READI/ICT - SUCCESS STORY The ASEAN Spectrum Policy Forum (ASPF)

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1 READI/ICT - SUCCESS STORY The ASEAN Spectrum Policy Forum (ASPF) What was the initial situation and issue? The ICT sector contributes globally and significantly to economic growth and social development. In the ASEAN region, ICTs unsurprisingly take a strategic role and become a powerful tool for achieving the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDG); including by reaping the benefits of the so-called digital dividend which is today extensively discussed by governmental bodies, broadcasters and operators of telecommunications and other related services. The digital dividend refers to the radio frequencies which are released when TV broadcasters switch from analogue platforms to digital only platforms. Part of the spectrum that was previously used for broadcasting is freed up because digital television needs considerably less spectrum than analogue television. The reason is that new digital compression technology can transmit a high number of digital TV channels (typically 8-10 digital TV channels) using the same amount of spectrum used to transmit one single analogue TV channel. These frequencies are very valuable and are of particular interest to the mobile communications industry as the physical properties of the spectrum mean that signals can travel for long distances (so fewer base station sites are required to provide mobile signals in rural areas), penetrate walls (to provide good in-building coverage) and have antenna sizes which can easily be included internally within small handsets. Additionally these frequencies could be used by the emergency services community to enable police, fire and ambulance services to have access to high-speed data and video services on mobile handset devices. The precise frequency location and size of the digital dividend vary among countries/regions due to a number of factors including geographical position and penetration of satellite/cable services. In countries/regions (such as in the ASEAN region) where the digital television transition is not yet over (or not even started), broadcasting services are still using high radio-frequency spectrum. The ASEAN Member States (AMS) are today planning this technological transition and are faced with the question of how to allocate this digital dividend resulting from the spectrum efficiencies gained by this process in the frequency bands currently allocated to broadcasting and how to implement a coordinated regional approach at the ASEAN level. Such a co-ordinated approach would enable consumers to benefit from economies of scale across the ASEAN region resulting in lower handset prices, lower service usage charges and the ability to use the same mobile terminals across country borders. However if the digital dividend has the potential to make a major impact on competitiveness and growth, and provide a wide range of social and cultural benefits, getting most advantage from this unique opportunity requires a coordinated and harmonized strategy from the AMS. As this has been required and implemented in Europe It is in this context that comes the READI Facility

2 How did READI help? READI directly supported the establishment of the ASEAN Spectrum Policy Forum (ASPF) through which members of the ATRC (ASEAN Telecommunication Regulator s Council) sub-working Group on Spectrum Management (SMM) regularly met with European experts to network and share knowledge, experience and best practices. The READI/ICT Facility facilitated a series of meetings on regulatory best practices in order to define and promote a set of technical and regulatory recommendations on Spectrum Management with the main aim of forming the basis of a regional scheme for frequency management across ASEAN Member States (AMS), aiming notably at better reaping the benefits of the digital dividend: ASPF-1 - Support the Launch and Work of an ASEAN Spectrum Policy Forum (ASPF) (3 July Sihanoukville, Cambodia) ASPF-2 - Workshop on Spectrum Aspects related to Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) (8 April Haiphong, Viet Nam) Study Visits for ASEAN s ATRC Senior Officials (17-20 June Brussels in Belgium and Bonn/Aachen in Germany) ASPF-3 - Workshop on Implementing the Transition to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) (9 June Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar) ASPF-4 - Workshop on Common Approach to the Digital Dividend and Bands for Wireless Broadband (BWB) (7 March Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam) ASPF-5 - Workshop on Re-farming 2G Bands (800/900/1800MHz) (18 March Vientiane, Lao PRD) All meetings outputs (including Issue Papers and a Set of Recommendations for each activity) are available online. What is the impact? European Experts have been able to provide a detail insight into what the digital dividend process (in Europe but also in other parts of the world) entailed including within the wider context of other spectrum management issues such as the re-use of frequencies currently used for older generation mobile technologies. European and southeast-asian experts have been able to discuss and debate on spectrum management and best practices to allocate and manage the digital dividend process.

