CONFERENCE ON WIRELESS INTERNET OPPORTUNITY FOR DEVELOPING NATIONS AT HEADQUARTERS 26 JUNE

Note to Correspondents

CONFERENCE ON WIRELESS INTERNET OPPORTUNITY FOR DEVELOPING NATIONS

AT HEADQUARTERS 26 JUNE

The first-ever United Nations conference on wireless Internet technology for development, bringing together government representatives with private sector executives and field practitioners to explore broadband wireless potential for supporting development, will open at 9:15 a.m., 26 June in Conference Room 1 at United Nations Headquarters.

The conference, organized by the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Task Force and the Boston-based Wireless Internet Institute, brings representatives of developing countries together with leaders from information technology (IT) enterprises and international institutions -- including Agere, Cisco, Cometa, Intel, Hewlett Packard, Hughes, McKinsey, Siemens, Texas Instruments, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank,the United States Federal Communications Commission, the United States State Department, the MIT Media Lab, the Wi-Fi Alliance, the WiMax Forum and many others.

The ICT’s Task Force Vice-Chairman Talal Abu-Ghazaleh will deliver welcoming remarks from Secretary-General Kofi Annan.  Remarks will be made by Amir Dossal, Executive Director of the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships, and by the event’s co-chairs -- Sarbuland Khan, Director, Division for the Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and Daniel Aghion, Executive Director, Wireless Internet Institute.

Pat Gelsinger, Chief Technology Officer, Intel Corporation, will be the keynote speaker.  The morning session will include a debate on wireless Internet deployment scenarios, presentations of case studies and panels on “Technology Primer and Roadmap” and “Regulatory Landscape and Trends”.  Iqbal Quadir, from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the founder of GrameenPhone, will speak on “Wireless Internet and Development”.

In the afternoon, brainstorming workshops involving field practitioners, regulators, IT vendors and international development specialists will suggest policies to accelerate the adoption of wireless Internet broadband connectivity.  Speakers will include Siriram Viswanathan, Managing Director of Intel Capital; Sandy Pentland, Director of the Human Research Center at MIT Media Lab; and Ted Chell, Chairman, Cometa Networks.

Participants will examine the development impact of wireless technology developments, as well as practical deployment issues, including spectrum policies, local regulations, the role of incumbent telecom operators, and alternative business models to support both the deployment and operations of wireless infrastructure networks.

“Developing nations can use wireless Internet technologies to help break down barriers created by the digital divide and create new opportunities for their individual citizens and industries”, says Mr. Viswanathan.  “The conference marks the first time that telecommunication industry policy-makers, United Nations representatives, international development experts and wireless Internet technology companies discuss how wireless Internet initiatives can be a less costly and viable substitute for traditional broadband distribution.”

Prepared by a multinational, multidisciplinary steering committee, the conference will rely heavily on field experiences, which demonstrate that wireless Internet can provide inexpensive broadband access to underserved areas.  Over 30 broadband case studies from developing nations have been selected, representing a variety of applications ranging from commerce to social services, education and agriculture and households connectivity.

A showcase exhibit adjacent to the conference room will allow field practitioners and technology providers to share best practices and innovative solutions.  Results of both the morning plenary session and the workshops will be presented during the concluding plenary session.

In light of the results of the conference, its Steering Committee will determine follow-up steps to support best-practice sharing, continued regulatory improvements, and knowledge sharing on all issues related to a successful deployment of wireless Internet in developing nations.

Launched in 2001, the United Nations ICT Task Force lends a truly global dimension to the multitude of efforts to bridge the global digital divide, foster digital opportunity and thus firmly put ICT at the service of development for all.

W2i, a division of World Times Inc. (www.worldtimes.com), is an international independent think tank bringing wireless Internet stakeholders together to foster universal connectivity in support of economic, social and educational development around the world.

For more information, visit the Web site of the ICT Task Force at www.unicttaskforce.org, or of the Wireless Internet Institute at www.w2i.org; or contact Samuel Danofsky at the ICT Task Force, tel.:  (917) 367 2424, e-mail:  danofsky@un.org, or Daniel Aghion at the Wireless Internet Institute, tel.:  (617) 439 5400, e-mail:  daghion @w2i.org.

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