BuddeBlog

All the hard work around the promotion of the trans-sector concept in relation to broadband infrastructure is now paying off.

You may recall that I met the ITU Secretary-General, Hamadoun Toure, (Meeting with ITU Secretary General Dr Hamadoun Touré) in October last year. He was immediately enthusiastic about the idea and put his personal weight behind the development of this project.

On 10 May the ITU and UNESCO announced the establishment of a top-level Broadband Commission for Digital Development. This Commission will define strategies for accelerating broadband rollout worldwide, and will examine applications that could see broadband networks improve the delivery of a huge range of social services related to healthcare, education, environmental management, safety and many other areas.

The new Commission will comprise some 30 top names from around the world, representing, not just technology leaders, but leaders from across a wide range of business and social sectors. It is co-chaired by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Mr Carlos Slim Hélu, Honorary Lifetime Chairman of Grupo Carso. ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré and UNESCO Director-General, Ms Irina Bokova, will serve as joint vice-chairs.

I have been asked to write the main report for the Commission, which I have accepted on a pro bono basis.

Similarly to the way I organised the trans-sector and broadband reports that were produced for the governments in Australia, USA and New Zealand, I have gathered together a group of experts who will help me with this task. We will use a closed section on the UN website to obtain input, not just from experts from the developed world but from those in developing countries also.

For more information see:

• http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2010/18.aspx
• www.broadbandcommission.org

BuddeComm reports:-

• Global – National Broadband & Trans-sector developments in Australia & New Zealand
• Global – Trans-sector strategies – an empirical approach
• Global Next Generation Telecoms – FttH and Trans-Sector Strategies
• Global Recovery will depend on Trans-Sector Vision

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 at 10:13 am and is filed under From Paul's Desk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.