Join the finalists of the ITU Digital World 2021 SME Awards, our expert jury and ITU Deputy Secretary-General Malcolm Johnson as the Award winners in each category are finally announced!

Adoption of digital technologies and internet use have hugely increased since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Far greater connectivity, with all the benefits of access to information and services it brings, and far higher numbers of connected devices and supporting software, have increased the attack surfaces for cyber criminals. Attackers have become ever more sophisticated, opening up new fronts online for governments, industry and individual consumers. With the shift in the cybersecurity landscape. how can governments, companies and users keep up? Should users become the first line of defense? How can public awareness of the potential dangers of cyber-attack, and defenses against it, be increased? Who is responsible for building awareness - companies, governments, regulators or the end users themselves? Can companies properly handle user data? Are governments securing critical infrastructure sufficiently? Is it in the interest of governments to have cyber-immunity? Should governments be able to access encrypted data to pursue criminals? How have newly developed COVID-19 apps performed in terms of privacy and security over the last year? Should countries cooperate more, and if so how?

 

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One of the greatest challenges in launching a new company, or scaling-up an SME, is achieving the perfect product to market fit. This is as true in the connectivity domain as in any other industry sector.  What aspects of new space, IoT, AI/ML, 5G, DLT and the numerous other emerging technologies can be blended to achieve the perfect solutions for demanding market needs? Will the solution be technically and economically scalable? Will the product IP be defensible from the competition which success inevitably attracts? Will investors see the business as a compelling investment opportunity? These and other product-market fit questions will be discussed by the expert members of this SME Masterclass panel.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the need for interoperable digital COVID-19 certificates (DCC) that can be used across organizations and jurisdictions. DCC-based services should support various use scenarios and formats of DCC from immunization and testing data collection, to storage in digital health data repositories, and to expression at control points, in order to allow end users access to facilities, venues, travel and other uses.

Building on the first workshop outcomes, we will

• share implementation experiences and best practices on DCC, including implementation of WHO's technical specifications and implementation guidance on Digital documentation of COVID-19 certificates;
• discuss guidelines on interoperability and usability of DCC and related digital services;
• raise awareness of importance of federated trust and privacy preserving technologies;
• highlight equity concerns that arise with various technological approaches​;
• focus on identifying ITU-T and other SDO’s standards to support internationally interoperable DCC; and,
• identify gaps and directions for further technical standardization.

Please refer to the TSB event webpage for the detailed programme with speakers or to TSB Circular 351 for more information.

Sustainability and climate change are among the defining issues of our time. The ICT sector and cutting-edge digital technologies such as AI, IoT and robotics are increasingly important in enabling governments to tackle these challenges and meet major global targets such as the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the ITU’s Connect 2030 Agenda. But in parallel, the negative environmental impact of digital technologies continues to grow – including the issue of e-waste. Is the ICT sector doing enough to reduce its own environmental footprint? What is the role of policy makers in shaping carbon-neutral digital markets? How can producers and operators reduce the industry’s carbon footprint and create tools and systems friendly to the environment? What happens to decommissioned equipment? How can we tackle the e-waste challenge and achieve a circular economy? How can governments best support, promote, and implement digital technologies in a sustainable manner? And are global standards key to accelerating digital transformation whilst meeting the ICT sector’s net-zero goals and sustainability targets?

 

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Follow live as our SME Awards finalists from around the world pitch online before an expert jury of tech and industry specialists, investors and mentors. SMEs present their short-listed Digital Finance solutions for 5 minutes - and then face 5 minutes of questions from the jury.

Why do people choose Switzerland? For the mountain sports, the cosmopolitan cities or the chocolate and cheese?  Whatever the reason, the heart of the country’s appeal lies in its attention to detail – whatever the Swiss do, they do it properly. The digital technology sector is no different. From connectivity to cybersecurity, digital finance, smart cities, e-health, e-commerce and e-education, Swiss companies are working with the highest of standards at the cutting-edge of technology. Join us to find out more on high-growth solutions and partnership potential – and to explore exciting new developments from a world-leader in innovation.

