Auditorium

Slide 1

Dear Friends,

I would like to take this opportunity first to congratulate the Youth Fellows. You represent Africa’s future, Africa’s hope. I am very happy to welcome you to the Youth Forum at ITU Telecom Africa 2001.

Slide 2

Also on behalf of the Secretary-General, Mr. Yoshio Utsumi, who cannot be here with us this morning but who sends his congratulations and regards.

Slide 3

Before I say a few words on the Youth Forum itself, I would like to introduce our organization, the International Telecommunication Union, or ITU. The ITU is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations.

Slide 4

As you know, the purposes of the United Nations are to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations; to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems; to cooperate in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Slide 5

The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized organization dealing with telecommunications. The ITU has a long history, which goes back to 1865. On 17 May 1865, after two and a half months of negotiation, the first International Telegraph Convention was signed in Paris by the 20 founding members, and the International Telegraph Union (ITU) was established to keep this initial agreement up to date.

Technology did not stop there.

Slide 6

Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in 1876. In 1885 already, the International Telegraph Union began to draw up international legislation governing telephony. In 1896 wireless telegraphy was invented and it became quickly an important tool for safety at sea and commercial purposes. The first International Radiotelegraph Conference was held in 1906 in Berlin and it signed the first International Radiotelegraph Convention. The annex to this Convention contained the first regulations governing wireless telegraphy. These regulations, which have since been expanded and revised by numerous radio conferences, are now known as the Radio Regulations.

Slide 7

At the 1932 Madrid Conference, the Union decided to combine the International Telegraph Convention of 1865 and the International Radiotelegraph Convention of 1906 to form the International Telecommunication Convention. It was also decided to change the name of the Union to International Telecommunication Union. The new name, which came into effect on 1 January 1934, was chosen to properly reflect the full scope of the Union's responsibilities, which by this time covered all forms of wireline and wireless communication.

Slide 8

In 1947, after the Second World War, ITU held a conference in Atlantic City with the aim of developing and modernizing the organization. Under an agreement with the newly created United Nations, it became a UN specialized agency, and the headquarters of the organization were transferred in 1948 from Bern to Geneva.

Slide 9

The year 1957 was marked by the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik-1, and the beginning of the space age. In 1963, the first geostationary communications satellite (Syncom-1) was put into orbit. This was actually an idea of the writer Arthur C. Clarke who published a paper in 1945 (Wireless World, October 1945, pages 305-308),  (Slide 10)  where he described how such satellites could be used for the transmission of information. Also in 1963, the ITU held a Conference for space communications in Geneva to allocate frequencies to the various space communication services.

Slide 11

In 1992, allocations were made for the first time to serve the needs of a new kind of space service using non-geostationary satellites, known as Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS). The same year, spectrum was identified for IMT-2000, the next-generation global standard for digital mobile telephony developed by the ITU, and more commonly known as 3G. IMT-2000 will be progressively implemented early in this new millennium, and it will harmonize the incompatible mobile systems currently in use around the world. At the same time it will provide a technical foundation for new, high-speed wireless devices capable of handling voice, data and connection to information services and entertainment.

Slide 12

Since the early sixties, the ITU has been actively promoting the development of telecommunications in developing countries, mainly through projects financed by the United Nations Development Programme. In 1989, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference established the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) to step up efforts being made to improve communications in the developing regions of the world.

(And the Director of the BDT Mr. Hamadoun Touré is sitting here next to me. He will tell you some more about ITU’s development activities.)

Slide 13

Today, some 136 years after the first international convention, the fundamental objectives of the ITU are still basically the same. In one sentence, they are to bring information and communication services within easy reach of all human beings; we call it universal access. One of the ways to promote universal access is through the broad sharing of information, knowledge and ideas. Today the Secretary General will announce the publication of the African Telecommunication Indicators 2001, an ITU publication containing all the latest updates on telecommunications in Africa, and there is some very good news there.

