REPORT OF THE REGIONAL WORKING GROUP ON SATELLITE COMMUNICATION APPLICATIONS ON ITS SIXTH MEETING

Bangkok, 14-16 March 2001

I. SUMMARY

A. Conclusions

The sixth meeting of the Regional Working Group on Satellite Communication Applications (RWG/SatCom) noted with satisfaction the progress of member countries in the area of satellite communication applications, particularly in distance education and telehealth. These applications were making a strong contribution to poverty alleviation and rural development in the region. The meeting agreed to enhance regional cooperation in the conduct of projects and activities of common interest, and in the exchange of information and experience.

The meeting expressed satisfaction that ESCAP had continued to support the activities of the Regional Working Group by promoting regional cooperation in the applications of satellite communication. The meeting noted the efforts of the ESCAP secretariat to implement the recommendations of the Second Ministerial Conference on Space Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific.

The meeting noted that the Community Teleservice Centre (CTC) concept developed by the RWG/SatCom had been adopted in several countries, applying information and communication technology in support of development in the region, particularly in rural areas.

A successful International Telehealth Symposium was held as part of the meeting. This format improved the cost-effectiveness of the work of the RWG members and allowed more detailed exploration of specific aspects of satellite communications. The members expressed appreciation to the ESCAP Secretariat for organizing the Symposium and indicated satisfaction with its outcomes.

The meeting acknowledged problems encountered on the continuation of activities of the Regional Working Group due to lack of project funds. It suggested that the ESCAP secretariat as well as members of the Regional Working Group explore possible funding for the implementation of the common denomination projects. Possible funding mechanisms to support these activities included technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC). Member countries were encouraged to provide support using available resources, expertise and experience from ongoing national projects, to support the implementation of the Common Denominator Projects.

Several on-going and large-scale communication satellite application programmes were noted by the meeting. These publicly available programmes could serve as vehicles for further development of application projects, such as extension of the CTC concept and the strengthening of telehealth, distance education, and disaster management networks and capacity in the region.

The meeting noted with appreciation that several industry representatives attended the meeting. The meeting recognized that active involvement by the private sector was a key factor in maintaining sustainable information services to rural area. In this connection, the meeting suggested that the National Focal Points of the member countries on the Regional Space Applications Programme ensure adequate representation in the RWG/SatCom from the private sector, taking into consideration the significant potential of satellite broadband Internet applications in bridging the digital divide and in serving rural development and poverty alleviation.

The meeting agreed to strengthen regional arrangements to implement the second phase of the Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development (RESAP II), in particular by developing further the Common Denominator Project proposals relevant to the RWG/SatCom. It also agreed to initiate activities with a phased approach.

The meeting noted with great appreciation offers made by the representative of China to consider hosting the Coordination Office of the Regional Working Group on Satellite Communication Applications for the next two-year term, and to host regional workshops on telehealth and distance education, subject to the approval of the Government of China.

In order to make RWG/SatCom activities even more effective, the meeting proposed to use an Electronic Bulletin Board to maintain progress on its work plan over the coming year. The meeting also decided to endeavour to hold a specialist symposium in telehealth and distance education during 2002, ideally in conjunction with the seventh RWG/SatCom meeting.

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B. Recommendations

The Regional Working Group agreed that its work could focus on the applications of the Community Teleservice Centre (CTC) concept, which was developed by the Regional Working Group, for rural development and poverty alleviation, with emphasis on education and health.

The Regional Working Group recognized the importance of substantive projects to demonstrate CTC applications on rural development and poverty alleviation, and in human resource development, for developing countries in the region. The meeting recommended that a task force be established, working closely with the ESCAP secretariat to develop related projects and solicit necessary funds for their implementation.

The meeting noted problems in coordinating activities among national contact points and in soliciting their active participation in the Regional Working Group activities. In order to enable the Coordinator and Coordination Office to implement the recommendations on activities of RWG/SatCom, the national contact points were strongly encouraged to regularly correspond and participate in the meetings of RWG/SatCom and be able to make appropriate decisions on relevant matters in a timely manner.