The digital technologies surrounding us and informing every aspect of our lives provide us with enormous benefits, convenience and enjoyment. Rapidly evolving digital development opens up tremendous potential to improve lives further – but is accompanied by a growing awareness of potential danger. This includes fear of losing control, privacy concerns, feeling threatened or displaced by increasing automatization, and a mistrust of technology or the use to which it is put by governments and corporates. This balance between great technological promise and human concern is particularly obvious in the expanding field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). What current and upcoming solutions in AI are guaranteeing greater security, privacy, transparency, and accountability for citizens? Can those who monitor citizens also be monitored, and would this help create user trust? Can AI be used to fight corruption and fake news? Are we tackling the bias in AI fast enough? How much are we aware of AI in our daily lives, should we know more, and who should be responsible for educating us? What existing solutions put humans at the center of development, and what can be learnt from them? What will happen if we ignore the human aspects of AI development?

 

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Follow live as our SME Awards finalists from around the world pitch online before an expert jury of tech and industry specialists, investors and mentors. SMEs present their short-listed e-Health solutions for 5 minutes - and then face 5 minutes of questions from the jury.

Under the theme of “5G Innovation and Sustainable Development”, the 10th GTI Spectrum and Technology Online Workshop will be held during ITU Digital World 2021. 

This workshop will bring together delegates from governments, organizations, operators and industry partners to not only share their views on 5G spectrum efficient and reasonable utilization to promote 5G wide application in industries, but also to discuss the development strategies, current status, cooperative practices and challenges of global 5G to B commercialization and empower digital transformation in various industries. 

Follow live as our SME Awards finalists from around the world pitch online before an expert jury of tech and industry specialists, investors and mentors. SMEs present their short-listed Smart cities, smart living solutions for 5 minutes - and then face 5 minutes of questions from the jury.

Connecting as many people as possible to the internet and all the benefits of the digital economy means more than providing infrastructure and affordable devices, as critical as these elements are. Access alone is meaningless without the skills, knowledge, and compelling use cases to take full advantage of connectivity. How can we ensure that developed and developing markets alike are equipping their citizens with 21st century digital skills? Who should be responsible for delivering and funding digital skills training – the public, private or civic sector, international organizations, or a combination of all? Who is currently investing in and driving digital skills training around the world, and with what success? What underlying issues may need to be resolved, from infrastructure and equipment to relevant content and services, affordability, literacy, and electricity supply? How can traditional educational systems best incorporate digital skills – and what should the role of digital tech be within basic education? What is the role of Digital Transformation Centres? How do priorities and approaches vary between developed, developing and least developed countries? What solutions, partnerships or programmes already exist to bring people online in a meaningful way, maximize their experience and ensure a roadmap to the digital future?

 

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Follow live as our SME Awards finalists from around the world pitch online before an expert jury of tech and industry specialists, investors and mentors. SMEs present their short-listed EdTech solutions for 5 minutes - and then face 5 minutes of questions from the jury.

Start-ups and SMEs have much to gain from working with corporate partners, including funding, access to markets and valuable skills transfer. Corporates also stand to win from collaborating with innovative small companies with bright ideas, fresh talent, in-depth local market knowledge and quick turnaround times. How can SMEs leverage partnership and support from larger companies seeking to engage with start-ups? What are the challenges and potential pitfalls? And how can start-ups reconcile a commitment to sustainability with the need to be profitable? This masterclass will feature real life cases and examples, including the story of how eco-friendly data cooling start-up Immersion4 successfully won corporate partners such as HPE, and will be rounded off by an open question and answer session from the online audience.

