ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009
OPEN NETWORKS – CONNECTED MINDS

ITU Telecom World 2009 takes place in Geneva on 5–9 October 2009. Its purpose is to enable people at the leading edge of information and communication technologies (ICT) to make the right connections that will unite and improve the industry.

Since it began in 1971, Telecom World has attracted more than 800 000 visitors and over 6000 exhibitors. With opportunities to launch new technology, debate emerging issues and engage with developing nations, it is the industry’s global networking platform.

The overarching theme of ITU Telecom World 2009 is “Open networks – Connected Minds”, conveying the concepts of diversity alongside cooperation among all involved in communications. An exhibition showcases the latest innovations – from broadband and mobile technologies, to next-generation networks, satellites and much more.

Some 450 companies and other organizations are exhibiting at ITU Telecom World 2009, including such well-known names as China Mobile, China Unicom, Cisco, Fiber- Home Technologies, Fujitsu, Huawei Technologies, Mobily, NTT and NTT DoCoMo, Samsung, Saudi Telecom, Swisscom, TDIA, Telefonica, VNL and ZTE. There are also more than 30 pavilions featuring the ICT industry of countries and regions, as well as particular technologies. Media can participate in the extensive Forum programme, which will welcome over 230 speakers and 1300 delegates from 90 nations.

Government and industry leaders focus on ICT and the global economy
Under the theme “ICT for economic recovery and sustainable development,” the Forum will focus on topics ranging from new technologies and business models, to cybersecurity and climate change. And a Youth Forum aims to cultivate tomorrow’s ICT leaders. It introduces young people to senior mentors from industry and to ways in which ICT can produce positive change in their countries and the world as a whole.

The Forum opens on 5 October with a special Summit on “ICT and economic growth” bringing together Heads of State and Government, leaders of industry, key policymakers and regulators from around the world, as well as top representatives from United Nations agencies.

How is the global economic slowdown affecting the growth of ICT? And how might investment in ICT help to initiate and support a recovery in general? Will the crisis delay the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals? How has the global financial crisis changed the goods and services that customers are willing to pay for? These are some of the questions that world leaders will address.

Around the world, the ICT sector has experienced reduced demand, operational cutbacks and curtailed investment. However, it is proving to be more resilient than most other industries, especially in mobile and satellite communications. More than fifty countries have launched economic stimulus packages with a focus on ICT.

Noting this trend, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré says that “there is wide recognition that investing in ICT is of vital importance for economic recovery.” Dr Touré adds that “at ITU Telecom World 2009, industry needs to know what further plans governments will implement to boost competition and attract more investment. At the same time, the private sector will be looked upon to create new opportunities for the growth of ICT, and with it economies as a whole.”

Technology foresight
A number of Forum sessions will discuss how mobile and fixed broadband services are converging, and the implications of this change. They will also look at a fundamental challenge amid the boom in wireless technologies: how to share the limited resource of the radio-frequency spectrum.

The transition from analogue to digital television is well under way in a number of countries around the world. Digital television allows for better picture and sound quality, as well as more choice of channels and programmes. Broadcasters can offer several programmes simultaneously, using the amount of spectrum required for only one analogue channel. The migration to digital terrestrial broadcasting will release a “digital dividend” of spectrum – but also fierce competition to use it.

The Internet, too, is facing challenges. From a small experiment to a global network, the Internet is now a fundamental part of modern society. But is the underlying architecture of this global network robust enough to continue adapting to ever-growing demands? Forum participants will examine “the future Internet”.

Cybersecurity
While the Internet brings a multitude of benefits, the dark side is the opportunity it gives for criminals to spread malicious content and to attack individuals, organizations and even governments. These criminals can strike across national borders, and the costs of cybercrime continue to rise. ITU is taking action to find a global solution, and a Forum session will look at how global partnerships are working to promote cybersecurity, and what gaps remain.

Another session focuses on protecting children in cyberspace. What can be done, for example, to improve the tracking and prosecution of paedophiles or to keep them away from making contact not only through computers, but also via the mobile phones that many children own today? The session will examine measures to help stem the growth of online child sexual abuse content around the world.

Promoting development
With markets in developed countries now at or near saturation, telecommunication businesses are turning to potential customers in the developing world. However, bringing access to regions with unstable power supplies and subscribers on low incomes requires fresh thinking about technologies and business models. A Forum session will examine growth projections for rural communities in particular, as well as the innovative approaches being taken to serve them – such as public-private partnerships.

ICT and climate change
ICT can help to combat climate change – especially by increasing the efficient use of energy and other resources. Best practice in this area is the topic of a Forum session, while another will look at the business case for going green (and how governments might lead the way). Also on the agenda is the key question of how to accurately measure the impact of ICT upon reducing carbon footprints, including ITU’s own work in this area.

Committed to connecting the world
All in all, ITU Telecom World 2009 will highlight ITU’s role as the leading United Nations agency for ICT issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services. At the end of 2008, there were over 4 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide and around 1.5 billion Internet users. More than 400 million of these users had access to fixed broadband. However, the digital divide remains, and ITU Telecom World 2009 will offer new ways of helping to connect the unconnected.

As ITU Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Executive Manager of ITU Telecom Houlin Zhao has commented: “If we continue to focus on working together to develop relevant products and services that meet the combined needs of citizens globally, societies and economies will reap the rewards.”