 distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. It's my great honor and pleasure to welcome you at this 2015 World Relic Communication Conference. WRC 15 is being held as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the ITU. And at a time where, in one year from now, on 30 October 2016, we'll celebrate the 110th anniversary of the radio regulations. The role of WRCs in updating the international regulation of the user spectrum is the first pillar of our sector. Together with the development of worldwide standards and best practices on the use of spectrum, the dissemination and applications of these regulations and standards, and the assistance to the ITU membership in this application. The importance of this event is underlined by the growing number of its participants. As of today's, we have 3,800 registered delegates, which is 1,000 more than four years ago. These delegates represent 162 member states and 130 international organizations and sector members worldwide. Let me also mention that next year, on 13 February 2016, the World Radio Day or annual event to celebrate radio will address radio in disaster and crisis situation, a topic which is also addressed by this conference. Distinguished colleagues, as you all know, World Radio Conferences as the supreme body of the radio communication sector have the task to update and improve the radio regulations, take into account the evolution of technologies and practices and the need to ensure continued protection to all services. To illustrate how the work ahead of this WRC might impact all the people's life around the planet, I would like to mention two numbers at worldwide scale of 2014, which relate to the outcome of our activities. More than 7 billion mobile subscription and more than 50% of that serviced by mobile broadband networks. More than 500 million households receiving TV programs through Terrestrial Broadcasting, with about 40 of them benefited from digital Terrestrial Broadcasting. More than 315 million of home dishes connected to satellite networks offering TV and broadband services. All these services are experiencing very high growth rates and to provide them frequency allocation are a major enabler. These impressive numbers require huge investments in networks, equipment and terminals to accommodate a growing number of users and applications. In 2014, mobile industry revenues reached 1,200 billion US dollars and generated 230 billion US dollars in capital expenditure. Space industry revenue exceeded 200 billion dollars while spending over 80 billion dollars to build and launch satellites and associating ground equipment. And CB advertising generated 200 billion US dollars. These are the types of figures we are dealing with during the coming weeks. Spectrum is also used by many other services for many other purposes, whether commercial or non-commercial, which ensure air, ground and maritime transportation, protection of persons, monitoring of earth's resources, prediction of weather, understanding and meeting climate change, among many others. All these services rely on spectrum and need more of it in the future. All these industries are making huge investments in radio communication systems, which have lifetime, often exceeding 15 years. They need stable conditions during that term to secure these investments and essential services that they provide to billions of people around the world. Your role in representing the spectrum community at this conference will be to ensure that these investments will continue to be made and protected in the future, taking full advantage of the best technologies that are available or will become available in the future. Three days ago, the ITU 2015 Ranger Communication Assembly very successfully completed its work in adopting a number of key resolutions and recommendations which will considerably assist the membership in developing worldwide standards and best practices all the years of the spectrum. These decisions will also be very helpful for this conference, as well as for the preparation of WRC-19. The smiling consensus which prevailed during the radio assembly last week is certainly a very good start for WRC-15 to speedily and ominously address its agenda this month. I would like to mention that during the last four years, since the WRC-12, the Radio Recognition Board, the LRB, has worked very successfully and intensively to ensure that the regular regulations and past WRC decisions are applied in the full spirit of the ITU. The results of this work on the number of issues is communicated to this conference, and the LRB member, who are all present here, will I'm sure be very active in assisting the conference as it needs. Since 2012, the Ranger Communication Bureau has also been very active, notably in ensuring that the regular regulations and the decisions of past WRCs are fully and timely implemented in facilitating the preparation of the study groups and the CPN, as well as the regional activities which have been undertaken under the leadership of the regional groups, which will no doubt be the major contributor to the success of this conference. The Bureau has also been very active in informing and assisting the membership on spectrum management, in particular by organizing worldwide and regional radio communication seminars, which enabled to reach 50 more countries in the last five years. In closing, in closely cooperating with international and regional organizations and with the ITUR membership as a whole and with the other ITU sectors. All these topics are mentioned in my report to the conference. I would like to mention also the issue of global flight tracking for civilian aviation, which has been added to the agenda of this conference by the Pusan Plenary Potential Conference, and for which the results of the studies undertaken by the ITUR are also included in my report. I am confident that the conference will provide a timely and positive response to the wish of the international community to ensure the satisfactory solution to this very important issue. The aircraft craft crash that we just mentioned this morning provides a further incentive to achieve this objective at this conference. Ladies and gentlemen, before I conclude, I would like to congratulate Mr. Festus D'Augil for his designation as chairman of WRC-15, as well as the vice chairman. I have worked with him for many years, and I am very confident that he will lead us successfully throughout this conference. You have ahead of you a task of major importance. Please be assured that the ITU staff is ready to provide you with all the necessary assistance that you may require to support your work. With that, I wish you a very successful conference. Thank you very much.