Testimonials

The value of attending is immeasurable. The most crucial thing is being exposed to the different perspectives, bringing together people from very diversified backgrounds, different countries, different organizations. Petros Galides, Deputy Commissioner Electronic Communications, Cyprus

Meeting some brilliant people. It’s a great opportunity for ministers, CEOs, thought leaders to come together to thrash out some of the really challenging issues. Professor Tim Unwin, Co-Founder, TEQtogether

ITU Telecom World has had historic success - it a great place to come and meet, and listen to and learn from, so many wise and well-travelled people. Gabriel Solomon, Head of Government & Industry Relations, Europe & Latin America, Ericsson

It is critical for us to be here – we learn new things being done in other countries, we share our experiences with our colleagues, we meet companies with innovative products to sell, we meet leaders in the field and discuss emerging issues. ITU Telecom World has helped us develop many of the critical innovations that we are working on in Ghana. Ursula G. Owusu Ekuful, Minister of Communications, Ghana

I love these events because the ITU has been driving an agenda that is very familiar to GeSi, a kind of complementary agenda, it is now addressing more and more the societal dimension of technology, and that is the right way to go. Luis Neves, CEO, Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI)

Seek to participate in these discussions and gain insight into some of the opportunities that have been opened in a number of countries by certain companies - both the private sector and the ITU have very interesting discussions going on. John Omo, Secretary General, African Telecommunications Union (ATU)

Telecommunication is an area for us where we have a competitive advantage currently and we would like to build on it and cooperation with ITU, and hosting ITU Telecom World exhibition and conferences is very useful, as we can showcase our development here. Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary

This is a great event, ITU is the union for many countries, a lot of stakeholders, policy makers, regulators are here, and it is good to interact, see what is going on, and how to develop and contribute to those activities. Khalid A. Balkheyour, President & CEO, ARABSAT

It is a great event with great value for us and also for the industry. First, it is a show for the latest innovation, and also a platform so the private and public can have a very good dialogue, and this creates a very good environment for all of us for the industry to grow. Edward Zhou, VP, Global Public Affairs, Huawei

Making connections, you hear from the best, you try to benchmark, you share experiences, you find where you have gaps so you can try to up your act so that you come up to the mark. Nyombi Thembo, Director, Rural Development Fund, Rwanda

It’s fun. I thought coming to a conference or exhibition would be very tense, but going around you see people having fun, networking. It is a very great platform, not just for business to business or government to government, but actually people and startups like me get so much opportunity from this event. Allana Abdullah, CEO, Bahaso

ITU Telecom World is a global platform, it is a great opportunity for all stakeholders to get together to discuss connectivity, policies, how these contribute to our digital transformation. That is the value of ITU Telecom World. Chaesub Lee, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU

So much value! We meet with our own members who are here, it is perfect timing to talk with them about their priority needs. It is also an opportunity for us, too, because there are other industry players who need to know about CTO, and they want to take part, help promote the digital economy and become a sector member. Gisa Fuatai Purcell, Acting Secretary General, CTO

I had absolutely no idea about the scale of the event - the real value for me is that we are already beginning to meet people in the ITU who actually do have a significant impact on countries, and I see real value in that. Kyle Whitehill, CEO, Avanti Communications Group

This is extremely good because it allows us now to take our message to a bigger audience, which is the reason we came here in the first place. We have so many discussions, the opportunities we see, taking that message to governments – it is exceptional. Joel de Messan, CEO, Equanet

We want to introduce TIAA to more countries, we want to search more opportunities for cooperation, we would like to participate in ITU Telecom World to introduce ourselves. Zhufang Wu, Assistant Secretary -General, TIAA

It’s not just about getting more information or interacting with industry leaders and our customers or stakeholders. It’s also creating that awareness of the new technology era we are moving into. Hennie Venter, CEO, GEW Technologies Ltd

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 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

We will not be connected as a country or a village but we will be connected as a globe; so it is more than sharing best practices, it is really collaborating and coordinating - and this is an excellent venue for that. André Borges, Secretary of Telecommunications, Brazil

To learn, to network, to be able to meet other countries and people, learn what they are doing, share what you are doing back home and constantly improve. It is a good opportunity to network, to meet, to know each other, and that human contact is important Fatuma Hirsi Mohamed, Principal Secretary Broadcasting and Telecomms., Kenya

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

It’s been brilliant to be able to meet so many ministers, regulators, directors of ICT all within one space, whereas normally we would have had to travel thousands of miles. Andy Bates, Executive Director, UK & EMEA, Global Cyber Alliance

It’s very green! We have only had to travel hundreds of metres up and down the hall to meet regulators, ministers, important people – it has saved me so much time and effort, very, very worthwhile. Jack Buechler, Chief Operating Officer, Quika

It was really great chance to be here and introduce some services and content to other countries. We met many partners here from Africa and we`d like to come again to expand our business again. Helen Lee, Director, Marvus

