Industry leaders salute an action-packed and successful event

 ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006 closed its doors today following a busy week which has seen some 62Õ000 flocking to Hong Kong, China to be a part of the event. The industryÕs top names were in evidence throughout a packed Show floor and Forum, including participants such as Alcatel-Lucent Technologies, AT&T, China Mobile, China Netcom, China Telecommunications, China Unicom, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, Huawei, IBM, Intel, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Motorola, NEC, Nortel, OKI, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Siemens, SK telecom, Toshiba, Verizon, ZTE and more.

 The Digital World in all its excitement pervaded the event, with all the ground-breaking technologies that underpin it. ÒIf I have one hope as the show concludes, it is that these technologies can truly transform the way we live, no matter who we are or where we live in the worldÓ, said Fernando Lagra–a, Executive Manager, ITU TELECOM. ÒTo achieve this transformation we must all commit to making ICTs available and affordable to the whole worldÓ, he said, adding ÒAs bags are packed and planes caught, and visitors return to their homes all over the world, how will the ICT industry remember this event? As well as the innovation, the lively debate, the busy halls and the fun, I hope its real legacy is as a milestone in our commitment to bridge the Digital Divide together.

 The event was launched with a glittering opening ceremony on 3 December in the presence of H.E Mr Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the PeopleÕs Republic of China, the Honourable Mr Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Mr Yoshio Utsumi, ITU Secretary-General along with Nobel laureate Professor Muhammed Yunus, founder and Managing Director of the Grameen Bank, and a host of other top ICT names.

 Living the Digital World

 Under the theme ÒLiving the Digital WorldÓ, the event explored the trends, technologies and policies that are driving this world. Examples of broadband in action at home and in the workplace or new, converged product offerings could be seen throughout the event, with IP-enabled services such as TV and Video being demonstrated across the Show Floor

 Making the right connections

 At an event where making the right connections, networking and getting business done were the bywords of the week, it was no surprise that a number of high-level partnerships were formed and announced at TELECOM WORLD 2006. Two giants of industry, Microsoft and BT announced a deal to provide IPTV services in the UK; and a pan Asian mobile TV consortium was hatched between SK Telecom, Toshiba, Global Media Networks, and International Mobile Broadcasting to provide the first mobile TV roaming service in Asia.  

Extending the benefits of ICT to all

 Over two hundred and forty young people from 131 countries converged on Hong Kong to attend the ITU TELECOM Youth Forum. They followed an action-packed programme of discussion and debate, and had opportunities to interact and develop mentor relationships with senior members of the ICT sector Ñ government officials, industry executives, technology leaders, content providers and strategists.

 From Asia to Europe

 Since 1971, ITU TELECOM WORLD has provided an unrivalled platform for strategic debate and business networking, bringing together the industry's CEOs, government ministers and regulators. The next ITU TELECOM event is ITU TELECOM EUROPE 2007, which will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria from 3 to 6 December 2007. The next WORLD event will take place from 5 to 9 October 2009 in Geneva.             

Asia Source II  

will take place in Jakarta  

Asia Source II seeks to build the skills and networks of those in the region who are working within NGO and SME sector.  

The event will bring together a balance of people, from the more technical to the more content oriented. These range from software developers and system administrators, to trainers, consultants and FOSS advocates, as well as technology/NGO project managers, and tech-savvy activists/NGO workers. Applicants should be proficient in desktop use of technology, have been involved in technology projects before, and be aware of FOSS. Asia Source II is particularly aimed at those NGOs who are working on social justice and civic rights issues, i.e. human rights, ethnic minorities, women/children, disabled, anti-corruption, public health and environment. To be held at Yawitra Resort, Sukabumi near Jakarta City, Indonesia between the 22nd and 30th of January 2007.  

Asia Source II seeks to build the skills and networks of those in the region who are working within NGO and SME sector. The event will bring together a balance of people, from the more technical to the more content oriented. These range from software developers and system administrators, to trainers, consultants and FOSS advocates, as well as technology/NGO project managers, and tech-savvy activists/NGO workers. Applicants should be proficient in desktop use of technology, have been involved in technology projects before, and be aware of FOSS. Asia Source II is particularly aimed at those NGOs who are working on social justice and civic rights issues, i.e. human rights, ethnic minorities, women/children, disabled, anti-corruption, public health and environment. IOSN is an initiative of UNDP Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme.  

The IOSN portal is partially funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada.  

Hewlett-Packard Celebrates New Year with Scratch N Win Program  

World leading printer and IT equipment manufacturer Hewlett-Packard is offering attractive gifts for their valued customers in the celebration of the New Year 2007. HP customers can win DVD players, music systems, mobile phones, pen, digital calendars, calculators etc. with purchase of HP Deskjet printers, HP All-in-ones, HP Photo Printers and HP Scanjets. HP is offering this promotion thru all HP authorized resellers country-wide. Customers can scratch the gift-cards to reveal their prizes and collect them instantly from the HP Redemption Centers located at BCS Computer City or Elephant Road IT Market.  

Mr. Shabbir Shafiullah, Country Business Development Manager (IPG) of Hewlett-Packard, Mr. Mustafa Shamsul Islam, Managing Director of Flora Distributions Ltd., Mr. Mahfuz Rahman, Managing Director of Multilink Intl. Co. Ltd. formally inaugurated the program on the 26th December 2006 at the BCS Computer City. Over hundred HP resellers and customers  were present in the launching event of this promotion. This New Year special offer is valid till 20th January 2007.  

Telenor dismisses talk of cutting stake in Bangladesh's GP  

Telenor ASA said it has not entered into any binding agreement to cut its 62 pct stake in GrameenPhone, Bangladesh's largest mobile operator. Reports in the Norwegian press at the weekend suggested Telenor could look to reduce its stake in the Bangladeshi firm to below 35 pct, citing a document dated June 1996. However Telenor has since reiterated that no deal exists to hand over control of GrameenPhone, which was formed in 1996 with Grameen Telecom, a division of Grameen Bank. Speculation regarding the future of Telenor's stake in GrameenPhone re-emerged because Muhammad Yunus, who represents minority shareholder Grameen Telecom, was in Oslo to collect the Nobel Peace Prize. In a statement, Telenor said: 'Both Professor Yunus and Telenor agree that there is no such binding agreement that Telenor should reduce its stake in GrameenPhone.' While the Norwegian telecoms group said it acknowledges that the 1996 agreement mentions its intention to reduce its stake, it said it has already made it clear that it would prefer to invest and build up GrameenPhone, which already has about 10 mln clients.  

At the end of last week Yunus had said he wanted GrameenPhone to be owned by the poor women of Bangladesh, and therefore still aimed to wrest control of it from Telenor. However following talks on Saturday, Telenor chief executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas said he is 'very optimistic' that the parties can find common ground for continued and strengthened dialogue for the benefit of both GrameenPhone and Bangladesh.  

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