October 06 Tuesday 09:00 – 10:30 Session ICT.1 Room B ICT as a transformational infrastructure of infrastructures ICT and broadband connectivity have become 21st century essential infrastructures, just as transportation and energy were essential to the economic and social growth of the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, ICT, including broadband networks (fixed or mobile), broadcasting, the internet, computing devices, applications and services, are increasingly becoming the enabling infrastructures driving economic growth and supporting social goals such as education, health care delivery, social inclusion and public safety. KEY QUESTIONS: – Why is ICT so critical to other key infrastructures? – What are some specific examples of how ICT has improved economic growth? – How can ICT improve the delivery of social services such as education and health care? – Which types of ecosystem are needed to foster the deployment and further adoption of ICT? – What are the biggest barriers to ICT fulfilling its promise to facilitate growth and social benefits? Moderator Mr Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Panellists His Excellency Ambassador Philip L. Verveer, United States Coordinator, International Communications and Information Policy, Department of State (United States) Mr Juan Francisco Molinar Horcasitas, Secretario de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (Mexico) Mr Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO, Telenor Group (Norway) 48