The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has launched a global platform to protect telecommunication networks during the COVID-19 crisis.
The platform, according to ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao in a statement, will assist governments and the private sector in ensuring that networks are kept resilient and telecommunication services are available to all.
“At stake is our ability, as one human family, to give health workers everywhere the tools they need to carry out their duties, to allow all those that can to work from home, to trade online, to ensure that hundreds of millions of children and young people keep up with their studies, and to keep in touch with loved ones, wherever they are,” the statement reads.
The platform ITU is launching is aimed at assisting 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.
“Never before have telecommunication networks been so vital to our health and safety, and to keep our economy and society working, during the COVID-19 crisis we are living through today. As a result, 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,” Zhao announced via the statement.