Axon recently attended the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Policy and Economic Colloquium for the Americas IPEC.
This Colloquium was organized by the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) in close collaboration with the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) of Mexico.
The ITU AMERICAS IPEC 2022 Regional Economic Dialogue focused on policy, economic and financial approaches for digital transformation to achieve the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals); regulatory and economic incentives to foster affordable digital services by promoting investment for meaningful connectivity; and policies and regulation best practices for future critical digital technologies.
Axon’s Partner Jorge Martínez attended the event to contribute to cross-sectoral discussions and present ideal policy frameworks for the optimal implementation of a broadband universalization strategy and the successful experience of the program in Costa Rica.
Jorge shared how the definition of a strategy for the universalization of services should focus on ensuring that there is a positive answer to three key questions for all the inhabitants in all areas of a country:
- Can people physically access the services?
- Can people have economic access to services?
- Do people want and see real utility in using the services?
He set out a recent case study from Costa Rica. Here it was difficult to identify the specific needs of each area of the country, making it even more difficult to define indicators to prioritize the measures to be carried out.
To facilitate decision-making at the techno-economic level to prioritize universalization, the evaluation framework “4xA – ADOPTION = LITERACY x AFFORDABILITY x ACCESSIBILITY” was developed.
Caption: This framework was based on the results of a techno-economic model that calculated the cost of closing the different gaps in the Costa Rican market.
The evaluation of the results through the “4xA” Framework allowed Axon to identify and prioritize the areas of action in each part of the country, always ensuring specific policies for each target group.
Furthermore, the Framework was used to evaluate the reasonability of a Universal Service Programme, Programme which after its implementation was awarded Champion Project of the 2016 World Summit at the Information Society (WSIS) Awards.
Axon has long been an advocate of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters relating to information and communication technologies.
Earlier this year, Axon publicly supported the ITU Partner2Connect Digital Coalition on cybersecurity matters, announcing our pledge to support Least Developed Countries (LDC) through comprehensive cybersecurity framework assessments in line with ITU’s latest Guidelines.
Over the past few years, we have seen how countries are progressing differently. Unfortunately, this progression has created a divide and many countries are still in a very immature phase in affordable access to digital services.
As experts in supporting government and regulatory frameworks, Axon is well positioned to offer guidance on #broadband universalization strategy, and is fully committed to providing ongoing support and ensuring that these countries are not left behind.
