The 44th Meeting of the Telecommunications and Information Working Group was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 22-28 September 2011. Members discussed ways to implement the TEL 2010-2015 Strategic Action Plan, focusing on the development of universal access to broadband, ICT application in socio-economic activities such as disaster management, cyber-security strategies and awareness raising activities, and implementation of the MRA for Conformity Assessment and the MRA for Equivalence of Technical Requirements.

At the meeting, members also considered individual economies' telecommunications and information-related policies, regulatory developments and effective implementation of the MRAs. Members reviewed ongoing TEL projects on Asia-Pacific Information Infrastructure (APII) Testbed, e-government, and ICT applications for people with special needs (seniors and people with disabilities), as well as recently completed TEL projects on broadband development, green ICT, disaster management, cyber-security, and consumer protection.

Other TEL projects endorsed at the meeting include application of ubiquitous ICT for customized management in emergency situations, , telecom competition policy, cloud computing applied to tele-health management platform system, and cyber security incident response team capacity building and collaboration.

The meeting was preceded by the following roundtables and workshops:

• Regulatory Roundtable: The theme of the Roundtable was "Social Media." Presentations and discussions included the benefits and challenges of social media, adequate laws, legal jurisdiction, and relationship between industry and regulators on social media.
  
  
• Study Workshop on Best Practices Transfer of Green ICT for Sustainable Growth: The workshop provided a platform for member economies to discuss policies and strategies on green ICT for sustainable development and to exchange best practices on energy efficiency for data centers, guidelines for green ICT in daily life, and green telecom and applications.
  
  
• Workshop on Enhancing Broadband Development and Internet Usages for Improving Networks and Service in APEC Member Economies: The workshop provided an opportunity to discuss broadband access and the digital divide in the APEC region and ways to bridge that divide, including accessibility and affordability of broadband and Internet usage.  
  
  
• Training and Workshop on the Domain Name Service Security Extension (DNSSEC): The training discussed the basics for DNSSEC concept, the reasons for deploying DNSSEC and the actual implementation of DNSSEC. In addition to these topics, the workshop discussed the experiences, challenges and outcomes of DNSSEC deployment. 
  
  
• Disaster Management Seminar: The seminar discussed the role of ICT to prevent and mitigate the damage of natural disaster as well as the importance of keeping resilience of the ICT infrastructure.
  
  
• Workshop on Enhancing Consumer Protection in Telecom Services: The workshop provided an opportunity to share latest developments and best practices on consumer protection in telecom services as well as domestic policies and frameworks.
  
  
• Cybercrime Experts Group Meeting: The first meeting of Cybercrime Experts Group was held and the following mission statement was adopted - The Security and Prosperity Steering Group (SPSG) Experts’ Group on Cybercrime will further the APEC leaders’ statements and the goals of the SPSG to promote cybersecurity by strengthening the capacity of member economies to detect, investigate and prosecute cybercrime, and to promote and improve cooperation among member economies in the fight against cyber crime.
  
  

The 8th Ministerial Meeting on Telecommunications and Information (TELMIN8) was held in Okinawa, Japan from 30-31 October 2010. The Ministers adopted a declaration, which includes the development of broadband infrastructure and use of ICT to address socio-economic challenges, such as energy, environment, education and health care.

The Ministers also endorsed the TEL Strategic Action Plan to advance its work focusing on the following areas: (i) Develop ICT to promote new growth; (ii) Enhance socio-economic activities through the use of ICT; (iii) Promote a safe and trusted ICT environment; (iv) Promote regional economic integration; and (v) Strengthen cooperation in the ICT sector.

The Ministerial Meeting supported the following achievements and documents developed by the TEL: (i) IPv6 Guidelines; (ii) Guide on Telecommunications Elements of Regional Trade Agreement and Free Trade Agreement; (iii) Mutual Recognition Arrangement of Telecommunications Equipment (MRA-ETR); and (iv) Guidelines on the Provision of Consumer Information on International Mobile Roaming.

The 45th TEL Working Group Meeting will be held in Da Nang, Viet Nam  from 2-7 April  2012.