Dubai: Dubai is set to host the 20th edition of the International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) key event — the Plenipotentiary Conference 2018.
Held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from October 29 to November 16, more than 3,000 participants, 130 eminent personalities from more than 193 member states and 800 private sector companies, academic institutions and regional and international bodies are expected to take part.
Held every four years, the event is expected to decide on the future role of the organisation, thereby determining ITU’s ability to influence and affect the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) worldwide.
The conference also sets ITU’s financial plan and elects its five top executives — Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, Directors of the Bureau of the Radio Communication Sector, Manager of Telecommunication Standardisation Sector, Manager of Telecommunication Development Sector, Members of the Radio Regulations Board, Member States for the next ITU Council.
Majid Sultan Al Mesmar, Deputy Director General for Telecommunications Sector at the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the UAE, is also the candidate for the chairmanship of the PP-18.
“Over the next three weeks, the Dubai World Trade Centre will be a venue for a number of important meetings, discussions and workshops pertaining to the field of telecommunications. We anticipate that the conference will have a positive impact on the sector, at both local and global levels,” Al Mesmar said in a statement.
Tariq Al Awadi, Executive Director for Spectrum Management at TRA, is Chairman for the Arab group.
Delegates will tackle a number of pressing issues, from strategies to promote digital inclusion and bridge the digital divide, to ways to leverage such emerging technologies as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, 5G and others, to improve the way all of us live and work.
