2018 Forum programme
By invitation only.
For more information, please visit https://itu.int/en/ITU-T/tsbdir/cto/
Recent years have seen rapid growth in radio and satellite solutions moving beyond niche solutions to expand connectivity on a global basis, with new use cases such as backhaul for 5G and IoT, new applications ranging from digital financial services to healthcare and smarter cities, and more economical ways to connect the unconnected in rural areas. New developments in satellite technologies, such as small satellites, LEOs, HAPS and non-GSO constellations, are opening up new markets, with innovative new players joining the top established names. Can these new ways of providing connectivity revolutionize global – and affordable – access? Who are the main stakeholders taking a lead, and which models and markets are being developed? What are the main current technological, regulatory and policy challenges? Do innovative partnerships and cross-sector collaboration hold the key to non-terrestrial connectivity?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
An exclusive opportunity to explore the exhibition at ITU Telecom World 2019, highlighting the unique mix of technologies, solutions, sectors and countries across National Pavilions, Thematic Pavilions, Independent Stands, and small to medium tech companies.
By invitation only
An opportunity to relax, make new connections and exchange views in the networking refreshment break between Forum sessions.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
The official event launch, opening ITU Telecom World 2019 before an audience of event participants and special guests, includingministers, regulators, C-level industry representatives, heads of international organizations, exhibitors, Forum speakers and accredited media.
Session to include opening keynotes (TBC)
Open to all Pass categories
Visit National Pavilions, Industry Stands, Thematic Pavilions and tech SMEs from around the world, showcasing innovative solutions, technologies, national strategies, projects and partnership potential.
Open to all Pass categories
Following the first morning of activities at the event, this high-profile networking lunch offers an exclusive opportunity for leaders to connect with fellow delegates from public and private sectors in an engaging social environment.
Open to Leader Pass holders and Executive Pass holders (limited seats available)
A unique opportunity to connect with high-level representatives from governments and industry, fellow delegates and speakers in the relaxed, social environment of a networking lunch.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders on a first-come first-served basis
The Press Conference brings together major news agencies and influential global, regional and Hungarian media from within the ICT industry. It highlights what to expect during the week, outlines the core themes to be debated, and illustrates how ITU Telecom World 2019 provides a global platform for governments, corporates and SMEs to explore the power of innovation and collaboration in driving meaningful connectivity.
The Press Conference will feature an influential line-up of speakers including the ITU Secretary-General, high-level representatives from Hungary, the Host Country, and key event participants.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Connectivity is central to development throughout the world, producing a direct, positive and measurable impact on economies and benefiting lives across every sector of society. Ensuring universal access to high-speed Internet, and the services, applications and products it enables, is essential. But it is not enough. To be meaningful, connectivity must be affordable, fit-for-purpose and relevant to local contexts, supported by digital literacy and skills, and accessible to the digitally disenfranchised such as those in rural and remote areas. What innovative solutions, hybrid technology mixes and cross-sector partnerships can drive universal access? How can innovative regulatory approaches, government initiatives or incentives, and industry models impact on increasing meaningful connectivity? Can we nurture a culture of responsible innovation, rather than innovation for innovation’s sake? How can we work together to bring about meaningful, inclusive and relevant connectivity that improves lives everywhere?
The Forum Summit is the flagship session of ITU Telecom World, setting the scene for the Forum debates to follow with a mixture of keynote speeches and interactive panel discussions. The Forum Summit is an outstanding opportunity for all event participants to hear expert insight, gain international perspectives, and understand the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation at the very highest level.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
An opportunity to relax, make new connections and exchange views in the networking refreshment break between Forum sessions.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Expanding connectivity and building the digital society throughout the world promises enormous socio-economic developmental benefits. But the digital age brings with it very real concerns in terms of trust in technology, privacy and cybersecurity, as well data management issues, concentration of power in a handful of digital stakeholders, fake news, dangers to children on line, and the potential for new technologies to be destructive as well as constructive. How can we prepare governments, industries, societies and citizens for the digital future in emerging and developed markets alike? How can we bring together all relevant stakeholders to establish and uphold digital principles in a globalized environment? How can the public sector, international organizations and industry bodies work together to mitigate digital inclusion and the risks of living in a hyper-connected society?
