1. ESCAP, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division Connecting economies and empowering people Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Initiative: Seamless connectivity for sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific Interconnectivity toward better and faster social and economic development: achievement and aspirations 25 May 2015, WISIS Forum, Geneva Kwang Dong Kim, ICT Policy Expert, ICT and Development Section, ESCAP

2. ESCAP, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division Connecting economies and empowering people ICT Infra & connectivity gaps and AP-IS initiative  Great gaps in broadband access, speed, bandwidth and costs Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong China 4 underdeveloped subregions: ASEAN, South Asia, North & Central landlocked and Pacific island  Why? - Less investment to infra resulting from low market demand  In other words, current situation is gap between “Should be” & “Could be”, or “Future” & “Present”, “Public involvement” & “Market/Private driven”  AS an intergovernmental platform for regional economic & social development, UN ESCAP has conducted a series of sub-regional studies & activities on regional ICT/Broadband infrastructure and connectivity since 2012

3. ESCAP, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division Connecting economies and empowering people What ESCAP has done since 2012 and achievement  Comprehensive sub-regional studies in ASEAN, North and Central, and South and South-West Asia, and broadband backbone on-line map Collaboration with ROK, Russia Federation and ITU  Four sub-regional consultations and outcome documents: Manila, Philippines (23-24 September 2013) Baku, Azerbaijan (3-4 December 2013) Almaty, Kazakhstan (3 June 2014) Paro, Bhutan (1-2 October 2014)  AP-IS adoption, at 4 th ICT Committee of ESCAP (10, 2014) : Establish AP-IS Working Group consisting of nominators from member countries Draft AP-IS framework on principles/norms and master plan(main activities and milestones)

4. ESCAP, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division Connecting economies and empowering people Regional Internet connectivity challenges  Well-developed sea-based connectivity but limits to future demand Intensive & market driven investment based on demand Limits route diversity, network redundancy and risk by natural disasters, marine vessel accidents Limits access to massive landlocked sub-regions Limits capacity for future demand driven by growing economy & deepening socio-economic integration  Limited regional terrestrial physical network connectivity A patchwork of bilateral cross-border linkages and limited geographic scope Low capacity (10 Gbps usually, a fraction of total international bandwidth capacity)  Limited regional interconnection connetivity by Lack of sufficient regional IXPs and hubs : “Tromboning” problem

5. ESCAP, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division Connecting economies and empowering people  Objective: To create seamless pan regional terrestrial/submarine well- balanced connectivity with affordability, reliability and universality Direction: Enhance regional terrestrial network connectivity and regional interconnection connectivity Target 1: Deploy sub-regional backbone networks, in particular ASEAN, South Asia, North & Central Asia Target 2: Establish sufficient regional IXPs and create sub-regional Internet hubs Target 3: Gradually integrate them as a whole meshed pan Asia- Pacific internet connectivity AP-IS Goal

6. ESCAP, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division Connecting economies and empowering people  2 track approach, ready to invest at second tier level To bridge the gap between “should be / future” & “Could be / present”  Member countries – ESCAP Making consensus/willingness and setting vision/direction by AP-IS initiative and AP-IS intergovernmental agreement  Member countries – Regional Funding agencies: AIIB, ADB Develop ICT infrastructure investment projects at sub-regional and regional level * Success cases: With ESCAP’s agreements on the Asian Highway and Trans Asian Railway, related development projects have conducted AP-IS Strategy and Next Step

7. ESCAP, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division Connecting economies and empowering people Main eventsTime frame Working Group Setting - Nominators from member countries - Consultative group from int’s organization June, ’15 1 st WG Meeting- AP-IS frame on principles/norms1-2, Sep, ’15 2 nd WG Meeting- AP-IS master plan: activities & milestones 1 st quarter, ‘16 5 th ESCAP ICT Committee - AP-IS frame and intergovernmental agreement draft 4 th quarter, ’16 73 rd ESCAP Commission - Adoption of AP-IS agreementMay, ‘17 Up-coming AP-IS activities  AP-IS WG participating countries: 12 countries (as of 22, May) : Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Lao People's Democratic, Myanmar, Philippines, Viet Nam, Mongolia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation

8. ESCAP, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division Connecting economies and empowering people Thank you For further information please contact Kwang Dong Kim, ESCAP kim6@un.org