Media & Events

Big plans for World Telecoms Day

09 May 2002, H. Amir Khalid, The Star
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has big plans for the first World Telecommunications Day it will celebrate in five years. These plans include three weeks of events organised by local telecoms companies and content providers in the month of May. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) celebrates World Telecommunication Day every May 17, but the occasion was last celebrated on a large scale in Malaysia in 1997, MCMC chairman Tan Sri Nuraizah Abdul Hamid said. "It's time for us to revive the occasion, and this time we want to do it on a bigger scale," she told reporters at a briefing on Monday. She said industry partners Celcom, DiGi Telecommunications, Maxis Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Time dotCom, and broadcasters Astro, TV3 and ntv7, would organise the events to be held from May 13 to June 2. The theme of this year's worldwide celebration, selected by an international panel of ITU member organisations, is ICT for All: Empowering People to Cross the Digital Divide. The theme of the Malaysian celebration is Bridging the Digital Divide Through Convergence. "What is important is what this event symbolises," Nuraizah said. "We want to create awareness of the telecommunications industry and of issues like convergence and closing the digital divide. "We also want to foster togetherness among industry players in doing something meaningful for the nation," she said. The event kicks off on May 13, with the three-day Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation Programme on Broadband Access and Multimedia to be hosted by Telekom Malaysia. On the same day, DiGi is hosting its DiGi Journalist of the Year awards. Other highlights of the programme are the Asia Pacific Forum on Telecommunication Policy and Regulation, expected to draw telecom industry regulators and representatives from the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the ITU. There will also be consumer fairs and awareness programmes, career talks at industry open days, a telecom tower design contest organised by MCMC, and a treasure hunt for people in the telco industry. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was scheduled to launch World Telecommunication Day on May 17 at an evening function at the Hotel Equatorial Bangi.
Share this article
Follow