The Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) successfully hosted the 25th APT Policy and Regulatory Forum (PRF-25) from September 30 to October 2, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand. The event drew participation from 121 delegates, including policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region. As one of APT’s flagship initiatives, PRF serves as a vital regional platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration on emerging policy and regulatory trends shaping the information and communications technology (ICT) landscape.
The three-day forum featured a comprehensive program of high-level discussions, roundtables, business dialogues, and collaborative sessions with partner organizations. A major highlight of PRF-25 was the high-level dialogue on “Harnessing Emerging Technologies for Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Digital Transformation,” where senior officials and vice-ministers from member states shared national strategies for adopting and regulating new technologies. The Regulators’ Roundtable focused on policies to ensure universal and resilient digital connectivity across the region, while participants exchanged insights on addressing challenges related to infrastructure gaps, affordability, and cross-border cooperation.
The Business Dialogue segment, titled “Revolutionizing the ICT Landscape: Embracing Disruptive Technologies in the Era of Digital Transformation,” provided a space for private sector representatives to share perspectives on public–private collaboration. Discussions emphasized the importance of partnerships between regulators and industry stakeholders to navigate the opportunities and challenges posed by disruptive technologies such as AI, IoT, and next-generation connectivity. Five thematic sessions covered a wide spectrum of ICT topics, including community-centered connectivity, quality of service and network performance, resilient cybersecurity strategies, emerging satellite technologies, and artificial intelligence. These discussions reflected the growing complexity of managing innovation while maintaining security and inclusivity in digital ecosystems.
PRF-25 also featured collaborative sessions with leading global organizations such as the Internet Society (ISOC), GSMA, and the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA). The session co-hosted with ISOC took an interactive approach, fostering peer learning and deeper engagement among participants on digital governance and capacity building. Collectively, these discussions underscored the importance of regional and global cooperation to advance equitable digital transformation across diverse markets in Asia-Pacific.
Through its inclusive structure and knowledge-sharing format, PRF-25 reinforced APT’s commitment to strengthening policy dialogue and regulatory cooperation among member countries. The Forum served as a platform for exchanging best practices and exploring collaborative pathways for addressing the technological and policy shifts that continue to redefine the ICT sector. APT announced that the next edition, PRF-26, is scheduled to be held in Bhutan in 2026, continuing its mission of fostering cross-regional collaboration and policy alignment to support sustainable digital growth.
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