Broadband the Hot Issue in the Telecom World
The 40th anniversary edition of ITU Telecom World closed its doors Friday in Geneva after three days of networking, knowledge exchange and deal-making.
Over 330 world leaders, including Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers, national ambassadors, heads of regulatory agencies, and CEOs from around the world, came together for the event.
It offered a platform for debate and interaction on a broad-reaching global agenda spanning everything from broadband to connecting cities, harnessing innovation and next-generation wireless advances, and featured live participation from around the world.
The event was preceded by an invitation-only Broadband Leadership Summit which sought to tackle the many complex issues raised by broadband deployment, from the challenges of infrastructure financing in poorer nations and isolated regions to cybersecurity, data privacy and intellectual property rights.
[ Also Read: How 4G Connects Anyone on Anything ]The culmination of the event was a global Manifesto for Change that recognizes the importance of broadband for socio-economic development.
Meanwhile, ViaSat-1 is designed to transform the economics and quality of service that satellite broadband can provide. The technology is expected to elevate satellite into a competitive position in the broadband service marketplace, with the capacity to serve the accelerating growth in bandwidth demand for multimedia Internet access over the next decade. (Read: Satellite for Multimedia Internet Access Launched)
Compiled with the help of event partner Ernst & Young, the Manifesto draws on input from delegates and online participants, capturing multi-channel knowledge flows from around the world, according to ITU.
And ITU will now be encouraging world leaders to commit themselves to put in place the necessary legal and regulatory frameworks to help the private sector implement this change.
The next ITU Telecom World event will be held in Dubai, UAE, in Q4 of 2012.
ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology.
Photo courtesy: ITU
