The event, the theme of which was "Moving to a Latin Beat", embraced a wide range of topics and issues vital to ICT development throughout the region. It was notable for its broad, pan-regional focus and commitment to developing solutions that meet both the goals of the industry and the ongoing economic development of the region.

"ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2005 has served to frame the critical issues that need to be addressed to reach the next level of growth in this region," said Roberto Blois, Deputy Secretary-General of the ITU. "This week, we have seen the coming together of regulatory, standardization and product development discussions concerning broadband, mobile, multimedia, and other emerging technologies. The industry is poised for new growth, but this will need to be well-coordinated in order to ensure true digital inclusion throughout the Americas."

Referring to the advent of fast-moving technologies such as 3G, IPTV and Triple Play, Mr Blois added "Powerful technologies such as these require interoperable standards and an enabling regulatory environment, so they can be brought to market successfully."

Mobile growth across the Americas region has been impressive since the last ITU TELECOM AMERICAS event in 2000. From 1999-2004, the number of mobile subscribers has grown from 128 million to 374 million, a more than three fold increase in five years.

Demand for other services is equally strong — especially in the area of broadband, which is emerging as a key element of new digital solutions such as Voice over IP (VoIP).

While most mobile growth has so far been due to prepaid voice services, advanced mobile data solutions such as Triple Play and mobile multimedia are ready to further spur uptake of new services, as converged technologies become a reality.

That said, fixed-line network growth has remained virtually flat across the region, creating an important impediment to bridging the Digital Divide in the area of online connectivity. Even continued spectacular growth in mobile will not solve this problem until wireless networks are able to provide reliable broadband services. According to ITU’s Americas Telecommunications Indicators 2005, released during the event, average annual growth rate of fixed-line was just 0.7 per cent from 2000-2004.

The event was enhanced by the participation of high-level executives and officials from across the region, including regulators from Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Jordan, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Mr Elifas Gurgel do Amaral, President of Anatel, the National Regulatory Agency of Brazil, emphasized the importance of the event in providing insights into the regulatory challenges facing the Americas region, especially in the areas of number portability, interconnection and spectrum management.

"The Digital Divide is the symptom; the economic divide the illness," said Dr Reza Jafari, Chairman of the ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2005 Forum Advisory Committee, speaking of the challenge of ensuring digital inclusion throughout the Americas. His remarks set the stage for the Forum opening, "Americas — Moving to a Latin Beat!", which delved into topics ranging from Next Generation Networks (NGN), Internet governance and cyber security to broadband connectivity and the transition to a new Information Society.

ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2005 encompassed an exhibition, meeting facilities and an extensive forum programme featuring products and speakers from leading global brands such as Cisco, HP, Huawei, Intelsat, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Telefónica and ZTE, along with pavilions from France, Spain, US and Venezuela and Brazilian operators such as Vivo, Oi and Telemar. A number of smaller international companies also participated, such as Cboss, Convergys, Hispasat, Tekelec and Telcordia, amongst others.

Companies leveraged the event’s high-level participation by holding meetings and demonstrating new products throughout the week. Cisco and NEC teamed up to demonstrate new concepts in NGN, with Cisco’s Jeff Spagnola, Vice President of Global Marketing, noting that Latin America is a diverse, highly creative region where operators are actively developing innovative new applications for their customers.

"ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2005 is the first in a new series of global networking platforms serving the interests of the ICT industry", stated Mr Fernando Lagraña, Executive Manager of ITU TELECOM, "We are focused on the needs of individual participants, and helping them make the right connections is an important part of every ITU TELECOM event."

From November 16-18 the World Summit for the Information Society will be held in Tunis, Tunisia. ITU will organize this top-level UN Summit, which will welcome heads of state and government from around the world, along with leaders from the private sector and civil society, to address key issues such Internet governance, digital inclusion and the global development of ICT technology.

Key Statistics from ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2005

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