INTERNATIONAL  TELECOMMUNICATION  UNION

		     ITU-T RECOMMENDATION SUMMARY


Rec. No. : F.11

Title :	Continued availability of traditional services

Study Group : I - Services

Version : New

Date of adoption : 1991

Notes :	


At the World Administrative Telegraph and Telephone Conference 
(Melbourne, 1988) considerable attention was given to ensuring a wide 
availability of telecommunication services with effective 
interconnection and interoperability. This implied a continuing 
availability of basic or traditional services in many international 
relations, despite the evolution of new or more sophisticated 
services. Article 4 of the International Telecommunication Regulation 
(Melbourne, 1988) expects Administrations to provide "a wide range of 
international telecommunication services" including "at least a form 
of telecommunication which is reasonably accessible to the public, 
including those who may not be subscribers to a specific 
telecommunication service".

Resolution No. 6 of the same World Administrative Telegraph and 
Telephone Conference (Melbourne, 1988) called for provisions to be 
made "to allow, through available communication infrastructures, 
continued availability of traditional services so as to enable 
effective communications on a world-wide basis". In particular this 
concerned services in "certain rural areas and developing countries" 
that "may need to rely on existing widely available services for a 
relatively long period of time".

Pursuant to the International Telecommunication Regulations 
(Melbourne, 1988), Recommendation F.11 lays down general principles on 
the continued availability of traditional services to facilitate 
global interconnection and interoperability of telecommunication 
facilities, pending the establishment of new services and to ensure 
the efficiency, usefulness and availability to the public of 
international telecommunication services.

It addresses the coordination needed between Administrations to 
achieve that continued availability. Members should take any necessary 
steps to ensure that coordination.

Within the framework of Recommendation F.11, "traditional" services 
include the international public telegram, telex and telephone 
services.



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