, standalone 5G networks and networks combining 5G with existing LTE anchor layers provide different approaches to different sectors and industries. Logistics, manufacturing and transportation, for example, may benefit from deploying private networks (given suitable spectrum availability), whereas consumer use cases are likely to build on current 4G provisions. And there is a need to create awareness of the addition value of 5G, amongst both consumers and enterprises.

Kaul echoed the importance of 5G as a highly efficient architecture in industrial sectors such as smart manufacturing, highlighting how the automation of mining processes in Australia has already dramatically cut costs, increased efficiency and improved staff safety. The current pandemic has spurred the adoption of technology in healthcare, too, traditionally resistant to digitization due to the industry structure and regulatory system. Future use cases include remote diagnosis, treatment and even surgery to overcome the global shortage of doctors. Individual enterprises are also beginning to look at licencing their own small area networks to fast track digitization and increase efficiency. But there will not be one single killer app or leading country: instead, he urged, the whole ecosystem, including vendors, operators and app developers, should experiment and invest to create a whole range of individual killer cases.

There is no single killer app, agreed Mohamed Madkour, VP Global Wireless & Cloud Core Networks Marketing & Solutions, Huawei, but there might be a killer experience or killer business model.  And 5G alone will not create the revolution. Digital transformation and the creation of super powerful, deterministic, secure and reliable networks, will come about through 5G along with distributed computing, AI, cloud, industry applications – and people with skills, talent and creativity.

 

The value of networks

Beyond the core attributes of massive connectivity, capacity and low latency, Kaul sees the true significance of 5G in the network architecture. Creating intelligent, efficient, programmable networks, will enable the extreme automation of processes, reduced costs and increased efficiency – releasing enormous additional value. The first priority should be flattening the network, removing the complexities accrued over generations of technological development and moving the point of consumption closer to the intelligent core. Using modulization and cloudification, and treating data as it is produced, will enable the instant gratification that 5G offers – and thereby maximise monetization.

Creating a new set of services and apps will be part of that monetization, he continued. Network slicing to meet the needs of vertical sectors and enterprise will reduce up to 40% of production costs – but “it takes the full ecosystem to draw out the value of the technology”. Fully exploiting the power of 5G means developing core applications for industry specialists, government and consumers.

Thomas Sennhauser, Chief Technologist and Business Lead, Network and Communication Business APJ, Intel Corporation, agreed that “5G gives an opportunity to really drive technologies such as cloudification and virtualization to the next level, providing the opportunity to open up the network, which is critical to success.” It is the open ecosystem that will drive growth, enable software development and open up markets, he stressed.

 

It’s all in the technology mix

For Ryan Johnson, Senior Director, Global Market Access & Government Affairs, Viasat, “5G is a network of networks,” with significant architectural changes at its core and edge, but operating as part of a family of technologies including mobile, fixed wireless access, satellite, wifi and small cells. Network diversity will improve service, security and resilience as we move more and more of our lives and livelihoods onto digital architecture. Wifi will remain a critical complimentary partner in reaching ubiquitous connectivity, as well as satellites used to connect remote sensor networks, smart factories or 5G services on the move on trains, buses or ships.

Satellite is an integral part of the 5G promise, continued Johnson, but its maximum potential is as part of a heterogeneous network (HetNet), extending the reach of the network over large, remote and otherwise difficult to reach areas, connecting machines and vehicles on the move, and providing connectivity directly to the end user in millions of homes, as well as in IoT applications such as smart cities, telehealth, and precision agriculture. “Satellite can ensure all the gains of 5G are evenly distributed, making cloudification concepts available to all” as part of a set of networks, he added.

HP’s Edlund emphasized the need to use multiple different networks and technology solutions to provide seamless connectivity. A HetNet should include wifi as the predominant technology inside buildings, with enabling standards and gateways allowing multiple het nets to cooperate, keep devices (and users) always connected and provide some of the massive bandwidth capabilities needed for 5G to deliver. Wifi, wifi 6, 4G and satellites are all important parts of this: “All of this one big heterogeneous network play is needed to meet the demands of enterprise, industry and consumers to stay on the network all of the time and access services all of the time”.