The global pandemic has underlined the critical importance of digital technologies in every aspect of our lives and led to a massive uptake of digital services. But the benefits of digital are shadowed by concerns over data usage, consumer privacy, content moderation and the concentration of power in digital platforms. As the pace of innovation and digitalization accelerates, existing legal tools such as competition law, net neutrality and data protection may no longer be enough to protect consumers. Regulators and policymakers have an ever more important role to play in ensuring that consumers are protected while using the digital services which are so beneficial to businesses, societies and individual lives. Strong public support for tighter industry regulation puts additional pressure on companies to change the way they conduct business – and on government and regulatory bodies to enforce change. For regulation to be fair, equitable and supportive of innovation and growth, all stakeholders must engage and collaborate. What are the biggest challenges facing regulators and policy-makers in the pandemic digital era? What is needed today to change the dynamic of regulation? Have the priorities shifted? How is the industry, including digital service providers, responding to user concerns and reacting to more and tighter regulations? Will users really be able to continue benefitting from the innovation in the digital space if there is more regulation? Where does the balance lie in the post-pandemic digital space?

 

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Follow live as our SME Awards finalists from around the world pitch online before an expert jury of tech and industry specialists, investors and mentors. SMEs present their short-listed Connectivity solutions for 5 minutes - and then face 5 minutes of questions from the jury.

Digital technologies are transforming every area of our professional and personal lives. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the process, including a huge increase in working from home, government information and healthcare programmes, test and tracing apps and digital vaccination passes. How has the pandemic affected the take up of digital services and content? What is the role of government services in general in driving digital transformation? Who is responsible for ensuring the availability – and awareness – of relevant digital content in local languages to encourage the use of digital services? How can citizens best be equipped with the appropriate digital skills for a truly digital future? Are we in danger of a new level of digital divide within societies, where marginalized groups such as the elderly are unable to access essential healthcare and government services without digital devices and knowhow? How can government, industry and civic organizations work together to mitigate digital inequality and ensure no citizen is left behind?

 

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Digital technologies are transforming every area of our professional and personal lives. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the process, including a huge increase in working from home, government information and healthcare programmes, test and tracing apps and digital vaccination passes. How has the pandemic affected the take up of digital services and content? What is the role of government services in general in driving digital transformation? Who is responsible for ensuring the availability – and awareness – of relevant digital content in local languages to encourage the use of digital services? How can citizens best be equipped with the appropriate digital skills for a truly digital future? Are we in danger of a new level of digital divide within societies, where marginalized groups such as the elderly are unable to access essential healthcare and government services without digital devices and knowhow? How can government, industry and civic organizations work together to mitigate digital inequality and ensure no citizen is left behind?

 

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Much of the world already has broadband infrastructure in place to enable digital transformation. But network existence, deployment rates and status vary dramatically within and across countries and regions. And as the number of users and devices, data usage and expectations of speed and quality continue to increase rapidly, existing networks need to be updated or replaced to meet future demand. How can broadband infrastructure deployment best be accelerated and optimized? How do good practices and successful case studies differ between developed and developing countries? If the necessary backbone is already in place, what are the roadblocks to reaching the end-user? What is the role of infrastructure sharing, both within the telecom sector and with utility providers? How can regulators and government work with private sector to incentivize collaboration, create technology-neutral level playing fields and expand markets? How has the ongoing pandemic affected policymakers’ decisions and impacted upon national broadband strategies? What are current best practices in broadband deployment, how can countries learn from each other – and what are the pitfalls to be avoided?

 

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Much of the world already has broadband infrastructure in place to enable digital transformation. But network existence, deployment rates and status vary dramatically within and across countries and regions. And as the number of users and devices, data usage and expectations of speed and quality continue to increase rapidly, existing networks need to be updated or replaced to meet future demand. How can broadband infrastructure deployment best be accelerated and optimized? How do good practices and successful case studies differ between developed and developing countries? If the necessary backbone is already in place, what are the roadblocks to reaching the end-user? What is the role of infrastructure sharing, both within the telecom sector and with utility providers? How can regulators and government work with private sector to incentivize collaboration, create technology-neutral level playing fields and expand markets? How has the ongoing pandemic affected policymakers’ decisions and impacted upon national broadband strategies? What are current best practices in broadband deployment, how can countries learn from each other – and what are the pitfalls to be avoided?

