Highlights and Activities for Weeks 39 & 40

International Meetings

1. Universal Postal Congress: The 25th Universal Postal Congress officially opened in Doha, Qatar, on the 24th September, marking the beginning of the three-week meeting, which gathers postal leaders and stakeholders from the UPU’s 192 member countries to decide on the global postal sector’s future every four years. Representatives from the MCA joined more than 2,200 registered delegates who registered to participate in these meetings to examine proposals to modify the rules and regulations governing the exchange of international mail as well as major documents recommending the way forward in areas such as postal financial services, quality of service, postal security, eCommerce and trade facilitation. The meetings will come to a close on the 15th October 2012 (see http://dohacongress.upu.int/)
     
2. ICT-VN: The MCA participated in the 7th ICT-VN Consortium meeting. Each country was asked to present the way it intends to implement the best practice identified for each country which is aimed at assisting SMEs to adopt and make use of ICT in business.  MCA representatives delivered a presentation on how the Web Check project will be implemented in Malta – a project which is currently being implemented in Ireland. The Authority is currently working on the implementation of a pilot of the Web Check project, instead of the full project. The results of the pilot project will help the Authority tailor the full project better by addressing lessons learnt through the pilot. The management and coordination of the ICT-VN project was also discussed to ensure that the progress reporting is being adhered to. 
    
3. InSafe training:  As members of Insafe, [the European Network of Safer Internet Centres (www.internetsaferty.org)], a member of the MCA represented the Maltese Centre branded BeSmartOnline! in a two day training meeting. This meeting was organised by Insafe and brought together 27 centres from the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Russia. The meeting served as a platform to:

• Discuss the rights and responsibilities that online users have. 
• Consider what the future holds for the Internet and mobile technology and gain some insight into what can be expected and the impact this may have on our work. 
• Highlight some of the key elements of the impact assessment tool sand discuss how this can be used effectively across the network. 
• Foster the development of communication spaces where youth participation consists of meaningful interaction between young people rather than adult-led youth panels. 
• Consider the issues surrounding mobile use with particular reference to premium numbers, costs and apps. 
• Discuss the future of online help and focus on how the network can make best use of the available opportunities. 
• Enhance the learning community that has developed within Insafe through shared group activities and the sharing of best practice. 

4. Cullen Training: An MCA representative participated in a 3 day training course organised by Cullen-International titled ‘Mastering European Telecommunications Regulation’. Topics covered were various and included competition law and telecoms, spectrum policy, issues concerning Market  4 and 5, regulatory issues in an NGA environment, fixed and mobile termination and roaming, privacy, universal service and net neutrality.
    
5. 12th BEREC Plenary: The MCA participated in the 12th BEREC Plenary held in Cyprus. During this meeting, BEREC revised its broadband common positions, originally adopted in 2006 and 2007, to reflect both technological developments (the roll-out of NGA networks) and regulatory developments (the revisions to the European regulatory framework in 2009, and the Commission’s NGA Recommendation). The revised common positions on wholesale local access (WLA), wholesale broadband access (WBA) and wholesale leased lines (WLL), were adopted during this Plenary and are consistent with BEREC’s consultation responses to the Commission’s upcoming draft recommendations on non-discrimination and costing methodologies for NGA. The consultation closes on 18 October 2012. BEREC also invited stakeholders to comment on its work programme for 2013, which follows the themes outlined in its Medium-Term Strategy adopted in February 2012, namely infrastructure (boosting the roll-out of next generation networks), consumers (consumer empowerment and protection) and services (boosting the internal market). The consultation closes on 26 October 2012. A third public consultation will be launched on 5 October 2012, on a harmonised BEREC cooperation process in relation to Article 28(2) of the Universal Service Directive (dealing with fraud and the misuse of numbering resources). Issues related to international roaming and regulatory accounting were also discussed during this meeting. The next Plenary will be held in Malta, hosted by the MCA in December. (see http://berec.europa.eu/eng/document_register/subject_matter/berec/press_releases/?doc=1018) 
    
6. Future Internet Forum (FIF): The Malta Communications Authority attended the “Future Internet Forum” which was held in Warsaw between the 26-27th September. The Future Internet Forum is an informal group that allows Member and Associated States to share knowledge, experience and best practices, and devise common approaches towards a stronger European footprint in the global context of a European Future Internet. The forum also provides input to the strategic direction for the Future Internet, elaborating priorities with European added value, propose concrete measures to enhance Europe’s competitiveness and identifying needs and opportunities for the post-downturn economy. Link to forum site: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/foi/lead/fif/index_en.htm

1. eBiz awards: The nomination period for the eBusiness awards came to a close on 28th September 2012. The MCA is pleased with the interest show this year following the receipt of 53 nominations. The MCA is currently reviewing these nominations. 
    
2. EPITOME training: The MCA has opened applications for the 2nd intake for specialised training in the use of ICT in business. This training is aimed at microenterprises and respective employees, the self employed and from this year, SMEs. This training is provided free of charge and will run for a period of 20 weeks.  Applications close on 19th October 2012.  See http://www.mca.org.mt/epitome  for more information.