ITU World Telecommunication Policy Forum ends today in Lisbon
24-04-2009 (Geneva)
© ITU
The ITU World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF 2009) is taking place from 22 to 24 April in Lisbon, Portugal, setting the course for the future development and growth of information and communication technologies (ICT). WTPF 2009 focuses on key policy issues driving the current ICT environment, which will guide future regulatory and standardization efforts worldwide.
The rapid growth of ICT in recent years includes fixed and mobile telephony, Internet bandwidth, and the increased convergence of devices, applications and services that facilitate seamless communications in a multi-service, multi-protocol, multi-vendor environment. This phenomenal growth, highlighted by mobile subscriptions reaching the 4-billion mark at the beginning of this year, prompted ITU’s Plenipotentiary conference in 2006 to convene the WTPF to review the new and emerging directions in telecommunications and ICT.
The current financial and economic downturn has had profound repercussions on global markets, affecting all sectors of the world economy. The ICT sector has also been deeply affected, but there are indications that some sections of the industry bottomed out in the first quarter of the year and the future outlook appears brighter.
A high-level Strategic Dialogue brainstormed on ‘Confronting the Crisis’ ahead of the WTPF. The sessions focused on the financial crisis facing the ICT sector, taking a look at how investment and financing in ICT can make a difference, and the experience of industry in formulating strategies to overcome it. Repeated calls were made for a digital Marshall Plan, which had been announced earlier by ITU at the Connect Africa Summit held in Kigali, Rwanda, in October 2007. It was stressed that such a Plan should extend beyond the current crisis.
"I am optimistic that not only will the ICT sector recover quickly, but it will also act as a catalyst in stimulating investment and growth in other sectors," said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré. "WTPF presents a timely opportunity to forge global strategies that underpin the development and growth of future ICT networks and services." Dr Touré pointed out that Australia, the U.S. and several European countries are investing in stimulus packages based on ICT infrastructure development such as high-speed broadband.
The current financial and economic downturn has had profound repercussions on global markets, affecting all sectors of the world economy. The ICT sector has also been deeply affected, but there are indications that some sections of the industry bottomed out in the first quarter of the year and the future outlook appears brighter.
A high-level Strategic Dialogue brainstormed on ‘Confronting the Crisis’ ahead of the WTPF. The sessions focused on the financial crisis facing the ICT sector, taking a look at how investment and financing in ICT can make a difference, and the experience of industry in formulating strategies to overcome it. Repeated calls were made for a digital Marshall Plan, which had been announced earlier by ITU at the Connect Africa Summit held in Kigali, Rwanda, in October 2007. It was stressed that such a Plan should extend beyond the current crisis.
"I am optimistic that not only will the ICT sector recover quickly, but it will also act as a catalyst in stimulating investment and growth in other sectors," said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré. "WTPF presents a timely opportunity to forge global strategies that underpin the development and growth of future ICT networks and services." Dr Touré pointed out that Australia, the U.S. and several European countries are investing in stimulus packages based on ICT infrastructure development such as high-speed broadband.
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· Portugal
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