ITU Secretary General Calls for a Connected Arab World

Doha, March 06 (QNA) -International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary General Hamadoun Toure has reiterated that the spread rate of the broadband use in the Arab region reaches only 2.2% while the rate of subscription to it do not exceed 13 %. In an address he delivered before the opening session of the Connect Arab World Summit 2012 which kicked off in Doha earlier Tuesday , Toure emphasized that the summit forms a unique chance for raising the spread rate of the broadband use, which is considered an essential technology, to reach 100%. The ITU and UNESCO jointly set up the Broadband Commission for Digital Development (BCDD) which is expected to meet soon to set new goals in pursuit of responding to all people s aspirations around the world creating a knowledgable connected community. Dr. Toure said that the Arab World really possesses huge potentials and big investment opportunities in the field of communication and information technology, pointing at the same time to the goals the ITU set to achieve advanced steps among which connecting every house with broadband by 2015 is one of them. This goal could be achieved in Qatar, he added. Project holders using the summit as a platform to promote their projects, have presented projects reaching a total value of 50 billion dollars. Arab world information technology superhighway is one of the remarkable promoted projects that will help creating new job opportunities and putting an end to unemployment. The ITU secretary general conveyed his thanks to HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani for hosting the summit and his thanks to HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser for patronizing the summit s debut considering Doha as the most proper place for launching such an event. He said "I would like to thank HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser for honouring this event with her attendance today." Meanwhile Dr. Toure made clear that the summit participants represent different segments of the community which is considered an essential concept for the prominence of the global information community that should seek a joint path for collaboration and unity and "that s what we really witness today." The Arab region fills up a recognizable place indicated by the rising digits of the communication and information technology at some countries as Qatar. Dr. Toure meantime stressed that it s time to move on wide paces forward a new technological era, presumably that the broadband will make a change "in everyone s life everywhere" and will help in achieving merit enhancements in the fields of health, education, transportation ,and government services. (QNA)