Bangkok--26 Aug--UNISBKK The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will hold, on Friday, 29 August, a “curtain raiser” press conference on ITU Telecom Asia 2008 ? the leading showcase for information and communication technologies (ICT) and the foremost networking platform for policy makers, regulators and the ICT industry from across the Asia-Pacific region. ITU Telecom Asia 2008 will take place between 2?5 September at the IMPACT Convention Centre, at Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok. A Ministerial round table and high-level dialogue between Ministers and industry leaders will also be held at the venue. The VIP/Press Day will be held on Monday, 1 September. In addition, the ITU Asia Pacific Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Report will be launched during ITU Telecom Asia 2008. According to the Report, the region is a world leader in telecommunications and ICT. But despite the many success stories, the region is fraught with disparities ? while some people in Asia live the ultimate Internet high-speed experience, there is a stark contrast between the region’s high-income economies and the low and lower-middle income economies, where progression towards fixed and mobile broadband is slow and Internet access is limited and costly. The press conference will take place at 11:00 a.m. at: The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand The Penthouse, Maneeya Center 518/5 Ploenchit Road (connected to the BTS Skytrain Chidlom station) Patumwan, Bangkok 10330 For more information on ITU Telecom Asia 2008, please visit www.itu.int/ASIA2008/ or contact: Sanjay Acharya Chief, Media Relations and Public Information ITU Tel: +41 22 730 5046 Mobile: +41 79 249 4861 E-mail: [email protected] For more information, please contact: UN Information Services Tel.: +66-2-288-1861-9; Fax: +66-2-288-1052 Email: [email protected]