World Telecom meet to adopt action plan

The fifth edition of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), beginning here on Monday, will adopt the Hyderabad Action Plan which, according to the event managers, will “set the agenda” for telecommunication and information and communication technologies (ICT) development over the next four years.

The 12-day conference, being held in India for the first time, will also assess the progress made in implementing the action plan launched in 2006 in Doha.

Being organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an United Nations agency for information and communication technologies issues, the event is expected to attract over 700 participants. The delegates include representatives of various governments, ministers, heads of international organisations, development banks and regulatory agencies and chief executives of private sector companies.

WTDC-2010 will focus on development priorities in telecommunications and ICT and agree on the programmes, projects and initiatives to implement them. A key objective is to promote international cooperation, regional initiatives and partnerships that can sustain and strengthen telecommunication infrastructure and institutions in developing countries.

ITU said in a statement that the conference would focus on broadband connectivity, digital broadcasting, open-source software, cybersecurity, e-accessibility for people with disabilities, e-applications including health, human capacity building and emergency communications, ICT policy and regulation.

Based in Geneva, ITU members include 191 member states and more than 700 sector members and associates. It convenes WTDC every four years and held the first conference in Buenos Aires in 1994.