Testimonials

Regulators are theoretical and we need to have more practice to know how things work and in different conditions in practical cases, so this excellent event is a great opportunity to present and share experience. Mindaugas Žilinskas, Deputy Director, CRA, Republic of Lithuania

The innovations and companies exhibiting have been great, and the networking amongst the different organisations has been phenomenal. Ashraf Patel, Digital Economy Associate, IGD, University of South Africa

The ITU World conference is really good and very, very worthwhile – we want more people to understand what we are trying to do and work with us! Jack Buechler, Chief Operating Officer, Quika

You can catch up with colleagues from industry or from other sectors, you can share best practices and the nice thing is that everyone is on the same page related to 5G, you have countries that are more advanced than others but there is big progress also in developing markets, that’s great to hear. Marc Vancoppenolle, Global Head of Government Relations, NOKIA

The value of this conference is the ability to take advantage, to make partnerships with different participants, to exchange experiences and be able to invite investors in the ICT sector to Burundi as there is much to be done. Hon. Butoyi Evelyne, Ministre de la Jeunesse, des Postes et des TIC, Burundi

It is a great honour for me, as small company with lots of potential. I saw a lot of companies like us here, we would like to come here every year if we have the chance, all the ICT system is here to cooperate with, and there are many ceremonies and festivals to have fun together, it is very good Sujeong Park, Manager, iKoob

Unlike most other shows where I just see big brand companies, all the developing countries are here, and it is really for the benefit of all ITU’s member states. David Wen, Chair, ITU Focus Group on Digital Fiat Currency

You see so many types of different people, you have so much valuable exchange between governments, telecom executives and the like, and fundamentally it is a great place to see a vibrant part of the global economy. Jacques Bughin, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

You see people you would otherwise never see and the value of exchange is great; and I learnt a lot about how quickly Africa is using technologies and leapfrogging to create new market – it is illuminating. Jacques Bughin, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

You can talk for a long time about transformation, but you need to get into the area, as ITU Telecom World does, to see exactly what people are doing. That’s coupled that with a lot of good topics - and collaboration, talking about different things with different people at the same time, cultivating collaboration amongst the ecosystem suppliers, that is a great thing to do. Dr. Mohamed Madkour, Vice President, GWNM, Huawei Technologies

This is a premier event for us to learn as much as possible, we are a young country and a young regulator but we are learning from the best just by attending such events. The sheer volume of information that you receive in this place, there is just not enough hours in the day to take advantage, perhaps if this event were two weeks it would be ideal! Mvilawemphi Dlamini, Chief Executive, Eswatini Communications Commission

This is the best place to meet the regulatory agencies, the mobile network operators, the telecoms ministers. Pascal Prot, Chief Technical Officer, Legos

It is a great opportunity to be here and participate at such a big event. It gives us lots of possibilities to meet other regulators who have already implemented new techniques, we can share their experience. It’s marvellous and an excellent opportunity. Mindaugas Žilinskas, Deputy Director, CRA, Republic of Lithuania

It is great value, the only downside is that I am being overworked! It is a great networking platform from the private sector to government, ministers, regulators. The biggest value is the working group sessions, the great conversations happening there – I look forward to it every year. Patrick Nyirishema, Director General, RURA, Rwanda

It is a fantastic gathering bringing together professionals from the industry, the public, the UN organizations, the officials to talk to each other, to have heated discussions…this is how you get new ideas, this is how you identify opportunities and challenges. Dr. Amani Abou - Zeid, Commissioner, African Union Commission

It is important that even as a small nation we can showcase what we are doing and be able to learn from developed countries so we can bridge the digital gap. Ben Chitsonga, Finanical Director, MACRA, Malawi

The value comes from the opportunity to network, and to get to know your peers, your potential customers and the other entities you can collaborate with. Dr. A.R. Sharafat, Senior Advisor, MCIT, Iran

The network and connections you can build at an event like this are invaluable, from a business perspective, from an investor perspective, from a networking perspective. There is so much synergy that we can definitely strengthen partnerships. Matthias Brodner, Simplus Innovation, Global SME Award Best Business Model Winner, South Africa

We operate on a global scale, and ITU is one of the few places where you truly see this diversity. We educate the global community of telecoms on what is at the forefront of technology, what we are thinking about the evolution of the industry, but equally important is getting the feedback on the very different needs between different markets. It is important to us to understand their requirements and make sure that what we do helps them solve some of their urgent problems. Hossein Moiin, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia

ITU Telecom is very important because it provides a platform for us to share ideas, to learn, to even share some solutions to some of the challenges that the fast movers have had to deal with so that we can leapfrog or implement in a better or most cost-effective way. François Régis Gatarayiha, Permanent Secretary, MiTEC Rwanda

It is a great opportunity for us to take our ideas and innovations to a global market. This is a unique event for bringing together such a wide selection of countries to one site. Tomomi Takagi, CFO, Melody International

The sessions are interesting as they are more international, with people from different parts of the world with different attitudes to telecoms, to policy and governance, and sometimes it throws up some of the tensions as well as some of the agreements, which is important to understand for network developers and also for analysts and consultants such as myself. Dean Bubley, Founder & Director, Disruptive Analysis

It is an international showcase where we are able to show to the world what we are doing but also it is a good learning process for us to learn a lot and move forward as a nation. Ben Chitsonga, Finanical Director, MACRA, Malawi

