50th anniversary page Celebratory quiz We challenge you! Test your knowledge on technology and ITU Telecom events over the past 50 years - check our 50th anniversary timeline, video and quotes in case you're not sure! Who was the Secretary-General who launched ITU Telecom as a “Message to the 21st century” back in 1971? Emil Frey (Switzerland) Manohar Balaji Sarwate (India) Richard E. Butler (Australia) Mohamed Ezzedine Mili (Tunisia) What does ITU's IMT stand for? International Mobile Telecommunications Interoperable Maritime Telecommunications International Multimedia Transmission Interconnection Management Terminology What was System X, the star exhibit of World TELECOM 79? A US$5.2 million supercomputer An electronic telephone switching system A best-selling heavy metal album A line of IBM servers Which high-profile speaker eloquently called for digital equality at World TELECOM 99, saying: “The capacity to receive, download and share information through electronic networks, the freedom to communicate freely across national boundaries — these must become realities for all people. My fear is that we are adding a new divide to the already well-entrenched one between rich and poor: a digital divide between the information-rich and the information-poor. Five out of six billion live in developing countries. For many of them, the great scientific and technical achievements of our era might as well be taking place on another planet.” Yoshio Utsumi, ITU Secretary-General Bill Gates, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary General Kurt Hellström, President, Ericsson At World TELECOM 95, the enormous growth in the telecoms sector was evident in the numbers: 34 million new fixed lines and 18 million new mobile subscriptions in 1994 alone. But by the time of TELECOM 99, just four years later, how many digital mobile subscribers were there around the world? More than 8 billion More than 300 million More than 180 million More than 1 billion According to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus (ITU Telecom World 2006) and Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa (ITU Telecom World 2018) using ICT to empower what or whom will change societies for the better? Youth Developing nations Women The private sector In which country did the launch of the first commercial 1G mobile network take place? Sweden United Kingdom Japan Republic of Korea What was the name of the first internet search engine, which appeared in 1990? Sylvia Archie Quentin Edward What was the theme of this year’s (2021) WTISD? Enabling a positive use of digital technologies Accelerating Digital Transformation in challenging times Building back better Accelerating Digital Transformation for meaningful connectivity Which city – other than ITU’s hometown of Geneva - has hosted the most ITU Telecom events over the past 50 years? Bangkok Rio de Janeiro Singapore Cairo Which android was one of the most popular interviewees at ITU Telecom World 2014? ASIMOV Sofia Pepper Roboy How many characters were first allowed in a ‘Tweet’ when Twitter was first created in 2006? 280 180 160 140 At World TELECOM 87, ITU Secretary-General Richard Butler was arguably ahead of his time in anticipating two key aspects of the explosive growth in ICTs which are still just as relevant today. What two areas did he highlight? Digital skills training and the potential dangers of technology Climate change and emergency telecoms Digital skills training and cybersecurity Digital divide and spectrum management Back in Geneva in 2003, who was the first royal participant in an ITU Telecom event? King Juan Carlos I of Spain Crown Prince Tupoutoʻaʻ Ulukalala of the Kingdom of Tonga Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of the Kingdom of Thailand Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Where and when were the ITU Telecom World SME Awards launched with the aim of recognizing the best in innovative tech solutions from entrepreneurs, startups and SMEs around the world? ITU Telecom World 2011, Geneva ITU Telecom World 2014, Doha ITU Telecom World 2012, Dubai ITU Telecom World 2015, Budapest
