Pandemic in the Internet Age: Communications industry responses

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) released a report entitled Pandemic in the Internet Age: communications industry responses. The report is structured around the three phases of the COVID-19 response timeline: a) emergency responses to COVID-19, b) the COVID-19 recovery phase, and c) the new normal state. In this regard, it identifies regulatory and policy trends for different stakeholders to ensure inclusion as part of national emergency telecommunication and to address challenges for operators, businesses, governments, and end users including most vulnerable populations. The report further pinpoints a checklist of practice which provides measures that could be espoused by governments and regulators in relation to the emergency phase of the COVID19 and in line with the recently released ITU emergency communications guidelines.