ITU International Telecommunications Union [to 5 December 2015]
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/index.aspx?lang=en#.VF8FYcl4WF8

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ITU statistics symposium underlines enormous untapped potential of ICTs to improve socio-economic development
Global statistics experts focus on power of big data, ICT innovation and the emerging ‘Internet of Things’
Hiroshima, 3 December 2015 – More than 600 participants from 88 countries, including Deputy Prime Ministers, government ministers, vice-ministers, Directors-General and leaders from business, academia and United Nations agencies met in Hiroshima, Japan, from 30 November to 2 December to attend ITU’s World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS-15).

The event opened with a special ceremony commemorating ITU’s 150th anniversary, followed by a Ministerial Roundtable focusing on ICT as a driver of sustainable development, and a Leaders Dialogue on the topic of future ICT trends, policies and measurement challenges.

Participants addressed a wide range of topical issues including big data, progress in measuring the socio-economic impact of ICTs, ICT statistics and the Sustainable Development Goals’ monitoring framework, strategies to measure ICT innovation, and the use of data generated by the Internet of Things to drive ICT development…

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ITU supports Zimbabwe to deliver health care services through ICTs
Geneva, 1 December 2015 – The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) signed a cooperation agreement on 25 November for the extension of telemedicine services to rural and remote clinics and hospitals in Zimbabwe.
Through this new project, the Ministry of ICTs Postal and Courier Services of Zimbabwe will receive assistance from ITU in the development of e-health sector policies and regulations. The overall objective of the project is to use ICTs to improve delivery and provision of quality, cost effective, affordable and accessible health services, particularly to remote and disadvantaged areas…

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ITU releases annual global ICT data and ICT Development Index country rankings
Korea ranks in first place in global ICT Development Index (IDI)
Geneva, 30 November 2015 – ITU’s flagship annual Measuring the Information Society Report, released today, reveals that 3.2 billion people are now online, representing 43.4% of the global population, while mobile-cellular subscriptions have reached almost 7.1 billion worldwide, with over 95% of the global population now covered by a mobile-cellular signal.

The report also notes that all 167 economies included in the ITU’s ICT Development Index (IDI) improved their IDI values between 2010 and 2015 – meaning that levels of information and communication technology (ICT) access, use and skills continue to improve all around the world.

The Measuring the Information Society Report is widely recognized as the repository of the world’s most reliable and impartial global data and analysis on the state of global ICT development, and is extensively relied upon by governments, international organizations, development banks and private sector analysts worldwide.

“ICTs will be essential in meeting each and every one of the 17 newly-agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, “and this report plays an important role in the SDG process. Without measurement and reporting, we cannot track the progress being made, and this is why ITU gathers data and publishes this important report each year.”…
:: ICT Development Index [interactive site]
:: Pdf Full Report http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/mis2015.aspx