5G is not driving digital transformation by itself. It is part of a suite of new technologies in which carriers are investing, including AI, cloud computing, edge computing, and industrial applications according to Madkour. “It is rare to see a 5G user case or business model without AI or edge computing, so to see value for 5G, ICT is essential,” he said. And the rapid deployment of 5G should be accompanied by continued investment in 4G networks as the current basis of universal connectivity, with carriers looking to add on 5G where and when it makes commercial sense. “The synergy and coordination of 4G and 5G is important,” he stressed, also mentioning the demand for fixed wireless access systems to both complement and compete with fibre networks, reducing the cost per bit.

Speaking of the upcoming launch of the first 5G commercial network in Vietnam, Le Ba Tan, Deputy Director General of Viettel Net, echoed the importance of retaining and maintaining current 4G networks whilst deploying 5G in parallel. 5G “will be the fundamental network architecture serving the digital economy” – but as part of an ecosystem of governments  issuing relevant policies, operators –deploying networks in a cost-efficient way, vendors – developing the technology, and, finally, the end users driving demand for new services.

Fibre infrastructure is also important in both backhaul and fronthaul to support increase in data. KT’s Chung explained how most of Korea Telecom’s 5G cells are built on 4G sites to reduce costs, with fibre, 4G-5G sharing mechanisms and infrastructure sharing within and between operators key to rolling out 5G networks beyond densely-populated urban centres.

 

The role of government

“We are living in a time of pandemic which has highlighted the important role of connectivity in keeping economies and societies ticking, so now governments are taking more interest in digital infrastructure and 5G as the next generation,” stated Mani Manimohan, Head of Digital Infrastructure Policy & Regulation GSMA. He outlined four principal stakeholders for 5G: mobile industry operators embracing 5G innovation in response to ever-increasing consumer demands; other industry sectors exploring digital transformation and looking to add 5G to the mix of new technologies; governments viewing 5G as a driver of sustainable economic growth and key to 4^th industrial revolution policies; and consumers demanding higher data throughputs.

Government has a key role to play in supporting the private sector in 5G deployment, particularly as high levels of investment are required before enabling services and industrial application business cases have solidified. Manimohan recommended that policy makers adopt a range of measures including ensuring optimal deployment conditions by facilitating site access planning approval, regulatory flexibility on infrastructure sharing and the monetization of different services, and taxation and pricing policies to incentivize investment. Digital infrastructure policies should be actionable, streamlined and clearly harmonize EMF limits in accordance with international guidelines, he continued, emphasizing once again that there is no scientific evidence of any harmful effects of 5G and related EMF transmissions within those guidelines.

Phan Tam, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication, Vietnam, agreed on the role of national administrations, asking that “5G deployment be driven by consumer and business needs. The government must just enable process, safeguard competition and technology neutrality, and ensure the overall efficiency of the 5G process.”

 

5G for social responsibility

Madkour pointed out that the success of 5G depends on the cost, experience and efficiency of 5G. And efficiency does not just mean only improving the cost per bit ratio – it also means improving spectrum efficiency and reducing high energy consumption. 5G may be much more efficient than 4G, but it is still part of an industry which consumes 20% of total electricity. Building an intelligent digital platform at component, site, network and services level will make 5G environmentally sustainable as well as economically valuable – after all, “5G energy efficiency is not just a business issue, but also a social responsibility.”

As is bridging the digital divide. Viasat’s Johnson reminded participants that satellites will serve humanitarian purposes and ensure that millions of people are not left behind without connectivity. All stakeholders need to consider how the network of networks can be deployed globally for everyone, including ensuring regulatory stability, hybrid networks and conducive business environments as “with the right mix of technology, we can achieve the promise of 5G and close the digital divide, making sure technology can bring about a more equitable society.”

And in the light of the global economic downturn following the COVID-19 pandemic, we must ensure that technology is affordable and its benefits available to all – critical to take into account when designing 5G.

 

Final 5G takeaways

5G is not just another generation, it is a technology with a promise for new revenue creation for telcos and the entire ecosystem, said Kaul. 5G architecture will help operators to increase efficiency, and hyper data will breed amazing amounts of innovation. “When 5G comes into force it will be a critical technology to enable the new normal – a digital and efficient normal,” he added.

ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao reminded participants that despite common agreement on 5G’s suitability for industrial applications, “we have 7 billion mobile phone users who will become 5G users in the future” – a huge market with wide-ranging expectations and market opportunities that both SMEs and large companies will be able to meet.

