In Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, internet gaming rooms known as PC Bangs- are filled with youngsters plugged in to compete in the latest fantasy cyberwar. On the streets outside, passersby use their smartphones to do everything from checking email to watching movies on the go.
Here at the United Nation’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU), we know that that the Republic of Korea is the most wired place on earth with high-speed internet zipping into over 90% of homes. Almost all Koreans are able to enjoy 10Mbit/s connectivity, making it easy to watch video on demand or take part in bandwidth-heavy internet games. Some 91 out of 100 Koreans have active mobile broadband subscriptions, which support mobile devices like smartphones, the highest rate in the world according to our data.
All this connectivity has dramatically changed how people in Korea socialise and work in recent years, offering lessons for the rest of the world. It also brings in lots of money to the Korean economy. The online gaming industry alone brings millions of dollars to Korean coffers each year as games developed in Korea sell millions of copies worldwide.
The ICT sector is driving global change at an unprecedented rate, with ever-greater impact upon more and more of the world's citizens and, in many respects, Korea is leading the way. It’s in this fast-changing environment that ITU Telecom World 2012 takes place, the ITU’s annual event for leaders and game changers in the ICT industry, hosted this year by the government of the United Arab Emirates. As a global leader in ICT, Korea has a natural leading role at the event.
Drawing on its unparalleled reach as the leading UN agency for ICT issues, ITU will bring together key stakeholders, decision-makers and thought-leaders from across the entire industry ecosystem, service providers, manufacturers, government, regulatory bodies, academia and global media from the 14-18 October in Dubai. (See the event website for more information: http://world2012.itu.int).
Attendees will debate the radical transformation of the ICT industry as megatrends such as urbanization and ageing demographics, shifting industry dynamics and new technologies redefine both the industry and the world we live in.
“Creating awareness of the new technologies and trends revolutionizing our industry is just the beginning,” said Dr Hamadoun Touré, ITU Secretary-General. “We want to help people understand the impact, opportunities and challenges that these create. Above all, we want to make sure that the new ICT ecosystem which is developing is one that is fair, safe, resilient, open to all and fully transparent. I believe that ITU Telecom World 2012 is the platform to achieve these aims.”
Some of the topics up for debate in Dubai are of particular interest to Korean operators, government and industry insiders, including several panels on meeting and managing surging demand for mobile data and its impact on the ICT sector as a whole. Personal and professional security on the net will also be a hot topic, as well as a series of panel discussions on the future shape of communications, from human-centric networks to convergence technologies.
We are excited to be welcoming Korea's presence on the showfloor at ITU Telecom World 2012 in the form of a National Pavilion showcasing the country's latest technological advancements, projects and investment opportunities - as well as providing private meeting rooms and demonstration space for the Korean delegation.
At the event, the exclusive Leadership Summit will bring together leaders from public and private sectors internationally at the very highest level in critical dialogue focused on managing and fostering innovation with the ICT sector and the role of leadership.
Leaders will also benefit from private meeting spaces, a dedicated lounge in which to refresh and relax and a range of structured and unstructured social events where vital connections can be made, discussions continued informally and knowledge and experience shared.
Networking, whether within the Leadership Summit or the wider conferences, is fundamental to ITU Telecom World 2012. The event provides a truly neutral, open, inclusive and international forum for leading stakeholders within ICT. Only here can the minister of an African government share the floor - and best practices, knowledge and case studies - with corporate CEOs, UN heads, digital start-ups, regulators, social entrepreneurs and academics in the field representing all five continents.
As H.E. Joel Kaapanda, Minister of Information and Communication Technology for Namibia, put it at last year's event, "We can network with a view to learning from our peers the best practices that we can take home. We don't need to reinvent the wheel. We can learn from those who have been in the field for a long time".
In addition, the event will be used to show case innovation from young social entrepreneurs. Finalists of ‘The Young Innovators Competition’ will be invited to attend in Dubai to benefit from networking, mentoring and training opportunities - and to compete for prizes to fund their projects. The event will also house an ‘InnovatorSpace’ where the young competition winners will be able to show influential attendees their ICT innovations.
“ITU Telecom World 2012 is a microcosm of international, cross-sector collaboration and cooperation,” according to ITU’s Dr Touré, who will be leading some of the discussions at the event in Dubai, “It is the ideal platform for openness, networking, dialogue and interaction.”
For a full list of confirmed participants and details of the event agenda, visit http://world2012.itu.int/.
To register to attend, click here. Media accreditation is also open at http://world2012.itu.int/media-accreditation.
