ITU Telecom World 2015 closed its doors last week at Hungexpo, Budapest following an exceptional week of dialogue, debate, networking and showcasing.

The event, which welcomed over 4,000 participants from 129 countries this week, brought together an impressive line-up of top-level government representatives, leaders of industry –  from established players to SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and young start-ups, from emerging and developed markets – along with high-level representatives of international organizations, entrepreneurs, accelerators, incubators and academia. Among these were over 235 ICT leaders from around the world.

The exhibition included big names, countries and SMEs from across the world. Some 50 countries, regions and their SMEs were represented including Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Botswana, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Iran, Indonesia, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Macedonia, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, and Zimbabwe. Gabon, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda came together within the Smart Africa zone on the show floor.

Top global exhibitors and sponsors participating included Airtel, Alibaba, ATDI, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Ericsson, Etisalat Nigeria, GEW Technologies, Fujitsu, Huawei, Intel, KT, LS telcom, Magyar Telekom, Microwave Vision Group, Rohde and Schwarz, Sonatel-Orange, TDIA, UPC and ZTE.

The Event Opening day, which took place in the presence of H.E János Áder, President of Hungary and H.E Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s Prime Minister, was preceded by the launch of a special commemorative stamp issued by Magyar Posta, on the occasion of ITU’s 150th anniversary.

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“This week we have marked the 150th anniversary of the foundation of ITU, hosted by Hungary – one of our original 20 founding members. We have also marked the first step in ITU’s new focus; to provide an international platform for SMEs, governments and major industry players to connect, share views, challenges and experiences and hold meaningful dialogues,” said ITU Secretary General, Houlin Zhao.

“Together, with all these stakeholders, we have explored how SMEs are the engine for much innovation, where their ability to take risks and move fast can be key. We hope that now this will lead to a greater cross-pollination of ideas and forging of new relationships between SMEs, governments and established ICT players to help scale and deliver innovative solutions globally, and improve lives.”

“ICT and telecommunication play a crucial role in Hungary’s economy, thus hosting ITU Telecom World this year was a great opportunity for our domestic companies. Innovation is the bridge to the future, and due to this event the Hungarian start-ups and relevant corporations have been linked more intensively into the global ecosystem. The Next Generation Day provided an astonishing example of the creativity of the experts of the future,” said H.E. Miklós Seszták, Hungary’s Minister of National Development.

Spotlight on global innovation
The event’s core themes of accelerating innovation for social impact and they ways in which SMEs are driving this innovation were in evidence throughout the event.

A total of 238 exhibitors made their mark at ITU Telecom World’s exhibition space. National pavilions and world-famous technology brands demonstrated their innovation and talents alongside start-ups and SMEs from across the world.

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“Intel believes that driving innovation is an essential goal for government and businesses from all around the world. Solving global problems starts with affordable access, active use of technology and capacity building. Therefore we are supporting great ideas and programmes – such as the Young Innovators Competition – that bring together young innovators and give them the chance to present themselves to the international audience at this event,” said Gordon Graylish, Vice President and General Manager, Governments and World Ahead, Intel Corporation and a key ITU Telecom World 2015 participant and speaker.

The event showcased sponsored sessions from KT, GTI, China Mobile and TDIA, Japan’s MIAC, Huawei and Intel, covering a range of different areas from 5G-enabled applications to TD-LTE, the future potential of the Internet of Things (IoT), industry policy hotspots and trends and technological innovation, as well as tackling the global challenge of youth unemployment.

A number of activities and social events helped participants meet, network and connect throughout the week, including the Opening Ceremony, the Leaders Lunch, a vibrant Welcome Reception, the Smart Africa Panel Lunch discussion hosted by Uganda on behalf of the SMART Africa countries, Nigeria Night, the Gabon networking lunch and the Enterprise Europe Networking matchmaking event.

Over 140 media accredited from 21 countries to learn more and speak to the Heads of State, entrepreneurs and industry figureheads representing the ICT community. Press announcements kept the focus on innovation, an example being Argentina’s ARSAT and AFTIC space satellite programme, which reached a milestone as it moved its second satellite into position 36,000 kilometres from the earth during the event. Workshops, cocktails and on-stand demonstrations kept a flow of visitors involved and entertained on the lively show floor.

“This is a unique opportunity for us to be present with such a great number of like-minded individuals, and for an SME like us, it gives us a wonderful insight to see what our counterparts and peers are coming up with, and of course the main value is to network and gather as much experience and knowledge as we can in these few days,” said Maté Toth, business developer with the company Personal Video, and show floor participant at the event.

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Smart ICTs for Sustainable Development
ITU’s own Smart ICTs for Sustainable Development Pavilion, led by the organization’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, was one of the hubs of the showfloor, with a packed programme of activities. Daily presentations were held at the Pavilion’s Speaker’s Corner on diverse subjects such as drones and innovation for agriculture; healthy lives and well-being through e-health; ‘smart cities’; the power of mobile technologies for sustainable development; and how e-commerce requires new flexible, secure and user friendly solutions for digital financial services.
At the country level, Estonia shared its success in e-governance, explaining how its government Cabinet is now working 100% digital and paperless, while Egypt highlighted its efforts to use ICT for empowering persons with disabilities.

In parallel, the Pavilion featured more than 20 Exhibition Pods from a wide range of stakeholders including Bupa health care, Kyushu University in Japan, Grameen Intel Social Business Ltd, Inmarsat and Intervale. A number of Co-creation Sessions were held for show participants, who had the chance to join in-depth discussions on new ideas for harnessing ICTs for sustainable development.