For us the value is that we can contribute and cooperate with all of the players to identify common opportunities, and how we can collaborate together to define the new future for our country and for all of the world. Rasoul Saraeian, CEO, Telecommunications Company of Iran

We have to be talking about sustainable development through transformational smart solutions, and this is the way to go - we have to learn from each other and we have to implement fast. François Régis Gatarayiha, Permanent Secretary, MiTEC Rwanda

The themes are really relevant here, we know that AI will bring a lot of opportunities but it also has its challenges which need to be mitigated in time, so having this forum here bringing experts together from around the world to talk about these matters is essential. Marc Vancoppenolle, Global Head of Government Relations, Nokia

If we can collaborate, we can speed up intelligent digital transformation in partnership and collaboration between all of the companies, players and governments, so people trust us to bring them new services and better lives. Rasoul Saraeian, CEO, Telecommunications Company of Iran

We have benefited a lot in terms of networking, and in terms of business expansion. This is the right place for us, it provides exposure and it provides experience, we will take it back to Sudan and implement what we can do and make a difference. Bazara Imam Ali Barry, Business Development Dpt. Director, NCTR, Sudan

This is a very good opportunity to know the global situation and what kind of concerns people have, and to introduce our technology and how it helps other people. Satoshi Amagai, President & CEO, Morfiria

I think this event is very important to facilitate the global dialogue between regulators from around the world and the ICT sector. We can come together here and have a constructive and instructive dialogue. Donna Bethea-Murphy, Senior VP, Regulatory Policy, Inmarsat

The value is the networking, the ability to connect to so many different entities in one location and understand different perspectives. This really helps us in making connections with all the different players. Saj Kumar, VP, Digital Transformation & IoT, SAP Asia Pacific & Japan

I see a lot of value in attending this event, meeting and networking with the regulators, the telcos, with all the industry players here and the potential partnerships and collaboration that we can look forward to. Yvette Oh, Group Executive, Market Development, APMEA, International Markets (IMK), MasterCard Worldwide

This is my first time at ITU Telecom World and I was extremely fascinated that at the lunch table I had the government officials from Hungary, Tuvalu, someone from Tonga came over, one person from London representing the commonwealth telecom industry, there was tremendous diversity and viewpoints.   Astrid Tuminez, Regional Director, Corporate, External and Legal Affairs, South East Asia, Microsoft

This event is very helpful for us to understand ICT trends all over the world and to keep and enhance better relationships with partners all over the world in networking with ICT.   Manabu Kahara, President, NTT Communications (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

A small company like us doesn’t usually have the opportunity to come to this event, but by participating we can meet the right people, announce and advertise our technologies, which is very helpful for the growth of our business. Hiroshi Tominaga, General Manager, Japan Battery Regeneration, Inc.

It’s extremely valuable, this is the place to meet the right people, have the right discussions, bring attention to important issues and have very valuable bilateral meeting with industry colleagues and regulators, to address new challenges in this co-creative way.   Tomas Lamanauskas, Group Director Public Policy, Vimpelcom

The recognition that tech start-ups and young entrepreneurs are going to create the jobs and solutions and innovations of the future means being here at ITU Telecom World is critical. Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Minister, Ministry of Youth and ICT (MYICT), Rwanda

The ITU is a leading light in setting international standards for evolving technologies and putting in place the rules of engagement for companies in mobile communications, so it is very important to have a presence here. David Harmon, VP, Huawei Global Government Affairs

We are able to share the Kenyan experience, to showcase our innovations and compare what is happening globally, and have the opportunity to identify key collaborators that can work with the government to help develop the ICT agenda in Kenya. Sammy Itemere, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications, Kenya

Japan have been supporting and collaborating with the ITU event and exhibition for a long time, we are very much pleased to work with ITU and to find potential partners for collaboration: especially towards giving social benefit.   Hiroshi Kumagai, Former Vice President, Director General of Resilient ICT Research Center, NICT

ITU is a very good opportunity for us because big companies and small companies meet here and we can find very good partners here, it gives us a very good chance to cooperate with several companies. Park Jiyeon, , ulalaLAB

The takeaways are seeing what are the best practices in other parts of the world, what innovations those countries are focused on, what new policies are coming into place as technology evolves, and ensuring that we are adopting those in our country as well. Funke Opeke, Chief Executive Officer, MainOne Cable

It’s exciting to meet all the different stakeholders from different sectors - digital is impacting in so many different industries and fields that is good to bring us all together to look at the possible solutions. Lawrence Yanovitch, President, GSMA Foundation

Receiving an award helped a lot for our business. We are a small venture company and receiving an award from ITU triggered a final decision from the top management of Nippon Express logistics company, so that after more than one year of discussion, they finally decided to use our technology for their business. So receiving the ITU Telecom World award gave us reputation, credibility and reliability for our company and our technology, so we really appreciate it. Hiroshi Tominaga, General Manager, Japan Battery Regeneration, Inc.

We are facing the same challenges, looking for broadband connectivity and to avoid the digital divide, just the scale of the problem is so different, comparing for example what I am facing in Portugal to what the Indian regulator is facing. But our concerns are the same and we can learn from each other and this is amazing. Fatima Barros, Chair, ANACOM Board of Directors