EAP - The Pacific Infrastructure Challenge - World Bank (2006).pdf

Universal Access
Universal access refers to the goal of putting working, affordable, telephone or
mobile services and internet access within the reach of the whole population.
Universal access is an important goal for Pacific countries seeking to overcome the
constraints of remoteness and distance between islands. The Pacific Islands Forum
Secretariat Communication Policy Meeting in April 2002 identified universal access
priorities in: tele-health, distance learning and community telecentres and policy and
regulatory frameworks.
In the telecommunications sector, the concept of universal service refers to the
policy of making telephone service available to all homes, regardless of the distance
from the switch or ability to pay. In most countries, universal service targets and
policies have been adopted, based on the idea that telecommunications is an essential
service that contributes to development.
A ‘telephone in every home’ may be a realistic target for developed countries, but this
is not the case in developing countries. Because of this, the term ‘universal access’
was established to refer to a more realistic goal of putting a working, affordable
telephone within reach of the whole population of a country. In addition, the term
has been expanded to include mobile communications and increasingly, internet
access under the banner of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs).
This reflects the increasing importance of information technology in developing
commercial, social services, healthcare and education sectors. The concept of
universal access has become an increasingly important objective for
telecommunications policy and legislation in developing countries. In the Pacific
universal service policies refer to universal provision of voice telephony, public pay
phones and internet access, corresponding with our definition of universal access,
which we discuss in this section.
In most countries around the world, monopoly operators have been traditionally
charged with the obligation to provide a certain number of new connections per year.
This approach to expanding service generally relies on cross-subsidizing local charges
and connection fees from international charges. It is called the ‘Universal Service
Obligation’. Incumbent telecommunications operators in the Pacific also have
universal service obligations.
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