ITU Telecom World 2011 will bring together over 250 world leaders from government, industry, NGOs and academia

With an action-packed agenda focusing on the major global issues reshaping the information and communication technology (ICT) landscape, ITU Telecom World 2011 (Geneva 24-27 October) will bring together Heads of State and Government, ICT ministers and regulators, global business leaders and some of the industry’s brightest young innovators for a dynamic series of debates led by some of the industry’s biggest names.

Delegates and media will have the chance to hear from CEOs and leaders of global technology and telecoms companies from around the world including Alcatel Lucent, AT&T, China Mobile, Du, Ericsson, Etisalat, Fujitsu, Huawei, Intel, KDDI, Microsoft, NTT Corporation, NTT DoCoMo, Q-Tel, Swisscom, Telkom SA, Türk Telekom, Verizon and ZTE.

The event will kick off with a Broadband Leadership Summit featuring Heads of State, Heads of Government and ICT ministers, who will join luminaries including Mexico’s Carlos Slim; Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission; Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD; Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO; and many members of the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Digital Development.

Internet pioneer Robert E. Kahn will join Web 2.0 innovators such as Juliana Rotich, CEO of Ushahidi, an open source project which allows users to crowdsource crisis information via mobile devices, in sessions such as the power of social media and the Internet of the future. Director-General of WIPO, Francis Gurry, will lead another stimulating debate on the evolution of frameworks for intellectual property and convergence of online content.

In the development sphere, a strong mix of speakers like Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization; Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund; Doyle Gallegos, Global Practice Leader, Connectivity Infrastructure at the World Bank; and Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General for the Millennium Development Goals, reinforces the fact that ICT access has become central to development across a whole range of spheres.

The vital role played by the public sector in driving the roll-out of networks and services will be highlighted by prominent experts including Jasna Matić, Serbia’s State Secretary for Digital Agenda, Omobola Johnson, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications Technology, and Phil Laven, Chairman, Digital Video Broadcasting, with the European Broadcasting Union.

“The agenda for ITU Telecom World 2011 is compelling and brings together some of the most important, insightful and powerful figures in the global ICT ecosystem,” said Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General, ITU.

“Over four days in Geneva, we’ll be providing unrivalled opportunities to network, collaborate, build consensus and create real vehicles for change that open up markets, empower innovation and transform lives.” ITU Telecom World 2011 takes place at Geneva Palexpo from October 24-27.

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