Acknowledging the importance of information exchange among the Regional Working Group members and the need to disseminate information about the activities of the Regional Working Group, the meeting recommended that the web site of the Regional Working Group be regularly updated with information on national programmes of relevance. It further recommended that the Regional Working Group home page provide appropriate links to web sites of national agencies involved in satellite communication application activities. The Coordination Office should also set up a bulletin board for easier and more frequent exchange of information on topics relevant to the Regional Working Group.

The Regional Working Group would provide regular information on their regional activities for the Environment and Natural Resources Development News of ESCAP.

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II. PROCEEDINGS

A. Organization of the meeting

The sixth meeting of the Regional Working Group on Satellite Communication Applications was held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok from 14 to 16 March 2001. The meeting was organized by ESCAP.

B. Attendance

The meeting was attended by thirty-six participants from member countries and by ten staff of ESCAP. Participating countries were Australia, China, France, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Thailand and the United States of America. AMD Telemedicine, Mitsubishi Research Institute, NEC Corporation and Shin Satellite PLC attended the meeting.

C. Opening

The meeting was opened on 14 March 2001. The Executive Secretary of ESCAP, in his message delivered by the Director of the ESCAP Environment and Natural Resources Development Division, pointed out that 80 per cent of the world’s population had never made a telephone call. This fact illustrated the gulf between the information "have-nots" and the "haves", and was an example of the digital divide, the bridging of which was a priority task for the United Nations. The Executive Secretary pointed out that satellite technologies, with their geographic reach and rapidly growing capacity, were able to "leapfrog" inadequate terrestrial infrastructure, especially in certain categories of countries – such as those that were land-locked, mountainous, or island archipelagos.

The Executive Secretary referred to recent developments in satellite communication technology, including higher bandwidth services, innovative approaches in small satellite production, new training opportunities, and the generous readiness of some countries to share their satellite capacity. These matters were all pertinent to reducing entry costs and lowering technological barriers to communication satellite applications.

The Executive Secretary observed that telehealth was a satellite communication application in which the region had rich experience, and hoped that these experiences would be shared during the meeting in order to reach the ideal of "Health for All". He noted that sharing experiences was one of the foundations of the second phase of the Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific.

The Executive Secretary remarked that space technology had the potential to exercise a powerful impact on alleviating poverty, bridging the digital divide, and redressing the negative effects of globalization. He noted that these three objectives were priorities of ESCAP, and exhorted the meeting participants to focus on them. He also challenged the Regional Working Group to apply the principle of continuous improvement, striving to optimize its work in order to benefit the people of the region.

Opening remarks were then given by Professor Wicha Jiwalai, Chair of the Executive Board of the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA). Professor Jiwalai noted the rapid advances in space technology and in particular the impact of communication satellites, creating a world without boundaries and contributing to social development through distance learning, agricultural extension and public health services and better understanding between peoples of the world.

Professor Jiwalai spoke of the uses of telemedicine, including facilitation of medical conferences, consulting, diagnosis, general health care and family planning, all of which helped to improve the quality of life in rural areas. Professor Jiwalai hoped that the meeting would result in a valuable sharing of experience among scientists and technologists from countries in the region, and would encourage cooperation for the benefit of all.

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D. International Telehealth Symposium

The Telehealth Symposium attracted a large audience and featured informative presentations by internationally regarded practitioners. "Telehealth" refers to health and medical services employing communications technologies to link patients and medical workers. The theme of the Symposium was "Improving health of people in the Asia Pacific region through efficient use of space technology".

Presentations included explanation of telehealth pilot projects in the region, and covered ways in which the combination of medical, communications and Earth observation technologies could improve health services. The main themes were:

• Ability of specialist medical staff to assess a patient’s condition, even when the patient was in a rural or isolated area far from medical centres (distance diagnosis);
• Epidemiology (the study of causes and control of diseases that were widespread and persistent in certain areas);
• Health education and training.

