Covid-19: ITU, Others Move to Strengthen Telcos’ Networks

Stories by Emma Okonji

As the COVID-19 continues to ravage the entire world, the International Telecoms Union (ITU) and governments of global economies, have resolved to strengthen telecoms operators’ networks across countries, while advising the operators to increase their network capacities during this period of the scourge, in order to maintain steady connectivity for all telecommunication services rendered.

They have equally provided some form of palliatives for telecoms service providers in order to keep the network active all through the period of the outbreak of the virus.

ITU is the United Nations

TELECOM

specialised agency in charge of global regulation of information and communications technologies.

While launching a new platform called REG4COVID in Geneva, Switzerland recently, that would assist governments all over the world and the private sector in ensuring that telecoms networks are kept resilient and telecommunication services are available to all, ITU Secretary-General, Mr. Houlin Zhao, said the launch of the global platform, would protect telecommunications networks during the COVID-19 crisis.

According to Zhao, “As a result of the Coronavirus scourge, I have instructed my team to leverage without any delay, ITU’s existing regulatory and policy-maker platform to help countries and industry cope with the increasing stress being put on global networks.

“The new Global Network Resiliency Platform aims to assist national policy makers, regulators and industry stakeholders to ensure that networks are kept resilient and telecommunication services are available to all to the maximum extent possible by sharing best practices and initiatives put in place during the COVID-19 crisis. It will collect relevant and trustworthy information and expertise on actions that telecommunication policy makers, regulators and others in the regulatory community can use to ensure that their telecommunication networks and services serve the needs of their country.

“This new ITU platform will provide countries struggling to find appropriate solutions to ensure their networks’ resiliency with relevant and trustworthy information and expertise on how to cope with the stresses faced by their infrastructure. And because time is of the essence, it will give those countries that still have time to prepare an opportunity to learn from what is being done elsewhere – from emergency spectrum reassignments to guidelines for consumers on responsible use. Serving initially