Home 
Regions and Countries Regional Cooperation Greater Mekong Subregion Sector Activities Telecommunications
 | |
GMS Sector Activities
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YEAR | DATE | ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | May | Eighth Meeting of the Subregional Telecommunications Forum (STCF-8) (29-30 May 2007) |
| 2006 | March | Seventh Meeting of the Subregional Telecommunications Forum (STCF-7) (30-31 March 2006) |
| 2005 | April | Telecom Training Program for Telecommunications Officials from the GMS Countries (Phase II) (12-27 April 2005) |
| 2004 | November | Telecom Training Program for Telecommunications Officials from the GMS Countries (Phase I) |
| October | GMS Countries Discuss Ways to Enhance ICT Applications to Promote Socio-Economic Development (27-28 October 2004) |
The Eighth Meeting of the Subregional Telecommunications Forum (STCF-8) was held in Bangkok, Thailand on 29-30 May 2007 and co-hosted by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) of the Royal Thai Government and ADB. The meeting discussed the status of national and other developments in the development of the GMS Information Superhighway Network (ISN) and updated on the development of the Telecommunications Backbone Project. To highlight the achievements in this area, the meeting agreed to prepare for the celebration of the completion of the GMS ISN in time for the 3rd GMS Summit in Vientiane in early 2008.
The meeting also discussed the appropriate lessons from GMS country experiences in (i) implementing telecoms sector policy and regulatory reform, and (ii) promoting rural ICT development as a vehicle for reducing poverty. On capacity building, the meeting considered for further study, the various proposals for strengthening capacity building efforts in telecoms and ICT, which include closely coordinating training assistance to be provided by development partners.
The meeting also noted the recommendations of the Mid-Term Review of the GMS Strategy (MTR) pertaining to the sector, and agreed on the following next steps: (i) to develop sector strategy and Action Plan; (ii) to formulate the work program to promote ICT for rural areas and for poverty reduction; and (iii) to develop optimum institutional arrangements for cooperation including identifying the roles of development partners. The participants supported the engagement of a consultant to recommend key elements and directions of the strategy and Action Plan for Telecommunications and ICT for 2008-2012. A draft Action Plan containing detailed priority projects and activities was reviewed at the meeting; the meeting agreed that the GMS representatives would submit additional inputs to enhance the draft Action Plan by the first week of June 2007.
For more details, please view entire proceedings [ PDF: 1,274kb | 28 pages ].
The Seventh Meeting of the Subregional Telecommunications Forum (STCF-7) was held in Guilin, PRC on 30-31 March 2006 and co-hosted by the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) of the Government of PRC, and the ADB.
On the ISN, the meeting discussed the timeline of activities of the Steering Group (SG) and Implementation Group (IG) established by the GMS countries to advance the ISN, and the identification of the missing links in the ISN for which financing should be actively sought by the GMS countries. The meeting also took note of what the GMS countries have accomplished in ICT development, particularly in enhancing rural ICT applications.
Country presentations focused on the GMS countries’ respective telecoms sector reforms/ policies and investment requirements for both ISN and ICT development. ADB support was requested in the conduct of SG meetings to move ISN programs forward, and in seeking funds for development of sustainable rural ICT applications. ADB noted that a prerequisite for considering such request is for the GMS countries to develop clear work plans for both ISN and ICT development.
On capacity building, various modes of training were discussed in order to build the subregion’s capacity in telecoms operations and bridge the digital divide in the GMS; these included
In considering support for telecoms training, ADB called for
Among priority training areas identified early on are the piloting of ICT applications and ISN network operation and maintenance. The meeting succeeded in laying the groundwork for deeper telecoms cooperation in the subregion, and resolved that subsequent priority GMS telecoms initiatives would have to be regularly reported to ADB and reflected in the development matrix for the GMS Telecoms flagship program.
For more details, please view entire proceedings [ PDF: 2,691kb | 22 pages ].
The Sixth Meeting of the Subregional Telecommunications Forum (STCF-6) was held in Hanoi, Viet Nam on 27-28 October 2004 and co-hosted by the Ministry of Posts and Telematics of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, and the ADB.
The meeting discussed the progress of GMS countries in sector policy and regulatory reform, institutional restructuring, and telecoms network investments. The meeting also discussed the outcomes of activities under the GMS Telecommunications Flagship program, which includes development of optic fiber cable (OFC) backbone transmission links (Phases I and II), the technical assistance for sector policy formulation and capacity building, the joint ADB- International Telecommunications Union (ITU) training program, and the demand study for ICT-based basic service delivery.
The PRC delegation spearheaded the proposal for development of the GMS Information Highway (GMS IH), focusing on the principles of cooperation for various services such as voice, internet, international bandwidth and e-government/ e-commerce applications. The applicable Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the GMS IH was reported to be under final review by each country prior to signing by end of 2004.
The meeting reflected the strong commitment of the GMS countries and development partners to telecoms infrastructure development and reforms, thereby helping to enhance effectiveness of development efforts through ICT applications.
For more details, please view entire proceedings.
 Back
Archive | Next Archive |
| © 2008 Asian Development Bank Privacy | Terms of Use |
 Top of page |
