 Welcome to the World Radio Communication Conference 2023, WRC 23 here in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. I've got the great pleasure of being joined in the studio by John Paolo Selvahan, who is the Deputy Commissioner for the National Telecommunications Commission for the Republic of the Philippines. John, welcome to the studio. Thank you for having us here. You're here because of the World Radio Communication Conference. It's a very important event in ITU's calendar. Why is it important to you? Digital connectivity is part of one of the key components of the Philippine Development Plan for 2023 to 2028. The target is to increase connectivity, broadband speed, coverage, and network. And some of the key items that will be forged here in WRC 2023 is towards that direction. And we believe that not only the Philippines will be able to benefit from the radio regulations that will be forged here, but also the global connectivity industry. What are the main challenges and opportunities for radio communication in the Philippines? Well, the Philippines is an archipelagic country. We have almost more than 7,100 islands. That alone presents a challenge. Not only that, there are artificial challenges like availability of a stable power transmission, penetration of smartphones, and the rest. But these challenges also present opportunities for the Philippines. As you see, the government and the private stakeholders or private industry are working closely more than ever to solve these challenges. Excellent. And what do you hope some of the outcomes will be here at WRC 23? On the part of the Philippines, we hope that WRC 2023 will come up with the globally harmonized frequency bands so that the Philippines and our region will benefit more from economies of scale. And we're also looking forward to having a resolution and agenda item on future technology so that certain innovations could be spearheaded already within our country. Talking about the future, what are your hopes for the future of radio communications for the Philippines? Well, we're really looking at the expansion of the connectivity network so that all unserved and underserved areas in the Philippines will have connectivity. No Filipino or any resident or any citizen or anyone so journeying within the Philippines will not be left behind. Okay. And I'll give you a quick opportunity for a message to our listeners and our viewers from you, from your perspective. Well, from our perspective, we're more than happy to be able to participate in WRC 2023 and we're more than happy to be able to share with you our insights and inputs on behalf of the Philippines. Well, that's excellent. Thank you so much indeed, John Palace-Alvahan. It's been a pleasure having you in the studio and we look forward to catching up with you again perhaps at another ITU event or some stage in the future. Thank you very much. And if you've enjoyed this interview, which I'm sure you will have, please check out our other interviews on our YouTube channel as well as podcasts on our podcast channel such as SoundCloud or Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts from and check out our website at www.itu.int. Thanks for tuning in.