The Forum Summit is the flagship session of ITU Telecom World, setting the scene for the Forum debates to follow with a mixture of keynote speeches and interactive panel discussions. The Forum Summit is an outstanding opportunity for all event participants to hear expert insight, gain international perspectives, and understand the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation at the very highest level.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Join international leaders of industry and government in an exclusive, relaxed social gathering following the first day of event activities.
Open to Leader Pass and Executive Pass holders
Hosted by Hungary, the spectacular Welcome Reception offers entertainment, fine dining and high-level networking at the end of the first day of the event, featuring the fascinating colours, culture and traditions of the host nation.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Machine learning software is being deployed at a rapidly-increasing rate across a wide range of applications around the globe, from autonomous driving to lifelong learning in the workplace, assisting in diagnostics and healthcare, agriculture, social inclusion initiatives, and mitigating the effects of climate change. AI is a key topic in both public and private discussions, which focus on its enormous potential – and on the ethical concerns it creates. What are the best use cases, governance models and success stories to date? Beyond its commercial applications, how can we capitalize on the potential of machine learning, and later of AI, to solve some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity? Is the development of AI a new global arms race, or new source of global collaboration? What should the roles of government, private sector and academia be in an AI future? Are wein danger of mirroring the digital divide with an AI gap, and can social innovation keep up with the pace of technological breakthrough? How can AI’s success in meeting global socio-economic challenges be measured – and how can we best ensure it is trusted, safe, equitable and beneficial?
This session will draw on the highlights and outcomes of the third edition of ITU’s AI for Global Good Summit.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
The first session of the Ministerial Roundtable explores the policy and regulatory frameworks required – or desired – to stimulate the deployment of 5G and high-capacity networks. Operators may be discouraged from investing in 5G-capable networks due to the high cost of infrastructure development and the lack of clarity on 5G applications or demand for 5G services. Given the potential socio-economic value of 5G networks, to what extent should policymakers intervene in creating an environment to encourage investment and deployment? What policy or regulatory incentives are likely to prove most effective? How are governments currently working with industry sectors to assess the benefits of “the industrial internet”? Is potential government support for a specific technology effective – or detrimental?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Visit National Pavilions, Industry Stands, Thematic Pavilions and tech SMEs from around the world, showcasing innovative solutions, technologies, national strategies, projects and partnership potential.
Open to all Pass categories
An opportunity to relax, make new connections and exchange views in the networking refreshment break between Forum sessions.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Having built the infrastructure underpinning digital transformation, network operators now find themselves confronted by extensive changes in markets, technologies and value chains. The borders between industries and sectors are disappearing in an increasingly digital environment, opening up opportunities for operators and new players alike. Can network operators retain a leading role inthe digital age? How can they leverage potential in areas such as data analytics, AI, digital management practices, automation and simplification in the back office? Will the future look different for international and country-level operators, and how will they evolve or diverge in different income-level markets? Will operators move into content and services, or will new players take on the operators at their own game? What is the role of industry regulators in this new game of thrones?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) governing data protection and privacy for all individuals within the EU and EEC came into effect. However, issues of data security, consumer trust and responsibility for preserving, exploiting, and eventually erasing data, remain prevalent. How has GDPR changed how data is handled in the public and personal arenas, what lessons have been learnt in the past year, and should similar legislation be introduced worldwide? How has it affected larger and smaller companies, and what benefits has it brought consumers? What is the role of government in creating and maintaining public trust in digital technologies? How are governments currently ensuring the security of sensitive data used to provide innovative, beneficial public services? Is there a risk that citizens may in the future choose to opt out of providing data? How can different branches of government collaborate to preserve trust and security in the digital administration?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
A unique opportunity to connect with high-level representatives from governments and industry, fellow delegates and speakers in the relaxed, social environment of a networking lunch.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders on a first-come first-served basis
The future is 5G – and its advanced capabilities, high reliability, low latency and high speed will fundamentally transform societies and industries throughout the world. But when will the future be here – or has it already arrived? What is the current state of 5G network deployment in various emerging and developed markets? What concrete use cases and innovative applications have already been developed? What successful business models will best balance the cost of investment and uncertain demand against 5G’s tremendous potential? Can any single stakeholder do it alone, or are collaborative partnerships not only smart, but essential? Should the 5G focus move beyond industrial growth towards providing a better platform to meet basic human needs throughout the world? Is it feasible for an emerging market to leapfrog to 5G or should they consider the current implementation of 4G networks?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
An opportunity to relax, make new connections and exchange views in the networking refreshment break between Forum sessions.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
