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| Photo credit: © MCIT/Azerbaijan |
| BakuTel exhibition in 2009 |
How BakuTel is shaping the ICT sector in Azerbaijan
The development of the information and communication
technology (ICT) sector has recently rocketed
in Azerbaijan, boosting both the economy and the
process of establishing an information society in the
country. Happily, the global financial and economic
crisis has left practically no trace on the development
of the ICT sector, which today is second only to the
energy sector in the national economy.
Reflecting the growing interest in the ICT sector,
Azerbaijan will host BakuTel on 3–6 November 2010,
the 16th Azerbaijan International Exhibition and
Conference on Telecommunication and Information
Technologies. This will be an opportunity to demonstrate
the newest solutions and the most advanced
technologies, and the event will bring together
Azerbaijan’s old and new partners from the global
scientific and business communities.
With globalization, and the integration of
Azerbaijan into the world community, it is a must to
organize international ICT exhibitions in the country.
Such events allow the international community to
get to know the private companies and public organizations
that are players in the Azerbaijan ICT market.
And because BakuTel attracts leading businesses
from the global ICT market, it opens up investment
horizons in the ICT sector of Azerbaijan.
“Information and communication technologies
will play a very important role in our future development
because scientific and technical progress all
over the world will evolve in this direction,” says Ilham
Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan. BakuTel mirrors industry
trends. It identifies new markets for ICT business
development, both in Azerbaijan and in the region.
It is a good arena in which to look for new partners
and customers. The 15th anniversary of the BakuTel
Exhibition and Conference on Telecommunication
and Information Technologies, celebrated in 2009,
demonstrated the sustainability of ICT in Azerbaijan
during the global financial crisis. This event attracted
more than 800 companies from 26 countries.
The growth of BakuTel in 2009 by 5 per cent
demonstrates its success, which obviously correlates
with the dynamics of ICT development in Azerbaijan.
A distinguishing feature of the 2009 exhibition was
the number of presentations of new products and
services. Indeed, 35 per cent of participants claimed
that they were presenting innovations.
The Ministry of Communications and Information
Technologies of Azerbaijan presented several hightech,
socially valuable and economically feasible
projects, including the transition to digital television,
the modernization of postal services to incorporate
the provision of banking services, and the modernization
of telecommunication infrastructure on the
basis of next-generation networks.
The exhibition showcased the design of the first
national telecommunication satellite, scheduled to
launch in June 2012. There were also demonstrations
of e-signature, e-document and e-health projects,
as well as Internet coverage of schools, which was
showcased through connecting with one of the
schools via videoconferencing.
BakuTel has become a venue for the whole industry,
acting as a catalyst to promote new contacts
and further cooperation. More than 10 000 specialists
attend the exhibition annually. Many companies
have established their businesses in Azerbaijan by
making contacts at BakuTel. Today these companies
are actively involved, either through their representative
offices or through partners’ networks. Industry
professionals and the younger generation enjoy the
flow of new ideas and know-how. The first demonstration
of third-generation (3G) mobile technologies
in Azerbaijan was at BakuTel. And mobile operators
deployed 3G at the end of 2009.
The National Computer project, successfully
launched in 2009, is one of the most socially valuable
outcomes of BakuTel. This joint project, bringing together
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Communications and
Information Technologies, the Ministry of Education,
and the companies HP and Microsoft, is the first step
towards mass computerization in the country.
BakuTel traditionally also hosts a conference highlighting
national and regional issues. The topics include
problems in telecommunications, fixed line and
mobile services, and the introduction of new technologies.
One of the sessions in 2009 covered perspectives
for the use of nano materials in medicine
and electronics. The information provided on the
first results obtained in the area of nano tubes and
light diodes by the Scientific Research Center of High
Technologies of Azerbaijan, in close cooperation with
the Japanese and German colleagues, impressed the
audience.
Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway
One of the highlights of the 2009 BakuTel exhibition
was the presentation of the first telephone-based
translator. This is a new technology, developed
within the framework of the “Dilmanc” project, an
Azerbaijani system of machine translation. The technology
makes possible the automatic translation
of telephone conversations from Azerbaijani into
English and vice versa. In the context of multicultural
contacts, it is worth mentioning the high level
of attention drawn to the Trans-Eurasian Information
Super Highway initiative, the aim of which is to expand
low cost high-speed Internet access and bridge
the digital divide between East and West.
Planned to be completed in 2012 and to cover
more than 20 countries in the region, the fibre-optic
super highway project is being implemented as
part of Action Line C2 (“information and communication
infrastructure”) of the World Summit on
the Information Society (WSIS) and United Nations
Millennium Development Goal 8 (“develop a global
partnership for development”).
On 21 December 2009, the UN General Assembly
at its 66th session backed this initiative by adopting a
resolution entitled “Building connectivity through the
Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway”.
The resolution recognizes that “information and
communication technologies have the potential to
provide new solutions to development challenges,
particularly in the context of globalization, and can
foster economic growth, competitiveness, access
to information and knowledge, poverty eradication
and social inclusion that will help to expedite the
integration of all countries, particularly developing
countries, into the global economy.” It also recognizes
“the immense potential that building connectivity
can have in contributing to social progress, including
in advancing the status of women and promoting social
integration and tolerance”.
It goes on to stress the importance of strengthened
and continued cooperation among all stakeholders
to build and run information infrastructure,
and encourages interested Member States to participate
in the development of regional connectivity
solutions. Finally, the resolution “recognizes the need
to build connectivity in the region to help to bridge
the digital divide, and in this regard welcomes the
Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway initiative
and the readiness of the Republic of Azerbaijan to
coordinate regional efforts aimed at realizing this
initiative.”
Presidential and global support
For the past four years, BakuTel has been held under
the patronage of the President Ilham Aliyev. The
President attended the exhibition in person in 2007
and 2009, reflecting the great interest of the State
in ICT development. Participants in the exhibition
have an opportunity to demonstrate their capacities
and achievements directly to the Head of State, and
this stimulates further activities. The President himself
sets aside time to receive high-level participants
and guests of the exhibition, signalling the priority
accorded to the development of the ICT sector in
Azerbaijan.
BakuTel also enjoys the support of the United
Nations, the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU), and the Regional Commonwealth in the field of
Communications (RCC), among others. The support
of Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, Secretary-General of ITU,
is particularly important to BakuTel. His participation
in the exhibition in 2007 and again in 2009, as well
as his talk and his press interview, helped to cement
relations between Azerbaijan and ITU. Dr Touré held
meetings with Azerbaijani officials and representatives
of Azerbaijani companies, as well as with participants
representing other countries. During his visits
to Azerbaijan, Dr Touré was received by President
Ilham Aliyev and their talks focused on ICT development
issues. “I am very pleased to see that the
BakuTel exhibition has passed the test of time, and
is carrying on with its important mission every year”,
Dr Touré said.
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| Photo credit: © MCIT/Azerbaijan |
| From the right: ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré; Azerbaijan’s President
Ilham Aliyev and; Azerbaijan’s Minister of Communications and Information
Technologies Ali Abbasov, visiting BakuTel exhibition in 2009 |
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