PTA Chairman Dr Syed Ismail Shah said the theme of the conference was to collaborate in formulating and applying the regulations for a smart digital society. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: International Telecommuni-cation Union (ITU) Secretary General Houlin Zhao has announced that his organisation is looking to sponsor more professional training programmes in Pakistan in an effort to further develop capacity of the telecom sector.
Zhao was speaking at the inaugural session of the ITU-PTA Asia-Pacific Regulators Roundtable and the ITU-PTA International Training Programme (ITP) 2016 that started on Monday.
The event was organised by the Pakistan Telecommunica-tion Authority (PTA) and ITU and attended by representatives of more than 20 countries from the Asia-Pacific region.
He said the roundtable of regulators had particular importance as it was the first symposium in the region since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also referred to as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“ICTs (information and communication technologies) are the foundation upon which economic and social development can grow. ICTs have an incredible potential to improve development outcomes in both the developing and developed world,” he noted.
“All three pillars of sustainable development - economic development, social inclusion and environmental protection - need ICTs as key catalysts and ICTs will be absolutely crucial for achieving the SDGs.”
He said the Asia-Pacific region took its own initiative to organise the annual roundtable to provide telecommunication/ICT regulators in the region with a platform that fosters dynamic and strategic discussions as well as shares information, relevant experiences and practices.
He said it would debate on possible solutions and opportunities for potential collaboration to address the emerging regulatory issues and challenges.
Speaking on the occasion, Information Technology Minister Anusha Rahman said Pakistan was passing through a telecom revolution which was evident since telecom companies got more and more subscribers in the 3G and 4G segment.
“ICTs have become a way of life for Pakistan and their potential is to be used for innovation and technological advancements,” she said. “For this, we need to review the policies all the time and look at the regulatory paradigms that control the frameworks.”
PTA Chairman Dr Syed Ismail Shah said the theme of the conference was to collaborate in formulating and applying the regulations for a smart digital society. “Our vision is a vibrant telecom market with affordable access to services for consumers of all strata,” he said.
He stressed that every regulator of the region was playing its crucial role for the provision of better telecom services to consumers. “We need to re-imagine our regulatory approach in the wake of new trends and challenges,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 19th, 2016.
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