Since its launch in 2000, the annual Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) organized by ITU has provided a unique venue for regulators and policy-makers from both developed and developing countries to meet and exchange views and experiences. The meeting fosters an open dialogue between regulators and key ICT stakeholders: the private sector, investors and consumers.
The 2009 edition addressed the challenges of convergence and the changing role of the regulator. At a time of remarkable transformation of the ICT sector, fuelled by a combination of technological, market and regulatory developments, regulators around the world need to ensure that there is free and open competition between all players in the ICT market without favoring one technology over another. In order to address the policy implications which arise from convergence, the GSR09 discussed a variety of related topics such as creating an enabling environment for investment, IP interconnection, consumer protection, regulation of mobile termination rates and VoIP.