MEDIA ADVISORY — MEDIA ADVISORY — MEDIA ADVISORY

Chief Technology Officers Provide Their Outline of ICT Future
Global gathering in conjunction with World Summit on Information Society

Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) from some of the world’s leading ICT players are to gather at an unprecedented meeting to produce a ‘Vision Statement’ that they believe will outline the future of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

Key visionaries from manufacturers, service providers and standards makers will meet one day before the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) convenes to discuss their ideas for the future of ICT. It will be the first formal gathering of such important players in the context of WSIS and an important step in the defining of next generation technologies.

More than 30 CTOs have confirmed their attendance at the event. These include Alcatel, BT, China Mobile, China Unicom, Ericsson, France Telecom, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Orange, Siemens, Telecom Italia and ZTE.

Houlin Zhao, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), and organizer of the event: "This CTO Summit is not just an opportunity for CTOs to produce a ‘Vision Statement’ but an important chance for them to meet and talk. This dialogue and their collective voice will hopefully pave the way for future cooperation and understanding."

The views expressed by the industry leaders will provide input into future stages of the WSIS process, as well as the strategic and operational plans of ITU. "I believe that the Vision Statement outcome of the meeting will carry considerable weight and influence the future growth and development of the information society," added Mr Zhao.

For more information click here

Mr Greg Jones
ITU-T Communications Coordinator
Tel: +41 22 730 5515
Email: greg.jones@itu.int

If you have not already done so, please accredit now for World Summit on the Information Society, 10 to 12 December 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland. Accreditation grants you access to the Media Centre and its facilities.

Fifty-six Heads of State or Government have so far committed to participate in the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society with more than 6000 delegates from government, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, the private sector and the media (see wsis/newsarchive/). The Summit will endorse a Declaration of Principles for the Information Society and a plan of action to bring the benefits of information and communications technologies for social and economic development to people in all parts of the world.

Media accreditation for WSIS is available here

About ITU