Global thrust to achieve universal broadband connectivity

The sixth ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14) opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a call to achieve universal broadband connectivity.

Under the theme ‘Broadband for Sustainable Development’, the conference will focus on development priorities in telecommunications and information and communication technologies (ICT) and agree on the programmes, projects and initiatives to implement them. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of the United Arab Emirates and Head of the UAE delegation was elected Chairman of the Conference. He noted that the focus on the theme ‘Broadband for Sustainable Development’ brings attention to the critical aspect of leading edge ICT in enhancing a nation’s development.

“Since the beginning of this Millennium, mobile cellular subscriptions have continued to rise, social media usage has rocketed, and an ever increasing number of people across the globe have been able to access the Internet, making use of the immeasurable quantity of information that greater connectivity provides,” said Al Ghanim. “Yet one of the most persisting concerns that face us all is the ‘digital divide’. Serious practical solutions are required to close the gap and stem this endemic inequality of access.” “ICTs, and in particular broadband networks, offer perhaps the greatest opportunity we have ever had to make rapid and profound advances in global social and economic development,” said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré. “By delivering efficiencies across so many areas, from education and healthcare to transportation, water and energy, broadband networks can quickly pay for themselves, creating a virtuous circle of investment, productivity and human development.”

One of the expected outcomes of WTDC-14 is the Dubai Action Plan -- which will set the agenda for telecommunication and information and communication technologies development over the next four years. The dialogue, which will shape the future of the telecommunication and ICT sector and its contribution to social and economic development, will focus on:

• Sound policies and regulatory frameworks that will foster investment and further develop telecom/ICT networks
• Improved access to ICT applications to provide people with services such as education, health, and empower them with the means to achieve sustainable development
• Increased safety and security in the use of telecoms/ICTs
• Capacity building in the area of ICTs
• Emergency telecommunications