As a United Nations agency, the ITU has an obligation to identify, define, and produce statistics covering its sector - the telecommunication/ICT sector. This is in line with other specialized agencies that publish statistics covering their respective field of operations and forms part of the global statistical system of the UN.
The collection of over 100 telecommunication/ICT indicators is one of the main activities of the unit. The ITU's Market Information and Statistics (STAT) Unit collects its Telecommunication/ICT data directly form governments by means of an annual questionnaire that is sent to the government agency in charge of telecommunications/ICT. This is usually the Ministry or the regulatory agency. The STAT Unit verifies and harmonizes data, carries out research, and collects missing values from government web sites and operators' annual reports, particularly for countries that do not reply to the questionnaire. Market research data are also used to cross-check and complement missing values.
The indicators/statistics published in this publication are used to back up ICT sections in inter-governmental publications such as the UNDP Human Development Report, the World Bank World Development Indicators and the United Nations Statistical Yearbook. Data are available in a number of formats including printed publications, CD-ROM, and by electronic download.
The flagship publication, the Yearbook of Statistics, has been published annually for almost three decades and is widely respected as the world's leading source of ICT statistics.
The electronic database, World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators, available both in a user-friendly CD-ROM and by electronic download, provides an important historical perspective of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, with annual time series dating back to 1960 and extending until 2007 - for over 100 items and some 200 economies.
Some key and popularly requested ICT/telecommunication data are provided for free, at http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/. Users also have free access to our presentations; definitions and references of handbooks and links to other relevant sites and information sources.
