ITU Telecom World 2015 seeks synergy of SMEs and tech players

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The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World 2015, which started on Monday, ended yesterday at Hungexpo, Budapest, Hungary with a call for increased collaboration among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), governments and major ICT industry players.

The event’s core themes of accelerating innovation for social impact and they ways in which SMEs are driving this innovation were in evidence throughout the event. It provided a platform for SMEs, governments and major ICT players to connect, share views, challenges and experiences and hold meaningful dialogues.

“This week we have marked the 150th anniversary of the foundation of ITU, hosted by Hungary – one of our original 20 founding members. We have also marked the first step in ITU’s new focus; to provide an international platform for SMEs, governments and major industry players to connect, share views, challenges and experiences and hold meaningful dialogues,” said ITU Secretary General, Houlin Zhao.

He further said “together, with all these stakeholders, we have explored how SMEs are the engine for much innovation, where their ability to take risks and move fast can be key. We hope that now this will lead to a greater cross-pollination of ideas and forging of new relationships between SMEs, governments and established ICT players to help scale and deliver innovative solutions globally, and improve lives,” he concluded.

The event, which welcomed over 4,000 participants from 129 countries this week, brought together an impressive line-up of top-level government representatives, leaders of industry – from established players to SMEs and young start-ups, from emerging and developed markets –along with high-level representatives of international organizations, entrepreneurs, accelerators, incubators and academia. Among these were over 235 ICT leaders from around the world.