Topics covered in the Symposium were:

• Satellite utilization experiments in telehealth and tele-education at NASDA, Japan;
• The practice and prospect of telehealth in China;
• Telehealth initiatives in the University of the Philippines;
• Telemedicine VSAT applications: Temasek Polytechnic experience in Singapore;
• Satellite systems for health and medical care in France;
• ISRO-Apollo Hospitals pilot telemedicine project in India;
• China satellite telehealth education network;
• Experiences, activities and pilot projects in Australian telehealth and related applications.

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E. Election of officers

The meeting elected the following persons as members of its Bureau:

F. Adoption of the agenda

The Regional Working Group adopted the following agenda:

1. Opening of the meeting.
2. International Telehealth Symposium.
3. Election of officers.
4. Adoption of the agenda.
5. Progress in the implementation of the Strategy and Action Plan on space applications for sustainable development:
(a) Report of the ESCAP secretariat;
(b)Country reports of the national contact points.
6. Perspectives on satellite broadband Internet and its applications.
7. Proposals comprising substantive projects for regional cooperation in the field of satellite communication applications.
8. Decision on the candidature of the Coordinator and Coordination Office.
9. Tentative work plan for 2001-2002.
10. Venue and provisional agenda of the seventh meeting of the Regional Working Group.
11. Other matters.
12. Adoption of the report.

G. Progress in the implementation of the Strategy and Action Plan on space applications for sustainable development

1. Regional report by ESCAP

The ESCAP secretariat presented a report highlighting the main activities and achievements attained at the regional level in the past year. Four foci of ESCAP attention were emphasized, namely poverty alleviation, ameliorating the negative impacts of globalization upon developing countries, tackling emerging socio-economic problems in the region, and bridging the digital divide. The meeting was reminded of the vision of the Regional Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development – contributing to the region’s sustainable development and improved quality of life through use of space-based information and communication technologies.

The Strategy and Action Plan endorsed by the Second Ministerial Conference on Space Technology Applications for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific had recommended a Minimum Common Programme (MCP) comprising projects of wide interest that addressed identified priority areas. Following "brainstorming" and Expert Group meetings convened by the secretariat in March 2000, fourteen Common Denominator Projects and three joint research topics were drafted and reviewed by the four Regional Working Groups in April-June. The revised project profiles were endorsed by the Intergovernmental Consultative Committee (ICC) in July 2000, with the recommendation that they be further developed by the secretariat and the relevant Regional Working Group(s).

Notable additions to the regional information service in space technology applications took place during the year. From 2001, the Newsletter would be absorbed into a new ESCAP quarterly publication, Environment and Natural Resources Development News.

Notable training and education activities included nine long-term postgraduate fellowships in remote sensing and GIS, in India; twenty medium-term fellowships in remote sensing and GIS for land and coastal zone management, in Indonesia; and eight short-term fellowships in space technology and GIS applications, in China. In conjunction with the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs, a training course on space technology applications was supported in Beijing – Xi’an-Harbin.

Regional seminars were conducted with the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan, the Remote Sensing Technology Centre (RESTEC) of Japan, and the Asian Institute of Technology, on ADEOS-II Satellite Data Utilization and on ocean colour remote sensing.

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2. Country reports by the national contact points

The meeting noted with satisfaction that considerable progress had been attained at the national level, as summarized below by the national contact points or representatives of participating countries.

Australia

Communications to the remote areas of Australia were carried out by short-wave radio until the advent of the AUSSAT domestic satellite system around 1985. Since then, satellite communication had been applied to a large number of services, including television relay, direct broadcasting, telephony, data and Internet services. Satellites benefited the rural and remote areas of Australia by providing specialist services such as education, health, primary industry and community telecentres.

