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Connect 2020 Roundtables

Roundtable 1        |        Roundtable 2        |        Roundtable 3        |        Roundtable 4        |        Roundtable 5

​Connect 2020: A new set of Global ICT Targets and Goals

During PP-14, ITU Membership is gearing up to set out an ambitious vision for the ICT sector for the year 2020. The measurable targets representing the four key goals that are part of the proposed 2016-2019 ITU strategic plan set the high-level impact representing the change in the ICT sector that we all – as a Union, want to see in the world.
The proposed vision, “an information society, empowered by the interconnected world, where telecommunication/ICTs enable and accelerate social, economic and environmentally sustainable growth and development for everyone”, branded as “Connect 2020”, is a framework based around the following four complementary goals and related targets to be achieved by 2020:
  • Growth – enable and foster access to and increased use of telecommunications/ICTs
  • Inclusiveness – bridge the digital divide and provide broadband for all
  • Sustainability – manage challenges resulting from telecommunication/ICT development
  • Innovation and partnership – lead, improve and adapt to the changing telecommunication/ICT environment.

Connect 2020 Roundtables Backgrounder

Roundtable 1, Wednesday 29 October

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Which technologies will connect the next 1.5 billion users?
29 October, 13h00 - 14h00, Room D

ITU Membership aims to bring 1.5 billion additional users to the information society by 2020, particularly by providing increased access to high-speed broadband networks, services and applications.

This roundtable will analyze which technologies and solutions will enable this growth, identifying the technical, policy and regulatory aspects that need to be addressed to achieve this goal. Discussions will also include the implications on the use of spectrum for 5G mobile broadband.



Roundtable 2, Thursday 30 October

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Achieving full digital inclusion: feasible by 2020?

30 October, 13h00 - 14h00, Room D

Advanced ICT technology promises an "always on" society. But how do we ensure that everyone is part of the technology revolution?  Can we halve the digital divide by 2020 and achieve digital inclusion for all? 

Ensuring ICT inclusiveness requires moving beyond questions of access and affordability to ensuring ICT accessibility for people with specific needs and enabling everyone to play a role in creating the ICT future they want. 

This Connect 2020 round table will explore the different dimensions of ICT inclusiveness, including digital inclusion for people with specific needs and using ICT to empower women and girls, youth and persons with disabilities.

Roundtable 3, Friday 31 October

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Ensuring the long term benefits of development: Managing unprecedented growth in a sustainable way
31 October, 13h00 - 14h00, Room D

Over the last two decades, the global use of ICT-enabled applications has experienced such an amazing growth rate that it has become one of the success stories of industrial development. However, this unprecedented growth has also resulted in a number of challenges that may endanger efforts to sustain the development of the ICT sector. Issues such as building confidence and security in the use of ICTs and the expanding environmental footprint of ICT networks, services and applications are some of the main challenges facing the ICT sector today.

This round table will look at these challenges and reflect on how the main actors in the ICT ecosystem should work together to ensure the sustainability of the sector.  

Rountable 4, Monday 3 November

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Addressing the emerging innovation challenges in vertical markets
3 November, 13h00 - 14h00, Room D

Within a relatively short period of time information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed our lives. Not only have they radically changed the way we communicate, we rely on them every day to do business, travel, be creative, stay healthy and in shape. The ICT sector has seen a tremendous amount of innovation, and ICTs underpin innovation in principally all areas of life and sectors of the economy, and thereby act as a driver of development, economic growth and prosperity.

Based on examples from different sectors, the round table aims to identify common factors of success as well as challenges faced by organizations when conceiving and rolling out innovative ICT-enabled products and services. Panelists will discuss the role of public-private partnerships across sectors in creating a climate for innovation and how the ITU can help address some of the challenges identified as part of its "Connect 2020" vision.

Roundtable 5, Tuesday 4 November

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Building a robust monitoring framework for the global ICT agenda
4 November, 13h00 - 14h00, Room D

​The Connect 2020 global ICT goals are accompanied by a set of targets which will be expressed through concrete indicators. Assessing progress towards the achievement of the targets requires the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data in countries and a robust international measurement framework.

This roundtable will review the baseline of the global ICT targets and related indicators, and identify areas where increased efforts will be required to ensure the targets can be assessed. It will provide an overview of existing mechanisms at the national and international levels for tracking ICT progress, including the ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS) and its related Expert Groups. The session will also consider tools that could be used to report on annual progress towards the targets, such as the Measuring the Information Society Report.

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