Cooperation

Multilateral Cooperationhttps://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=55129

Bilateral Cooperationhttps://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=55130

Over recent years, ICP-ANACOM has played a particularly important role with regard to supporting the creation and development of regulatory bodies for communications in Portuguese-speaking countries. Today, all these countries have established independent regulatory authorities.

2008 was marked by a new strategy in ANACOM's cooperation policy, with the adoption of an approach which is more focused on the new paradigms of development at a global level, and especially at sectoral level.

New cooperation mechanisms were established which better correspond to the actual and changing needs of the countries involved. In parallel, new platforms of cooperation were established, in articulation with organizations and agencies aimed at providing support and development, in their public and private aspects.

Multilateral Cooperation

Association of Postal and Telecommunications Operators of the Portuguese-speaking Countries and Territories (AICEP)

ICP-ANACOM participated in and provided financial support to the General Assembly and XVI AICEP Forum, held in Praia, Cape Verde, and also contributed with a presentation on "The new challenges for regulation".

Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP)

Centred on the theme "'Prospects for regulation within the CPLP'', this Authority participated in the Fifth Technical Meeting on Telecommunications of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), held in Praia (Cape Verde) in July 2008. This was the last technical telecommunications meeting of the CPLP held in this respect. However, the need was jointly agreed and identified for the creation of an Association of Communications and Telecommunications Regulators of the CPLP, which association should continue to promote the work which to date had been developed in this framework.

Association of Communications Regulators of the CPLP (ARCT-CPLP)

Following the decision referred to in the preceding paragraph, ICP-ANACOM took responsibility for coordinating a working group to draft the Statutes of this Association. Following this work, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed in October in Estoril, establishing the ARCT-CPLP with the mission of strengthening cooperation between the regulators of the Portuguese speaking countries of the CPLP.

ICP-ANACOM has given priority to this project from the beginning and has been willing to assume the duties of a permanent secretariat of this Association.

Centre of Excellence (CoE ITU)

ICP-ANACOM actively participated in the creation of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Portuguese and Spanish speaking African countries (in which it was also possible to include East Timor as a beneficiary).

The agreement for the establishment of the CoE was signed with the ITU in October, in Estoril, whereby, with the establishment of the CoE - in line with those set up for francophone and anglophone African countries - a contribution will be made over the next four years (2009 -2012) to raising the level of institutional qualification of the participants of the sector in Portuguese and Spanish speaking Africa, by means of training programmes which focus on areas of high priority.

This project is co-financed by Portugal and Spain, with Portugal, in addition to making a financial contribution, also willing to contribute in kind, taking on the cost of participation of Portuguese trainers/experts in the training programmes taking place within the framework of this Authority's activities. The overall budget of this project is around 1.3 million dollars, with Portugal the main donor.

The management and decisions on the activities plan of the CoE will be provided by a Standing Committee established for the purpose, with representation of the ITU, and donor and recipient countries.

Training courses

In cooperation with the Portuguese speaking African countries (PALOP) and East Timor, ICP-ANACOM conducted two training courses for technicians from the regulatory bodies of these countries - one on Spectrum management and another on Regulation of the Communications Sector. 23 technicians were involved in the course, from the regulators of PALOP and East Timor.

Bilateral Cooperation

Indicative Cooperation Programmes and Annual Cooperation Plans

2008 was marked by several initiatives in this area, including the following:

Technical missions to identify specific needs of individual countries;
Negotiation and definition of the Indicative Cooperation Programmes (ICP). The ICPs (schedule of activities by country, with minimum periods for implementation, of 3 years) set out the main areas of urgent action, which should be implemented through Annual Cooperation Plans (ACP), including a number of actions, thereby realising the areas or courses of action identified in the ICPs;
Three ICPs were defined (with the regulators of Angola, Cape Verde and Mozambique) and the respective ACPs were contracted for 2009;
Contractualisation of the ACP for 2009 in the case of the Regulators of Sao Tome and Guinea Bissau, given that the needs identified were urgent and required intervention in the short term;
Review of cooperation protocols and agreement of new protocols with the regulators of Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Guinea Bissau and amendment of the protocol with Sao Tome and Principe.

Other actions

In 2008 the following initiatives merit particular note:

Training course held in October by videoconference between ICP-ANACOM and the National Communications Institute of Mozambique (INCM), addressing postal sector issues. This initiative, which was supported by the Portuguese Embassy in Maputo, made it possible to bring 22 technicians (from the regulator and from the postal operators and Mozambique) together in the same room.
12th ordinary meeting of ANATEL (National Telecommunications Agency of Brazil) and ICP-ANACOM Coordination Commission which resulted in several commitments to jointly undertake work, particularly on the implementation of cost models, functional separation and broadband access, the creation of an information exchange between ICP-ANACOM and the manager of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI) on the regulation of service providers and the creation of various working groups, organisation of seminars and conduct of studies.
Cooperation event held in June, on the premises of the National Communications Authority of Hungary (NHH), with the participation of 3 technicians from ICP-ANACOM, to exchange experiences and knowledge with respect to spectrum monitoring and control activities. The second phase of this activity took place in Portugal in October, with an NHH team participating in the daily work of the Spectrum Management Directorate in the area of Monitoring and Control.
In October, ICP-ANACOM received a delegation from the Postal sector of Venezuela, consisting of the ministry and incumbent operator. This meeting was requested by the Venezuelan delegation, and saw participation from CTT.
In November a visit of the Ecuador postal regulator, the National Postal Agency, took place, with the aim of sharing the Portuguese experience in terms of regulating the postal sector.

Participation in the XII Congress of ACIST - Business Association of Telecommunications held in Praia in Cape Verde, in support of the internationalization of Portuguese business. This event was attended by over 100 sector entities (from Portugal and Cape Verde) and contributed to raising awareness of the Cape Verde authorities with respect to the importance of ITED regulation and to the establishment of partnerships between different companies of the two countries.
Establishing contacts with entities versed in international cooperation, to establish possible partnerships which will facilitate cooperation plans and further optimise human and financial resources, including:
- Start of negotiations on a protocol with the National Institute of Administration (INA) to allow the technicians and managers of regulatory bodies from PALOP access to their advanced training courses.
- Initiation of contacts with the IPAD, with agreement reached on the conclusion of a cooperation protocol to ensure free Portuguese training for technicians of the regulatory body of East Timor(ARCOM), given by Portuguese teachers based in East Timor as part of the Portuguese training programme. Moreover, IPAD has also supported ANACOM, allowing the free shipment of literature and equipment to PALOP countries.
- Several meetings with the World Bank and with the heads of the InfoDev Programme. These contacts led to the exchange of information on ongoing projects, trying to avoid duplication of activities and opening doors for the establishment of partnerships to enable possible joint operational missions of cooperation during 2009, with respect to PALOP.