The panelists stressed once more the importance of collaboration, with policy makers, operators, vendors and customers working together with network operators, device manufacturers, service providers and vertical industry sectors to “build a common platform on which to build the new normal for personal, industrial, social and economic transformation,” according to Chung.

“The technology is ready, but without cooperation between government, citizens and the private sector, we won’t be able to make it available to everyone, everywhere,” agreed moderator Tomimura.

Summing up the session, Edlund concluded: “5G will touch every facet of digital life, it will affect the way we work, how we work and where we work – and be a catalyst for innovation we have not yet dreamed of. So let’s embrace it, and go on this journey together.”

National Pavilions in the virtual exhibition provide a fascinating overview of the world of digital technologies – as well as insights into national digital strategies and priorities, key contacts and partnership possibilities.

Alongside host Vietnam and exhibition newcomer Timor-Leste, for example, Zambia’s online stand highlights the country’s commitment to ensuring the safety of children in cyberspace. Its new National Child Online Protection strategy focuses on capacity building, raising awareness of the issue and putting organizational structures into place. Rapid growth in Zambia’s ICT sector has seen penetration rates of over 89% for mobile and over 50% for internet by year-end 2019. Much of that internet usage is amongst young people, who are particularly vulnerable to online dangers from cyberbullying to violence, obscenity and fake news – demonstrating just how important this initiative is.

India’s Department of Telecom (DoT) is focused on accelerating the growth of telecom services as a critical tool for socio-economic development – and its virtual showcase is an opportunity to connect with the organization in charge of rolling out robust, secure, seamless broadband networks across the nation, with particular emphasis on connecting the unconnected in rural and remote regions.

Rural telecommunications is one of the specialities of engineering company TCIL, joined in the online exhibition by Indian research and development agency C-DOT – the “torch bearer of indigenous telecom R&D.” Other government partners include export platform TEPC and manufacturer TI Limited with products from wifi access boxes to optical fibre cable and smart energy meters.

 

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) in Korea plays a key role in creating added value, jobs and growth engines for national development through ICTs. Its virtual showcase offers a chance to explore in full its Digital New Deal to promote cross-sector digital innovation by strengthening the data, network, and artificial intelligence network in response to, and recovery from, the COVID-19 crisis. Lessons learnt, experiences shared, expertise outlined – and the opportunity to move forward together in building back better.

Through the terrible experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has learnt first-hand just how indispensable digital technologies are for the functioning of our economies, societies and individual lives. It has also laid bare the stark realities of the digital divide, both between and within developed and developing economies. But the message from the first of the Ministerial Roundtables at ITU Virtual Digital World 2020 is clear – the great challenge of global crisis offers great opportunities for the ICT community to come together and accelerate digital transformation on an unprecedented scale.

In the words of ITU Deputy Secretary-General and session moderator Malcolm Johnson, “Never before has so much reliance been placed on ICTs, and never before have they been so much appreciated.” Digital technologies are a key part of building back better for a safer, more connected and more sustainable world for all – with collaboration and cooperation between governments, private sector companies, universities, regional and international organizations critical to leveraging the full power of ICTs, connecting the 3.6 billion unconnected and accelerating economic and social recovery.

Welcoming the distinguished panel of high-level guests, Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications of Vietnam, highlighted how “ICTs have proved vital in helping us to adapt and respond to the challenges of living, working and learning remotely, becoming essential to the recovery of our economy and social activities.”  Digital transformation in Vietnam has been accelerated by a new national programme to create a more innovative, resilient and sustainable economy, focusing on institutional reform, cybersecurity and digital platforms. “Moving from the real world to the virtual one is one of the biggest challenges of mankind, and there is a long way to go. But we will go along with ITU and its member states in building the digital world, we will go together as we want to go far.”

ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao stressed the importance of cooperation between ICTs and other businesses in accelerating ICT development, based on the four principles of infrastructure, investment, innovation and inclusiveness.  He urged national government authorities to break down silos and coordinate their approach to digitization: “We simply cannot continue to do business as before. Let us seize this opportunity to accelerate progress towards connecting all of humanity. Let us work across borders and sectors to build back better together.”

Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Vu Duc Dam stressed the importance of international collaborative efforts such as today’s virtual meeting: “I believe that the Roundtables will significantly contribute to global victory over the pandemic, and technological knowledge, particularly Information Technology, will be utilized for a better world.”

Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, Minister of Communication, Science and Technology, Maldives, echoed the importance of ICTs in facilitating the response to the pandemic, providing information, social and economic activities to citizens throughout the island country even as usages levels doubled. Connectivity was “the most effective tool in keeping people virtually together and physically distant.” Ensuring quality coverage and affordable digital services will be critical to continued recovery, including addressing the significant costs of international connectivity and diversifying an economy largely dependent on tourism, one of the industry sectors most damaged by the global crisis.

In Cambodia, the government strategy for digital infrastructure development, technology adoption and capacity building has been accelerated by the increasing reliance on ICTs for people to stay connected, informed, working, studying and doing business. Puthyvuth Sok, Secretary of State, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, Cambodia, spoke of the need to introduce a conducive business environment and strengthen financial stability through diversification and innovation. Access and affordability are key, and can only be achieved by attracting investment in digital literacy, 5G and infrastructure. “We are committed to making sure digital technology is accessible and affordable to all to leverage recovery and speed up the economy. Collaboration with international partners is critical in providing technology for all,” he said.

Isa Ali Ibrahim, Minister of Communications & Digital Economy, Nigeria, raised a recurring theme throughout the discussions: how the pandemic has accelerated the implementation of digital transformation progammes and national strategies planned and in place, but perhaps yet to bear fruit. Broadband penetration in Nigeria has increased by ten percent in one year to date, with the country well on track to meet its target of 90% penetration by 2025; and digital technology has sustained government services and operations throughout the crisis with such success that “virtual engagement in federal government activities is now institutionalized”, with increased efficiency and savings in cost and time.

For Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, South Africa, COVID-19 has meant everyone, everywhere embracing technology and learning new ways of doing things – such as drones delivering medicines where ambulances could no longer go. The pandemic threw the inequalities of the digital divide into sharp focus, with remote and rural areas facing a real threat to life through lack of connectivity and information, whilst those lucky enough to be equipped with smart devices and broadband have been well positioned to adapt to remote working and schooling. The effect of the pandemic has fast-tracked digital technologies in every government service, but human capital development remains at the heart of economic and social development. Connecting everyone equally cannot be done by any nation alone, she said, urging international collaboration as, “it is time for integration. The time for silo operations is gone. Let us build the digital world as the new world.”

Collaboration is critical for Syria, too. Iyad Al Khatib, Minister of Communication and Technology, Syria, spoke of the need to “unify our efforts under the umbrella of ITU to overcome the consequences of the pandemic and find innovative solutions.” The use of digital technology in health, education and business has been critical, emphasizing the importance of rolling out high speed fixed and mobile broadband to enable quality voice, video and data services.  He highlighted two future areas of particular importance: AI and machine learning in predicting, diagnosing and preventing diseases, and cybersecurity in protecting data, privacy and networks.

Wilfredo González Vidal, First Vice Minister of Communications, Cuba, joined the call for global unity and cooperation in addressing the new challenges of the crisis – and the old ones of digital inequality. Cuba is promoting the use of ICTs as a key pillar to boost the economy and improve quality of life for all its citizens, but, he continued, “We call on ITU to continue to support in ICTs so that we can continue to face the situation and mitigate with solutions.”

Speaking from Finland, Pilvi Torsti, State Secretary from the Ministry of Transport and Communication, agreed that digital technologies had a major role to play in facing and overcoming COVID-19. The Finnish government’s immediate response involved the creation of a working group on digitization to assess the effects of the process as an emergency response, propose measures to speed up recovery and develop legislation to be more favourable to digital societies and businesses post recovery. Digitization, the group noted, took root at scale amongst the population in the course of the pandemic, as daily lives turned online, elderly people learnt to video chat and social lives turned virtual. As in Nigeria, provisional measures have become more permanent as, “the framework to digitize in society was already there – the leap forward pushed changes in the mindset of the people.”