5G is the key enabler of tomorrow’s digital economy, linking smartphones and wireless sensors, driving smart sustainable cities and powering the fourth industrial revolution. Such is its unprecedented potential that many 5G applications and services are yet to be discovered or understood. Governments around the world have now begun investing in testbeds enabling different industry verticals to work together on 5G solutions. What challenges are testbeds helping to solve? What models exist currently? Who are the main players in creating and operating test environments, and what roles have they adopted? How are 5G testbeds laying the groundwork for the smart cities of the future? How important is collaboration between public and private sectors? How can 5G-ready policy frameworks, standardization and global harmonization accelerate 5G deployment?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Around 90% of the world’s population is covered by at least 2G or 3G services, yet internet adoption remains at barely 51%. Accelerating universal connectivity, and the socio-economic development it brings, involves enormous investment in infrastructure – but also affordable, relevant services and applications, meaningful content in local languages, digital skills and awareness. None of this is possible without political will and multi-sector partnerships. How can public and private sectors work together in different markets to drive adoption in underserved, rural and remote areas? What innovative partnerships are possible with stakeholders across the digital ecosystem such as NGOs, international organizations, civic groups, communities and academia? How important is the role of digital public services in stimulating take-up and providing new markets? What makes for a successful cross-sector collaboration, and what are the principle challenges that remain?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Join international leaders of industry and government in an exclusive, relaxed social gathering following the first day of event activities.
Open to Leader Pass and Executive Pass holders
This October, over 3,000 delegates will gather at ITU’s pivotal World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 in Egypt to review and revise the Radio Regulations on the use of radio frequency spectrum and satellite orbits. Coordination, compromise and collaboration will be essential in the face of determined, disparate demands for limited spectrum resources from different industry sectors and geographies. How can sufficient spectrum be made available for 5G services to flourish? Who are the new stakeholders and what are the new technologies and markets lobbying for frequency? Who are the incumbent services and how will they be impacted? How can innovation, socio-economic development and universal service be balanced in terms of spectrum allocation? What are the principle issues, trends and challenges at WRC 19 – and how can the spectrum conundrum be cracked?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Visit National Pavilions, Industry Stands, Thematic Pavilions and tech SMEs from around the world, showcasing innovative solutions, technologies, national strategies, projects and partnership potential.
Open to all Pass categories
An opportunity to relax, make new connections and exchange views in the networking refreshment break between Forum sessions.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Of course she is – and so are Siri, Google Home, and all our other smart home and smartphone devices. Enjoying the convenience and benefits of devices and the always-on connected life comes with an implicit price: our data. What do our devices really collect, how do they store our data and what do they use it for? Who owns our data, what happens if it falls into the wrong hands, and do we have any right to redress? What are users, companies or the government prepared to sacrifice for the use of connected devices?Is more security in everybody’s interest – and is it even possible?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
A unique opportunity to connect with high-level representatives from governments and industry, fellow delegates and speakers in the relaxed, social environment of a networking lunch.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders on a first-come first-served basis
From smart home hubs not understanding commands in regional accents to automated vehicles failing to respond to female voices orbiased facial recognition software, it is increasingly evident that automated systems, algorithms and machine learning are in danger of replicating and enhancing prejudice and discriminatory practices. Bias is embedded, unconsciously or otherwise, in the code. What are the potential implications in the criminal justice system, in education or the financial system? How can we prevent AI systems from replicating and exacerbating the inequalities of society, and ensure it is more broadly representative of humanity in terms of gender, race and nationality? Can we set out to design with diversity, rather than after the fact? How can we work to ensure gender balance throughout the AI ecosystem, including academia, industry and ethics boards?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
The ICT Economic Expert Roundtable brings together economic and industry experts from global ICT consulting firms, R&D entities, regional and international organizations to exchange views and analysis on the latest trends and issues related to the development of telecommunications/ICT infrastructure, focusing principally on economic and financial aspects.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
A total of 159 countries around the world have already adopted a national broadband plan, representing 81% of all nations. As wedraw closer to the Broadband Commission target of a national broadband plan in all countries by 2025, a number of nations – and vendors – are revisiting the definition of broadband and exploring how networks should evolve to cope with increasing demand for data. From ultra-fast broadband to wireless broadband and gigabit broadband, new solutions and services are already being commercialized throughout the world. What are the common elements in these new solutions? Which solutions are most suitable for each market and use case? What type of applications will drive demand for, and adoption of, these new types of connections? What new solutions exist to support the implementation of current broadband strategies? How should broadband policies evolve in the near future to ensure inclusion in a digital gigabit society?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
An opportunity to relax, make new connections and exchange views in the networking refreshment break between Forum sessions.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Connecting ecosystems can prove critical in bringing innovations to the global market. This session brings together change-makers, innovators, stakeholders in startup ecosystems and successful venture capitalists from around the world to share experiences and debate the major challenges of the startup world, connecting ecosystems and innovation in general. Can we identify major trends in innovation? Where does disruption take place, and can it be collaborative? What European and international collaborative platforms have been created for startup ecosystems? What are the best innovative approaches, practices, initiatives and programmes focused on collaboration? What is the role of building and maintaining cooperation for regional and interregional ecosystems? What arethe potential social benefits of connecting ecosystems – and how can we ensure that these ecosystems are sustainable?
