Improving IP Connectivity in the Least Developed Countries:

Regulatory barriers tosatellite-based services

Martin Jarrold

Director,

International Programme Development

The GVF Defined Global Association Comprising International VSAT

Community Non-Profit Non-Partisan 130 Members/38 Countries/Every

Continent Serving as Industry’s Unified Voice

The GVF Brain Trust

Carriers7%

Satellite Operators

13%

Associations2%

Consultants & Publishers

9%

Legal1%

Value Added Service

Providers16%

Systems Integrators

25%

Manufacturers Earth Satation

Equipment27%

GVF Offices Worldwide

Headquarters

Affiliate Offices

The Shared Objective

Facilitate VSAT-Based System and Service Provision Worldwide:

Liberalisation Initiatives Regulatory Programs Technical Co-ordination Heightened Awareness

“… universal access is now not so much an engineering or supply-side problem but rather a regulatory and policy challenge.”

- ITU World Telecommunication Development Report (March 1998)

The Challenge

VSAT: The Supply Side

1980 1990 2000

First Generation: $10-20K, C, Data

Second Generation: $5-10K, C/Ku, V+D

Third Generation

(<$2.5K, C/Ku/Ka, Multimedia)

As VSAT Pricing Gets Smaller*

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1690 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

2000

Ku-bandC-band

Source: COMSYS *TDMA, US$

The Big Networks Get Bigger

45 Contracts Greater Than 500 Sites in 2000

76,000 Sites Far Greater Number

Outside the U.S. Recently

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

85 88 91 94 97

2000

Contracts

Source: COMSYS

33

13.50 0

93.7

19.630 0.68

263.3

39.46

4 7.4

392.7

47.12 32.87

15.89

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Jan-98 Jan-99 Jan-00 Apr-01

ISP Links Hybrid Access 2-Way Access Content Distribution

Internet Satellite Use* Goes Up

Source: DTT Consulting *36 MHz Equivalent

VSATs Help Fulfill Mandates

Public Sector:

– Rural Telecoms

– Telemedicine

– Distance Learning

– Disaster Recovery

– Ministerial Links:• Mail

• Rail

• Water

• Etc.

Private Sector:

– Banking– Stock Exchanges– Mining/Oil-Gas– Retail– Pharmaceutical– Automotive– ISPs– Etc.

Strategic VSAT Liberalisation Has Begun Worldwide:

Uganda Botswana Zambia Malawi Mozambique

Lesotho Swaziland Kenya South Africa Namibia?

TRASA/EAC

Strategic VSAT Liberalisation Has Begun Worldwide, Cont’d:

Uruguay Venezuela Chile Mexico

CITEL

Brasil Peru Costa Rica Argentina

Strategic VSAT Liberalisation Has Begun Worldwide, Cont’d:

Singapore Indonesia Philippines Australia/NZ Myanmar!

S. Korea Japan Taiwan Hong Kong China-WTO!

APT, APEC, ASEAN

Strategic VSAT Liberalisation Has Begun Worldwide, Cont’d:

Bangladesh Pakistan India

Sri Lanka Bhutan Nepal

SATRA

Strategic Liberalisation: Nepal

“Nepal’s international interconnectivity rose five-fold in a few months after the VSAT market was liberalised.”

ITU Telecommunication Indicators 2000

Nepal: VSATs for ISP International Connectivity

May 1999 - 320 Kbps available bandwidth

end 1999 - over 1 Mbps available bandwidth

in 2001 - 10 Mbps (downlink)

Immediate Results: ISP Via Satellite

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70L

atin

Am

.

Afr

ica

M.E

.

Aus

./Oce

an.

CE

E/C

IS

Asi

a

W. E

ur.

N. A

m.

% of ISPs Linked ViaSatellite Systems

Source: DTT Consulting

VSAT Regulatory Reform: Thinking Regionally, Acting Nationally

1. Transparency

2. Streamlined Licensing

3. Harmonising Fees

4. Satellite Access (Open Skies)

5. Type Approvals

6. Independent Regulator

1. TRANSPARENCY

(One Stop Shops)

The ‘One Stop Shop’ Concept

Uphold National Sovereignty While:

Providing Access to Licensing Data

For Each Country in a Region

Via a Single URL

NRA

NRA

Europe’s One Stop Shop

Service Provider

NRA• Examination• Final answer

SHOP• Screens appli- cation form(s)• Sends to NRAs

Note: See WWW.ETO.DK

Meanwhile in the Americas...

Regional VSAT Licensing Database Established Online by CITEL* Includes 16 Nations So Far With Hotlinks to Regulators’ Sites

*www.citel.oas.org/pcc3/vsat/vsat_information_of_licensing.htm

Meanwhile in Asia...

APT Website Established Licensing Database Created Satellite Section Planned

Meanwhile in Africa...

Discussions Underway With:

– TRASA

– WATRA

– ATRN

And Globally… now 1

GVF VSAT Licensing Portal Directs Applicants to Regional Sites From WWW.GVF.ORG Which Receives 6,000 Hits Per Day From Every World Region

And Globally… now 2

Global Regulators Symposium, December 2001

ITU Arab States Centre of Excellence, February 2002

WTDC, March 2002 Future...

And Globally… next 1

WTDC Study Question on satellite regulation (2002-2006 study cycle)

1. Examine regulatory treatment of satellite services, operators, end-users

2. Identify best approaches 3. Provide guidance to developing

countries

And Globally… next 2 GVF New Regulatory Database - going

“live” - www.gvf.org £/$/CHF/etc >> facilitate other sites to

hotlink to GVF; interactive feed for local information/updates to GVF

£/$/CHF/etc. >> dedicated personnel for Database maintenance

Hotlinked to WWW.ITU.INT LDCs/Pan-African portal

And finally -

“We are committed to facilitating the ITUs LDC connectivity programme and all associated satellite regulation initiatives.”

- The GVF