Currently many organizations provided telehealth and distance education services to rural and remote areas of Australia. Several pilot projects were underway to take advantage of the latest technologies to explore new applications. Technical projects were planned to take advantage of the Ka-band satellites to provide broadband Internet service with an acceptable quality of service.

China

In China, satellite communication applications were now viewed as being an indispensable component of the information economy and of industry in general. More than ten communication satellites had been launched since 1984, and there were five operators responsible for over sixty transponders for communications and broadcasting.

About thirty-four companies were very small aperture terminal (VSAT) network operators, with over 21,000 stations. Satellite coverage increased from 68 per cent of the population in 1985 to 91 per cent in 1999, and under the "Available in every village" programme, 100,000 television receive-only (TVRO) units had been installed in poor and remote villages.

Distance learning and telehealth applications were very strong. More than thirty million clients had received education and training services through the satellite education network. A dedicated VSAT network was servicing over 100 hospitals and facilitating a real-time medical database, and had trained over 50,000 doctors.

Major expansions and upgrading of distance education and telehealth facilities were planned over the next few years.

France

Several pilot schemes in telehealth and distance education had been conducted successfully or were underway. These incorporated advanced features, including broadcasting on demand via uni-directional satellite links, the request being generated via existing terrestrial links. Typical educational uses might be overnight retrieval of a set of selected web pages, which could be downloaded to the school hard drive for controlled classroom use the following day. As content was the critical issue, special programmes had been established to generate high-quality educational course material for all curricula levels.

Four buses had been fully equipped as mobile satellite/Internet classrooms, and automatic satellite-acquiring antennas had been developed for itinerant students.

India

The Indian National Satellite System (INSAT) was used for national television broadcast, telecommunications and meteorological applications. Currently, there were four operational INSAT satellites in orbit providing communications in C, Ku and S bands. National public television was broadcast in different regional languages using more than 20 transponders.

Long-distance telephone communications were provided to the Andaman-Nicobar islands and remote areas in the north and north-east. Private data networks had been set up in extended C band, and more than 12,000 VSAT terminals were currently operating. More VSAT networks would be set up using high-speed data transmission in Ku band. INSAT supported mobile services for voice and data. Three more satellites in C and Ku bands would be added in the next two years.

Development communication projects for community development using interactive television broadcast were carried out. Similarly, interactive training and education networks were also set up. Different state governments were setting up education and training networks using satellite communications.

Disaster management and telehealth were important application projects using satellite communication. Cyclone warning systems operated through the INSAT system. Emergency communication through mobile satellite communication was used during natural disaster relief works. Pilot telemedicine projects had been set up to extend quality health care to rural areas. The private health sector and non-government agencies participated in these programmes.

Village information centres using satellite communication were planned. Private companies were establishing Internet access networks in rural areas using VSAT technology.

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Indonesia

State-owned and private companies continued to provide satellite-based communication services to Indonesia. Satellite Telkom-1 was launched on 13 August 1999 from Kourou, to orbit location 108⁰ E, replacing satellite Palapa-B2R. It had 24 C-band transponders and 12 extended C-band transponders and supported VSAT communication systems. PT MediaCitra Indostar operated an S-band satellite to provide commercial direct broadcast services. The Swara Channel gave 24-hour information about the activities of House of Representatives members from the Jakarta area; this coverage would be extended to all members in the future.

PT WorldSpace Indonesia, a direct broadcasting (audio) provider of satellite Asiastar (105⁰ E) services, was using L band with Asia regional coverage. A multimedia service would be launched in August 2001. BYRU was Indonesia’s first mobile satellite service, using the Asia Cellular Satellite network and the Garuda-1 satellite, with coverage area from Pakistan in the west to Papua New Guinea in the east, and from Japan in the north to Indonesia in the south.

