ITU Telecom World 2009 In Review 2009 Geneva 5-9 October Participants in the session underlined that access to mobile broadband has the ability to improve people’s lives, create jobs, and generate tax revenues. India and China are seen as huge engines of growth in this market. “The fact is, when we bring a radio signal to a remote part of the country (India), people who have no address nevertheless have a mobile phone. And income levels go up as people start using mobile phones,” commented Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Group CEO, Bharti Enterprises, India. When you ask anyone today, what is the last thing they would give up, the answer is “my mobile phone”, said Christian Salbaing, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director, European Communications, Hutchison Europe Telecom-munications, Sarl, UK. As technology evolves, we should get a reality check by listening to young people, he added. They live in a virtual community with all their friends, and their needs have to be taken into account. For Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO of the Telenor Group, Norway, “innovation happens when there is not too much regulation”. Norway is one of the world’s most advanced countries in ICT usage, and the Telenor Group’s footprint covers more than 1.8 billion people in 13 countries in Europe and Asia. A new study by Telenor demonstrates how Internet access can boost eco-nomic growth and social welfare. According to the study, 10-percentage-point increase in Internet penetration could increase gross domestic product (GDP) by 1 to 2.5 per cent, increase new business activities by approximately 1 per cent, and boost total government revenues in some countries by as much as 8 to 9 per cent. Mobile broadband will boost GDP growth in countries where it is deployed, commented Mr Baksaas. Expressing a similar view, Naguib Sawiris, Chairman and CEO of Orascom Telecom Holding Egypt, explained that “in Egypt, we grow 1–2 per cent every year in mobile broadband. By doing this, we are increasing GDP by 1–2 per cent every year”. In general, the panellists concluded that, in order for operators to deliver fea-ture- rich mobile broadband connectivity, it is crucial that they innovate in a defined and stable environment, confident about securing the necessary spec- 40 VIP Programme Summary Report