CTO connects rural communities

LONDON-based Common-wealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) has concluded arrangement to host a four-day conference on Connecting Rural Communities in India.

Information contact at CTO, Mr. Bhavna Kerai said the conference slated to hold between January 30 and February 2, 2006, would focus on the best practices of doing business in the rural communities and to meet face-to-face with stakeholders.

This conference, he said, would provide participants with the opportunity to meet the crucial decision makers from across the region and establish relationships that would benefit them for years to come.

He said that the conference would be officially hosted by the department of Telecommunications, India with the Indian Minister of Communications and Information, Mr. Dayanidhi Maran, is slated to grace the occasion.

Delegates at the international event, he said, would be able to interact with keynote speakers dwelling on regulatory strategies for expanding rural communications, how Information and Communications Technology (ICT) could be made more accessible to the rural customer, the role of ICT in realizing ‘Mission 2007’.

Some sub-themes for the conference include cost-effectively extending the reach of ICT through Wireless Broadband Technology, Telkom SA on trailing WiMax, how to ensure benefit from technologies that have accelerated development in advanced countries with the latest operator in the region, Vodafone to speak at the conference.

He advised potential participants to register online by logging on to the CTO website, www.cto.int/rural06 and register or email 1.wright@cto.int as well as booking through the hotline available on CTO website, quoting the code of IE009MAR002E1 in order to benefit from some incentives.

The conference is sponsored by Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, and WorldSpace Satellite Radio.