 

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The official event launch, opening ITU Digital World 2021 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, in the presence of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Information and Communications, Viet Nam, the ITU Secretary-General and an invited audience of high-level participants from public and private sectors.  The Opening Ceremony will mark the 50th anniversary celebrations of ITU Telecom events and the launch of the Virtual Exhibition.

The Opening Ceremony will be streamed live on the ITU Digital World 2021 homepage.

Meaningful connectivity - access to and use of relevant internet services - is critical to digital transformation. Ensuring universal access is fast becoming an issue of affordability and capacity rather than infrastructure or technology. According to ITU data, over 90% of the urban population and over 70% of the rural population globally were covered by 4G, satellite or other technologies in 2020 – yet only 51% of the world’s people are using the internet. Barriers to internet adoption include affordability, digital skills, public awareness and the existence of relevant content in local languages. How can governments address the affordability piece of the puzzle? Do manufacturers produce enough affordable devices to allow citizens to connect and use the internet? How can governments work with manufacturers to incentivize cheaper plans or ensure greater availability of low-cost devices? Should governments subsidize access or even provide free connectivity for all? Is there a greater role for more efficient recycling throughout the supply chain? How should governments address the underlying demand-side issues, including the cost of electricity? What innovative policy and regulatory measures or successful public-private models can best reduce the cost of connectivity for end-users?

 

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Spectrum harmonization in particular, and spectrum management in general, have a major impact on spectrum availability for next generation networks. Why is it so important both now and in the future to ensure globally harmonized spectrum for satellite, science, broadcasting, mobile, fixed and other radiocommunication services? How can we ensure services have enough spectrum for current and future needs?
Frequency bands for IMT-2020/5G were identified in the course of recent World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC), yet countries continue to use different bands. How can we ensure countries limit the number of frequencies and spectrum to the minimum essential to provide the necessary service?
Harmonization of IMT frequency usage can only be successful if national authorities are prepared to coordinate, collaborate – and prioritize. What are the challenges of spectrum harmonization? Is spectrum harmonization achievable, and if so, what are the best practices and methods? Is there a role for regional telecommunication organizations, and what initiatives are currently being implemented? What licensing models are in place around the world, and can they be used to promote greater spectrum harmonization?

 

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Advances in satellite technology, changing business models and growing demand for services are making satellites more relevant than ever. An array of options from non-geostationary orbit satellites (NGSO) to geostationary orbit satellites (GSO) in low, medium or geostationary orbits (LEO, MEO, GEO) are evolving to meet needs for commercial services, as well as specialized applications for earth stations in motion, broadcasting, satellite Internet of Things, and providing cost-effective broadband to rural and remote areas. How is the evolution of satellite technology affecting space orbit allocation – is there space in space? Which satellite constellations have already launched, what challenges have they faced and who are they serving? How can satellite networks coexist, compete with or complement current networks? Are there opportunities for partnerships between satellite technologies, with other industry sectors and with government? What new services will satellites enable beyond connecting the unconnected in underserved areas? What is the vision and unique value proposition of the satellite industry – and how can it be achieved?

 

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This session will discuss the expectations and challenges of future networks and standardization for “Beyond 5G” from a global and multi-stakeholder perspective.

An expert panel of system vendors and mobile operators will share their perspectives on future network development, standardization, issues and prospects.

What is the current status of 5G in terms of deployment, corporate efforts and global market trends – and how will the industry move from 5G launch toward 6G and beyond?

What new services will future networks provide and how will these services improve people’s lives across the world?

What are the requirements for realizing future networks, including extremely high bit rates, low latency and low power consumption?

