CYIL 2013

ANNELIES VRBOVÁ – MARKÉTA NOVÁKOVÁ – MARTIN BULÁNEK

CYIL 4 ȍ2013Ȏ

Introduction The World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) raised a lot of emotions and discussions not only among state administrations and experts but also the public all over the world. It was held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates,from 3 rd till 14 th December 2012 under the chairmanship of the Director General of the National Regulatory Authority, Mr. Mohamed Nasser Al-Ghanim. What was it all about? What was the involvement of the Czech Republic like? There is no exhaustive description of what happened in Dubai. The following article aims at capturing the most crucial and important moments that affected the final decision of the Czech Republic. I. WCIT-12 The only purpose for organizing theWCIT-12 was the revision of the International Telecommunications Regulations (more known as ITRs). ITRs have set rules for international telecommunication services for administration agencies (governments and their bodies) and/or recognized private operating agencies. They cover definitions, rules for international network and services, rules for safety of life and telecommunications priorities, special rules for charging and accounting, suspension of services or dissemination of information. Furthermore, they include 3 Appendices, which define accounting principles, provisions for maritime telecommunications and service and privilege telecommunications. ITRs, as a set of rules, mainly for international telephone services provided by state owned telecommunications companies,that the governments of 178 states signed in Melbourne in1988, became obsoletedue to the rapidchanges in the telecommunications markets of many countries. In many countries market liberalisation led to rapid technical development enabling the creation of a wide range of telecommunications services. Mobile communication does not limit users any longer, and developments in technologies make telephony, as well as current arrangements for it at the international level, obsolete. Moreover, a completely new and extremely efficient means of communication has emerged – the Internet. European countries are, therefore, concerned about the benefits of the ITRs and of the opinion that we do not need them anymore. Other states, especially – but not only – developing countries with non-liberalized markets, however, believe that the ITRs should be maintained. Being one of the oldest international organisations, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialised agency of the United Nations. Its highest decision-making body, the Plenipotentiary Conference, decided in 2010 that a conference on ITRs would be held in Dubai in 2012. Preparations took place not only in a specialised working group within the ITU but also at the regional level. There are six regional groups of the ITU Member States – the CIS, also known as the RCC (comprised of Russia and others from the former Soviet Union), Asia and the Pacific, the Americas, Africa, the Arab Region and Europe. In general, each region (except