Impact of new technologies on regulation Dr Tim Kelly, Head, Strategy and Policy Unit, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 15 March 2006

Challenge 1: Fixed/mobile convergence Speed Battleground for fixed/mobile convergence Broadband WLAN 3G Source: ITU Internet Reports 2004: The Portable Internet. Mobility

Challenge 2: Four key technological enablers Tagging Things: RFID enabling real-time identification and tracking Sensing Things: Sensor technologies enabling detection of environmental status and sensory information Thinking Things: Smart technologies building intelligence into the edges of the network enabling smart homes, smart vehicles etc Shrinking Things: Nanotechnology making possible the “networking” of smaller and smaller objects

Challenge 3: Bundling and flat-rate pricing 12 4'500 4'000 10 3'500 8 3'000 2'500 US$ per 100 kbit/s per month 6 Down speed (kbit/s) Lowest sampled cost, 2'000 4 1'500 1'000 Median $ per 100 2 kbit/s 500 Average down speed 2003 2004 2005 Note: Based on 70 economies that had launched broadband services by 2003. Source: ITU “Internet of things”. Prices sampled in July/August.

Other important emerging policy challenges Standards-setting and interoperability Harmonization required particularly in the area of transmission protocols and RFID Governance of resources Naming, addressing and identification resources Data protection and consumer privacy Rules of data collection and storage Spectrum trading Encouraging use of market mechanisms while not conceding spectrum “ownership” Content without frontiers Updating 20th Century content “windows”