International Telecommunication Union Accra, Ghana, June 2009 BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: EFFORTS OF GHANA Isaac Boateng Assistant Manager, Regulatory Administration, National Communications Authority ITU FORUM ON IMPLEMENTATION OF DECISIONS OF WTSA-08 (Accra, Ghana, June 2009)

International Telecommunication Union 1. Background 2. African positions Vs the WTSA- 08 outcomes 3. The Standardization Gap 4. Efforts Of Ghana 5. Way forward Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union 1. Background Plenipotentiary (PP-06) Resolution 123 recognized “the continued shortage of human resources in the standardization field of developing countries, resulting in a low level of developing country participation in ITU-T and ITU-R meetings and, consequently, in the standards-making process, leading to difficulties when interpreting ITU-T and ITU-R Recommendations." Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union Background Contd. This adversely affects the ability of Developing Countries to access, implement, contribute and influence international ICT standards. The WTSA-08 adopted Resolutions 44, 54, 59, 71, 72, 76, aimed at bridging the standardization gap. Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union Background Contd. Other relevant Resolutions that pp 06 addressed: Resolution 25 (Strengthening the regional presence) Resolution 137 (Next-generation network deployment in developing countries) Resolution 143 (Extending the provisions in ITU documents relating to developing countries to apply to countries with economies in transition) Resolution 139 (Telecommunications/information and communication technologies to bridge the digital divide) Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union 2. African positions Vs WTSA-08 outcomes Item African common proposals AFCP1 Resolution 72 - Measurement concerns related to human exposure to electromagnetic fields AFCP2 Resolution 59:Enhancing participation of telecommunication operators from developing countriesEnhancing participation of telecommunication operators from developing countries AFCP3 Resolution 58 - Encourage the creation of national Computer Incident Response Teams, particularly for developing countries AFCP4 ITU Type Approval of telecommunication equipment. Merged into Resolution 76 - Studies related to conformance and interoperability testing, assistance to developing countries, and a possible future ITU mark Resolution 76 - Studies related to conformance and interoperability testing, assistance to developing countries, and a possible future ITU mark AFCP7 Resolution 17 - Telecommunication standardization in relation to the interests of developing countries AFCP10 Resolution 44 - Bridging the standardization gap between developing and developed countries AFCP12Resolution 54 - Creation of regional groupsesolution 54 - Creation of regional groups Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union 3. The Standardization Gap The ICT gap between the developing and developed countries continues to widen. The average price of broadband internet connection in Africa is about ten times higher than in developed Countries. Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union Accra, Ghana, June Download Speed VerizonAT & TComcast Virgin Media Internet Ghana Vodafone Ghana 256kbps -- $55.00$ Kbps -- $ Mbps$ Mbps -- $ Mbps$29.99$ $ From above, it can be seen that whereas Ghanaians pay $44.00 for 256kbps, Americans pay $30.00 for a 3Mbps. If we should extrapolate for the same 3Mbps Ghanaians will pay $400.00

International Telecommunication Union The Standardization Gap Contd. African countries are not familiar with the recommendation/standards published by the ITU-T We don’t know the extent to which the existing recommendations are relevant and useful to our countries. It becomes difficult when implementing the recommendations Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union The Consequence Lack of adequate ICT infrastructure Lack of testing centers, facilities and trained professionals Lack of participation and contributions to the standardization making processes (study groups) Lack of national or regional laws and regulations Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union 4. Efforts Of Ghana Use of ITU Recommendations: The ITU-T recommendation P.862; objective method for end-to- end speech quality testing is being used. Allocation of microwave spectrum is done in accordance with ITU-R recommendation F.385 NCA uses ITU-T recommendations K.52 and K.70 to check EMF exposure levels from telecom installations Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union Efforts Of Ghana Contd. ITU Membership: WTSA-08 Res. 71 will be used to encourage our research and higher institutions to sign up for ITU membership Resolution 59 will also be used to encourage participation of national operators in the work of ITU-T. Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union Efforts Of Ghana Contd. Going, attracting meetings and giving inputs: NCA Engineers now actively participate and contribute to ITU-T and ITU-R study groups activities. Ghana submitted and defended resolution 76 which was adopted by WTSA-08 Ghana has been hosting ITU organized meetings: African prep meetings for RRC06, WTSA-08, and SG 12 regional group for Africa etc… Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union Efforts Of Ghana Contd. Construction of National Fibre Backbone Infrastructure: Phase 2 construction of a nationwide high capacity fibre backbone. Construction of e-Government Point-of- Presence network to connect all district capitals. This is to bridge the communication gap between Government and Citizenry Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union Efforts Of Ghana Contd. Two additional licenses have been granted to under see fibre optic landing operators The idea is to introduce competition, ensure adequate capacity and bring the costs of international bandwidth down This will link the national fibre backbone network infrastructure Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union 5. Way forward TSB should organize workshops and seminars aimed at introducing participants into effective use of ITU recommendations. Introduction of standardization making processes as a subject in our higher institutions through res. 71 Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union Way forward Contd. Resolution 76 and the future ITU Mark program could use to provide technical assistance to regulators and regional standard bodies. We need to encourage national authorities and operators to participate in the newly established regional study groups. Accra, Ghana, June

International Telecommunication Union THANK YOU!!!!!!!! MERCI! Accra, Ghana, June