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ITU Telecom World 2012 discusses ICT challenges and opportunities

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Voice&Data Bureau
New Update

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.

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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.

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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.

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'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.

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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.

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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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