APEC Telecommunications and Information Action Plan endorsed

The 10th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Telecommunications and Information Ministerial Meeting (APEC TELMIN 10) endorsed the APEC Telecommunications and Information (APEC TEL) Working Group Strategic Action Plan for 2016-2020 on March 31.
The 10th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Telecommunicationsand Information Ministerial Meeting (APEC TELMIN 10) endorsed the APECTelecommunications and Information (APEC TEL) Working Group StrategicAction Plan for 2016-2020 on March 31.

Priorityareas in the 5-year action plan include developing and supportinginnovations in Information and Communications Technology (ICT),promoting the formation of a secure and trusted ICT environment andfostering regional integration and the development of digital andinternet economies.

APEC’s vision is to create anintegrated, trusted and reliable digital ecosystem and an upgradedtechnology infrastructure alongside facilitating the widely use ofinformation technology (IT) and improved ICT capability by 2020.

Under the plan, member economies will be able to increase theavailability and effective use of IT infrastructure in the region, in abid to not only speed up regional integration but also spur sustainableand comprehensive economic growth.

At the 2-daymeeting, APEC Ministers also held talks with industry leaders andexperts on APEC TEL’s vision for the future.

In hisspeech, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications (MIC) PhamHong Hai stressed the importance of equal opportunity for everyone toaccess ICT services as well as the necessity to develop mobile broadbandinfrastructure and a proper business model between content and serviceproviders, particularly among overseas content providers.

He also shared Vietnam’s achievements in expanding its local broadbandnetworks and the governmental effort to improve legal frameworks andpolicies towards an equal and competitive environment.

MIC Deputy Minister held a working session with the United Statesdelegation led by Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and theEnvironment Catherine A. Novelli on the sidelines of the meeting todiscuss future cooperation in information technology and communicationbetween the two countries in particular.

The APECTELMIN 10 took place from March 30-31 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, drawingthe participation of around 200 delegates from 19 APEC membereconomies.

Earlier, the APEC Telecommunications and Information Senior Officials’ Meeting was held between March 26 and 28 in Malaysia.-VNA

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