Opento Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Join international leaders of industry and government in an exclusive, relaxed social gathering following the first day of event activities.
Open to Leader Pass and Executive Pass holders
A full one-day programme of interactive workshops, demos, competitions, guided tours, company presentations and more, especiallydesigned for university students, young entrepreneurs and innovators from Hungary and the region. Carefully curated by Hungary’s leading incubators, accelerators, academia and innovation hubs, the Internet Generation Day programme is open to all and seeks to inform, engage, challenge and drive change throughout the entire telecommunications ecosystem. Topics including robotics, AI, blockchain and fintech will set the stage for this exciting day. Full programme details will be available soon - contact us if you would like to be a part of it.
Open to all Pass categories
Technologies continue to be designed and used to reshape every sector of society and the economy, challenging our ability to adapt to the pace of change. The job market is no exception – and disruption in the world of work has profound implications for existing educational systems. How can we prepare the next generation of workers for jobs that may not yet exist? What skills will be needed to succeed in a future characterized by automatization, robots and AI? How can lifelong learning in the workplace equip us for constant change, and will we be able to keep pace with technological disruption? How should educational systems and institutions adapt and respond? Will the challenges of the job market in the digital age differ between emerging and developed markets? Will we need to work at all in the future – and if not, what will we do?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Visit National Pavilions, Industry Stands, Thematic Pavilions and tech SMEs from around the world, showcasing innovative solutions, technologies, national strategies, projects and partnership potential.
Open to all Pass categories
An opportunity to relax, make new connections and exchange views in the networking refreshment break between Forum sessions.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
Industry convergence, digitalization and the disruption caused by new technologies and new market players is making the job of regulatory agencies more complex and interlinked than ever before, even in mature markets with strong competition. New challenges such as privacy, cybersecurity and data protection are confronting regulators with domains beyond their traditional competencies. What role should regulators play to ensure a safe, inclusive, connected future? How can stimulating innovation and fair competition be balanced against consumer protection? What examples do we have of successful cross-sectoral regulation? How can regulators, policy-makers and industry work together to create an environment for the digital economy that is both enabling and secure?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
According to WHO’s World Disability Report, approximately 15% of the world population – or more than 1 billion people - lives with some form of disability. ICTs are widely used to enable people living with disabilities to lead more independent lives by removing barriers limiting their participation in society. Technology can enable better access to health, education, government services and the job market for all those affected by disabilities. But what more can be done, in both emerging and developed markets? Can existing solutions be scaled and adapted? Is there a business case for digital inclusion solutions? How can public and private sectors work together to promote universal design, accessibility and access services?
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders
A unique opportunity to connect with high-level representatives from governments and industry, fellow delegates and speakers in the relaxed, social environment of a networking lunch.
Open to Leader Pass, Executive Pass, Forum Pass, and Media Pass holders on a first-come first-served basis
The finalists and winners of the ITU Telecom World Awards 2019 will be announced by the ITU Secretary-General in a high-profile ceremony honouring the best in innovative ICT solutions, applications and services for social good.
Open to all Pass categories
The Farewell Reception brings the four days of ITU Telecom World 2019 to a close with music and entertainment to accompany the formal goodbye to all delegates and guests.
Open to all Pass categories