The first Multi Media Asia (M2A) satellite was currently being manufactured and was scheduled for launch by the end of 2001 to the location 118⁰ E. It would provide fixed satellite services in C and X bands using small Earth stations. The second M2A satellite was planned to be launched in 2002, to its operating location, most likely 134⁰ E.

Islamic Republic of Iran

The domestic satellite network would be acquiring its own national satellites in about two years, thus allowing extensive expansion of domestic telephone, television and data communication. Iran had signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates to use the Thuraya satellite for mobile communication. A CTC project was being implemented to provide multimedia services in remote/rural areas and also for use in areas stricken by natural calamities. National television coverage through satellite was now almost complete via some 3,000 TVRO terminals.

Iran had recently commenced developing a small satellite for data collection and Earth observation. A ground model of the Mesbah small satellite was already completed, and the corresponding space model was awaiting an agreement for its launch. Iran was also a member of a regional joint venture to build and operate a small multi-mission satellite (SMMS), together with Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand.

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Japan

NASDA submitted a summary of relevant activity to the meeting with the purpose of sharing information on satellite communication applications and opportunities for cooperation. NASDA was commencing a new space project, named "i-Space". The i-Space project aimed to contribute to the progressing "IT revolution" by demonstrating new space communication capabilities and developing effective applications in collaboration with external parties. Under the i-Space project, NASDA was conducting pilot projects utilizing commercial communications satellites, as the precursor experiments for ETS-VIII and the High Data Rate Internet Test Satellite.

One pilot experiment, in the area of telemedicine, aimed to realize the concept of a mobile hospital, visiting local community or residents for early detection of diseases, while the other experiment, in the area of education, aimed to bring the outdoor education environment into the class room by using a panoramic camera and satellite transmission.

NASDA was also planning to commence some new pilot projects to demonstrate the efficiency of future NASDA satellites prior to their launches, and inviting experiment ideas that satellites could effectively utilize.

Philippines

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) was working on a programme to provide universal access to telecommunications and information services by installing multipurpose telecentres in every municipality and public payphones accessible to all barangays, the smallest local government unit (similar to a village).

This programme, known as the Alternative Communications Programme (ACP), was envisioned to narrow the digital divide. Telecentre service would provide rural communities tools to help individuals and organizations in delivering and accessing information, especially in agricultural, business, educational and health sectors. ACP was a private sector activity, with the government providing necessary incentives to encourage private sector participation.

Satellite communications technology was being promoted by private sector satellite communication service providers to complement terrestrial-based technologies. Use of satellite communication technology was also being encouraged by the government, which believed that it could easily provide coverage to all areas. Some of the examples of services that would be provided by ACP, included, among others, (a) web browsing and Internet applications, (b) rural telephony, (c) telehealth, (d) distance learning and (e) telemarketing.

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Singapore

Singapore was active in regional infrastructure development, including the Asia-Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) and the Asian Internet Interconnection Initiative (AI3). The infrastructure for this was nearly complete, relying on a backbone of Ku-band and C-band satellite transponders and terrestrial high-speed asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) links.

Several distance learning and telehealth projects were continuing. The Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network (SingAREN) employed the MEASAT satellite 2- Mbps link for distance education and similar purposes.

Thailand

Under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Post and Telegraph Department (PTD), the Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) and the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) were responsible for telecommunications. TOT’s satellite activities included the Domestic Satellite Transmission System, the Integrated Satellite Business Network (ISBN) and the rural long-distance public telephone. All domestic systems were currently using the Thaicom satellite series of Shin Satellite PLC. The three operational satellites were Thaicom 1 and 2 at 120⁰ E and 78.5⁰ E respectively (C and Ku band), and Thaicom 3, also at 78.5⁰ E (extended C band and Ku band). Thaicom also provided services to Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar and Viet Nam. CAT was responsible for overseas communication via Intelsat services.

Other groups carrying out communication satellite applications included the Distance Education Foundation, Non-formal Education Department, and the Ministry of Public Health’s telemedicine network. Thailand was developing the broadband satellite iPSTAR and was in the beginning stage of a mobile satellite system. The promotion of the private sector role in satellite communications was one of Thailand’s key successes.

