World Telecommunication and 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 ways to bridge the digital divide. 17 May marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

History

World Telecommunication Day has been celebrated annually on 17 May 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 as Resolution 46. 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 in March 2006 stipulating that World Information Society Day shall be celebrated every year on 17 May. 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 invites the Member States and Sector Members to celebrate the day annually by organizing appropriate national programs with a view to:

  1. stimulating reflection and exchanges of ideas on the theme adopted by the Council
  2. debating the various aspects of the theme with all partners in society
  3. formulating a report reflecting national discussions on the issues underlying the theme, to be fed back to ITU and the rest of its membership.

Purpose

The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies can bring to societies and economies, as well as ways to bridge the digital divide. World Telecommunication Day has been celebrated marking the founding anniversary of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) which was founded in 1865. Though the International Telegraph Union has since changed its name to International Telecommunications Union, it still remains the most important entity in the field of communications, thus remaining in the spotlight on World Telecommunications Day.

Several Ways Of Communication

There are several ways of communication available such as letters, telephones, mobiles, and telegraphs but the internet is widely used for communication and spreading or collecting information. The use of the internet and other Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) can bring societies, and economies as well as one of the ways to bridge the digital divide. A positive relationship exists between economic development and infrastructure investment, including telecommunications in particular. Even with a strong positive correlation between telecommunications investment, it alone is not sufficient to ensure economic growth. However, the lack of telecommunication investment can prohibit or significantly constrain economic development. The world is rapidly moving toward an economic system based on the continuous and ubiquitous availability of information. Recent advances in telecommunications technology have been an important vehicle in permitting information exchange to develop as a valuable commodity. The adoption of wireless communication & information technology is an encouraging option and the need of the hour for the students is to carry on higher studies in the present scenario of the competitive world. Telecommunications infrastructure investment and the derived services provide significant benefits; their presence allows productive units to produce better. Telecommunications policies affect not only telecommunications but also economic development and social, cultural, and political growth.
The theme focuses on the power of Big Data for development and aims to explore how to turn imperfect, complex, and often unstructured data into actionable information.

 

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