Mirella Liuzzi, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economic Development of Italy, focused on the need to support micro, small and medium enterprises as the key to economic recovery, renewed production and technical advancement. “Making digital technology more affordable and accessible at national level will bridge the digital divide, allowing industrial progress and social inclusion,” she stated, highlighting how much of Italy’s population lives in small or rural villages where infrastructure and facilities for digital connectivity are critical to face the crisis, provide healthcare solutions and support economic recovery long term. “Implementing digital services is essential to overcome the difficulties of COVID and create conditions for a strong and lasting social economy,” she concluded.

For Isaias Barreto da Rosa, Chairman of the Board, ARME, Cape Verde, “the countries most successful in the fight against the pandemic are those who have relied on adoption of digital technologies and integration of those technologies into policy and healthcare.” But there is a downside to the dominance of digital technologies: the increased use of ICTs has exacerbated the digital divide and increased exposure to cyber attacks. “Our key priority now should be not just connectivity, but meaningful and affordable connectivity for all at this critical time.”

The government of Jordan monitored network usage continuously to support increase in demand as work, education, business, entertainment and social activities moved online en masse. Resiliency was key, explained Dr. Ghazi Al-Jobor, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners and CEO of Jordan’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, with measures such as temporary spectrum allocation and licencing changes ensuring network capabilities even as data traffic increased by over 30%. The boom in e-learning and e-commerce that has resulted may lead to those measures becoming permanent, he said, as people recognise the importance of digital technologies: “Next to medical services, I believe ICT has been the greatest help to our country in easing the burden (of the pandemic) and achieving social distancing” – and in growing the economy post-pandemic.

Mongolia’s quick response and effective management of the COVID-19 crisis has proved highly successful, with very low cases of infection and no community transmission at all. Digital technologies were hugely important in bringing this about, stressed Battsengel Bolor-Erdene, Chairwoman, Communications and Information Technology Authority, Mongolia: “COVID-19 is the first pandemic in human history where knowledge has been used on a massive scale to keep people safe, connected and informed at all times.” Mongolia will continue to roll out mobile and fixed infrastructure, narrowing the divide between urban centres and rural, remote areas, and supporting the private sector through credit and tax initiatives. It has also moved 181 of its high-demand government services online in the first stage of a five-year plan to enable citizens to access all documents, paperwork and applications from any device anywhere in the country – efficient, timely and socially-distanced.

“It is imperative that we work together as an international community to ensure all people are connected and respected in the digital age,“ said Keng Thai Leong, Director-General (International Affairs), Infocomm Media Development Authority, Singapore. The pandemic has severely affected lives, economies, global trade supplies and societies but has also brought digital technology into the global spotlight. Technology has been critical to tackling the virus through public health information campaigns and trace and track apps throughout the world, but has also been the source of much mis- and disinformation, with potentially damaging implications for trust between governments, industry and citizens. For Leong, as for Italy’s Liuzzi, fostering the growth of tech SMEs is the key to post-COVID recovery, transforming economies and deepening digital abilities.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder & Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, succinctly summed up one of the session’s key themes: “I am sure we all agree that we would not be able to imagine a world without connectivity during this vital time.” Healthcare and telecoms have emerged as the critical industries worldwide – and the digital ecosystem will only get stronger in the future. “We in the industry will remain steadfast in ensuring the best technology at the most affordable rates to all citizens of the world,” he continued, but government and regulators must provide the right support in terms of taxation policies, spectrum allocation and rights of way if the industry is to deliver on its promise as the provider of what is now clearly seen as an essential service.

Despite the increase in cyber criminality that has accompanied the dramatic upswing in digital usage, Kaspersky CEO Eugene Kaspersky remains positive. As individuals, schools, businesses and industrial services have moved on line, cyber attacks have risen by 20% compared to pre-COVID times – and are focusing more and more on critical infrastructure in governments, industrial systems and the financial sector. Awareness of the potential for cybercrime is critical, but Kaspersky is optimistic that we will benefit from the current crisis in the long term: “We will survive and move to a new cyber world with the 4^th Industrial Revolution and new cyber services. We are learning from this, how to work remotely and create new services, and the world in the future will be better.”

Echoing this positivity, Chris Wellise, Chief Sustainability Officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, pointed out that, “The disruption of COVID-19 is accelerating the need for agility, adaptability and transformation, not just in terms of the workforce moving online, but in the use of AI and edge to cloud technologies for a more sustainable economic recovery.” Rapid digitalization presents an opportunity to transform resource-intensive sectors with increased efficiency, resilience and reduced resources, speeding up the transition to a low-carbon circular economy.

