 Let me start by saying that it's always a pleasure to participate in ITU events and meet new people and once again this session it provided an opportunity to engage with different experts even if we know some of the companies very well already. For me the major takeaway and I think for everybody on the on the panel in fact was the overwhelming conclusion that a mix of technologies is required if we're going to bridge the digital divide. Now that is nothing new and it's very much what we as an association have been saying for many many years but and this is what surprised me every time we hear it it appears as if it's a penny drop moment of realisation or a new conclusion that without this discussion the experts would not have reached and I think that is something that we should all be surprised by. It is absolutely nothing new that geographies, economies, markets, demographics they are different in every country they're different on different continents. There is no one-size-fits-all so I'm always quite taken aback when I hear sweeping statements like fixed wireless access or 5G has the potential to bridge the digital divide and in the face of the pandemic and the urgency to connect people I think it's really time to pragmatically address the real obstacles to bridging the divide and one of which is precisely the constant need to push back on this kind of binary approach that assumes that there's one technology at the centre and in that context I found Rakuten's question Miro Salem their head of AI his question was both surprising and refreshing especially coming from a mobile network operator. He asked we have to ask ourselves are we really serious about the problem? He said you know we can go to the moon we're even heading for Mars but we can't do this and he highlighted that the core problem is one of economics and for me he couldn't be more accurate it's not about spectrum it's about having the infrastructure to connect to in the first place and that comes down to economic viability and he also said it's a question of evolution and going step by step so the surprise for me was that you had both satellite and mobile both very genuinely calling for a more serious and a more pragmatic approach to connectivity for all. 5G fixed wireless access has the potential to provide fixed access in areas where fiber is not available and yes it can connect lots of users like schools, hospitals, people at home at the same time but when you look at where it is being deployed in reality then you see that it is in fact only in not spots but within urban areas it is difficult to extend it outside of urbanized areas because it requires a connection to the backbone so to reach into lower density areas you can't really see it as an alternative no but you really should be seeing we should be seeing the technologies as complementary because we cannot affordably extend fixed wireless access without for example satellite backhaul and why well there max we are back to the question of economics but there is another relevant consideration here and that's mobility there are so many examples of satellite enabling healthcare on the move or mobile banking or mobile hotspots especially in developing countries and with fixed wireless access the clue really is in the name it's fixed so you don't have the mobility that we expect from a 4G 5G connectivity experience and to that again to that extent again it's not an alternative but I think that the question in itself max potentially pitches one technology against another and that is something that we really must avoid because as we said is a mix of technologies and hybrid solutions that are going to be the answer to future connectivity you're right NGSO systems have brought a lot of attention to the satellite sector and indeed people finally now they understand what is satellite broadband how does it work and I do believe that an important part of this spotlight on satellite is having well-known figures like Elon Musk behind projects like the Starlink Leo broadband program however while Starlink is becoming increasingly well known it is about connecting users directly to satellite broadband in the way that all of us understand broadband connectivity so either we use our mobiles or computers or another device to just connect straight to broadband and with Starlink indeed you are doing precisely that but as I said while Starlink is about that for now it is still far away from being for developing countries because the price point is just too high and that's because of the complexity of the user equipment for Leo broadband systems but most importantly I would note that connecting users directly to the internet is in fact not what most Leo broadband systems are about they are mostly about enabling higher capacity lower latency solutions as part of an integrated satellite terrestrial network to address key market segments that have specific latency requirements for example so if we want to now if we want to talk about satellite broadband connecting users directly in emerging economies then we really need to look at what's happening today and there you have great examples based on GSO systems in fact for example in Mexico where you have I think it's 1.8 million previously unconnected people using the internet thanks to satellite powering wi-fi hotspots across I think it's 2,500 sites or Kenya where one of our members has connected 245 schools and they're providing maths literacy and life skills teaching for marginalized girls again thanks to satellite powered wi-fi sure satellite has the potential to bridge the digital divide and that too within a much shorter timeframe than any other standalone solution but it's not going to depend only on NGSO systems that that would be an erroneous assumption first of all it will happen based on multiple systems across all all orbits as we see it's happening today and secondly it will definitely include hybrid so we mean satellite terrestrial solutions working in concert together that involve either backhauling wi-fi or cellular alongside the direct connectivity but most importantly it's going to depend to my mind on the ability of policymakers to really foster and encourage the use of a mix of technologies and move away from just aiming for really high speeds based on terrestrial 5g for all or some such utopian notion which which ignores economic realities so in the session we had an MNO highlight precisely this issue and in the market we see a variety of terrestrial actors investing in satellite systems as well so there is definitely an organic movement in this direction but it's going to take time not because of the lack of technology solutions but because we need time to change mindsets and policy making and put appropriate frameworks in place. Really important question the ITU's mission is to connect the world and this marries very well with the mission of ISOA and its members which is also to ensure complete connectivity in support of a more equal resilient inclusive society and so both have a very essential role to play the private sector has so much ground experience rolling out networks dealing with regulators securing licenses and for satellite this can be so different from one country to another because of I think the level of understanding around the technology and a technology which is also evolving in leaps and bounds so we see some governments who are very familiar in how to regulate and license satellite and they're making really good use of it to connect their people but we see other countries who have a way to go yet they are not as aware they have not used it yet so they don't know yet how to exploit it so while the private sector can provide useful benchmarks as to what works well what can be done better we need the ITU to take this invaluable information and package it in the form of recommendations and guidance to member states and in the last two years when we look at what your organization has done I mean the ITU has done precisely that they've issued guidelines to support countries when facing national emergencies when facing pandemics and advising them how to achieve last mile connectivity so all of these things on the one hand they have an operational component that is informed by industry but that needs to influence the policy which is where the ITU takes the lead so for me the relationship between industry and the ITU really is symbiotic and fundamental to ensure the success of our respective missions for me these events provide a what I would call a structured networking environment around a topic of common interest and as I said we meet new people every time and with each event we actually learn based on shared perspectives new perspectives that come from different stakeholders but I think what I would highlight which is really unique about the ITU is that it provides a platform which convenes both public and private sectors in a dialogue with each other on an equal footing and that is something that we have to be so appreciative of if we consider a WRC I mean I know I've said this before but we are looking at the world's largest and most successful consensus building process which actually manages to amend an international treaty every four years which other organization can do that and it can't be done without the close interaction and working with industry and it requires also the cooperation of governments similarly what the ITU does with its study groups and by us as industry participating in those study groups and events like the ITU digital world that just happened industry has such an important platform on which it can convey really vital important information to administrations like the importance of leveraging solutions like satellite to achieve their own objectives and also so they understand how we contribute to the UN SDGs so for me the ITU is totally unique in the richness of the platforms it provides both in terms of participants the equal footing that it places them on and in terms of the content that it deals with and from my perspective as as Isoa as the recognized representative body for the satellite community we will continue to renew our commitment to working with the ITU