What is Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT)?

About Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT):

• APT is an intergovernmental organization established in February 1979 with the aim of promoting ICT development in the Asia-Pacific region. 
• APT was founded on the joint initiatives of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• Currently, the APT has a strength of 38 Members, 4 Associate Members and more than 140 Affiliate Members (private companies and academia whose works are relevant to the ICT field).
• Functions:
  • APT fosters the development of telecommunication services and information infrastructure throughout the region.
  • It plays a crucial role in coordinating and harmonizing policies, regulations, and technical standards related to ICT.
  • APT conducts various preparatory activities for international conferences, including the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP), World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs), World Telecommunication Standardization Assemblies (WTSAs), World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), and World Telecommunication Development Conferences (WTDCs).
  • The organization also hosts working groups and forums to address specific issues such as spectrum management, policy, and standardization.
  • APT also organizes a variety of capacity building programs related to ICT topics and implements several pilot projects to promote ICT development in the region.
  • In addition, APT provides sub-regional platforms to facilitate achieving sub-regional common interests.
  • For example, the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council (SATRC), under the umbrella of APT, organizes working groups for policy and regulation, and spectrum to facilitate harmonization among parties concerned.
• The SATRC meeting is an annual event where heads of telecommunication regulatory bodies from SATRC member countries discuss and coordinate regulatory and other issues related to telecommunication and ICT. 
• SATRC is composed of the heads of the regulatory bodies of nine South Asian countries, namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
• Affiliate members from these countries are also taking active participation in SATRC activities.

Q1: What is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)?

It is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies. It was established in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union. In 1947 the ITU became a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is an intergovernmental organization that coordinates between governments and private sector bodies with respect to global telecommunication and information communication technology (ICT) services.

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