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

Kwang Dong Kim,

ICT Policy Expert, ICT and Development Section, ESCAP

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

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 4th 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)

ESCAP, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division

Connecting economies and empowering

peopleRegional 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

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

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

ESCAP, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division

Connecting economies and empowering

people

Main events Time frame

Working Group Setting

- Nominators from member countries- Consultative group from int’s organization

June, ’15

1st WG Meeting - AP-IS frame on principles/norms 1-2, Sep, ’15

2nd WG Meeting - AP-IS master plan: activities & milestones

1st quarter, ‘16

5th ESCAP ICT Committee

- AP-IS frame and intergovernmental agreement draft

4th quarter, ’16

73rd ESCAP Commission

- Adoption of AP-IS agreement May, ‘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

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, ESCAPkim6@un.org