ITU
Telecom World 2012 brought together industry representatives and government
leaders at the highest level to engage in five days of critical dialogue on
networking, knowledge-sharing, challenges defining the ICT sector as well as
the opportunities arising from it.
Participants met in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 14-18 October
and included heads of state, government ministers, corporate CEOs from across
the industry ecosystem, heads of international agencies, thought-leaders,
consultants and academics.
A
dynamic agenda examined the impact of new market players and business models
emerging across the ecosystem. Debates centred on the roll out of broadband
connectivity, the challenges of cyberthreats and the need to beef up
cybersecurity as well as the vast opportunities unleashed by smart
applications in such critical sectors as health, education, and government
services and their role in achieving sustainable development.
ITU
Telecom World 2012 attracted over 7,000 participants, including around 3,400
from ITU Telecom World 2012, along with some 4,000 visitors from Gitex, a complementary
event that took place simultaneously at the International Convention and
Exhibition Centre in Dubai.
ITU secretary-general Hamadoun Touré welcomed the diversity
of delegates, themes and solutions at ITU Telecom World 2012, reminding the
audience that this event embraces diversity, and celebrates and learns from
that diversity. 'Together we are diverse – but we are stronger as one and
will strive together to meet the challenges of the industry and of the world
today,' Dr Touré said.
The
word 'World' is rightly a part of the name of this event. We were hosted this
year by the magnificent, connected city of the future that is Dubai – and
look forward to celebrating ITU Telecom World 2013 in the ASEAN gateway city
of Bangkok added Toure.
The
director general of the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority Mohamed
Al Ghanim, hailed the many important conclusions reached at ITU Telecom World
2012 on themes as diverse as universal connectivity, broadband deployment,
cybersecurity, child online protection and privacy – themes which touch
upon our daily lives and work everywhere.
'This
event represents a sound basis for the exchange of experience at the
national, regional and international levels that is necessary to deal with
these subjects added Ghanim.
ITU
Telecom World 2012 was launched by the Leadership Summit, convening leaders
of government and industry to debate the future of the telecommunications
sector, and the ways in which it needs to be protected, funded and
communicated. Innovative features on the dynamic agenda this year included
the Visionary Keynotes series of inspirational addresses from Eugene
Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Lab; Anders Lindblad, head of Middle East Region
for Ericsson; and Wim Elfrink, senior vice president and global technology
officer at Cisco.
ITU
and the World Health Organization launched a landmark m-health initiative
aimed at using mobile communications to address the scourge of
non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular
illnesses.
In
his closing speech, Deputy Secretary-General Houlin Zhao concurred 'There is
tremendous optimism about this change – we can manage, direct and exploit
this change for our good and for the greater good of society.'
The
event showfloor featured national pavilions showcasing regional talent and
investment opportunities from Algeria, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, China, Gabon,
Ghana, Ivory Coast, Republic of Korea, Namibia, Nigeria, Russian Federation,
Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Tanzania, UAE, Thailand, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Industry showcases demonstrated the latest products, applications and
services from event partners and sponsors such as TRA-UAE, Qtel, Etisalat,
Intel, China Mobile and ZTE.
The
showfloor also featured the unique digital experiences of the immersive box,
presenting climate change scenarios, and multi-touch interactive tables that
entertained and informed on the history of ICTs, cybersecurity and emergency
telecommunications.
Actively
involved in knowledge-sharing and networking activities were partners and
sponsors such as Alcatel-Lucent, Kaspersky Lab, NTT Group, McKinsey, American
University in Dubai, Huawei, Cisco, Ericsson, Nigerian Communications
Commission, The Cyber Guardian, Ernst & Young, Mitsubishi Electric, TD
Industry Alliance, Uganda Communications Commission, Verizon and Qualcomm.
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