JULY 2019
IN THIS ISSUE
UPCOMING EVENTS
   
JULY
       
 
 
 
  31 Jul - 7 Aug, Kolkata
 
 
AUGUST
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23 Aug, Nha Trang 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29-31 Aug, Kathmandu
 
   
SEPTEMBER 
 
 
 
 
5-6 Sep, Iskandar Puteri
 
 
5-6 Sep, Melbourne 
 
 
5-12 Sep, Chiang Mai
 
 
6 Sep, Hong Kong
 
 
 
 
11-12 Sep, Singapore 
 
 
14-15 Sep, Hong Kong 
 
 
 
 
17-18 Sep, Yangon
 
 
 
 
17-19 Sep, Karachi 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24-26 Sep, Kuala Lumpur 
 
 
29 Sep - 2 Oct, Singapore 
 
 
OCTOBER
 
 
 
 
12th Policy and Regulation Forum for Pacific (PRFP-12)
1-3 Oct, Tonga
 
 
3-4 Oct, Wellington 
 
 
7-9 Oct, Melbourne
 
 
APT Cybersecurity Symposium
8-10 Oct, Malaysia
 
 
APECTEL 60
13-18 Oct, Seoul
 
 
20-22 Oct, Wuzhen 
 
 
28 Oct, Sydney 
 
 
NOVEMBER
 
 
2-7 Nov, Montréal
 
 
6-7 Nov, Kuala Lumpur
 
 
 
 
 
 
IETF 106
16-22 Nov, Singapore
 
 
20-21 Nov, Singapore 
 
 
 
 
Internet Week 2019
25-28 Nov, Japan
 
 
DECEMBER
 
 
3-4 Dec, Hong Kong
 
 
5-6 Dec, Taipei
 
 
2020
 
 
12-21 Feb, Melbourne 
 
Connect with Us
Facebook    Twitter    LinkedIn
 
 
This is a monthly e-newsletter published by the Internet Society's Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau. It has updates on the Bureau's activities and features insights on the transforming Internet landscape in and around the Asia-Pacific region.

If you like our e-newsletter, you can share it by clicking on the social media links above.  
Participate and You Could Win a Tablet

Today, a few companies, like Google, Facebook, Amazon and Tencent run some of the Internet's most popular services. Do you feel you have limited choice? Tell us your views in our short annual survey and stand a chance to win a tablet!

This year's survey is part of the Internet Society's year-long effort to explore the trends of consolidation in the Internet economy. Your input will help us come up with policy recommendations on how we can protect and build the open Internet. A report on the findings from the survey will be released later this year.

If you are living in the Asia-Pacific region, please take 5 minutes to complete the survey. To show our appreciation, we will be offering 2 tablet computers in a lucky draw, and the winners will be notified by email after the survey closes on 31 July.

You can read posts and reports about our previous surveys here.
Asia-Pacific ICT Ministers Focus on Co-Creating the Future of the Internet
Singapore skyscraper
Singapore skyscraper (photo credit: Engin Akyurt)

Last month, ICT ministers across Asia-Pacific got together in Singapore to decide on the direction of ICT development in the region. At the end of the three-day gathering, leaders adopted the Singapore Statement of the Asia-Pacific ICT Ministers on Co-creating a Connected Digital Future in the Asia-Pacific, a set of high-level policy guidelines that will set the tone for activities of the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) in the next five years.

The Singapore Statement is significant in that it fortifies the principles that underpin a conducive environment for the digital economy to thrive:

  • It reinforces support for the multistakeholder approach, with states highlighting their own efforts to make ICT policy processes more inclusive during the meeting.
  • It renews its commitment to foster digital communities through collaborative projects to connect unserved and underserved areas.
  • It makes explicit references to interoperability and the free and secure flow of information online, putting equal weight on protecting users' privacy.

It is particularly encouraging to see that amidst the race to capitalise on the vast amounts of data collected from us and our online activities, ICT Ministers opted to focus on trust -  built on accountability, transparency and ethics - as a fundamental pillar in the region's digital future, one that will enable users to fully explore the potential of the Internet to improve their lives.

The APT, borne out of a treaty-based initiative of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the International Telecommunication Union, has come a long way since it was conceived four decades ago. It has made tremendous progress in harmonising member states' policies, facilitating cross-border cooperation, and amplifying the region's voice in global policy fora.

Since the last Ministerial Meeting five years ago, APT has supported numerous pilot projects to connect remote island communities in the Pacific, strengthened policymakers' capacity through training courses on Internet governance, and ensured the participation of small island developing states and landlocked developing countries in international policy discussions.

The APT's role has never been more relevant: It oversees a region that is home to 60% of the world's population and accounts for two-thirds of global economic growth. It also has a growing number of tech giants - some of which are among the most valuable companies globally. Yet, there is no denying that vast disparities in ICT and Internet development persist.

With APT's guidance, the region has begun, in a coordinated manner, to move from coverage to providing meaningful Internet access, and empowering marginalised and vulnerable sectors through accessibility tools and relevant content. It is also heartening to see more and more nation states invest in equipping citizens with the skills and means to protect themselves in cyberspace, recognising that digital literacy entails much more than knowing how to type and transact online.

International agreements of late have increasingly focused on risks and threats, with a growing number of countries asserting greater control over content, businesses and activities online. The Singapore Statement makes a confident bid for a positive future, charting a path that will make Asia-Pacific an even bigger force to be reckoned with.