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H. Perspectives on satellite broadband Internet and its applications

Broadband Internet satellite services may be expected to play an increasingly important role for rural development and poverty alleviation in coming years. The meeting noted the evolution and rapid adoption by many countries of the Community Teleservice Centre (CTC) concept developed by the RWG/SatCom since 1998. Multi-purpose communication facilities of this kind could become instrumental for introducing digital financial services, telephony, distance education and telehealth to rural communities.

Some countries, such as China, had experienced explosive growth in distance education and now planned major upgrades to take advantage of higher bandwidth capacity. This would permit extension of multimedia and interactive approaches. With support from the government and private donors, many thousands of teachers would be trained in applications of information and communication technology and would help to operate the multi-purpose facilities to be established in over 5000 centres in the poorer regions by the end of 2001.

The meeting noted the various large-scale broadband satellite programmes underway in the region, such as the i-Space initiative. Other opportunities may include the proposed Asian Regional Satellite System. Publicly available facilities such as these should help the further adoption of the CTC concept. New technologies such as the planned High Rata Rate Internet Test Satellite would support ultra-high speed links, even to small ground terminals. This could lead to numerous beneficial outcomes, including "field education" and environmental monitoring.

The meeting noted the satisfactory situation for satellite communications in some areas, while observing some deficiencies such as poor telephony services in other areas. There was a continuing need for training, and the meeting acknowledged the on-going contributions of several countries in this aspect.

The meeting acknowledged that satellite technology with regard to Ku band was available in the region and was expanding rapidly on a commercial scale. With the introduction of Ka band, satellites were becoming capable of delivering broadband services for a variety of applications. The meeting encouraged further development of this technology.

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I. Proposals comprising substantive projects for regional cooperation in the field of satellite communication applications

The meeting reviewed the Common Denominator Projects (CDP) of relevance to the Regional Working Group on Satellite Communication Applications, which included the following:

The meeting agreed that the CDPs (a) and (c) above were of interest to most of the member countries and should be prioritized for implementation.

Acknowledging the difficulties for external funding to implement all CDPs, the meeting agreed to proceed with the implementation of priority activities of the first CDP, "Integrated rural capacity-building through satellite-based data and information exchange infrastructure", and the third CDP, "Telemedicine for rural populations", through a phased approach.

The meeting recognized that possible funding mechanisms to support these activities could include technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC) arrangements, and that CDPs could be dovetailed to ongoing or planned national projects using available resources of the participating countries. Countries were encouraged to provide support under this arrangement using available resources, expertise and experience from ongoing national projects, to support the implementation of the CDPs.

Proposed activities include the development of CTC applications with the i-Space programme. In this regard, the meeting recommended organizing a task force, with the support of interested parties, to initiate the formulation of a project proposal on CTC applications using the i-Space initiative of NASDA with initially small-scale activities. The meeting also indicated the need to identify the problem areas and requirements of the countries as well as other information during the project formulation phase, and noted that the differences in development situations among the countries of the region in the countries should be taken into consideration.

In response to suggestions from some countries hoping to share the experiences of China in distance education and telemedicine, representatives of China expressed their willingness to host a regional seminar on these topics, subject to the approval of the Government of China. The seminar would include the sharing of information and experience on the development and operation of distance education and tele-health among countries in the region, and discuss the cooperative framework for follow-up activities with special focus on CTC applications for distance education and telehealth. The meeting appreciated the offer made by China.

Other substantive activities contributing to the CDP could also be implemented under a partnership arrangement among interested countries within ongoing national experimental projects or programmes. The meeting appreciated the kind offer made by some member countries to provide such cooperation opportunities.

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J. Decision on the candidature for the Coordinator and the Coordination Office

The meeting was pleased to accept the offer of China to take on the role of Coordinator and to provide the Coordination Office for the next two years, subject to approval of the Government of China. The ESCAP secretariat would follow up through the appropriate channel.

