World Telecommunication and information society day is celebrated to spread the awareness of internet and telecommunication means among the multitude.
World Information Society Day is celebrated each year on 17 May to refresh the vision of telecommunication and Information Society to build “a people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented information society” based on fundamental human rights.
The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide.
17 May marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union.World Telecommunication Day has been celebrated annually on 17 May since 1969, marking the founding of ITU and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973.
In November 2006, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey, decided to celebrate both events on 17 May as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The updated Resolution 68 invites Member States and Sector Members to celebrate the day annually by organizing appropriate national programmes with a view to:
* stimulating reflection and exchanges of ideas on the theme adopted by the Council
* debating the various aspects of the theme with all partners in society
* formulating a report reflecting national discussions on the issues underlying the theme, to be fed back to ITU and the rest of its membership.
WTISD-2010 is celebrated on 17 May in Shanghai at the Expo Center of World Expo 2010. The WTISD-2010 theme is aligned with that of the World Expo: “Better city, better life”, which represents the common wish of all humankind to achieve better living standards in future urban environments. Information and communication technologies (ICT) play a catalysing role in achieving this goal.
WTISD-2010 artwork explanation is that ITU knows that there is a better future around the corner. Thanks to information and communication technologies (ICTs), cities of the future will be safer, cleaner, and more convenient than ever. Electric cars will plug into a smart electricity grid system when not being used, and automobiles will communicate with intelligent parking spaces. Perceptive protection sensors will accommodate to our needs and work to keep us safe.
Surgery via robotic avatars will become commonplace and medical centers will be networked to automatic sensors to warn of accidents and illness. Cities also have the potential to become more beautiful, with robotized trash collection and intelligent ambient lighting appearing only when and where it’s needed, saving energy and making cities glow. Hi-tech satellites and mobile masts designed to blend into the environment will support a whole range of wireless devices and applications. Tele-working, already happening today, will only increase as urban environments go completely broadband.
