Regulatory Framework Asia Pacific region

1
Regulatory Framework Asia Pacific region

• Tasso Tzioumis
• Australia Telescope National Facility
• 11 June 2002

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Asia Pacific Region

• Primarily ITU Region 3
• Asia-Pacific Area excluding the Americas (region
  2 CITEL, CORF)
• Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT)
• Radio Astronomy Frequency Committee in the Asia
  Pacific region (RAFCAP)
• Pacific Telecommunications Council
• (includes the Americas!)

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References

• CRAF handbook for frequency management
• Web pages
• APT www.aptsec.org
• RAFCAP (under construction) www.atnf.csiro.au/atz
  ioumi/rafcap
• PTC www.ptc.org
• (Links from CRAF pages)

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National Administrations

• Region diverse in languages and cultures
• Mostly single Communications Administration e.g.
  Australian Communications Authority (ACA)
• Cover all ITU sectors
• Web pages often difficult due to language
• (East Asia Chinese script)

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APT 1

• Asia Pacific Telecommunity
• www.aptsec.org
• The MAJOR spectrum organisation in the region
• Treaty level inter-governmental agreement
• National communications ministries or
  communication administrations
• Established in 1979

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APT 2

• 32 full members
• 4 associate members
• 50 affiliate members providers of
  telecommunication services in the region
• Resolution to invite private and government
  sector companies and organisations
• ? 46 companies/organisations

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APT Objectives

• To Correlate Planning, Programming and
  Development of Telecommunication Networks
• To Promote the Implementation of all Agreed
  Networks
• To Assist in Development of National Components
  of Efficient Networks
• To Foster Co-ordination within the Region of
  Technical Standards and Routing Plans
• To Seek Adoption of Efficient Operating Methods
  in Regional Telecommunication Service.

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Furtherance

• Technical and other studies, with ITU
• Exchange of information, technical experts and
  other specialized personnel
• Feasibility of transfer of technology
• Provision of short-term technical assistance
• Assessment of personnel and training needs
• Regional telecommunication training institutes
• Formulation and implementation of bilateral or
  multilateral telecommunication programmes.

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Study Groups

• For the Study Cycle 2000 - 2002,  there are four
  Study Groups
• Study Group 1     Policy Regulation
• Study Group 2     Network
• Study Group 3 New Services towards
  Business Creation
• Study Group 4     Internet E-Commerce
• -- currently dealing with 19 Study Questions,
  ranging over large variety of issues

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Work Programme

• APT General Assembly ? Management C.ttee
• Asia-Pacific Information Infrastructure (AII)
• - 29 AII pilot projects
• Industry and Users Forum
• (cf ITU-D Private Sector Forum)
• Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Standardisation
  Program (ASTAP) forum

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Impact on ITU

• APT is very active and successful in ITU fora.
• World Telecommunication Policy Forum
• ITU Plenipotentiary Conference
• ITU-R World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC)
• ? APT Preparatory Group (APG) develops
  regional positions for WRCs
• APT plays a major regional coordinating role in
  ITU meetings and processes.

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APT and Radio Astronomy

• Main forum has been the APG meeting in
  preparation for WRCs
• Formulation of coordinated regional positions on
  WRC agenda items
• Radio Astronomy participation through National
  delegations
• E.g. support of Allocations above 71 GHz in
  WRC2000. Position also coordinated with CEPT and
  CITEL.

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Need for regional RAS entity

• Need to have regional RAS input to APT
• (cf. CRAF and CEPT)
• Need regional RAS organisation in the Asia
  Pacific region
• Hence formation of RAFCAP (Radio Astronomy
  Frequency Committee in the Asia Pacific region)
  at the regional URSI meeting AP-RASC01 (August
  2001, Tokyo).

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RAFCAP

• RAFCAP acts as the scientific expert committee on
  frequency issues for the Asia-Pacific radio
  astronomy and related sciences. The mission of
  RAFCAP is
• (a) to keep the frequency bands used for radio
  astronomical observations free from interference.
• (b) to argue the scientific needs of radio
  astronomy for continued access to and
  availability of the radio spectrum for radio
  astronomy within the Asia-Pacific region.
• (c) to support related science communities in
  their needs of interference-free radio frequency
  bands for passive use.

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RAFCAP membership

• Chairperson -- Masatoshi Ohishi (NAO, Japan)
• Secretary -- Tasso Tzioumis (ATNF, Australia)
• Makoto Inoue (NRO, NAO, Japan) 
• S. Ananthakrishnan and T.L. Venkatasubramani
  (GMRT, TIFR, India)
• Uday Shankar (RRI, India)
• X. Hong (Shanghai Obs. China)
• S. Wu (National Astr. Obs., China)
• H.S. Chung (Korea Astr. Obs., South Korea)
• Jeremy Lim (IAA, Chinese Taipei) 

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RAFCAP info

• www.atnf.csiro.au/atzioumi/rafcap
• under construction
• Modelled on CRAF
• Main target is APT meetings
• 1st RAFCAP meeting at APG2003-4 in Korea (August
  2002) -- APG-3 on now!!

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RAFCAP special issues

• Diverse regional cultures and languages
• Financial support directly from RAS observatories
  (no equivalent to ESF)
• Need more visibility and participation
• Must increase Chinese involvement
• All help is welcome
• Wish us luck..

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Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC)

• Unique organisation, founded in 1980
• Asia-Pacific Americas
• International, non-profit, non-governmental
  membership organisation
• Forum for providers and users of communication
  services
• 650 members
• www.ptc.org

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PTC Objectives 1

• To provide a forum for discussion and the
  interchange of information, ideas, and the
  expression of views regarding telecommunications
  and related aspects of the information society
  and economy in the Pacific for a multi-faceted,
  diverse body including policy-makers, planners,
  regulators, users, researchers, academics, and
  providers of equipment, software and content
• To promote the general awareness of the varied
  telecommunication requirements of the Pacific
  area

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PTC Objectives 2

• To organize conferences and seminars to promote
  the free flow and interchange of the varied views
  and requirements of the Pacific area and to
  address specific telecommunication issues to
  assist in solving near-term and future issues
  and
• To communicate viewpoints and recommendations of
  the Council to the established national,
  regional, and international organizations
  responsible for policies in telecommunications.

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PTC conferences

• PTC Annual Conference January
• PTC2002 (Hawaii) Next Generation
  Communications Making IT Work
• PTC2003 Global Broadband Global Challenges
• PTC mid-year 2002 Building Strong
  Partnerships
• WWW2002 WWW2003 conferences

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Summary

• Asia-Pacific region organisations
• APT vigorous involvement
• RAFCAP new
• PTC unique and general