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ITU Telecom World 2018 in numbers

• 3100 participants from 94 countries
• Some 300 exhibitors, sponsors and partners from 32 countries
• 157 speakers from 47 countries
• 43 panel sessions, workshops and sponsored sessions in the Forum Summit and Forum
• +200 leaders from 74 countries
• 125 SME exhibitors from 19 countries
• 65 shortlisted SMEs for the ITU Telecom World Awards 2018 in 5 different categories
• 233 accredited media from over 15 countries

International exhibition

Featuring big names, countries and SMEs from across the world, the exhibition showcased innovative smart digital solutions, services and technologies to improve lives in fields such as e-health, e-agriculture, e-education, digital government services, digital finance and more. Key exhibitors and sponsors, including HP, Huawei, GEW Technologies, GSMA, LS telcom, MTN, Nokia, Rohde & Schwarz, Telkom, TDIA, Terjin Radio, Vodacom and more. National Pavilions from Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Cameroon, China, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan and Zimbabwe were joined by first-time exhibitors Botswana, Eswatini and Mali, as well as thematic pavilions from CSAIA, FTTX Council Africa, TIAA and the South Africa SME Pavilion.

Forum

With speakers from governments, key ICT industry players, international organizations, high-growth SMEs, consultants, academia, media and more –  including Euronews, as the Forum Summit moderator - the Forum provided a global perspective on “Innovation for smarter digital development”, exploring the challenges and opportunities of the digital age and delving into key issues such as technological developments and impacts in 5G, IoT and AI; connecting the rural unconnected in Africa and beyond; spectrum challenges; smart cities; digital literacy; and supporting tech SME growth.

Partner and co-hosted sessions

Top names including CSAIA, GTI, China Mobile, TDIA, GSMA, Huawei and SITA shared insights in partner and co-hosted sessions exploring areas such as unified planning of 4G/5G spectrum, African mobile market opportunities, spectrum pricing to drive mobile broadband investment, rethinking broadband or bridging the information gap between ICT SMMEs and market opportunities in public and private sectors.

ITU Bureaux engaged across event

ITU's three Bureaux – Telecommunication Standardization (TSB), Radiocommunication (BR) and Telecommunication Development (BDT) – also actively took part in ITU Telecom World 2018 in the showfloor, Forum programme and networking activities, as well as hosting meetings and launching a number of key reports, including Setting the Scene for 5G: Opportunities & Challenges, the National Cybersecurity Strategy Guide, and the m-Powering Development Report 2018

Networking and announcements

Networking was at the heart of the event, from receptions to networking breaks – sponsored by Bangladesh and KT – lunches, sponsored by Senegal, Republic of Korea, CITRA and India, and Happy Hours, sponsored by Quika and GEW Technologies. Ghana Day and Zimbabwe Night enabled delegates to meet with high-level ICT sector representatives of these countries. Delegates connected online via the Event App, as well as utilizing the professional Business Matchmaking Service, which facilitated 141 targeted meetings during the week. Taking advantage of the global platform that the event offered, a number of key announcements were made, partnerships forged, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed and high profile reports launched.

ITU Telecom World Awards

In keeping with ITU Telecom World's focus on SMEs and their critical role within the broader ICT ecosystem, the ITU Telecom World Awards recognized excellence and innovation in ICT solutions with social impact from SMEs and corporations alike. Finalists pitched their ideas and innovations throughout the week and fielded tough questions from the expert jury onsite. SMEs also took part in a programme of masterclasses, debates and networking activities.

Next stop, Budapest, Hungary

ITU Telecom World 2019 will take place in Budapest, Hungary, in September 2019, building upon successful innovations from ITU Telecom World 2018, bringing together tech SMEs with governments and corporates and attracting an audience spanning ITU Member States, regulators, heads of international organizations, global media, digital experts and visionaries, leading ICT corporations and cutting-edge tech SMEs from the region and across the globe. See you there!