Slide 14

Another way to share information is through the World Telecommunication Policy Forum (WTPF), an ad hoc meeting where members engage in broad, informal discussions on global telecommunication policies and strategies. The first WTPF was held in 1996 on the theme of global mobile personal communications by satellite, the second in 1998, on trade in telecommunication services and the third in March 2001 on the theme of Internet Protocol (IP) Telephony.

Slide 15

The next major event we are working on now will be the World Summit on the Information Society, which will be held in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005. The aim of this World Summit is to develop a common worldwide vision and understanding of the Information Society – and to draw up a plan of action for concerted development towards realizing this vision. The Summit will also provide a unique opportunity to bring together the world community and to develop a better understanding of this revolution and its impact.

Slide 16

We started organizing international telecommunication exhibitions in 1971 in Geneva. The first African exhibition was in 1990, and in a few hours time you will participate in the Opening Ceremony where President Thabo Mbeki / Deputy President Mr. Jacob Zuma of the Republic of South Africa and the Secretary-General of the ITU will open the fourth such event in Africa, the second in South Africa.

(Note: 1990 Harare, 1994 Cairo, 1998 Jo’burg, 2001 Jo’burg)

Slide 17

When Africa Telecom last took place, in May 1998, there were barely two million mobile subscribers on the whole African continent. By the end of next month there will be nearly thirty million – nearly one and a half times the number of fixed-line subscribers. The recent history of the development of mobile communications in Africa is a great success story. Other indicators, such as the total number of fixed lines and the growth of telecoms revenue, also demonstrate a healthy growth. But much remains to be done especially for the rural areas. The missing link is still a reality today.

Slide 18

That is why we have created our own special initiative at Africa 2001, the ITU Pavilion, in Hall 5, around the theme of connecting the rural areas. At its heart you will find a fully functional community telecentre, in order to focus on applications and technologies for rural areas. And companies which represent related technologies are cooperating to give a full overview of telecommunication technologies and applications for rural areas.

Slide 19

Naturally, many more very interesting technologies and applications are on display, and I hope you will take the time to visit all of the stands that our exhibitors have built here for our visitors.

Slide 20

The other special initiative of the ITU in collaboration with the African Telecommunication Union and with the South African Department of Communications is this Youth Forum to which you have been invited. We are all very happy that this dream is coming true, thanks also to the generous contribution of some of our sponsors.

(State of Geneva, Boeing, Siemens, Alcatel, WorldSpace, Intelsat, Cable and Wireless)

Slide 21

The purpose of this Youth Forum is for you to gain access to the world of the information and communication technologies. You have sent us your essay on Information and Communication technology: development opportunities and the role of youth. An impartial committee has selected the most interesting essays, from one young man and one young woman of each African country, and your essays will be published in print, on the Web and on CD-ROM.

Slide 22

You will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition and to attend other Forum sessions, and there will be four sessions especially for you. Finally, as a group you will be invited to present your own conclusions and your ideas for the future, at the Closing Session of the Forum on Friday.

During this programme, you will have the opportunity to consider how new technologies could be used, exploring various visions of the future. You will gain a better understanding of policies and regulations in our own countries as well as in Africa. You will learn more about the ITU and regional telecommunication organisations. And you will have an opportunity to think about job perspectives in this exciting industry.

Slide 23

Of course, there will be also some time for a few side activities, which we hope will make your stay with us more pleasant and will leave you with a good impression of South Africa.

Slide 24

I sincerely hope this Youth Forum which we organize now for the first time will remind you forever of the importance of telecommunications for the development of the peoples of the world. Thank you, and have a great time here.

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Introducing Mr. Jan Mutai

I would like now to turn to the Secretary-General of the African Telecommunication Union who has advised us and helped us organize this Youth Forum. Mr. Mutai has been Managing Director of the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC) and was elected Secretary-General of the African Telecommunication Union. He is in a unique position to tell us what telecommunications mean on the African continent.

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