Regional Policy Manager, Asia-Pacific
Second Meeting of the Indian Network Operators' Group Concludes Successfully
by Natasha Rautela, Treasurer, Internet Society India Delhi Chapter  

Opening Ceremony of INNOG2

The Indian Network Operators' Group (INNOG) organised their second meeting ( INNOG 2) in New Delhi on 1-4 July. The event, comprised of a conference and three workshops, was attended by more than 170 local and international participants. The event was supported by ISPAI, APNIC, NIXI, Internet Society, Tata Communications, Telestra, Spectra, Amazon Web Service, Software Technology Parks of India and COAI. The Internet Society India Delhi Chapter also supported the event.

The conference held on 1 July was inaugurated by Arnold Nipper of DE-CiX, David Huberman of ICANN, Rajesh Chharia of ISPAI, Ramesh Chadra of Reliance JIO, Shailesh Gupta of Tata Communications, and Srinivas Chendi and Anurag Bhatia of APNIC. The conference sessions covered a variety of topics including root service, routing security, FreeBSD, leveraging Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) for explosive growth and the ecosystem of Internet exchange points (IXPs). David Huberman of ICANN shared latest updates on DNS and highlighted the Open Forum in which participants can network and exchange ideas.

Subsequently, from 2 to 4 July, three workshops were held to address the ongoing challenges faced by Indian Internet services providers. The three workshops were on IPv6 deployment, IXP deployment and the multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) routing technique.

The workshop on IPv6 deployment had 40 participants involved in Internet technology standards, local and national network infrastructure deployment, and network operations attending the lectures and hands-on lab modules that provided step-by-step guides for IPv6 deployment.

The workshop on IXP deployment was also comprised of lectures and hands-on lab work to build the OSPF/ISIS and BGP skills required for network operators to participate at an IXP.

The workshop on MPLS included participants involved in building or operating a wide-area TCP/IP-based Internet service provider or metro service provider. The workshop covered the basic functionalities and features of MPLS, using MPLS to create virtual private networks, traffic engineering, building a large enterprise network over MPLS cloud, MPLS security and troubleshooting MPLS

About INNOG: INNOG provides service and content providers with a venue to share and learn from each other, thereby fostering greater collaborations at the working level. INNOG is not-for-profit and organisation-neutral. It is loosely structured and is run by volunteers. If you would like to contribute by speaking or organising future INNOG meetings, reach out to us here.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the Internet Society.
Happenings This Month
by Adrian Wan, Outreach Manager, Asia-Pacific, Internet Society   

The 10th Asia-Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum ( APrIGF 2019) gathered about 200 people from diverse stakeholder groups for four days in Vladivostok, Russia, and it was encouraging to see a number of Internet Society Chapter leaders and members in the region deeply involved in various sessions.

For instance, Anju Mangal, Vice Chair (Policy) of the Pacific Islands Chapter, moderated the closing plenary session, " The Role of the Asia-Pacific Internet Governance and Multistakeholder Participation in the Global IGF", and Talant Sultanov, Founding Member of the Kyrgyzstan Chapter, moderated the workshop, " Community Networks - Connecting the Hardest Half", in partnership with the Association for Progressive Communications.

APrIGF 2019 Closing Plenary Session
APrIGF 2019 Closing Plenary Session

Babu Ram Aryal, former President of the Nepal Chapter moderated the workshop, " Language Diversity in Asia-Pacific: Challenges towards Digital Dividends", whereas Shah Rahman of the Bangladesh Chapter led the workshop, " Build Concept on AI Society for Global Good: Quest for Inclusion".

The event is a platform for discussion, exchange and collaboration at the regional level, and, ultimately, it aims to advance the development of Internet governance across the region.

Many Asia-Pacific Chapters did exactly that - they brought to the forum a diverse set of perspectives, and, equally important, took home ideas that could help them maximise their Chapters' impact. A lot more of us could not make it to Russia in person and got our messages across through remote participation.

Chapters are central to our work as they help further the cause to achieve an open and free Internet across the region. We look forward to even greater involvement by Chapters in the event in the future.

This month, we also saw the India Mumbai Chapter release their latest newsletter focused on Internet governance. The cover story examines the significance of the multistakeholder model, and discusses how chapter leaders can increase volunteers' engagement by tapping their capabilities and ikigai - a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being". In another article, the Chapter introduces readers to two key initiatives for spreading awareness about various aspects of Internet governance.

Looking forward, we are excited about the 34th Meeting of the South Asian Network Operators' Group ( SANOG 34), which takes place from 31 July to 7 August in Kolkata, India, and is hosted by the India Kolkata Chapter. SANOG will be in Kolkata for the first time, and the programme committee is putting together a great programme. Join us on social media to get our latest updates about the event.
Online Trust Alliance Reports 2 Million Cyber Incidents in 2018 Costing $45 Billion
The Internet Society's Online Trust Alliance in its 11th Cyber Incident & Breach Trends report shows that some types of attacks wane while others rise. However, the total dollar value of these attacks continues to grow. Addressing these threats comes back to a basic set of core best practices that requires discipline to implement and maintain.

Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications started an initiative last month to screen Internet of Things devices for viruses, and says it is finding 100 infected gadgets a day. Screening targets include routers, which directly connect to the Internet, along with security cameras and sensors. The ministry will be prompting owners to disinfect their devices.

The Point-to-Point Passenger Transport Industry Bill was tabled in Parliament on 8 July. If passed, the Bill will give the Pubic Transport Council - which currently regulates bus and train fares - the discretion to set a pricing policy for fares charged by ride-hailing operators such as Grab and Gojek.

The Coral Sea Cable is a 4,700km long fibre-optic undersea telecommunications cable linking Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. A ceremony was held on 15 July to mark the commencement of the cable laying process, and is expected to be ready for service by December 2019.

Not yet signed up to receive our emails? Join Now