Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society

South-East Europe Ministerial Summit on the Digital Dividend, organized by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society of the Republic of Serbia in association with the GSM Association, to be held 16-17 June 2010, at the National Assembly House, Belgrade, Serbia. All Western Balkan countries, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and Montenegro, but also other neighbouring and near-neighbouring countries, namely Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey, have been officially invited to attend and take active participation at the Summit. High-level representatives from the European Commission, other European Government bodies as well as international and industry experts will also be present at the Summit.

The South-East Europe Ministerial Summit on the Digital Dividend is an opportunity for a high-level dialogue onways to maximize the economic and social benefits of mobile broadband and the digital dividend in the South-East Europe region. It will also consider how to further develop a unified approach in order to enhance the advantages that it will bring to the South-East Europe region. The Summit will discuss, in particular:

• Ensuring a unified approach to the Digital Dividend within, and alongside, the European Union
• Maximizing social and economic impact of mobile broadband using the Digital Dividend
• Options for exploiting the Digital Dividend
• Overcoming interference with aeronautical systems
• Analysis of the latest policy and technology developments

The frequencies that are freed up from switching from analogue to digital terrestrial television – the Digital Dividend – provide decision makers and citizens with a rare opportunity to utilize better communications services. In order to grasp this opportunity, states must act in harmony. A harmonized approach to the use of the Digital Dividend would enable increased innovation, better and more affordable equipment and services as well as enable users to benefit from these services while abroad.