The value comes for me and for the young people who attend, who share what they have here and what they learn. Many young people come here with innovations, they exchange ideas and see how to create SMEs. There are many things we are here to learn, and we go back to our countries we try to implement these ideas. Abdoulkarim Soumaila, Secretary General, African Telecommunication Union

It’s amazing, it’s a wonderful opportunity for the ITU family to come together and learn from each other’s experiences, to know that we are doing the right things and also to borrow from one another to accelerate the pace of our development. Hon. Ursula G. Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communications, Ghana

The main value is knowing the new ideas and sharing knowledge with people coming from all over the world. We are talking about new topics such as agriculture, new concerns in the market, sharing knowledge and getting in touch with the regulators who are setting the laws to create more flexibility for businesses. Mohamad Damush, Group CEO, Telecel Global

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

ITU Telecom World has been a fantastic event, a great opportunity for us to engage with different stakeholders on bettering societies through adopting smart solutions. I don’t think there’s any better place for that dialogue than ITU Telecom. Ravi Suchak, VP, Public Affairs, EMEA, American Tower Corporation

The biggest take away for me is that we could see the evidence that the digital transformation of our lives is accelerating. The event is an opportunity for us to share our experience and learn from others’ experience, to network with companies in the private sector and with other organisations that share the goal of applying digital technologies to improve the lives of people. Dinh-Huy Banh, Chief of Enterprise Application Centre, United Nations

We should use these events to network and to familiarise ourselves with other opportunities, to get to know and benefit from the experiences of others, and to engage for mutual benefit. Dr. A.R. Sharafat, Senior Advisor, MCIT, Iran

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

We are targeting global markets here. RJ Choi, CFO, Moneybrain

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

It is a hub where ICT decisions makers and experts meet to identify the vision for the future of ICT. Mostafa Essa, RAN Design & Strategy Specialist, Vodafone Egypt

We learn many things in terms of applications and innovation, in terms of changing and learning, it is always a platform for us to come and exchange with the world. Abdoulkarim Soumaila, Secretary General, African Telecommunications Union

The value is huge because it is an excellent platform, you have the conference sessions, you have the networking and you have the exhibition - so it is a good cocktail. Marc Vancoppenolle, Global Head of Government Relations, Nokia

It is very exciting. We have learnt a whole lot, even in connectivity itself, we have interacted with companies, we have networked a lot with investors, we have invited them to our country and we can transform our society through them. Hon. Sidie Tunis, Minority Chief Whip, Sierra Leone

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

It is great for me to expand our network and share our experience with the leaders, that is of great value to me, and to communicate excellence in the digital capability of Seoul to the world. Chi Hyung Lee, President & CEO, Seoul Digital Foundation

It is so exciting to be here, it is a great, great, great conference and exhibition! All these different experts from around the world come together to share ideas, collaborate and evolve the discussion, all these stakeholders come together to further science and innovation. No other entity can do that in the same fashion worldwide. Stephen Ibaraki, Founding Chair, Global Industry Council, Founder of AI for Good Global Summit

This event has been awesome for me in terms of networking and learning. This type of event brings everyone together to meet and get a good picture of what is happening. Ozzeir Khan, Chief, ICT Business Relationship Management, United Nations

It is a common platform bringing people in government, people in business, and also people in the different industry areas - all of us on one platform. It is an international platform where we are trying to coordinate and with this kind of coordination we will be able to make the world better, sooner rather than later. Abraham Kofi Asante, CEO, GIFEC

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

It is very important for us as we get to do two things: we present what we can contribute to other organizations but we can also to see what member states as well as private and public sector can give to us, how we can find areas of collaboration, and creating innovation centres. Erzen Ilijazi, Director, Global Operations Div., Office of ICT, U.N.

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 is a very, very collaborative facilitation where we can learn from global best practices and continue to make the telecoms sector more vibrant, more resilient. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission

There is a huge benefit of being here, this is a great place to meet both telecom operators and regulators from around the world, a great opportunity to meet with government officials in developing countries, to be enthused by our efforts to bridge the digital divide; and it’s a very relaxed environment in which to do it.   Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO, Datawind

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.

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 show our latest equipment and introduce it to people we don’t know; we generate business, and we give technology, know-how, to people attending the seminars. It’s a win-win. Dietmar Vahldiek, Executive Vice President of Radiomonitoring und Radiolocating, Rohde & Schwarz

It has been of great value, we have had so much good contact, so many follow ups that we have do here, for us the value has been tremendous. Henrik Moelgaard, VP Global Sales, Bluetown

We learn about many things from different markets, where we don’t have the chance to meet the people or learn about these markets every day. We are learning from each other and sharing our best practices and this is the best thing of putting all these people together. Fatima Barros, Chair, ANACOM Board of Directors

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.

ITU Telecom World is the biggest and most important event which connects business to government, governments to business, to benchmark, develop, connect with companies, industries and developing countries.   Sang Hun Lee, Senior Director, MSIP Korea

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

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

It is a very good platform to meet people not only from our sector but from other sectors, SMEs and start-ups. Bringing all these people together as new value chains are being created is absolutely critical.   Marc Vancoppenolle, Global Head, Nokia Government Relations