ITU Telecom is part of the ITU (

International Telecommunication Union The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...

), the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs. ITU Telecom organizes the global ITU Telecom World event, the platform for innovation showcasing, high-level debate,

knowledge sharing Knowledge sharing is an activity through which knowledge (namely, information, skills, or expertise) is exchanged among people, friends, peers, families, communities (for example, Wikipedia), or within or between organizations. It bridges the ind ...

and networking for the governments, industry leaders, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and regulators that form part of the world's ICT community. The first ITU Telecom event was held in 1971. Since its fortieth anniversary in 2011, ITU Telecom World has been held on an annual basis in a different location worldwide. 2020's event will be ITU Digital World, taking place online from 20–22 October. ITU Digital World 2021 will be back in its usual form in Ha Noi Viet Nam in October 2021.

History

In 1985, the ITU Telecom staged its first regional telecommunication exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region – Asia Telecom85. This was followed the next year by its first regional event in the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

region – Africa Telecom86. Regional telecommunication exhibitions continued with the first such events in the Americas region – Americas Telecom 88 and in the Europe region - Europa Telecom 1992. Telecom events were held on a regional or global basis every year, adopting the ITU Telecom World name for the first time at the Geneva event in 2003. The final event to be held in this format was

ITU Telecom World 2009 The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Union ...

which was attended by over 2,250 VIPs, including

UN Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary- ...

Ban Ki-moon, Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers, Ambassadors, heads of regulatory agencies, and CEOs from around the world. Through a series of top-level roundtables, meetings and debates, the event addressed pressing issues such as

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

, global economic recovery and

cybersecurity Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, t ...

. Marking the 40th anniversary of the event, ITU Telecom World 2011 introduced a new format focused on facilitating knowledge sharing, networking, deal-making and consensus.building, with 6500 industry professionals taking part. ITU Telecom World 2012 took place in Dubai, where it was hosted by the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority."TRA forms committee to host three ITU events this year in Dubai", The Gulf Today (8 August 2012)
/ref> The event moved to Bangkok, Thailand, for ITU Telecom World 2013, and to

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

, for ITU Telecom World 2014.

ITU Telecom World 2015

ITU Telecom World 2015 took place from 12–15 October 2015 in Budapest, Hungary.

ITU Telecom World 2016

ITU Telecom World 2016 took place from 14–17 November in Bangkok, Thailand, on the central theme of Collaborating in the Digital Economy.

ITU Telecom World 2017

ITU Telecom World 2017 took place in the city of Busan, Republic of Korea, from 25–28 September 2017.

ITU Telecom World 2018

ITU Telecom World 2018 took place in Durban, South Africa from 10–13 September 2018

ITU Telecom World 2019

ITU Telecom World 2019 took place in Budapest, Hungary from 9–12 September 2019

Past events

* Telecom 71 (Geneva) * Telecom 75 (Geneva) * Telecom 79 (Geneva) * Telecom 83 (Geneva) * Asia Telecom 1985 (Singapore) * Africa Telecom 1986 (Nairobi) * Telecom 87 (Geneva) * Americas Telecom 1988 (Rio) * Asia Telecom 1989 (Singapore) * Africa Telecom 1990 (Harare) * Telecom 91(Geneva) * Europa Telecom 1992 (Budapest) * Americas Telecom 1992 (Acapulco) * Asia Telecom 1993 (Singapore) * Africa Telecom 1994 (Cairo) * Telecom 95 (Geneva) * Americas Telecom 1996 (Rio) * Interactive 97(Geneva) * Asia Telecom 1997 (Singapore) * Africa Telecom 1998 (Johannesburg) * Telecom 99 (Geneva)
ITU Telecom Asia 2000
(Hong Kong) * ITU Telecom Americas 2000 (Rio)
ITU Telecom Africa 2001
(Johannesburg) * ITU Telecom Asia 2002 (Hong Kong) * ITU Telecom Americas 2003 (Buenos Aires) * ITU Telecom World 2003 (Geneva) * ITU Telecom Africa 2004 (Cairo) * ITU Telecom Asia 2004 (Busan) * ITU Telecom Americas 2005 (Bahia) *

ITU Telecom World 2006 ITU Telecom World 2006 () was a large-scale convention and exhibition hosted by Hong Kong, on 4–8 December 2006 at the AsiaWorld–Expo in Hong Kong. The 2006 ITU Telecom World convention was the first time the exhibition is held outside Geneva. ...

(Hong Kong)
ITU Telecom Asia 2008
(Bangkok)
ITU Telecom Africa 2008
(Cairo)
ITU Telecom World 2009
(Geneva)
ITU Telecom World 2011
(Geneva)
ITU Telecom World 2012
(Dubai) * ITU Telecom World 2013 (Bangkok) * ITU Telecom World 2014 (Doha)
ITU Telecom World 2015
(Budapest)
ITU Telecom World 2016
(Bangkok)
ITU Telecom World 2017
(Busan, Republic of Korea)
ITU Telecom World 2018
(Durban)
ITU Telecom World 2019
(Budapest)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Itu Telecom World International Telecommunication Union Wireless Technology conferences Recurring events established in 1971 1971 establishments in Switzerland