ITU Telecom World 2009 In Review components like data centers. Privacy is an increasingly important concern, particularly for applications such as the storing of health care records and loca-tion based services. Providing a stable and secure ICT-enabled environment for businesses and consumers should be part of any global policy that supports GDP growth. Making 4.5 billion world citizens aware of security concerns is also critical – and appropriate policies are needed to allow end users to have the possibility to decide what use to make of their personal information by third parties and be able to behave in a more responsible way. Would managed services provided by manufacturers serve to make opera-tors’ role irrelevant? The answer is very likely no. Telecom services are still being licensed (especially in terms of spectrum allocation for mobile offerings) and regulated to some extent in many countries. However, resources such as spectrum could be shared among operators with a view to building common “highways,” which could then be built upon in order to offer value-added ser-vices and capacities within a particular market. Africa should not be considered as a less advanced market; instead it should be viewed as an investment opportunity for global players, who could reach the right level of investment through public-private partnerships. ICTs can help the socio- economic development of all countries including the most disad-vantaged ones. Bridging the digital divide as well as cybersecurity and climate change are major challenges faced by communities across the world, and we should unify efforts to target sustainable outcomes. Summary of closing remarks With a fast-growing population tipping the 6 billion mark, the limit of global sustainability could well have been exceeded. Energy efficiency is, therefore a critical challenge to be addressed and should constitute a call for action in the global broadband agenda. Initially, ICT contributed to economic growth by providing improved business efficiency. Now with mobile broadband and super-cloud computing capabilities (e.g. as simulation tools in health industry) ICTs have the potential to contribute to energy efficiency on a global scale. 57 Forum Summary Report