Marc Vancoppenolle, Global Head of Government Relations at Nokia, highlighted once again how digital technology has become indispensable, with network traffic still at unprecedented highs as people continue to work and study from home.  Accelerating investment in broadband worldwide is essential to support that demand with meaningful connectivity, at the right speed and of the right quality for multiple use cases. “This is an opportunity to accelerate digital transformation, turning businesses into smart factories and future businesses with cloud, advanced analytics and 5G coming into play, “he said. But given the very different demands of new jobs and industries in the near future, “we need partnerships for skills as well as infrastructure” to prepare the workforce, and society as a whole.

The current pandemic has dramatically accelerated digital transformation with the potential for more sustainable and resilient economies and societies – so “let’s embrace that opportunity, and make it happen together.”

Appreciating the session’s wide-ranging and insightful discussions, moderator Malcom Johnson called for more knowledge-sharing, mutual support and collaboration to “move forward to a more sustainable and resilient future, taking forward the use of ICTs to improve lives everywhere and address recovery from COVID-19.”

The digital divide, traditionally interpreted as the distinction between those who have and don’t have access to ICTs and often as a developing country versus a developed country issue, is certainly no new concept. Now, however, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought a whole new meaning to the term. According to moderator Stewart White, CEO, Akhet Consulting, the divide has shown itself to also be a developed country issue, between those who have and can benefit from digital technologies, particularly broadband, to access information, education, health and news – and those who cannot. Now it has spotlighted these inequalities, will the COVID-19 pandemic act as the ultimate push for action in closing the digital divide?

COVID-19 Catalyst?

Panelists were clear that the pandemic had been a major driver to action, in different ways. According to Patricia Cooper, Vice President, Satellite Government Affairs, SpaceX, it underlined how “our ability to participate in this world is highly contingent on the backdrop of broadband.” This ability to connect is now no longer just a business requirement, it’s also an essential in the home, and traffic patterns have shifted to meet this.  The pandemic has been a major awareness builder, according to Angela Siefer, Executive Director, National Digital Inclusion Alliance. Where once an explanation as to why broadband was important might have been needed, this is no longer the case. It’s accepted as being critical. Progress on digital equity – where communities are able to freely access and effectively use digital technologies – is now “the genie that won’t go back in the bottle.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly demonstrated the essential nature of connectivity, according to Thieu Nam, Country Manager, Qualcomm Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, and across a host of areas including health, education or government services. The government of Viet Nam has undertaken a number of measures to actively tackle the pandemic as well as build digital infrastructure, rollout broadband across communities and ensure a nationwide 5G network, as well as working with partners to provide wireless access via affordable smartphones.

The pace of digitalization has accelerated across markets, according to Ralph Mupita, CEO, MTN, with no chance to go back to previous terms, in the opinion of António Nunes, CEO, Angola Cables. The pandemic has also shown the importance of infrastructure to keep the economy rolling.

Barriers to bridging the divide

A lack of connectivity, affordability, and having the right skills in place to adopt and benefit from digital technologies were key stumbling blocks identified by panelists.

The need for connectivity to bridge the digital divide is no longer only a developed/developing country phenomenon, with rural-urban divides opening up even in developed markets. Added into this is an explosion in home-based working which has caused, according to Mupita, a structural shift which wasn’t in evidence pre-COVID-19, meaning that connectivity is no longer required as urgently in financial or educational centres, but potentially more in rural locations.

The digital divide does not exist solely because of access, but also affordability, explained Nguyen Van Yen, Director of Technology and Network Department, VNPT. Affordable access devices are crucial to uptake. With 70% of its customers classified as low income, a key priority for MTN is stimulating the ecosystem to drive affordable handsets. Overcoming low levels of digital literacy is also essential.

Services need to be tailored to the needs and levels of digital literacy of the communities they will serve, explained Nunes, not just rolling out the same services to rural areas that are designed for cities. In terms of online education – an area which has become increasingly essential during the pandemic – the teachers need to be taught first before they can teach the children. And it is not just in education that the pandemic has put people across the world into roles which must now be provided online and for which they may now need new skills.

Closing the gap

Effective public/private partnerships, the right incentivization, the right technology and embracing players from across the industry ecosystem were key solutions put forward by panelists to bridge the digital divide.

