Raúl Echeberría at Mobile World Congress Ministerial Thumbnail
Growing the Internet 26 February 2018

Raúl Echeberría at Mobile World Congress Ministerial

By April FroncekFormer Senior Editor, Internet Society Foundation

The Internet Society’s Vice President of Global Engagement Raúl Echeberría will be participating in a panel tomorrow at the Mobile World Congress Ministerial Programme on Policies to Expand Access to Mobile:

“Access to mobile services has become a key prerequisite for advancing societies where connectivity has almost become a human right. As 4G continues to be rolled out in most markets, and with 5G on the horizon, what policy levers can be pulled to extend existing and future mobile broadband services further into rural and other underserved areas?

“Adopting a balanced regulatory framework that is pro-investment and pro-innovation, will help address some of the toughest development challenges for the mobile industry. This interactive session will discuss policymakers’ key objectives for supporting mobile sector growth, and their next steps for attracting investment which deliver benefits not only for the mobile industry, but for the digitalisation of other industries.”

The panel, which takes place on Tuesday, 27 February, from 11:30-13:00 (CET), is moderated by Julian David, CEO of techUK, and includes, among others, Ebele Okobi, Facebook’s Public Policy Director, Africa; Francesca Bria, Chief Technology and Digital Innovation Officer of Barcelona City Council; and Nkateko Cornelius Nyoka, Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer of Vodacom Group Limited.

If you’re attending the MWC Ministerial Programme, stop by and participate! You can also watch and read Kathy Brown’s keynote from MWC Shanghai – “Bridging the Connectivity Gap” – and learn more about how Community Networks can help close the digital divide.

In 2017 the Internet Society partnered with its Georgian Chapter and several Georgian Internet organizations to connect the remote and mountainous region of Tusheti to the Internet. The New York Times profiled the project: Hauling the Internet to an Ex-Soviet Outpost High in the Caucasus Mountains.

Disclaimer: Viewpoints expressed in this post are those of the author and may or may not reflect official Internet Society positions.

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