At the recent ITU Regional Development Forum held in Manila, Philippines (6 to 7 June 2016), the PITA President, Mr Sione Veikoso, shared with forum delegates the special challenges faced by the PITA Members in their efforts to promote and enhance development in the telecommunications sector.
“Greatly disadvantaged by the geographical spread of small islands, rural isolation and the lack of the scale of economy, the PITA Members need to develop smart strategies in delivering services and new modern applications in the face of high costs, and being small players in a big player world,” he said.
Mr Veikoso highlighted to the Regional Development Forum that an association of players, such as in the PITA membership, help in raising the scale of opportunities for members to develop practical strategies, engage in dialogue and cooperation, and learn from each others’ experiences.
During the forum, Mr Veikoso also presented and discussed common directions that members have towards the re-imagination of telecoms, some of which include the need for:
- Developing ubiquitous networks
- Bringing about enablers for digital development leap and digital economy
- Ensuring continuity in various scenarios and risks
- Strengthening the cooperation, partnership and global participation of common interests and opportunities.
Participants of the ITU Regional Development Forum included country administrations and agencies from around the Asia Pacific region including senior policy and regulatory officials, and representatives from development partner organizations, industry and telecommunication entities.
Original post appeared on PITA website
Fred Christopher is Manager of Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association, a non-profit organization formed to represent the interests of small island nations in the Pacific Region in the field of telecommunications.
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