World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is celebrated annually on 17 May.
What is Telecommunication?
Telecommunication is communication over a distance by cable, telegraph, telephone or broadcasting.
Significance of the 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.
Theme
This year's theme for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is “Digital technologies for Older Persons and Healthy Ageing“.
The theme for this year emphasizes the importance of using telecommunications and information and communication technologies (ICTs) to stay healthy, connected and independent on a physical, emotional and financial level.
History of the 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.