The meeting expressed its gratitude to the Philippines and to the University of the Philippines for the previous carriage of the coordination responsibilities.

K. Tentative work plan for 2001-2002

The tentative work plan for 2001, which had been approved by the ICC at its sixth session in Tehran in July 2000, and the proposed work plan for 2002 were presented to the Regional Working Group. The meeting was invited to include additional activities, and decided to endeavour to organize a seminar/workshop on distance education and telehealth, ideally back to back with the next meeting of the Regional Working Group.

L. Venue and provisional agenda of the seventh meeting

of the Regional Working Group

The meeting agreed to hold the seventh meeting of the Regional Working Group on Satellite Communication Applications in Bangkok, subject to other offers being made in the near future and pending consultation between the Coordinator of the Regional Working Group and the ESCAP secretariat.

The provisional agenda of the seventh meeting should focus on evaluation of lessons learnt from adoption of the CTC concept, with a view to further supporting and sustaining these developments. The agenda item on regional cooperation in the field of satellite communication applications should review the implementation of substantive project activities. It was decided that further details of the provisional agenda would be worked out by the secretariat in consultation with the Coordinator of the Regional Working Group.

M. Other matters

No other matters were raised.

N. Adoption of the report

The report was adopted on 16 March 2001. Before the meeting was closed, the participants thanked the ESCAP secretariat for the excellent arrangements for the meeting, and thanked the authors of papers at the International Telehealth Symposium for their illuminating contributions.

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LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

AUSTRALIA

Prof. Steve Seumahu, Research Professor in Telecommunications, Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite Systems, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Boulevard, Mawson Lakes, South Australia. Fax: (61-8) 8302-5223, tel.: (61-8) 8302-5223, email: steve.seumahu@unisa.edu.au

CHINA

Mr Fan Shiming, Deputy Director, Beijing Institute of Satellite Information Engineering, P.O. Box 2747, Beijing. Fax: (86-10) 6837-9512, tel.: (86-10) 6837-9495, email: fsm@apple.cast.ac.cn

Prof. Chen Ji Bin, National Remote Sensing Centre of China, 15B Fuxinglu, Beijing. Fax: (86-10) 6851-3212, tel.: (86-10) 6852-2204

Mr Wang Zhiyong, Assistant General Manager, Beijing Twenty First Century Science and Technology Development Corporation Limited, No. 111, Zhichun Road, Haidian District, Beijing. Fax: (86-10) 6255-8852, tel.: (86-10) 6254-6188, email: zhiyw@263.net

Ms Yanjie Gao, Deputy Director, Leading Group Office for IT Application, Ministry of Health, 1 Xizhimen Wai Nanlu Information Centre, Beijing 100044. Fax: (86-10) 6879-2478, tel.: (86-10) 6879-2498, email: gaoy1@ht.rol.cn.net

Ms Zhang Xuemei, Engineer, Educational Technology Office, Ministry of Education, 160 Fuxing Men Nei Street, Beijing. Fax: (86-01) 6641-9024, tel.: (86-01) 6641-9780,email: zxuemei@hotmail.com

Mr Zhao Wei, Research member, Beijing Institute of Satellite Information Engineering, P.O. Box 2747, Beijing. Fax: (86-10) 6837-9512, tel.: (86-10) 6837-8242, email: llz@apple.cast.ac.cn

Mr Yu Yucai, Engineer, Beijing Institute of Satellite Information Engineering, P.O. Box 2747 Beijing. Fax: (86-10) 6837-9512, tel.: (86-10) 6837-8212

Mr Xia Yuan, Chief Engineer, Beijing Twenty-first Century Science and Technology Development Corporation Limited, No. 111, Zhichun Road, Haidian District, Beijing. Fax: (86-10) 6255-8852, tel.: (86-10) 6254-6188, email: xiayuan@btamail.net.cn

