ITU Secretary-General Zhao Houlin (R) and Istvan Mikola, Hungarian foreign ministry state secretary responsible for security policy and international cooperation, attend a press conference in Budapest, Hungary on Oct. 11, 2015. ITU Telecom World 2015 will make the ITU history as the event will focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), ITU Secretary-General Zhao Houlin told a press conference in Budapest on Sunday. (Xinhua/Kecskemeti David)
BUDAPEST, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- ITU Telecom World 2015 will make the ITU history as the event will focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), ITU Secretary-General Zhao Houlin told a press conference in Budapest on Sunday.
Zhao said ITU looks forward very much to highlighting the role of SMEs in the ICT industry. Telecom World 2015 is a unique opportunity to demonstrate our new emphasis on supporting the critical role of SMEs, start-ups in the growth of ICT industry around the world.
SMEs sector in general represents more than 95 percent of enterprises and up to 70 percent of jobs globally, he said, adding it provides 80 percent of jobs in the low-income countries.
Zhao pointed out that the ITU was marking its 150th birthday this year and that Hungary was a founding member. He noted that 193 nations were currently ITU members.
Istvan Mikola, the Hungarian foreign ministry state secretary responsible for security policy and international cooperation, stressed Hungary's intention to train infocom scientists. Hungary wants to export infocom brainpower to international markets, he said.
Mikola said he hoped the conference would provide an impetus for startups and SMEs already in existence, since they were vital to sustainable economic growth. He noted that over 80 government and regulatory officials from all over the world were attending the conference, including 23 ministers, 15 of whom were from European countries.
ITU Telecom World 2015 will run from Oct. 12-15 in Budapest. It is the global innovation event for SMEs, corporates and governments.
