On 3-14 December 2012 the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At the conference amendments were adopted to the International Telecommunications Regulations (the "Regulations"), which serve as the binding global treaty designed to facilitate international interconnection and interoperability of information and communication services. The Regulations do not address the content-related aspects of telecommunications.

Security and unsolicited bulk electronic communications were hotly debated issues at the conference. As a consequence, Articles 5A (Security and robustness of networks) and 5B (Unsolicited bulk electronic communications) of the Regulations were modified.

The amendments to the Regulations state that:

• Member States should endeavour to take necessary measures to prevent the propagation of unsolicited bulk electronic communications and minimize their impact on international telecommunication services. Member States are encouraged to cooperate in that sense (Article 5B).
• Member States shall individually and collectively endeavour to ensure the security and robustness of international telecommunication networks in order to achieve their effective use and avoidance of technical harm to them, as well as the harmonious development of international telecommunication services offered to the public (Article 5А).

However, the amended version of the Regulations was not signed by all the Member States, since no universal consent on terminology was reached.

For further information please contact partner Oleksandr Padalka
and senior associate Illya Onyschenko