The fifth ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference, meeting in Hyderabad, India, outlined a road map to foster the global development of information and communication technology (ICT) networks and services over the next four year cycle.
The Hyderabad Declaration states: “Broad access to telecommunications and ICTs is essential for the world’s collective economic, social and cultural development, and the building of a global Information Society. This access brings new opportunities for interaction amongst people, for sharing of the world’s knowledge resources and expertise, for transforming people’s lives, and for contributing to the global development agenda.”
The fifth World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-10) attracted 924 participants, including 758 government delegates from 138 countries and 6 representatives from Palestine; 88 public and private sector representatives from 28 companies; 16 representing telecommunication-related entities from 7 countries; and 56 representatives from 25 regional and international organizations.
Key topics of the Hyderabad Action Plan include:
- 1. Information and communication infrastructure and technology development
- 2. Cybersecurity, ICT applications and IP-based network-related issues
- 3. Enabling environment
- 4. Capacity-building and digital inclusion
- 5. Least developed countries, countries in special need, emergency telecommunications and adaptation to climate change
“Mobile telephony has grown phenomenally, and as we approach the 5 billion mark for mobile subscriptions later this year, it is considered to be the most rapidly adopted technology in history,” ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré said as he addressed the closing session of WTDC-10. “Yet, the digital divide remains — particularly where accessibility to broadband services and the Internet is concerned. This broadband divide must be addressed by governments and industry as a priority if we are to fully utilize the capacity of ICTs to meet the Millennium Development Goals.”http://www.itu.int