3 ASEAN Member States also had opportunities to present their own national plans (to the EU but also to other AMS) and then agree on a coordinated approach (e.g. to make particular frequency bands available over a specified timescale). Such a coordinated approach means that citizens in each of the countries will benefit from regional economies of scale (e.g. in the form of lower handset prices or usage fees for mobile services). Without such co-ordination prices would be higher and less people would be able to take-up mobile broadband services. The wider economic benefits of this are considerable: social inclusion, minimisation of the digital divide, stronger economic growth, ability of the government to introduce e-government more widely, etc. The ASPF recommendations also brought a key input into: The Telecommunications and IT Ministers (TELMIN) meetings, the Telecommunications Senior Officials Meetings (TELSOM), the meetings of the ASEAN Telecommunication Regulator s Council (ATRC), and the meetings of the ATRC Sub-working group on Spectrum Management (SSM) chaired by Vietnam. See Annex A as an example. The World Radio-communication Conferences (especially the 2015 edition). These are conferences held by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU is part of the United Nations) every 4 years to agree on a regional and ideally global approach to radio frequency issues to reduce levels of harmful interference between radio services (since radio waves keep travelling and do not respect international borders) and harmonisation of use of frequencies also helps to facilitate economies of scale and economic growth. What s next? ASPF members have found the ASPFs to be very valuable and have therefore requested the ASEAN Secretariat and the EU to facilitate the continuation of the ASPF series of discussions and debates in order to allow the EU and ASEAN Member States to continue the dialogue on relevant spectrum management issues with a view to reaching consensus on the way forward including harmonisation measures and policy initiatives. ASPF members partly rely on the upcoming E-READI (Enhanced-READI) programme to maintain the momentum and sustain the discussions.

4 ASEAN Secretariat, 70A Jl. Sisingamangaraja, Jakarta Indonesia n Phone: n readi@asean.org Karine Valin n READI/ICT Key Expert n karine.valin@asean.org n

5 ANNEX A Extracts (related to the READI/ICT activities) from the Singapore Declaration on Connecting Communities and Co-Creating possibilities Nov , 2013 We, the ASEAN Ministers responsible for Telecommunications and Information Technology (IT), gathered in Singapore on the occasion of the Thirteenth ASEAN Telecommunications and IT Ministers Meeting (13 th TELMIN) on 14 and 15 November 2013: ( ) Recognising Further the importance of and significant benefits arising from regional spectrum harmonisation and the availability of the digital dividend spectrum for mobile broadband services when ASEAN achieves analogue TV switch-off by 2020; Noting the agreement reached by some ASEAN Member States to harmonise the use of 700 MHz digital dividend spectrum, based on the Asia Pacific Telecommunity ( APT ) 700 MHz band plan for mobile broadband services; Hereby agreed to: ( ) Intensify cooperation for greater harmonisation of the digital dividend spectrum within ASEAN, including the APT 700 MHz band plan for the deployment of mobile broadband services. Encourage the development of affordable and universal broadband access to empower ASEAN citizens and bridge digital divide, including the continued development of e-services for effective delivery of public services and appropriate policies and programmes at the national level to implement the recommendations of the ASEAN Broadband Corridor. Promote cooperation to reduce international mobile roaming charges on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit to the extent that is consistent with the national laws, policies and regulations of ASEAN Member States Strengthen digital inclusion efforts to increase ICT adoption and literacy particularly among the elderly and persons with disability, and enable ASEAN citizens to have equal opportunity to take part in the development process such as through the rollout of national broadband networks, improvements to national Universal Service Obligations (USOs) and collaboration with relevant sectors such as the education industry. ( )

6 QUOTES READI/ICT RELEVANCE/SUCCESS/IMPACT EUD Jakarta The start of the relations between EU and ASEAN dates back to 1972, but it is in the last few years that a step change has taken place with, inter alia, a very large number of high-level visits to the region and the launch of a number of EU-funded initiatives such as the very successful READI Facility. Last year's EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (Brussels, 23 July 2014) welcomed the stepping up of EU-ASEAN relations and expressed the wish to upgrade them to a Strategic Partnership. In the field of ICT this was confirmed during the last ASEAN TELMIN/TELSOM 2015 Meetings (Bangkok, January 2015). There is a new momentum in EU-ASEAN relations and both sides have an interest in sustaining it. Hence, among other initiatives, the upcoming launch of the Enhanced-READI (E- READI) Facility. Cécile Leroy, EU-ASEAN Cooperation Programme Officer, European Union Delegation (EUD) to Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and ASEAN - June 2015 EU Brussels, DG CONNECT ASEAN is undoubtably a very important partner for the EU. Over the past years ASEAN has made great strides in regional cooperation covering a number of areas including ICT. We have always regarded it as an honour and a privilege to be able to assist the ASEAN Secretariat and Member States in the ICT field and we will continue to regard it as such. READI and this unique form of cooperation reflects the close ties and complete trust between the ASEAN and the EU. Jean-Yves Roger, International Relations Officer, International Unit, DG Communication Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), European Commission - June 2015 ASEAN Secretariat The READI/ICT Facility has been very instrumental in our effort to implement priority projects of the ASEAN ICT Master Plan 2015, namely, the development of transparent, coherent and harmonised ICT regulatory frameworks; in particular, towards improving broadband availability in the region through spectrum management and telecommunication policies Budi Yuwono, Senior Officer, Infrastructure Division, Economic Community Department, ASEAN Secretariat - February 2013 The READI initiative played a major role in facilitating the sharing of knowledge and the exchange of best practices between the ASEAN Member States and the European Union in a number of key ICT domains (namely: spectrum management, broadband deployment, and competition policy in the telecom sector) with the main aim of improving the lives of people in Southeast Asia. READI/ICT generated a general environment of cooperation between the ASEAN and the EU whereby they were

