ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2005: Facts and Figures

FACTS AND FIGURES

ITU TELECOM AMERICAS

ITU TELECOM AMERICAS forms part of the global portfolio of ITU TELECOM events which are held in a different region of the world each year. Our events are always hosted by governments and have a strong regulatory and government as well as industry presence.

ITU TELECOM events seek to provide a 'networking platform' for the global ICT community. Under this 'platform' the top names from both government and industry - drawn either from across the globe or from a particular region - can come together, meet, network, view the latest technologies on the Exhibition floor and take part in topical debate in the Forum, amongst other activities.

WHY BRAZIL?

Brazil is an economic powerhouse within the Latin American and Caribbean region, and as such provides an excellent vantage point from which to observe and participate in the region's growing telecommunications sector.

The growth of Brazil's fixed, mobile and Internet markets has been impressive - yet these sectors still offer considerable potential for growth.

The coastal city of Salvador da Bahia will provide a vibrant and spectacular setting for the event. The city is a key destination for business events and tourism and has a rich cultural heritage spanning 450 years.

THEME

Americas - Moving to a Latin Beat

Every global region has its way of doing things, be it setting policy, liberalizing markets or launching new technologies. Under the theme of "Americas - Moving to a Latin Beat", ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2005 will explore some of the dynamic ways in which the region is moving to its own beat and setting and shaping its own ICT future.

PARTICIPANT STATISTICS (expected)

75-100 Exhibitors (including 4 Pavilions) from 20 countries
285-385 Forum participants, including 135 speakers from 30 countries
230-330 VIPs and 120 journalists on-site
2'600-3'000 trade visitors

EXHIBITION
The Exhibition will feature a full range of technologies representing the ICT industry. From broadband to mobile, advanced wireless and satellite, the types of technologies on display will be those that are key to stimulating growth within the Americas ICT sector.

FORUM
The Forum will bring together the region's key opinion-makers from government and industry. It provides a vital arena for debate on the core issues underlying the development of the Americas ICT sector. It also provides the opportunity for debate on critical policy and regulatory issues.

Some of the issues to be explored include how broadband can be made universally available, together with the types of access technologies needed to support this. The factors driving the uptake of wireless services in the Americas will also be explored. Sessions will further examine key areas driving ICT growth in the region, such as Triple play or Voice over IP (VoIP).

Charts: ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2000

ITU TELECOM AMERICAS HISTORY

ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2005 is the 5th regional event to be hosted in the Americas and is the 4th to be held in Brazil. Previous AMERICAS events, in chronological order, were:

Event	Dates	Location	Theme
AMERICAS 88	16 to 21 May	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Shaping the Integrated Future: Evaluation & Reality of ISDN & Cellular Radio Forum
AMERICAS 92	6 to 11 April	Acapulco, Mexico	Telecommunications - The Vital Infrastructure for Tomorrow's World
AMERICAS 96	10 to 15 June	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Telecommunications & Sustainable Development - from Potential to Growth
AMERICAS 2000	10 to 15 April	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	The Wise Choice for the New Millennium

THE ORGANIZER

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialized agency of the United Nations, is a world-wide organization which brings governments and industry together to coordinate the establishment and operation of global telecommunication networks and services.
With a membership including government and regulators as well as private sector, ITU is in a unique position to bring the global communications community together and organize world and regional "TELECOM" events. ITU TELECOMs serve to promote the benefits of telecommunications and to demonstrate recent technological advances, as a service to ITU's Membership and to foster the transfer of this new technology and information to less developed countries.

ITU TELECOM events are run on a not-for-profit basis. Surplus income generated by the events is transformed into working capital for the TELECOM Surplus Programme, where it is used to fund a wide range of national and regional development projects. By partaking in an ITU TELECOM event, participants are helping to promote and support the development of telecommunications and deployment of new technologies across the globe.