infoDev sponsored, along with ASEAN, the World Bank Group, and the Indonesian ICT regulatory authority BRTI, a two-day training seminar entitled “Managing Competition in a Next-Generation Networks Environment” in Jakarta on September 25-26, 2007.  The seminar brought together 200 participants from ICT ministries, regulators, and operators in the ASEAN countries to examine and discuss in detail the full range of topics related to the introduction of next-generation networks (NGNs).  They heard presentations from a wide array of leading public, private, and legal NGN experts (from British Telecom, Alcatel, Ericsson, NTT and Ministry of Communication Japan, and ITU) on NGN network architecture, performance, and user needs and policy and regulatory implications. 

A first for the ASEAN region and the first infoDev-sponsored event to focus in depth on NGNs, the seminar also included case studies on the transition to NGNs given by regulator and operator representatives from Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia.  Participants found these studies particularly valuable as a window for discussing practical NGN implementation issues.  They also took advantage of informal discussion opportunities to follow up with the expert speakers on more specific legal and regulatory issues.  In this regard, they were especially interested to learn more from the Japanese representatives about how they had created the policy and regulatory environment that has made Japan the world leader in fiber-to-the-home broadband. 

A key point brought home repeatedly by speakers and panelists throughout the seminar was the necessity of adequate broadband penetration in order to fully enable the transition to NGNs.  Another was the important role that NGNs play in fostering economic competitiveness in today’s interconnected world.  The participants took note of these points, and in the final roundtable session they pledged to address further the regulatory aspects of NGN transition and advocated more open fora such as the seminar to share specific country experience and practical implementation issues.