Asia Leads Change in Telecommunication Industry
ITU Telecom Asia 2002 to Showcase World�s Largest Regional Market

Geneva, 29 November 2002 � Asia-Pacific is home to more than one-third of all of the telecommunication users worldwide, up from 20 per cent a decade ago. "The Asia-Pacific region has been adding new connections at a rate of one new telephone line every second of every day during the past ten years," says Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union. This development is helping to define the very nature of tomorrow�s telecommunication industry. "Rapidly increasing penetration of voice and data services is driving buoyant economic growth across the region and rising per capital income in turn drives even greater demand for telecommunications products", he said. These promising regional economic trends form the backdrop for the opening of ITU Telecom ASIA 2002 on December 2 under the banner �Asia Leading Change�.

ITU Telecom ASIA 2002 represents an opportunity to shape the future of telecommunications in the Asia-Pacific region. It allows attendees and delegates to network with leaders in field, make business contacts, select future suppliers and be part of a truly pan-Asian event.

The ITU Telecom ASIA 2002 exhibition and forum will again attract enormous interest. Exhibitors from around the world will be demonstrating a comprehensive range of telecommunications-related products and services, while over 100 expert speakers from industry and government will address hundreds of forum delegates.

The forum will focus on existing and emerging telecommunications issues in the Asia-Pacific region and will provide a platform for telecommunication leaders to share their ideas on future trends and discuss appropriate strategies for development. The programme itself reflects issues of relevance to the Asia-Pacific region as well as those of critical importance to the entire industry. It combines daily opening plenary sessions that are centered on key issues in three specialized streams:

• Stream A: Investing in the Future, will cover investment and business issues;
• Stream B: Enabling the Future, will focus on policy and regulatory issues;
• Stream C: Supporting the Future, will look at issues related to technology and applications.

For a list of Industry and Government leaders participating in the Forum, please click here.

ITU Telecom ASIA 2002 also incorporates a Telecom Development Symposium, a fellowship programme which will bring delegates from the region�s least developed and lowest income countries to Hong Kong to discuss development plans and address emerging issues of importance to their countries or region. This year�s themes for discussion will be:

• Access and Future Technologies
• Benefits to Citizens and Society
• Implementation � ICT Regulation in the 21st century

In addition, for the first time at an Asia regional Telecom, ITU is hosting a Youth Forum. 76 young high achievers from 41 countries across Asia will participate in four days of interactive panel discussions with industry leaders on topics of special interest to youth. Participants have been selected via a region-wide essay competition, and ITU, in conjunction with sponsors, is covering the full cost of their participation as part of its efforts to cultivate Asia�s next generation of ICT leaders.

The principal aim of the Youth Forum is to spur innovation and transformation within the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, particularly within developing countries, and to empower and prepare a new generation to take up the reins of leadership. An important objective of the Youth Forum is to help attract and groom future telecoms professionals within a global economy that already places high value on technology leaders.

This year�s programme will encompass four principal themes:

• Training and Technology
• Regulation and Policy
• Financing and Investment
• Society and Culture

Discussion over the four days of the Forum will centre around new technologies and their applications, the relationship between policy and market structure, the essential building blocks for creating a dynamic communications environment, the relationship between policy and regulation and the business environment, and the evolution of new types of content and new ICT business models throughout Asia. Panelists will comprise leading figures from the public and private sector, who will speak frankly and openly about the problems and opportunities facing today�s telecommunications and IT industry.

The fifth in this acclaimed series of ITU reports will be launched during ITU Telecom ASIA 2002 at a press conference scheduled for 16h00 on 2 December 2002 in the Hong Kong Conference and Exhibition Centre.

The report provides a comprehensive view of the state of the telecommunication industry in the region and an analysis of how the region is fairing in the midst of a global telecommunication downturn. It also looks at the great promise the Asia-Pacific market holds for next-generation wireless and broadband Internet access and notes that as more Internet content becomes available in Asian languages, the rate of Internet penetration is expected to grow. For more information on the press conference or for an advance press copy of the report, contact us at pressinfo@itu.int.

A Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) will be held immediately following ITU Telecom ASIA 2002 and will be hosted by the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA), Hong Kong, China. The GSR is a watershed event for ITU and has earned a reputation as the global venue for regulators to share their views and experiences and learn from each other. It is also a place for national policy makers concerned about regulatory issues and the private sector to meet with regulatory officials to engage in a frank and open dialogue.

For more information about ITU Telecom ASIA 2002, please contact:

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