7 able to share experience and expertise to support the ASEAN ICT Master Plan 2015 and the subsequent master plan. As a result, READI/ICT helped to launch the ASEAN Spectrum Policy Forum (ASPF), a matter made possible only by READI s initiative. This main achievement has been built up since the initiation of the project and remains the most important READI/ICT achievement. The ASEAN Secretariat welcomes this extremely fruitful cooperation where both sides gain from the fruitful exchanges of knowledge and interesting discussions. We are looking forward to the next steps in continuing the cooperation. Budi Yuwono, Senior Officer, Infrastructure Division, Economic Community Department, ASEAN Secretariat - June 2015 ATRC/SSM Chair, Viet Nam Thanks to the READI instrument, the ASEAN Spectrum Policy Forum (ASPF) has been launched in We highly appreciate the ASEAN-EU Cooperation Programme in supporting the ASPF Forum. This Forum is an effective platform for ASEAN Spectrum management Experts to discuss and go ahead towards economy of scale for ASEAN through common views in spectrum management policies. We are continuing our best efforts to cooperate with EU to complete the 2015 blue print of ASPF. Doan Quang Hoan, Director General of the Vietnamese Authority of Radio Frequency Management, (ARFM) of the Ministry of Information and Communications and Chair of the Sub working-group on Spectrum Management (SSM) of the ASEAN Telecommunications Regulators Council (ATRC), Viet Nam - February 2013 ASPF, since its launch in 2012, has become an effective forum for ASEAN spectrum experts to discuss, share knowledge and exchange experiences in spectrum issues internally, as well as with European and industry experts. More importantly, ASFP has become an important platform for ASEAN members to coordinate their views on spectrum management issues. In addition, most of the ASPF meeting recommendations were endorsed by the ASEAN Subgroup on Spectrum Management (SMM) to which ASPF reports and served as basis for SSM s proposals to be incorporated in ASEAN s TELMIN Ministerial Statement on spectrum issue. We hope ASPF can be supported in the future so that the EU and ASEAN member states to continue the dialogue on relevant spectrum management issues. Le Van Tuan, Deputy Director General of the Vietnamese Authority for Radio Frequency Management (ARFM) and Chair of the Sub working-group on Spectrum Management (SSM) of the ASEAN Telecommunications Regulators Council (ATRC), Viet Nam - March 2015 Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), PR Lao Radio frequency spectrum is becoming an increasingly scarce resource for increased access to communications or ICTs. Telecommunication/ICT is not only facing increased demands for bandwidth, but also facing ever-increasing pressure from other users of the spectrum, who are exercising their rapidly growing requirements for larger spectrum bandwidths. Hence the roles of the

8 government, regulators are the key enablers for an effective management of the radio spectrum. We very much appreciate READI support in facilitating exchange of knowledge and best practices. H.E Thansamay Kommasith, Vice Minister of MPT (Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications), PR Lao - March 2015 Sigma Orionis, France The READI/ICT Facility succeeded in achieving its main objectives effectively, efficiently and timely and delivered significant outcomes. The impact that has been achieved so far in Southeast Asia through this EU-funded activities is a testament to the fruitfulness of a true partnership between the ASEAN and the EU. Both sides embraced the benefits of such cooperation. We should certainly intensify this cooperation by exchanging lessons learned and by mobilising the European expertise to support the ASEAN efforts and I m glad that the upcoming E-READI Facility will allow to keep the momentum on such important issues. Karine Valin, READI Key Expert (KE) for ICT ( ) and Managing Director of Sigma Orionis, France - June 2015