International Telecommunication Union

2.9 Billion Reasons to Worry

More than one-third of the world’s population is still not connected to the internet. It’s a global scandal and a growing crisis. The International Telecommunication Union convened governments, NGOs, and businesses in Kigali, Rwanda for...

The UN Sets Historic Targets for Global Connectivity

It’s no longer enough to just say people “need to be connected to the internet.” We require clear targets, especially since 2.9 billion people remain offline. So now the ITU and the UN Sec-General’s office...

ITU: To Connect Everyone We Need Innovation

3.6 billion people still remain offline. A young entrepreneur describes her Ugandan innovation journey. We also hear about Mandela, new ministries, and virtues of 5G.

A High-Altitude Hack to Bridge the Skills Gap

Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union, spoke at Techonomy 2011 about why broadband access should be a universal human right. Now, Touré's United Nations agency is partnering with British Airways to look...

Can Syrian Government Starve Rebellion with Information Deprivation?

Last year, a 75-year-old woman in the former Soviet republic of Georgia hacked through a cable with a shovel while scavenging for scrap metal, inadvertently crippling Internet service in that country and in neighboring Armenia...

Who’s in Charge of the Internet, and Who Pays the Bills?

The 12-day World Conference on International Telecommunications will convene representatives from 190 countries next week in Dubai. It's the first such assembly since 1988. Since then, the Internet has become a central driver of business...

ITU President Hamadoun Touré on Internet Access as a Human Right

In this video from Techonomy 2011 in Tucson, Ariz., Forbes editor Randall Lane talks to Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General of the International Telecommuniation Union, about why it was important for the Union to establish access...