 We're here at ITU Telecom World 2017 in Busan, the Republic of Korea, and I'm very pleased to be joining the studio this morning by Mr Abdul Karim Sumalia, who is Secretary-General of the Africa Telecommunication Union. Mr Sumalia, thank you very much for being with us in the studio today. Thank you. Now, I'd like to start off by talking a little bit about the challenges in Africa's broadband construction. Perhaps you could tell us a little bit about that. Yes, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak about the African ICT globally and particularly on the issue of broadband, because I know most of people are focusing on the broadband issue. But I think before to go to the broadband, we have to look on the past and say that what we as Africans are doing, where we achieve. So I think the achievement is very important and now we can construct the future. So when you look on the past, you do understand that ICT was very, very low in Africa. But today, at least we can say that we're very happy most of the African countries, most African population, I think they can enjoy the ICT benefit. But however, we have a very big challenge regarding the broadband, because most of our African countries are now on 3G. It's now they're starting giving a license on 4G. So this is I think the big challenge is there. But however, I think we know there is too kind of the speed of some area is not the same on speed. You have the place where today in Africa, we don't even we don't have again communication. Mobile is not there. So I think it's best way for Africa first to be sure that the connectivity first is there anywhere. Affordability should be there. So I think this is now the challenge of the broadband. I think it's not big challenge because most of broadband is where it is in the big cities. And I think telecom operator and also our political issue, we try to push our telecom operator and most countries now they give them the license to do 4G. But 3G, I think most of it is now gone, it's underground. But the 4G, it's a big issue. Because sometimes you, we as political we're ready to give them the license for 4G. But sometimes telecom operator will not ready. But it's probably some market. It's not in cities for them to go on 4G right now. So this is a big challenge. So I think the challenge for us is just to be sure that we are open in terms of the investment in terms to create an environment to give the partner the way to come and implement the 4G in Africa. And the second, we as African telecommunication, you know, we are working on the regulation issue, especially on the availability of spectrum. So we want to be sure that at least the spectrum is available for the telecom operator to deploy the network. I was going to ask you, what are the broadband policies or regulations that you would suggest to encourage investment in Africa's broadband penetration? I think for me the best policy is just to the negotiation. The negotiation with the telecom operator who is already in place. And I believe that I see many countries today, they are not auctioned it completely, but they open discussion, bilateral discussion with the telecom operator in place and discuss and tell them how much do you want to take and most countries go on this way. I think it's the best way to discuss. Because it's no need to say that you need a new telecom operator to come and to do only 4G in your country. So this is a bilateral discussion with the telecom and we encourage them to do so, like that the telecom operator already have license. What about cross-industrial collaboration? What's your, for network instruction particularly, what's your opinion on that? I think you know today when you look at ICT, ICT is mostly stakeholder. So we as state we cannot do only say that we will do ICT. ICT needs industry. So I think for us as you said the PP, political should be the best one. So there is no way we will not partner with people, with PP, with investment, investor to come and say that we want to do so. We encourage member state to do PP. Some I know they already try to do their best even to build their own network and now certainly to go and to manage it with telecom operator, which I think is not bad. Now you're not a stranger to ITU events. I wanted to find out from you what's the value of attending an event such as ITU Telecom World? Do you know all the events in French people say that even when you drive you learn. So the event like ICT telecom as you see for them people come today in Korea where I think that is a basement of the development of ICT. So at least you learn many things in terms of application. It's not because we put the fiber underground in Africa but what we need is application, what we need is innovation. So I think when you come here at least you learn some kind of innovation. In Africa we speak mostly smart city, smart village. So when we come here at least you see how probably you can go there and put underground your smart city or your smart village. And in terms of investment do you think there have been some good conversations here with regards to all the different pavilions here etc and talking to new partners etc? Investment I'm not sure hundred but changing learning it's okay but investment probably it's not too much because I didn't see too much investor here. Big company of telecommunication industry I mean I didn't see them here too much but however in terms of changing in terms of learning I think it's always a platform for us to come and change the world. What's your key message this message is going beyond these walls to our international audience? What's your key message to participants here and the wider audience as well? I think my last word is certainly to say that whether we can try to see how we can improve ITU telecom because when you look ITU telecom on the 10th year past it's a really an industry and a political event. But today we try to learn it's become only a political platform which I think we engage you to go back again to be sure that industry is there because we have to have those partners here. Mr. Abdul Kermit Sumalia thank you very much indeed being with us today and we wish you the very best of luck in the future. Thank you everyone and so thank you thank you very much for the opportunity to speak.