World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is an international day celebrated annually on 17 May.
What is Telecommunication?
Telecommunication is communication over a distance by cable, telegraph, telephone or broadcasting.
Significance of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day:
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is celebrated to help raise awareness in generating possibilities of using the internet and other information and communication technologies, to bridge the digital divide. It emphasizes the need to use technology to communicate with each other.
Importance of this day: The coronavirus has highlighted the necessary use of ICT. We can only get some sense of normalcy during this difficult time due to technology. We can shop, learn new skills, talk to our friends and family by various apps on our phone. Not only that, children and young students are now getting their education online and many people are working by using various forms of software online. Without technology, our world today would be dull and we probably wouldn't be able to accomplish certain goals. We wouldn't even be able to converse with a distant relative.
History of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day:
This day was proclaimed by the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey. The day had previously been known as 'World Telecommunication Day' to commemorate the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on 17 May, 1865. World Information Society Day was an international day proclaimed to be on 17 May by a United Nations General Assembly resolution, following the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. In November 2006, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya, Turkey decided to celebrate both events on 17 May as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.
