ITU Telecom Asia set for September

Johannesburg, 10 Aug 2004

Following the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecom Africa conference in May, the next ITU event will be Telecom Asia, taking place in Busan, South Korea between 7 and 11 September.

The theme of the event is 'Asia leading the future`, and will highlight the technology and growth opportunities in broadband, mobile and wireless technologies in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Asia-Pacific leads the world in key areas such as broadband and next-generation mobile, as well as the development of new, innovative technologies," says ITU secretary-general, Yoshio Utsumi.

"However, the region also includes countries with the world`s lowest levels of access to ICT, so ITU Asia 2004 will provide a chance for players to explore the opportunities for both developed and less developed nations, as well as the types of technologies which will be playing a major role in the region`s ICT future."

ITU Telecom Asia will comprise an exhibition - focusing on the latest mobile and wireless technologies, content solutions, fixed wireless, broadband, satellite, next-generation networks and components and accessories - and a forum, which will see keynote speakers from organisations such as NTTDoCoMo and Lucent exploring the event`s theme.

Other players that will be represented at the conference include ZTE, Huawei, Intel, China Mobile and Samsung.

Fast growing markets such as China and India will be represented, as well as countries that are at the forefront of developing technologies, such as Japan and South Korea.

Utsumi says the ITU Telecom events are renowned for bringing together key regional and global players to forge partnerships and take part in constructive debate.

"The associated ITU forums provide a unique platform for the sharing of ideas from all sectors of the ICT industry, spanning areas from policy and regulatory, to business and strategy and technology and markets," he says.