Recognizing WSIS Impacts

WTDC RESOLUTION 78 (Dubai, 2014)

Capacity building for countering misappropriation of Recommendation ITU-T E.164 telephone numbers

The World Telecommunication Development Conference (Dubai, 2014),

• considering
  • the provisions of Chapter IV the ITU Constitution, on the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU‑D), particularly with regard, inter alia, to the functions of ITU‑D for building awareness of the impact of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) on national economic and social development, its catalytic role in promoting the development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services and networks, especially in developing countries, and the need to maintain and enhance cooperation with regional and other telecommunication organizations,
• considering further
  • a) Resolution 22 (Rev. Dubai, 2014) of this conference, on alternative calling procedures on international telecommunication networks, identification of origin and apportionment of revenues in providing international telecommunication services;
  • b) the resolutions from previous world telecommunication development conferences in regard to countries in special need;
  • c) the work carried out to date in ITU‑D to assist countries in understanding and countering the misappropriation of Recommendation ITU‑T E.164 telephone numbers, through ITU‑D programmes, activities and projects,
• noting
  • a) that Member States are responsible for managing numbering resources behind country codes assigned to them under Recommendation ITU‑T E.164;
  • b)that many Member States, particularly developing countries, have been significantly and adversely affected by telephone number misappropriation;
  • c) that many operating agencies have been significantly and adversely affected by telephone number misappropriation;
  • d) Resolution 61 (Rev. Dubai, 2012) of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly, on countering and combating misappropriation and misuse of international telecommunication numbering resources;
  • e)Recommendation ITU‑T E.156, which sets out guidelines for ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU‑T) action on reported misuse of ITU‑T E.164 numbers, and Supplement 1 to Recommendation ITU‑T E.156, which provides a best-practice guide on countering misuse of ITU‑T E.164 numbering resources,
• recognizing
  • a) Programme 3 of the Hyderabad Action Plan (HAP), on enabling environment, including the following priority areas:
    • i) assistance to develop national strategies, policies, plans, regulation and economic and financial mechanisms on topics which include telephone numbering;
    • ii) forums for information discussion and exchange;
    • iii) development of tools to increase knowledge and know-how;
  • b) the immediate needs of small island development states (SIDS) and specific regions or subregions, such as the Pacific Islands, in countering telephone number misappropriation,
• further recognizing
  • a) that there is a need to counter and combat misappropriation and misuse of international telecommunication numbering resources assigned in accordance with Recommendation ITU‑T E.164;
  • b) that the allocation of global telephone numbering resources is managed by the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau in accordance with ITU‑T Recommendations;
  • c) that the management and allocation of national telephone numbering resources is the responsibility of Member States, and that such management is their sovereign right and reflected in national regulatory and legal frameworks;
  • d) that differences exist between Member States in their approach to managing their national telephone numbering resources;
  • e) that Member States have the right to impose rules on the parties to whom they allocate telephone numbering resources, for example through national numbering plan authorities;
  • f) that operating agencies must act in accordance with all applicable national regulatory and legal frameworks of the Member State in which the number is being used,
• requests the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau
  • 1 to publish, identify, promote and use the documents and research produced thus far as a template for future activity in order to allow consistent identification of the issues and to combat ITU‑T E.164 telephone number misappropriation;
  • 2 to utilize notifications of numbering misappropriation submitted to support consistent identification of ITU‑T E.164 telephone numbering misappropriation issues, in order to assist, on Member States’ request, in developing capability to counter ITU‑T E.164 telephone number misappropriation;
  • 3 to continue to work with regions, subregions and countries, in particular developing countries and least developed countries, to develop national legal and regulatory frameworks that are sufficient to ensure best practices in ITU‑T E.164 telephone numbering management in order to counter telephone number misappropriation,
• requests the Director of Telecommunication Development Bureau in cooperation with the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau
  • 1 to ensure that national numbering plans are available, either directly from the Member State or via the ITU Operational Bulletin, using the format specified in Recommendation ITU‑T E.129, in order to contribute to countering telephone number misappropriation;
  • 2 to be responsive to Member State requests, particularly those from developing countries and SIDS, with a view to developing, supporting and acting on best practices on telephone number misappropriation, resulting in templates, proposals, Recommendations and resolutions to counter and combat ITU‑T E.164 telephone number misappropriation;
  • 3 to work cooperatively in order to continue to develop measures based on proven best practices for countering ITU‑T E.164 telephone number misappropriation,
• invites Member States
  • 1 to collaborate in order to identify, counter and combat activities associated with ITU‑T E.164 telephone number misappropriation;
  • 2 to support the development and deployment of ITU‑T E.164 telephone numbering management best practices within their jurisdiction;
  • 3 to work collaboratively with other Member States and with operating agencies in order to keep them informed of the rules, guidelines and allocation methods for ITU‑T E.164 telephone numbers within their country,
• invites Member States and Sector Members
  • to contribute to the development of best practices for countering misappropriation of ITU‑T E.164 telephone numbers and to encourage administrations and international telecommunication operators to ensure that ITU‑T E.164 numbering resources are used only by the assignees and only for the purposes for which they were assigned, and that unassigned resources are not used.