Prof. Zhou Jiurong, Beijing Twenty-first Century Science and Technology Development Corporation Limited, No. 111, Zhichun Road, Haidian District, Beijing. Fax: (86-10) 6255-8852, tel.: (86-10) 6254-6188

Mr Jianli Yang, Director, Tele-information Centre, Information Office, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Yinghua Road, Hepingli Street, Beijing 100029. Fax: (86-10) 6422-2994, tel.: (86-10) 6422-7176, email: cjfh@public.bta.net.cn, or jianli-yang@sohu.com

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FRANCE

Mr Hubert Diez, Technical Manager, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES),18, Avenue Edouard BELIN, 31401 Toulouse Cedex 4. Fax: (33-561) 273-278, tel.: (33-561) 273-383, email: Hubert.diez@cnes.fr

INDIA

Mr Ramamurthy Ramani, Deputy Director, SATCOM Programme Office, ISRO Head Quarters, New B.E.L. Road, Bangalore 560094. Fax: (80) 341-2141, tel.: (80) 341-5281, email: ramani@ad1.vsnl.net.in, or ramani_isro@yahoo.com

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Prof. Mohammad Hakkak, Senior Advisor, ITRC, National Focal Point for RWG/Satellite Communication Applications, Iran Telecom Research Centre, P.O. Box 14155-3961, Tehran 14399. Fax: (98-21) 800-9930, tel.: (98-21) 800-9856, email: m.hakkak@itrc.ac.ir

JAPAN

Mr Tsutomu Shigeta, Associate Senior Engineer, Satellite Mission Applications Centre, Office of Satellite Systems, National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), 2-1-1 Sengen Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki. Fax: (81-298) 50-1916, tel.: (81-298) 59-2987, email: shigeta.tsutomu@nasda.go.jp

Mr Toru Ohmori, Executive Expert, Aerospace and Defense Operations Unit, NEC Corporation, 4035 Ikebe-cho, Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama. Fax: (81-45) 939-2289, tel.: (81-45) 939-2260, email: t-oomori@bk.jp.nec.com

Mr Motohisa Kida, Staff Researcher, Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc., 2-3-6, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Fax: (81-3) 3277-0567, tel.: (81-3) 3277-0553, email: moto@mri.co.jp

Mr Eiichi Mutoh, Bangkok Office, National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), No. 12, 13th Fl., BB Bldg., 54 Asoke Road, Sukhumvit 21, Bangkok 10110. Fax: (66) 02260-7027, tel.: (66) 02260-7026, email: nasdatha@ksc15.th.com

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PHILIPPINES

Mr Philip A Varilla, Supervising Communications Development Officer, Department of Transportation and Communications, Columbia Tower, Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City. Fax: (632) 727-7984, tel.: (632) 724-6446, email: philipvari@yahoo.com

Mr Roderico H. Ofrin, Director, National Telehealth Centre, University of the Philippines Manila, National Telehealth Centre Information Technology Complex, Science Hall, Philippine General Hospital, UP Manila, Aft Avenue, Manila. Fax: (63-2) 526-2265, tel.: (63-2) 526-2265, email: rodph@yahoo.com. Also Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, UP Open University, Telex: (63-2) 528-4014, tel.: (63-2) 526-2272

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Mr Dmitry A. Birichevskiy, Attache and Assistant Permanent Representative to ESCAP, Embassy of the Russian Federation, 78 Sap Road, Suriwongse, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500. Fax: (66) 02237-8488, tel.: (66) 02268-1169, 234-9824

SINGAPORE

Mr Lim Seow San, Principle Investigator, Satellite Internet Competency Unit (SICU), Temasek Polytechnic, 21, Tampines Avenue 1, Singapore 529757. Fax: (65) 787-6548, tel.: (65) 780-5952, email: seowsan@tp.edu.sg, or nigellim@yahoo.com