Speakers agreed that public/private partnerships were essential in bridging the digital divide, but need to be effective and work for everyone. According to Mupita, the real conundrum in establishing partnerships is “the path through the next decade”. Investors need stability agreements, or a “social contract” so that they can look at a project over a 20 year time frame, backed by the appropriate enabling environment. According to White, governments setting particular targets, such as universal access within a short timeframe, need to work out how to make this affordable, and this is where incentives are needed. And these need to be then right incentives, pure commercial pressure to meet incentives does not work.

Joining the session as a panelist, ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao explained how he had taken part in the recent G20 meetings, where ICT is considered as an essential tool. ICT is a “profit-making business,” he explained, but must be supported, not just have money taken from it. Private sector investment is crucial for this, but authorities “need to create a good environment which will attract private sector investment.” Reducing infrastructure costs should be seen as a joint public and private sector objective.

Cooper called for a “recognition of the sense of urgency” on the part of all stakeholders. If there is a pressing need to connect, a technology that can reach, and a provider who is willing to invest then we should not add additional complexity to efforts to get to more citizens.

The right technology is also key to closing the gap. In recent years deploying mobile broadband has helped increase penetration, according to Nam, and a Viettel-supported project has helped provide fiber access to schools. VNPT has used mobile technologies in rural areas even providing access via drones or balloons in remote areas. The type of technology deployed, according to Nunes, will follow the demands of customers. In rural areas this could be via satellite, which works well in remote areas but in cities a mix of wireless and cable networks may be more appropriate. The right technology also needs to be backed by availability of relevant online, local language content.

Efforts to bridge the digital divide must incorporate all players across the industry ecosystem, including SMEs, who are rich sources of innovation and can offer a lot of talented ideas, according to ITU’s Houlin Zhao.

Summing up, Nunes noted that one point of change is how we now acknowledge each other. This is an inventive sector, said Cooper, we can solve a lot of problems and do good. Nam and Van Yen echoed the importance of public private partnerships, with the right incentives for governments and private sector, added Mupita. The solutions must tackle adoption, as well as availability, said Siefer, concluding the session.

Digital skills and education, the importance of public-private partnerships, a thriving tech startup environment and a focus on cybersecurity – key elements on display in the National Pavilions from around the world exhibiting online at ITU Virtual Digital World 2020.

Digital innovation is part of the national DNA in Finland – the country which brought us SMS, 5G and the Linux operating system. Finland’s success is built on active public-private sector cooperation, excellent education and digital capacity development, and a dynamic startup scene. With the highest number of digital startups per capita in the world and a culture of early adoption, it is a natural testbed for innovative global solutions.

Some of those on display in the virtual exhibition include Oivan’s network management system and cybersecurity solution; the PriveTX multi-purpose, high-security mobile device for critical voice, messaging and file transfer; and the Satel XPRS wireless router, a market leader in spectrally-efficient  mission-critical applications. And Finnish expertise is showcased in Omnitele’s future technology studies on 5G network evolution trends, spectrum analysis and data-driven predictive diagnoses.

Cuba’s digital sector is focused on software development, including products, services and applications for industry, business and society. The National Computerization Program is a central pillar in the country’s economic and social development strategy, with a strong emphasis on highly-skilled technical education and human capital. Cuba’s virtual pavilion highlights talent in the biotechnology industry and technical cooperation through ETI, health informatics specialists Oftel, software development company Desoft, and GEIC, a highly-experienced communications company committed to ensuring access to the information society is a universal right.

Connected Cambodia is the motto of the Ministry of Post, Telecommunications and ICT sectors in the Kingdom of Cambodia – and its vision is effective network infrastructure and accessible services to stimulate socio-economic development in the country, region and world. Its virtual pavilion features innovative solutions such as agritech firm SmartFarmAssistance, enabling soil measurements and remote irrigation by mobile phone; digital travel app BookMeBus; Osja Studio, the first Cambodian game development studio providing high-quality gaming experiences for mobile devices; and fintech specialist Bongloy, focused on open API for card issuance and digital payment infrastructure throughout Cambodia and South East Asia.

Innovation, technical excellence and digital talent are in abundance in this global virtual exhibition – open for a month online, generating contacts, ideas and opportunity.