World leaders call for more timely, harmonized data on global ICT access and
affordability
ITU leads efforts to extend ICT data collection capabilities through new
partnerships with tech industry, government agencies
Mexico City, 6 December, 2013 – Delegates to ITU’s
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS), held this week in
Mexico City (4-6 December) endorsed the need to strengthen and adapt the way
data on information and communication technologies (ICTs) is collected to better
meet the needs of today’s fast-evolving environment.
Accurate data on indicators like network access, service affordability and
connection speeds is increasingly recognized as essential to each country’s
plans for social development and economic growth.
The three-day symposium is the world’s most important meeting of ICT data
experts from around the world. Organized by ITU, and hosted this year by Mexican
regulator the Federal Institute for Telecommunications (IFT), the event welcomed
over 300 delegates, including government Ministers, industry CEOs and heads of
national and international statistics agencies.
“The ICT sector is evolving faster than any sector in human history. The role
of this annual symposium is to meet the challenge of measuring the rapid
evolution of the sector, and of making sure that ICT data, statistics and
indicators are internationally-harmonized, and internationally-comparable,” said
ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, in his closing address to delegates
this afternoon. “Only by doing this can we paint a clear, impartial and – most
importantly – universal picture that will enable us to make meaningful
comparisons and track the evolution of the ICT ecosystem.”
ITU’s work in global ICT statistics gathering and analysis is relied upon by
policy makers around the world, referenced by other influential institutions
including the UN family of agencies, the World Bank, the IMF and the World
Economic Forum, and acted upon by a growing international community of
investors.
For the first time this year, the event featured a High-Level opening day
with three key debates around future post-2015 development frameworks, the role
of monitoring in building tomorrow’s information society, and strategies for
enhancing multi-stakeholder dialogue and national coordination in data
collection.
It brought together expert speakers and panelists to share views and best
practices, and emphasized the importance of ensuring that ICTs are a cornerstone
of the post-2015 development agenda as the catalyst of broad social and economic
development.
“This has been the best-attended WTIS event to date, which demonstrates the
growing recognition of the importance of data and statistics in the ICT sector.
We look forward to seeing even greater participation next year,” said Brahima
Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “ITU remains
committed to this process, and we look forward to continuing our work with the
global community in this field as we move forward”.
In his opening remarks to the conference earlier this week, WTIS Chair Luis
Lucatero, Chief of Regulatory Policy at IFT, said: “The biggest enemy of
investment is information asymmetry. An ICT regulator is like an architect,
building a strong and robust market that ultimately serves as a platform for
national growth across all business sectors. The global dialogue that this event
promotes is unique, and will help all players – industry, government and
regulators – fulfil the ultimate goal of serving the needs of the ICT consumer.”
This year’s symposium also featured two special side events; the first hosted
by Costa Rica on the national approach to data collection in partnership with
ICT operators, and the second by Iran on the development and implementation of a
new data measurement system.
The event also incorporated a special tour led by IFT to view a community ICT
centre developed by Red de Innovación y Aprendizaje (RIA), a learning and
innovation project of the Fundación
Proacceso which is designed to bring access to technology training to
marginalized communities. The tour was hosted by young co-founder, Jorge Camil
Starr, and has already brought the power of ICTs to over 425,000 children and
youth in 95 schools in the Mexico City environs.
WTIS speeches, photos and other information can be found on the WTIS Newsroom
at:
http://www.itu.int/en/newsroom/Pages/wtis13.aspx.
The full speaker programme is available at:
www.itu.int/en/newsroom/Pages/wtis13.aspx.
Follow the WTIS event on Twitter at: #ITUdata
Speeches, photos, videos and background reports are available on the
WTIS Newsroom:
www.itu.int/en/newsroom/Pages/wtis13.aspx
An Executive Summary of ITU’s MIS 2013 report can be found at:
www.itu.int/go/mis2013
Journalists wishing to receive a free copy of the full MIS 2013
report in PDF format should contact Sarah Parkes at the ITU Press Office:
sarah.parkes@itu.int.
Download the MIS 2013 infographics at:
www.itu.int/go/mis2013
Download the MIS 2013 PowerPoint presentation at:
www.itu.int/go/mis2013
Download photos of WTIS at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itupictures/sets/72157638302188344/
For more information, please visit the
event website or contact:
ITU collects ICT statistics for 200 economies and
over 100 indicators, in partnership with its 193
Member State administrations, over 700 private
sector members, and more than 60 members from the
academic and R&D community
In addition to publishing the world’s most comprehensive global ICT database,
it produces the industry’s ICT statistical reference report,
Measuring the Information Society (MIS), which includes a unique global
ranking known as the ICT Development Index (IDI).