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CITEL TO HOLD FORUM ON CONVERGENCE: TRANSITION OF
TRADITIONAL NETWORKS AND SERVICES IN THE AMERICAS

The Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) of the Organization of American States (OAS) will hold a forum entitled “Convergence: Transition of Traditional Networks and Services in the Americas” on August 21, 2007, in San José, Costa Rica.

The forum’s main goal is to evaluate ideas leading to the development of a dynamic environment and to use the convergence as an instrument for the expansion of possible services, access and market, as well as to profit from synergies among the different groups seeking to address the sector’s challenges. The event is expected to provide tools to measure the progress made so far and to gain awareness of the challenges that lie ahead, in order to foster innovation and creativity with better use of available resources, avoiding duplication of effort.

The telecommunication sector is undergoing major transformations due to the convergence of information and communication technologies, which have given rise to the concept of Next Generation Networks. Changes from every standpoint are needed to address the sector’s evolution.
Technological, market, regulatory, and institutional convergence afford an invaluable opportunity for countries to undergo a “developmental leap” by stepping up their efforts to implement innovations. However, this also poses a major challenge, since additional support is needed to be able to work in this dynamic environment and to meet the demands of technology, service providers and users.

CITEL Member States have promoted efforts to increase the geographic and societal coverage of information technology infrastructure, and to develop a digital culture among their citizens in the framework of the Agenda for Connectivity in the Americas. However, to address the ongoing progress in the telecommunication industry, it is necessary to evaluate a way to foresee the future and the potential repercussions of the changes under way.

Panel participants, including government authorities, private sector executives, representatives of regional and international telecommunication organizations, will have an opportunity to present their views of market trends and new technologies, as well as regulatory challenges and strategies that may be adopted to promote access to information and knowledge throughout the region.
Within the event’s framework, and in accordance with the principles arising from the World Summit on the Information Society, the Summits of the Americas, the OAS mandates, and the Millennium Development Goals, CITEL and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will sign an agreement to cooperate in the implementation of a regional project entitled “Reducing the Digital Divide and Advancing the Information Society in the Americas.”

For more information on the event, visit CITEL website at http://www.citel.oas.org/ste-NextMeet.asp.

Reference: E-196/07