Telecom Follows Growth Path, Seeks To Bridge Digital Divide

摘要

The ninth staging of Telecom World 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland from October 12-18, 2003 attracted 911 exhibitors from 51 countries led by Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Huawei Technologies, Inc., NTT and Panasonic. While European companies dominated the show in terms of number of exhibitors, the presence of a large contingent of Asian companies was rather noteworthy. Most of the estimated 115,000 trade visitors to the quadrennial event could not help but notice the absence of major companies such as Nokia, Motorola, Bosch and Alcatel. However, the entry of new participants, particularly small- and medium-scale information and communication technology (ICT) companies, was perceived as a good sign for the industry. However, industry observers believed that unlike the boom period in 1999, the low attendance this year was brought about by severe economic challenges facing the industry.