This Monday May 17, 2010 Nigeria will join the rest of the world to celebrate world’s telecommunications day as well as World Information Society day. The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide.
May 17 marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
World Telecommunication Day has been celebrated annually on 17 May since 1969, marking the founding of ITU and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973. In November 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society called upon the UN General Assembly to declare 17 May as World Information Society Day to focus on the importance of ICT and the wide range of issues related to the Information Society raised by WSIS. The General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/252) in March 2006 stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on May 17.
In November 2006, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey, decided to celebrate both events on 17 May as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The updated Resolution 68 invited Member States and Sector Members to celebrate the day annually by organizing appropriate national programmes with a view to: stimulating reflection and exchanges of ideas on the theme adopted by the Council debating the various aspects of the theme with all partners in society formulating a report reflecting national discussions on the issues underlying the theme, to be fed back to ITU and the rest of its membership.
The main objective of the day is to raise global awareness of societal changes brought about by the Internet and new technologies. It also aims to help reduce the Digital divide.
This year’s Focus
The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Better city, better life with ICTs’. The WTISD-2010 theme is aligned with that of the World Expo: "Better city, better life", which represents the common wish of all humankind to achieve better living standards in future urban environments. Information and communication technologies (ICT) play a catalysing role in achieving this goal. WTISD-2010 will be celebrated in Shanghai at the Expo Center of World Expo 2010.
At its 2009 session, ITU Council adopted the theme: “Better city, better life with ICTs” to mark World Telecommunication and Information Society Day in 2010.
The theme is juxtaposed with that of the Shanghai World Expo 2010, which is dedicated to promoting “Better Cities, Better Life” and which will showcase a number of initiatives aimed at achieving greener, safer, healthier, prosperous, inclusive and well-managed cities — where over half the world’s population resides.
ICTs provide solutions to many of the problems facing cities even as they become magnets for migrating populations as well as contribute to making them more eco-friendly and economically viable. For many city dwellers, it is nearly impossible to imagine life without ICTs. From television to mobile phones and the Internet, ICTs have reshaped the world, helping billions of people to live, work and play. ICTs present innovative ways of managing our cities such as smart buildings, intelligent traffic management, new efficiencies in energy consumption and waste management, and not least exchanging information and knowledge and communicating on the move in an increasingly converged information society. The theme of this year’s WTISD aims to ensure that ICTs will contribute to a better future for the growing populations of urban centres.
While the world’s cities are undoubtedly endowed with many advantages, the disparities between the haves and the have nots among urban populations is often a vivid reminder that the vast majority is left out of the reach of development. It is ironic that even in densely populated urban centres countless millions are deprived of access to the means of communication and information that are taken for granted by others. Along with this growing digital divide, the lack of safe drinking water, sanitation, food, shelter, health care and education are basic needs that are addressed by the Millennium Development Goals, which calls for the significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.
By tapping into the huge potential of ICTs to improve the lives of people and by providing affordable and equitable access to information and knowledge to empower everyone to achieve their aspirations, administrations can contribute towards meeting the rising expectations of an ever-growing population in the world’s cities. Acting as catalysts for a more productive and better life, ICTs open the door to myriad solutions that help achieve harmony among the spatial, social and environmental aspects of cities and among their inhabitants.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which met in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005, called upon countries to consider establishing national mechanisms to achieve universal access in both underserved rural and urban areas in order to bridge the digital divide. ITU is committed to connecting the world and to ensure that the benefits of ICT reach the remotest parts of the world, including the dark spots that leave millions unconnected in our teeming cities.
Worldwide initiatives to mark the event
African Information Security Association (AISA) as part of the event is organizing a forum with the theme “Better city, Better life and Security with ICTs for Young People”. The targeted at African Children Cyber Safety is to highlight how online security of children ensures a better future for young people. The forum will promote the strategies and processes required to use ICTs to ensure a better future for children in African cities through safe access to online resources. All key stakeholders are involved in the “Better city, Better life and Security with ICTs for Young People” initiative: children, parents, students, educators, business owners, civil society, among others. AISA plans to examine the role of the different stakeholders and existing initiatives, as well as the development of Practical “Online Children protection” strategies for improved city life for children. The forum takes place at Grace Schools, Plot 241 Ajidagan Street, Gbagada, Lagos at 10 a.m. The forum is open to the public and interested participants need to register before the event through the Jidaw office.
Also Arab States under the aegis of Arab ICT Organization (AICTO), in cooperation with the Arab Towns Organization (ATO) and Tunis City, is organizing an international conference on the occasion of WTISD 2010. The conference will take place on 22 May 2010 in Tunis City and will include two panels and a roundtable related to this year’s theme "Better city, better life with ICTs". Other regions are also organizing one forum or the other as part events to celebrate the day.
Relevance in Nigeria
One question that comes to mind when event such as world telecommunications day is celebrated is if there is any reason for the country to be part of such celebration? Unlike many other similar events such as world malaria day, cancer among others, the country has recorded tremendous growth in telecommunications service delivery that is worthy of celebrating.
Today, telecommunication sector is the most vibrant of all other sectors in the economy, the sector outside providing the much needed communications services has assisted in the upspring of other service delivery which has created employment opportunities for Nigerian. For instance, the telecommunications masts we see around are made up of different components such as steel structure, microwave equipment among others. The steel structure are not imported, they are constructed and erected by Nigerians. More so, we often times see on our television screen adverts that require people either to subscriber to value added services or vote as well as participate in a quiz by sending short message service to short code such as 37894, 56789 among others. These services are not mostly provided by telecommunications operators, but by independent content providers who earn their living through such service.
There are many other ancillary services being provided to telecom operators that assist them in providing service by Nigerian companies. We are not talking about several thousands of Nigerians who are earning their livelihood through the sale of telecom consumables such as recharge cards, Sim and mobile phones and its accessories.
Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, immediate past, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, puts foreign direct investment in the telecom sector at $18 billion. This is outside investment made by Nigerians in the sector. Investment in telecommunications in not a one-off thing, as technology changes which makes some equipment obsolete so will the operator continue to upgrade which is also part of investment. Presently, not every nooks and cranes of the country have been covered with telecommunications services which means that more investment is required to provide coverage to these areas.
Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (Alton) urged government in the wake of the celebration of world’s telecommunications day to address various obstacles operators are faced in their effort to deliver telecommunications services to Nigerians. Such challenges as multiple taxation, power supply, vandalization of telecom equipment among others.
Lanre Ajayi, president, Nigerian Internet Group (NIG), called on stakeholders in the industry to use the event to focus on provision of broadband service, which is the guaranteed way of ensuring better life and better city as theme of this years celebration suggests.