What role should standardization play in delivering future networks - and what does the roadmap to the post-5G era look like?

5G promises a paradigm shift in network potential: massive connectivity, capacity, low latency, and enormous value add in both industrial and consumer applications. First launched in 2018, 5G networks are becoming available commercially in more and more countries, but its use is still in its infancy. Where has 5G been successfully deployed, what are the main use cases to date and how many people currently have 5G-enabled devices? What difference is it making to user experience and users’ lives? Has the global pandemic, with its massive economic impact and renewed interest in EMF dangers, delayed or even accelerated 5G deployment? Is the future of 5G in industrial applications and extreme automation more than in the consumer market? Who is investing in the networks – and what is the role of government? What partnerships are developing across sectors, technologies and market players to make 5G a reality? Is the leap from 3G to 5G economically viable, in particular in low and middle-income countries? How can the ecosystem develop to enable widespread access to 5G in developed and developing economies – and how much of a priority is affordability anyway?

 

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More and more people are connecting to the internet every day, looking increasingly for high quality services, rich content, speed, and reliability.  Many organizations and most countries are working on connecting everyone by 2030, further pushing the demand for fast and dependable networks. How will network operators cope with this demand? How are they enabling new technologies to function and improve user experience online? Is network deployment still viable? How should network operators balance falling consumer prices against the need to invest heavily in upgrading networks? What sort of wired connectivity or backhaul will future wireless networks require – and could this be key to universal access? How can network operators apply automation and machine learning to improve network functionality, cost efficiency and security?  Wired, wireless, fronthaul, backhaul, 5G, HetNet: what will the next generation of networks look like?

 

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Government procurement - when government bodies purchase goods and services to meet public service responsibilities - is of considerable economic significance. It accounts for 15 - 20% of GDP on average across most economies, and offers important business opportunities for SMEs in the tech sector. This masterclass will feature international expert guests reviewing opportunities and challenges faced by SMEs in winning foreign government contracts. Discussions will include the legal framework and best practices for policies designed to promote SME participation in government procurement, practical advice and tips.

The premier global organization known for excellence in customer service is the Disney Company. Dr Jim Poisant has created and run well-received seminars on the Disney Approach to Quality Service and the Disney Approach to People Management, analysing how the company has achieved this excellence. Drawing on this experience, and on his current role as Secretary General of the World Information Technology & Services Alliance, Dr Poisant explores the key role of innovation and excellent customer service in building success - and presents eight different ways to innovate.

Global tech leader HPE outlines its approach to co-innovation and cooperation with promising startups and scale-ups around the world, focusing on its Business Innovation Strategy in Switzerland and its Swiss Startup Program. HPE partners with NGOs, companies and startups across the industry spectrum, including financial services, smart cities, Industry 4.0 and smart retail. This session presents HPE’s work in e-health and healthtech through two leading programmes: the Dengue Fever Project and the Solar Aid Project. It will explore how to achieve outcomes and create value based on concrete use cases, the key role of partnership, and how to succeed by being better together. HPE will also highlight how startups benefit from applying for the “Partnering for Good” part of the Swiss Startup Program

 

Companies which embrace inclusive designed products and services with diverse users in mind reach a more significant number of the intended audience - and outperform their peers. Globally, more than one billion people, or 15% of the world population, experience some forms of disability, representing a significant portion of untapped resources due to design exclusion. This training session explores why businesses should invest in accessibility and the potential return on having an inclusive design in mind, as well as providing practical advice on how and where to start the journey of inclusive design.

One of the main challenges encountered by tech startup founders is the lack of funding - whether at the ideation stage to develop a minimum viable product, or at the point when they are ready to scale and grow abroad. This 90-minute training session explores the various sources of funding founders can try to tap into, including grants, loans, business angels, venture capital, crowdfunding and more. Participants will receive practical advice on how to prepare and apply for different sources of funding and the mistakes to avoid, alongside concrete examples of good practice.